Comenius 1 Project

The Background

The Comenius 1 Project commenced with Mr Lopez’s, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, participation at the Comenius 1 Contact Seminar in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Contact Seminar gathered delegates from twelve different European nations which included the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the host nation, Iceland.

The seminar gave delegates the chance to discuss different project ideas in groups which encompassed members from different countries. The project entitled ‘The Changing World of Work’ was chosen by the delegates that are now participating in this project. It was agreed that Highcliffe School in Bournemouth would be the co-ordinating school and the other schools would be partners within the project.

Once back in our native lands, each school submitted their application to their National Agency for approval. As part of the United Kingdom delegation, we submitted our application to The British Council which is the United Kingdom’s National Agency.

In June 2006 we were informed that our application had been successful and approved by the United Kingdom National Agency and that the United Kingdom Adjudication Panel had put LNS together with Highcliffe School in Bournemouth forward for the wider pan-European approval. In July we were informed that our partners in Norway, Germany and Italy had also been approved by their National Agencies and in conclusion on the pan-European scale, the project had been approved for funding. The London Nautical School has been awarded 12,570 Euros for our participation in the project.

The Project

The Changing World of Work is a three year school project for students aged 14-18 which will involve a comparative study of the changes which have taken place in the working world over the last 50 years and on the career and higher education opportunities for young people in the five partner schools in four European nations. Students will gather information on the jobs carried out by the previous two generations of their family. They will share this information in English, German and Spanish with the pupils of the partner institutions via e-mail and website postings. Over the three years students will progress from the historical aspect to a consideration of their current career options and then to a study of future career plans. Pupils will also work to provide profiles of the main employers within their areas producing a dossier on the main employment opportunities locally.

The schools involved in the Comenius 1 Project are:

Highcliffe School, Dorset, United Kingdom

Stryn Vidaregåande Skule, Stryn, Norway

Gesamtschule Rheydt-Mülfort, Mönchengladbach, Germany

The London Nautical School, London, United Kingdom

Istituto di Istruzione Superiore „R. Casimiri", Umbria, Italy

PROJECT CONTENT and ORGANISATION

1. a) Language aspect:

For students to improve their knowledge of the English language, German language and the Spanish language through the sharing of information gathered via e-mail as part of the project, video-conferencing and by producing web-pages and a CD-ROM. The aim is to increase the motivation to communicate with European citizens for a concrete purpose.

b) Social skills aspect:

The goal will be to improve the students’ project social skills through a project and practical activities as well as to improve the ability to organise and manage team work. Enable them to learn to work together with students of other cultures and backgrounds. Help them to open new windows in the minds of students by encouraging them to work closely together and to diminish barriers and possible stereotypes and prejudices.

Cultural aspects:
To acquire new knowledge and insights by comparing the world of work and its changing nature and impact over three generations within the home country and then comparing this information with the partner countries to create a broad perspective on the world of work within the participating lands.

European vocational aspect:

To help prepare students for the possibility of working in another European country or to work with other Europeans in the workplace by encouraging dialogue and information sharing and gathering on the nature of work in different countries and by gaining a thorough knowledge of the changing nature of the workplace and employment requirements over the generations.

Community aspect:

To work with local members of the community to share aspects of the world of work and its changing nature to bring a European perspective into the community: bringing Europe to us.

2. Intended activities for the project:

Year One:

Students will work in groups in each institution to produce a questionnaire for use with parents and grandparents relating to the world of work
Students will make initial social e-mail contacts with groups of students in partner institutions
Students will share the questionnaire format with the other schools and make adjustments and changes as deemed required
Students will conduct the necessary interviews to complete the questionnaires (minimum of 20 per institution) some interviews will be recorded digitally and made available for view.
Students will write up and analyze the collected information; students will investigate the best methods to disseminate and present the information
There will be a project meeting in the first half of Year One, with representative staff and students present to discuss the dissemination and presentation of the project findings so far, and will work to create the Comenius forum on the Highcliffe website and the CD Rom.

