THIS IS OUR PROJECT: TEACHING THE WAY THEY LEARN.

Our project is centered on finding the best possible answer to  Attention to Diversity. The school community has been involved with this  issue during the last two decades. Therefore, this proposal gives a strong horizontal continuity to this concern  of our school and it also includes the added value of introducing new methodological approaches that we will acquire in training in Europe and with the exchange of experiences with teaching staff from other European countries.

The Basque educational system provides teachers with an in-service teacher training program that allows teachers to develop professionally with the counselling provided by the link advisor of the school. We have always believed that working in a collaborative way is extremely rewarding in order to gain further insights into current trends in methodological approaches. The school has had a  close link with the advisor for fourteen years but  it will be the first time a link advisor will officially take part in an Erasmus + project with a school in the Basque Country. This is the reason why the participants in this Project are the Principal, the school counselor, the coordinator of the multilingual Project and the link advisor. However, as it is a whole school approach it ensures that all students have the opportunity to maximise their learning experience. The impact of the project  will  affect all school staff, parents/carers and community members.

Mobility activities cover two major fields, one being  "Learning about differences and inclusion in teaching, in other words, a global approach to Diversity, and the other "Classroom management".  

Our teachers are already paying attention to diversity by designing and implementing lessons that address all students' academic needs, learning styles and expressing their confidence in students’ ability to succeed. The Project describes these actions, among which we would like to highlight the joint work of two teachers in the same classroom, the extended day program where students with learning difficulties are supervised by assistant teachers, the specific attention placed on Special Needs Education students and on Gifted and Talented students as well. 

The proposal we present adds new ways to succeed at  reaching every student: activities/ didactical approaches that  consider their different learning styles and multiple intelligences, cooperative learning techniques,  PBL (Project-based learning) blended learning highlighting the concept of the flipped classroom. All these approaches covered by the umbrella of the UDL (Universal Design for Learning). We expect to make students feel we care for each of them and, consequently, improve not only their well-being but also their academic results making them feel important members of the school community.

A carefully scheduled timetable has been established so that all staff members will learn about the new current strategies and methodological tools they can put into practice to help all type of students reach the benchmarks in every subject.  The link advisor plays a crucial role in making all this a meaningful experience and bridging all the parts together. The global impact is absolutely guaranteed through participation of all staff members in the training sessions at school and the implementation of newly acquired strategies on a daily basis.

We are convinced that teaching the way they learn, in other words, trying to find the different ways to make every student progress   whatever the disability may be is not a short-term goal. Good things take their time and we are ready to be patient and wait for the long-term results, which will let us see a School for Everyone, made up of students dedicated to succeeding no matter their circumstances, with a global perspective and its doors open to Europe and the world.  


Puedes leer el resumen de nuestro proyecto en castellano aquí.