Relevance, purpose and target group

Give a short outline of the future project you wish to prepare for*

- Which development needs underlie this application and the future project? - What will be the subject and target group(s) of the future project and which type of project activity do you intend to apply for in the upcoming spring round? - Shortly describe each institution and with what capacity it will participate in the project – i.e. its particular expertise, role and contribution to the project.

Development needs:

 

Mutala School (Finland) and Melaskóli Primary school (Iceland) want to develop our schools’ international actions through Nordic cooperation, promote Nordic languages and language education and investigate various possibilities for long-lasting cooperation in the field of cultural heritage, cultural identity and Nordic coherence. We want to implement global education and the pedagogical use of ICT through sharing, cooperation and mutual expertise. Our main objectives, topics and developmental needs are:

 

1. Language education. Promoting Nordic languages, comparing and differentiating our languages as well as valuing our cultural heritage through stories and songs of our nations
2. Global education, green values and national landscapes.
3. ICT as a pedagogical tool to communicate, share and create
4. Project Based Learning
5. To increase tolerance between immigrant students and local students.
6. Developing activities to promote the integration of refugee and migrant students.
7. Raising awareness about the refugee crisis in Europe

 

 

We want to promote lifelong learning and educate and prepare our pupils for a sustainable future. We want to promote teachers’ and pupils’ active participation in international networks in an ethical and responsible manner. International actions require knowledge, skills and attitudes which can only be attained and rehearsed in international cooperation. We want our pupils to respect our cultural background, understand the similarities between us Nordic people as well as recognize and respect the unique features in our cultures.

Our aim is to visit each other's schools and share our expertise as well as discuss in detail the topics and objectives for the future project. Each visit will have a specific theme and focus on sharing as well as project planning in detail. Teachers participating in the preparatory visit will work as experts and coordinators will create the project based on the data they have collected during the preparatory visits.

 

Subjects are sustainable development (Agenda2030, Global education Plan), language and global education and ICT as a pedagogical tool as well as increasing tolerance, promoting integration and raising awareness of refugees in Europe. To know, appreciate and share one’s own cultural uniqueness raises awareness and respect for others. 

 

Our target groups are pupils in primary aged 7-12 years old. We will create a website for the project to gather all project work (peda.net), organize online meetings monthly to stay in touch with each other and to share our ideas and communicate through WhatsApp, Facebook, and work on the project on shared Google Docs documents in between the preparatory visits. It is, however, crucial to meet face to face in order to familiarize ourselves with each other’s schools and for the coordinators to be able to specify the goals for the future cooperation. We are looking forward to long-term collaboration with each other.

 

Mutala School is a small but active primary school in the far eastern part of Finland. Despite (and because of) our location we want to identify even more to the Nordics and Europeans and strengthen this Cultural identity. We provide quality education for children aged 7 to 12. We have 10 teachers and 4 assisting staff and about 130 pupils. Our learners' profiles, ethnical and socio-economical backgrounds are various. About 44,5 percent of our pupils require support for their learning. We are experienced in participating in Erasmus projects but have had only one Nordplus Project.

Our motto is Get excited and succeed! We want to promote appreciation of Nordic languages, our topics are ICT, Sustainable development, positive pedagogy, pupil's participantship and project-based learning. Our staff is well educated, motivated and willing to share their knowledge, as well as learn new good practices in cooperation with our partner school. We are very open and willing to introduce our international pedagogy to our new partner in Iceland.

 

Melaskóli primary school is a big comprehensive school and has grades 1-7. Grades 8-10 go to Hagaskóli School. The principal is Harpa Reynisdóttir.

All students have the right to teaching that suits them, which considers their needs and general well-being.

Teachers prepare lesson plans for each year in accordance with the school curriculum. Diverse teaching methods aim to strengthen the identity of each student and encourage active participation in all school activities.

 

With diverse teaching methods, an attempt is made to meet the needs of every student. We put a lot of effort into helping our students in developing their strengths and activate the powers that reside in them. The school promotes diverse learning methods such as: increased emphasis on practical learning within the subjects, interdisciplinary thematic projects in all year groups, outdoor lessons and field trips and to promote positivity, independence and empathy amongst the students.

Future mobilities will give the opportunity to spread our educational successes and learn from each other in various aspects, including the curricular and extracurricular. Each school can advertise the benefits of the project on their homepage (either with a story, interview, or a gallery), impacting and reaching more people. Also, since being an international endeavor, local newspapers might show interest in the project, giving the opportunity to reach people outside the school community.

 

Both schools are motivated in working together, sharing their expertise and creating a project together.

Description of preparatory visit

Description of preparatory visit*

- Present an agenda, day by day, for the preparatory visit meeting and indicate date and place. Describe the planned activities and their content. Explain why you chose these activities and how they will benefit the future project.

Meeting schedule in Finland:

Mutala school, Lastenkatu 4

80100 Joensuu

November 23st to 25rd2022

Wednesday 23.11.2022:

Introduction and familiarization, presentation and welcoming

Meeting staff and observing classes

Verso - anti-bullying program presentation in Mutala

Project meeting with coordinators to overview the agenda

Thursday 24.11.2022: 

Specifying needs and goals, discussions and agreements on possible mobilities for pupils

Presenting Mutala’s methods for pupil’s participation, positive pedagogy and active learning

Participants’ input, brainstorming and preparatory actions agreed 

Project meeting with coordinators

Friday 25.11.2022

List of questions needed to be addressed

Project meeting with coordinators

Sharing responsibilities and preparation for online meeting

Meeting schedule in Iceland:

Wednesday 8.02.2022

Welcome meeting 

Tour around Melaskóli 

Teachers visit lessons, talk to teachers, have a coffee break and talk freely during the school day to teachers and students

Presentations for teachers Lego teaching at Melaskóli 

Formative assessment at Melaskóli 

Olweus at Melaskóli - anti-bullying project 

Thursday 9.02.2022

Identifying and agreeing the leading roles of each topic

Project meeting with coordinators

Review, outcomes and results, writing the final project together

Friday 10.02.2022

Project writing and brainstorming session

These activities were chosen to present our schools to each other, to identify the strengths and output of both schools and to better design and create our project together. It is crucial to meet face to face in order to better agree on mobilities, especially if we are going to involve pupil’s mobilities and to create the project tasks together to implement our goals in the best possible way. In these meetings both schools are prepared to welcome each other in a warm cultural context, to open their school culture to each other and create a great project together that will have an impact on both schools on a long term basis. We are willing to improve our methods, learn from each other, gain new experiences and strengthen our cultural heritage together, unite our pupils despite their background and discover methods for integration, increase tolerance and awareness.

Specific aims of Nordplus Junior

Promoting the development of quality, creativity and innovation in education

Strengthening and developing cooperation between schools