Year Two:

Students will embark on a career choice process by producing a report on their work experience which they have so far: this may be placements already completed through school or their part-time work experience in their own time
Students will gather the information gathered in the form of spreadsheets and produce a portfolio on their own nature of work experience
Students will share the information gathered with the partner schools (at least two of the schools will use video-conferencing)
There will be a project meeting in the spring of Year Two, with representative staff and students present to discuss the final dissemination and presentation of the project findings so far, and will work to further develop the Comenius forum on the Highcliffe website and the CD Rom.

Year Three:

Students will summarize the procedures they follow in making applications to Higher Education institutions in their own countries, and the procedures for those not planning to enter full-time education at the end of their school career
Students will set up a bank of work experience placements available for visiting students from the partner schools (up to 4 from each) with descriptions of the post and requirements
Students will discuss and share with partner institutions their choices for a work placement and devise application forms for the posts
Application forms will be shared and discussed and published
Partner schools will work to finalize the work experience placements, examining carefully insurance and legal requirements
Students will plan their own travel and accommodation with guidance from teachers
Final project meeting in the Spring of Year Three to finalize the work on the website and to finalize the arrangements for the work experience placements.
In the summer term of Year Three work experience placements of 7 days are completed – accounts are posted on the website: finalization of the CD Rom

Final product:

Evaluation of the process and impact:

Student questionnaires;
Teacher meetings and discussion
Yearly up-date report

Dissemination:

Yearly article in the local press and school newsletter or on website
Visit to the Mayor’s parlour with project teachers and representative students

Specific Measures

SEN students will be invited to join the project

Students from ethnic and minority groups will be encouraged to join the project by showing them that they will have an additional cultural and ethnic element which they can contribute to the project

Economically disadvantaged students will be given guidance on additional funding streams

Role of participating institutions

Highcliffe School (UK) will be the leading school. Essential documentation related to the project will be directed through Highcliffe as a hub. Highcliffe will host the first project seminar meeting in Year One.
The effectiveness of communication will be ensured by the strong ICT links present in the three schools – e-mail and video-conferencing are all available.
Create a Comenius Project forum on the Highcliffe website to encourage regular and rapid communication of the project’s development.
Individual schools will create the target pupil groups and will encourage the completion of the project activities and will alert the lead school when problems arise.
Co-operation will be ensured by e-mail contacts and video-conferencing and the sharing of information on the project so far.
The two non-lead schools will explore the possibility to work with a Comenius language assistant to help the delivery of the project.

Information and Communication Technologies:

Use of e-mail, SMS and regular mail to keep in touch and exchange information and project delivery
Use of Excel spreadsheets
Use of PowerPoint
Website technology
Use of the Internet for research and evaluation
Video-conferencing to share information and project delivery
Use of the digital camera and video-recorder and CD-Rom
Use of the scanner for project exposition

Active participation of pupils throughout the project:

The pupils will have to work in groups and independently on a regular basis in order to make the initial contacts, to devise the questionnaires, to share the information and to produce the project-findings.
Students will make individual visits to members of the community and workplaces and employers for fact-finding and interviews to accomplish the project aims
Students will create the necessary documentation for inclusion on the website and the CD-Rom
Students will complete a logbook on the project
Some students will be encouraged to take up the possibility of work-experience placements in Year Three.

Integrating into the Curriculum of the pupils

In GB (Highcliffe) – the project will form part of the new Business Enterprise compulsory element for KS4 students in the first place and will transfer into the Sixth Form as part of the Highcliffe Enrichment programme for post-16 students.
In D - the project will start in the extra curricular activity sector and as part of an enrichment programme for classes nine and ten, then is transferred into the Sixth Form. Here the students will be put together in one class and will go on working together as part of their language learning, but also in form of an extra-curricular activity so that students will get the chance to make their compulsory work placement of the Sixth Form (class 12) in one of the partner countries.
In GB (London Nautical School) – the project will be part of the KS4 learning strategies and cross-curricula activities encompassing Modern Foreign Languages, Business Studies, Nautical Studies, English, History and Geography. The third year of the project will pass on the Sixth Form and will be included into the Business Studies and Modern Foreign Languages programme.
In N – the project will start with VG 1 in 2006, and they will follow this project through all three years. This will be an important part of their language learning skills, and also an extra curricular activity. Hopefully this project will give pupils the opportunity to work in a foreign country and widen their cultural and professional experience.
In I - the project will start for the 1st and 2nd forms as curricular and activities and the students will follow this project for three years. It will be included into the syllabuses of: Foreign Languages, Italian, History, Art and Legal Studies. Hopefully, this project will give the students the chance to do a cultural and work experience in the partner nations.

