Project description

Erasmus+ project: Let's walk together

The kindergarten “Mali istraživač” is an institution that fosters a humanistic approach to the education of children and places the child at the center of that process. In our institution, we create a curriculum that encourages the development of all of the potentials of a child, and we wish to work systematically and long-term on the internationalization of our institution and the development of a multicultural environment. For this reason, we joined the Erasmus+ KA1 program with the “Together Hand in Hand” project. Our goal is to increase children’s and educators’ sense of initiative, self-empowerment, and motivation to participate in building the future of education and inclusive education programs in order to improve intercultural understanding in the European context.  In order to achieve these goals, we need to improve the quality of education, encourage the creativity of educators, professional associates, and principals, and at the same time develop their professional competencies in the creation of an inclusive curriculum, international planning, and project management, intercultural awareness, initiative, cooperation, and the development of language skills.

Due to all of the above, we formed several key areas that we wanted to improve with this project:

• development of interculturalism in our institution;
• familiarization with new learning and teaching methods;
• digital revolution and development of digital competencies.

Project activities

In order to fulfill the project goals, we participated in three forms of employee training provided by the Erasmus+ program: work-observation activities, teaching activities at the workplace, and structured courses. As part of the project, we participated in seven mobility activities, which a total of 14 kindergarten employees were part of, we attended four courses, two teaching activities, and one work-observation activity in the institution. Below you can find a list of said mobilities.

• Course “How to Make Your School More International – A Practice-Based Approach” of the Finnish organization EUNEOS in Portugal.
• Course “CLIL – Practical Methodology for Teachers Working With CLIL” organized by the Executive Training Institute in Malta.
• Course “Boost Your ICT Skills – Technology for the Classroom” organized by the Executive Training Institute in Malta.
• The course “Digital Turn: How to Make Your School More Digital” by the Finnish organization EUNEOS in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
• Teaching activity in the preschool institution Ceip Bonavista in the Spanish city of Ontinyent.
• Teaching activity in Frida förskola Trollhättan preschool from Sweden.
• Observation of work in the preschool institution Kirkonkylan from Taipalsaari, Finland.

Project result

Participation in the Erasmus+ program opened the door to new and educational opportunities. The entire institution got the opportunity to learn, expand their knowledge, skills, competencies, and gain extensive experience. We especially enjoyed collaborative learning, making new acquaintances and partnerships, meeting people from other cultures, and learning about examples of good practice. During this project, all of our participants had the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of European education systems, policies, and practices. This implies a better understanding and sensitivity to social, linguistic, cultural, and developmental diversity in educational systems.

Basic Information