S.T.E.P. “Student Transition in Education Paths”

The project will be carried out via six learning/teaching/training activities and three transnational project meetings in the eight partner countries. The participants in these activities will be teachers/educators who work in these organizations and are interested in the issue of transition. The participants will be selected according to their motivation, interest in the topic and free will, considering at the same time their language and presentation skills.

16 teachers/educators will take part in five of the six LTT activities and 14 teachers/educators in the last LTT activity, whereas two people from each organization/school will participate in the transnational project meetings.

During training activities teachers will take part in tasks that will give them the opportunity toexperience teaching in other countries, share and exchange their ideas with European colleagues and be informed about the education systems in partner- countries. They will also improve their ICT and English language skills and develop an understanding and tolerance towards their foreign colleagues’ culture.

Students will be involved in interesting and original activities, learn how to adjust to a new educational environment and help other pupils adjust to a new educational environment, establish a positive start in the new school, and raise their interest to other countries, cultures, customs and traditions.

The project will have as a result a plurilinguistic book on transition practices, a website and a Facebook page of the project, an e-Twinning project, and questionnaires to investigate transition practices among the partner countries. Interviews with teachers from all partner countries will be organised as well as a booklet about children’s skills and a plurilingual e-book with fairy tales from all partner countries.
The impact of the implementation of the project is that pupils will be involved in various activities along with other students and teachers, take part in transition practices from other countries and as a personal development and a future academic success.

At the same time teachers will gain new experience by observing other teachers’ methods and share their knowledge by teaching their methods to other teachers, improve their linguistic and digital skills and learn a lot about other cultures.

The organizations involved will have the opportunity to develop links with European schools, understand diversity of European cultures & languages, develop through international collaboration and be willing to open up to & appreciate new ideas coming from other European countries. Finally parents will be guided in how to actively help their children adapt more smoothly in primary schools and local authorities will enhance their cultural competence and widen their horizons and develop more tolerance and understanding for other cultures.

In the long run, the project’s aim to develop, exchange and share new teaching methods which will facilitate the transition of pupils from kindergartens to primary schools will promote the development of pupils’ personality in a holistic way. The quality of education will be improved, equal opportunities for all students will be provided and the on-going challenges faced by teachers, students, schools and European organizations at national and European level will be addressed.