COMENIUS PROJECT – October 2006

Year One:

Students will work in groups in each institution to produce a questionnaire for use with parents and grandparents relating to the world of work

Students will make initial social e-mail contacts with groups of students in partner institutions

Students will share the questionnaire format with the other schools and make adjustments and changes as deemed required

Students will conduct the necessary interviews to complete the questionnaires (minimum of 20 per institution) some interviews will be recorded digitally and made available for view.

Students will write up and analyze the collected information; students will investigate the best methods to disseminate and present the information

There will be a project meeting in the first half of Year One, with representative staff and students present to discuss the dissemination and presentation of the project findings so far, and will work to create the Comenius forum on the Highcliffe website and the CD Rom.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR GUIDANCE:

Activity	Date
Agree the pupil participants	By Christmas
Begin work on the creation of the questionnaire	By Christmas
Students make e-mail contact	By Christmas
Students share the content of the questionnaire and agree final version	By Christmas
Completion of the questionnaires with interviews with parents and grandparents	January / February
Outcomes of the questionnaires are produced as a report	March / April
Outcomes reports produced in English, German and Spanish	April / May
First project meeting with staff and students	End of May
Work begins on the creation of the Comenius website and the creation of the CD-ROM.	June / July

COMENIUS PLAN – London Nautical School
Context	The London Nautical School is a boys’ school serving a central London intake mainly from the London Borough of Lambeth. The intake is predominantly white British with a growing ethnic mix. There is a low Free School Meals allocation of less than 5% which means that it receives a low amount of funding from the LEA. The school was founded in 1915 due to the loss the RMS Titanic. Since then it was a comprehensive school until 1999 when it assumed Foundation Status. In 2003 the school was awarded Sports College status. There are 600 boys on roll with about 90 both boys and girls in the sixth form.
International Activities	The London Nautical School places much emphasis on the International Dimension. The Modern Foreign Languages department conducts various trips to both France and Spain. This includes a yearly trip to Brittany which encompasses pupils in MFL, Nautical Studies and Business Studies. Other trips include Paris, Barcelona and Valencia for Years 9 and 10. The PE department has a bilateral agreement with a Dutch school.

International ceramic plate painting course for KS3 and KS4 pupils

The Young Enterprise Programme at national level

The Stock Exchange/Proshare Investment competition

Y11 and Y12 Entry into the Journalism competition from students from ethnic minorities

Completion of the Sports College DVD with an accent on Nautical activities

Initiation of Russian and Italian classes

Latin and Ancient Greek classes for Gifted and Talented pupils

Choir and Band now include a violinist, a saxophonist and a trombonist

Summer school on Robotics

Attendance at the Thinking Skills and Scientific Enquiry

Participation in the Don Quijote Scholarship Fund

Application for National Accreditation for Languages by CILT

Rationale for being involved with Comenius

The commencement of a three year Comenius school project will be an important step for the school since whilst the school does much to promote the international dimension in the curriculum and has many links with countries abroad, the school does not yet have any curriculum support through the kind of Comenius project proposed. .

Involvement in the plan

As shown above the Comenius plan will complement the work already carried out but with a different curriculum focus. The delivery and context of the plan is devised by the Head of Modern Foreign Languages working with Heads of Departments and Senior Management which meet at regular intervals during the year. For the Comenius plan there will also be the involvement of a number of teachers from the relevant year groups as the project moves through the three-year plan. The attached Curriculum Governor will give feedback to full Governors’ meetings on a yearly basis.