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Comenius School partnerships aim at enhancing the
European dimension
of education by promoting joint co-operation activities
between schools in Europe. The projects give pupils and teachers in
different countries an opportunity to work together on one or more
topics of mutual interest. School partnerships help pupils and
teachers to acquire and improve skills not only in the topic or
subject area on which the project is focussed, but also in terms of
teamwork, social relations, planning and undertaking project
activities and using information and communication technologies (ICT).
Participating in a partnership with schools from different countries
also gives pupils and teachers the opportunity to practice foreign
languages and increases their motivation towards language learning.
Examples of activities that can be carried out in Comenius School
partnerships:
- Project meetings between all institutions involved in the
partnership
- Exchanges of staff and pupils involved in project activities
(e.g. teacher exchanges, study visits, pupil exchanges)
- Exchanges of experience and good practice with partner
schools abroad
- Fieldwork, project research
- Drafting, publishing and disseminating documentation related
to the co-operation activities
- Producing technical objects, drawings, arts objects
- Performances (e.g. theatre plays, musicals)
- Organisation of exhibitions, production and dissemination of
information material
- Linguistic preparation of teachers and pupils to ensure they
possess the necessary competence in the working language(s) of
the partnership
- Co-operation with other projects in related subject areas (including
Comenius Networks), including mobility to network events if
relevant, sharing experience with other institutions in the
region
- Self-evaluation activities
- Dissemination of project experience and outcomes
'Associated partners’ such as local or regional authorities,
parents' and pupils' organisations and teacher training institutions
may also participate in these activities.
When choosing the theme of a School partnership, schools are
strongly encouraged to choose any topic of interest and importance
to the participating institutions, as it will be the motivating
force for co-operation and learning within the project. School
partnerships focusing on pupil participation could deal with
thematic areas such as arts, sciences, languages, environmental
education, cultural heritage, European citizenship, use of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) or fight against
racism. Project activities should ideally be integrated into the
regular activities of the schools and be included in the curriculum
of participating pupils. Pupils should be able to be involved in all
phases of the project, including the planning, organisation and
evaluation of activities.
Some School partnerships focus on pedagogical or management
issues. They provide teachers and school managers with the
opportunity to exchange experience and information with colleagues
in other countries, to develop together methods and approaches which
meet their needs, and to test and put into practice new
organisational and pedagogical approaches. In these cases, projects
will often involve co-operation with bodies from the local community
of the schools, such as local authorities, social services,
associations and businesses.
Most partnerships are multilateral; i.e. they must include
schools from at least 3 participating countries. Bilateral
partnerships are only possible in the case of languageoriented
projects which include two reciprocal class exchanges lasting
minimum 10 days each and involving pupils aged 12 or older.
Language oriented bilateral school partnerships seek to
encourage the use of all the official languages of the European
Union by giving pupils the possibility to practice their foreign
language skills and acquaint themselves with the language of a
partner country. Pupils involved in a bilateral partnership are
expected to learn at least basics of the language used in the
partner institution. Usually pupils use a third language as their
working and communication language. During the project, pupils and
teachers in both countries work together on a common theme and
produce a joint end product. During the class exchanges, pupils
attend school together and are hosted in each others' families. The
cooperation should not only be limited to the exchanges but
activities should cover the whole project period.
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