Form a group of four students and do the activities suggested.
PRE-READING
1. Before reading discuss the following.
a) Have you ever heard about EU programmes?
b) What do they deal with?
c) Is your school involved in any of them (or has been in the past)?
d) Can you mention any specific EU programme?
2. Have a look at doc.1 and find out:
a) what type of text you are going to read;
b) where it is taken from;
c) which topic it deals with;
d) reasons for the programme name.
| Doc. 1 - Comenius: from Nursery School to Secondary School |
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Comenius, a 17th century Moravian philosopher, felt that school should be outward looking. The whole point is to broaden horizons. European Cupertino brings a breath of fresh air to schools, along with new ideas. It thus prompts them to build up new partnerships, to work better and differently. Of Europe's 340,000 schools, 10,000 took part in the first phase of Comenius from 1995 to 1999. The aim from 2000 on is to considerably increase this figure. The Comenius action focuses on the first phase of education, viz. from pre-school and primary to secondary school (including technical and vocational education). This concerns all members of the education community – teachers, education staff and pupils – while also endeavouring to actively involve organisations outside the school, e.g. parents' associations, NGOs, local authorities, the business sector, the social partners, etc. The aim of Comenius is to enhance the quality of teaching, strengthen its European dimension and promote language learning. There is also emphasis on certain important issues: learning in a multi-cultural framework, which is the cornerstone of European citizenship, support for disadvantaged groups, countering under-achievement at school and preventing exclusion. Comenius comprises three major strands.
School partnerships
School projects enable schools (at least three schools from three participating countries) to work on a theme of common interest. They endeavour to involve as many classes as possible and thus work towards closer Cupertino, particularly between different classes and subject areas. Encouraging the active participation of pupils is a priority and henceforth a limited number of pupils may be given the opportunity of going to another country to prepare and plan the European project in conjunction with their teachers.
Language projects involve two schools from two European countries and must focus on the learning of foreign languages. Priority will be given to the less widely used and taught languages. The projects will generally entail an exchange involving a stay in the partner establishment and a return visit (minimum age of pupils: 14).
School development projects involve schools (at least three schools from three participating countries) as institutions, the idea being to share their experiences and to compare notes on teaching methods, organisation, management or themes of common interest, e.g. preventing violence at school or the challenge of integrating pupils from different social and cultural environments. Each school is thus involved in a holistic way.
Initial and in-service teacher training
The European Commission can subsidise two types of activity:
Multilateral co-operation projects between different types of institutions, particularly establishments providing initial or in-service teacher training. The aim of these projects is to prepare programmes, courses, strategies or teaching material for the training of staff involved in education. In addition to the contribution of these projects to enhancing the quality of training in Europe, the creation of links between colleagues working in this area in different European countries is invaluable.
Individual grants for future teachers (including assistantships for future language teachers), teachers in service and other categories involved in formal or informal education (head teachers, inspectors, advisors, mediators, etc.). These mobility grants can be used to undertake practical courses in schools or companies in another country, or to take part in European courses with colleagues from other countries.
The establishment of Comenius networks
Upon completion of a Comenius project, the partners are often eager to pursue and expand the work they did together. The Comenius networks give them a chance to do so. Grouping together several ongoing projects, these networks must be structured around a specific topic, e.g. citizenship, education in environmental matters or intercultural education. Many ideas and proposals can thus be more widely shared, including by schools, which have not yet been able to become involved in a European partnership. The aim of this action is to consolidate, establish synergy between and spread positive achievements and innovatory practices, to disseminate ideas and results, and give the projects a lasting impact.
From http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/socrates/comenius/index.html.
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READING
3. Read doc.1 and complete the table with the missing information.
VOCABULARY
4. Match the red words in doc.1 with the correct synonyms.
SPEAKING
5. Organise the information you have gathered to prepare a presentation for the whole class. Use visual aids (transparencies, PP slides etc.) to make it more interesting.