"Young explorers set sail" is a project aiming at promoting inclusive education, in which general education students from Greece will collaborate with a special education school from England and a Hospital school from N. Ireland to plan together an adventurous journey to the sea. By following a leading story, students will have to perform tasks, solve riddles and travel to different countries by exploring the ways their culture was inspired and affected by the sea. By completing each task successfully, students get clues that in turn lead them to their next quest. Their final reward will be to enter the secret earthly paradise of Atlantis that no human being has managed to enter since its sudden disappearance. More importantly, by the end of their journey they will have gained rich experiences, new knowledge and valuable friends! All students' work will be published in a blog, specifically designed to host the project.
This project would be a challenge for both teachers and students, since a mainstream education school will collaborate with a special education school and a hospital school. However, we are sure that the results will be beneficial for all participants.
Aims of the project
- To explore myths, legends, short stories and poems that are related to the sea along with related science facts associated with water. These will be combined with music and art/crafts.
- To create a fully inclusive virtual classroom.
- To develop teams of professionals working across cultures and areas of education; this will include mainstream and special education .
- To meet the social, emotional, cognitive and physical learning needs of all students involving them fully within carefully crafted activities based around a common theme.
- To foster an acceptance of each other irrespective of race, gender or disability.
- To promote creativity and productivity.
- To develop the well-being and self image of all learners.
- To foster the premise that the curriculum comes from the child.
- To personalise learning.
Work Process
We will explore the mutual cultural learning benefits for our pupils. We will use a range of media to demonstrate learning and progress such as video, Skype, pictures and other web based development tools. Pupils will work both individually and collaboratively across all three settings and, whilst joint working will be a major component, freedom will exist for schools to pursue personalised learning activities to suit the varying needs and disabilities of their students. Collaboration will exist through a mutual desire to expand the learning opportunities for everyone.
The potential for professional development across all areas is extensive though individuals will need to ensure they exercise personal discipline to safeguard setting aside the dedicated time required. Evaluation of the project will take the form of a critical appraisal of the project aims and objectives and this will be achieved through professional dialogue and a personalised assessment of the agreed success outcomes for each school.
Expected Results
Through the project, teachers will grow professionally, they will acquire personal support and their teaching motivation will be enhanced. Collaboration will bring professional skills to planning, preparation and delivery of classroom instruction.
General, special and hospital education students are expected to improve their communication and social skills, they will increase positive peer interactions and improve their self-esteem and motivation.
General, special and hospital education students are expected to improve their communication and social skills, they will increase positive peer interactions and improve their self-esteem and motivation.
What's more, students of mainstream education will develop positive attitudes and perception of persons with disabilities.
- This blog is designed to host this project and all our students' work will be published there.
- Students are expected to interact through twinspace or through planned skype sessions.
- All schools will present their work to the school community at the end of the project.
- ICT tools will be used extensively and effectively throughout the project.
- Articles will be written by partner teachers describing the methods followed, the process and the results of the project and they will be published in educational magazines or presented in seminars/conferences etc
