„Equal chances – inclusive education of disabled and autistic students”
Duration of the project: 1 June 2017 – 31 May 2019
Grant amount: 14 519 euros
Coordinator: Anna Biela-Różańska
E-mail: anularoz@gmail.com
Project participants and selected training courses:
School staff mobility – a training course in Palermo
Michał Drozdowski – “Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders- Introduction and Interventions”
Between the 24th and 28th of July 2017, I participated in an Erasmus course in Italy. The course dealt with various aspects of inclusive education and was organised within Erasmus + Mobility for the teaching-staff programme.
The course was organised by Shipcon Limassol Ltd and its main objective was working with students with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. We worked in the following areas:
– understanding of autism ( theory of mind, repetitive and obsessive behaviours, main learning problems of autistic students);
– sensory disorders and their influence on behaviour and the learning process;
– visual understanding of the world and the importance of visual communication;
– students with sensory disorders and their working environment;
– understanding difficult behaviours and methods for overcoming them;
– risky behaviours of students with ASD and the ways to minimise them;
– the significance of structural methods while working with ASD students.
The course was led by a highly professional specialist with over 20 years of experience in working with ASD people in Great Britain. We had a chance to work in small groups where we discussed specific cases and situations. We exchanged our experiences as teachers which was really useful and helped me understand how autistic students are taught in other countries.
The course was a wonderful occasion to learn about various different methods of working with special-educational-needs students. It was a place of rewarding exchanges of views which made me understand how teachers from different countries deal with and solve specific problems which they meet in everyday work with SEN students.
Michał Drozdowski
School staff mobility – a training course in Oxford
Anna Biela-Różańska – “Programmes for teachers of students with Special Educational Needs”
Between the 14th of September and the 25th of September 2018 I participated in an Erasmus+ Mobility course in Great Britain. The course was directed at teachers working with students with special educational needs (SEN). Teaching children with SEN and inclusive education were the main issues of the course.
The course ‘ Programmes for teachers of students with Special Educational Needs’ was organised by Oxford International Study Centre and was divided into two parts:
The first part – methodical and special education one:
– dealt with the problems of teaching children and young adults with SEN, behaviour disorders, autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, hearing difficulties, visual impairment and dyslexia. That part included a presentation of the PECT (Picture Exchange Communication System ) model.
In the second part of the course we discussed some new methods of teaching a foreign language.
Improving the four language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking was the main objective of this part of the course.
The training course was carried out by highly qualified teachers of English as well as teachers working with SEN students in the Oxfordshire district.
The participants came from Poland, Italy and China. We had the opportunity to see how children and young adults with various disabilities are taught in British inclusive and special schools. For those of us working in similar schools in our countries, this was the most precious experience. We worked in small groups of 4-6 people and the course included 60 hours of various activities.
An additional attraction was guided tours around Oxford. At the end of the course each participant was given a course completion certificate.
In my opinion, the course was an invaluable opportunity to exchange professional experiences with teachers from various European countries. Also, we had a chance to improve our knowledge of British culture, language and traditions.
Anna Biela – Różańska
School staff mobility – a training course in Graz
Anna Filanowska–Woźny – “Innovatives Lernen mit Tablets”
Between the 30th of October 2018 and the 5th of November 2018 I participated in a computer course on inclusive education within the Erasmus+ mobility programme.
– The training course was organised by the “atempo” Betriebsgesellschaft mbH company from Graz. It concerned the use of tablets during lessons with children with special educational needs.
The course comprised:
– teaching how to implement special applications which help motivate students to learn – Actionbound, Book Creator, Classroom, Keynote and Quizlet,
– discussing and creating the best ways to develop and support students’ creativity by introducing active methods of teaching;
– promoting ideas to motivate students to team work;
– learning about means and methods which activate students in the process of acquiring knowledge;
– observing lessons in Austrian schools and sharing good practice with other teachers;
The course was carried out by highly qualified IT teachers and methodology specialists: Mr Thomas Trobinger and Mr Karl Back.
The participants of the course came from various European countries : Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Austria. We all found the course an excellent opportunity to share practical ideas and professional experiences on teaching students with special educational needs (SEN). We discussed different ways of coping with everyday problems in our work and learned new methods in teaching SEN students. The course gave me a chance to broaden my knowledge of traditions and culture of German-speaking countries as well as to improve some of my language skills. The experience acquired during the training will definitely help me improve my teaching methods . I also intend to share my newly gained knowledge on educating SEN students with other teachers in my workplace.
Anna Filanowska – Woźny
The Complex of Independent Inclusive Middle and High Schools Amigo in Wroclaw was applying for the financial support within the „Equal chances – inclusive education of disabled and autistic students” project.
Our school is not very big as there are 148 students and 38 teachers qualified to work with children and teenagers with special educational needs. These include students with autism, Asperger Syndrome, hearing impairment, physical disabilities, school phobias and many other health problems which highly affect their learning abilities. Therefore the aim of our project is to support and enhance our students learning potential as well as the improvement of their lives in general.
Within the project we have decided to achieve the following goals:
- providing students with SEN with equal educational opportunities as well as with differentiated approach tailored to their distinctive learning abilities
- giving the disabled students an opportunity to take part in social activities in a wide sense
- introducing the most modern technology in teaching our disabled students
- introducing CLIL teaching on some lessons for the most talented students
- equipping our teachers with knowledge and skills to address the needs of our students better by using new strategies and putting new ideas into practice
- perfecting the ways of managing the school as an institution
- starting an international co-operation with schools of similar profile and approach to share experiences and ideas
- increasing foreign languages skills
- increasing our teachers’ mobility
To gain the above aims four teachers and two members of management have been chosen.
These are a math teacher, two teachers of German, a teacher of Polish , the head teacher and the deputy head teacher. All of them are highly qualified, experienced specialists in teaching children and students with SEN. They are also fluent in either English or German.
The project activities will focus on:
- the analysis of students’ and teachers’ needs, establishing the aim of the project, choosing the participants
- preparing the participants for taking part in special courses –like foreign language courses in our school
- organising a meeting about the Erasmus + project The Mobility of School Staff
- taking part in teachers training courses in Austria, Great Britain, Italy which include trainings in specialized strategies in supporting children and students with SEN, autism and Asperger syndrome ( the teacher of Polish and the teacher of German ), teaching maths in English ( the maths teacher), introducing tablets in inclusive education ( the teacher of German), increasing the quality of the school management (the head and deputy teachers).
- implementing the increased knowledge, new ideas, methods and strategies into our school program while back in school , putting ideas into practice
- Using the newest multimedia during lessons with children and students with SEN
- sharing the newly acquired knowledge with parents and local community
- evaluation of the project , starting partnership with other schools in the UE, making use of educational platforms
- encouraging other teachers to taking part in similar projects.
We believe that participation in the project will help us deal with the challenges our children and students with various special educational needs demand We also hope to start international co-operation with other schools, make disabled children and students engage in social activities and increase their chances in educational and working market all over Europe.
1) Approval of the application entitled: “Equal opportunities – inclusive education for people with disabilities and autism” by the National Agency -Erasmus +.
2) Participation in the international conference: “Autism without violence” – 10th-11th June 2017.
3) Training programme for beneficiaries of projects approved for funding in the 2017 competition – Act KA1 SE “Mobility of a school’s education staff” conducted by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, the National Agency of the Erasmus + Programme – Warsaw, 12th June 2017.
4) Training programme within the school of project participants – handing over and discussing materials received during training programmes in Warsaw and drawing up a plan of current organizational activities related to the implementation of the project – 20th June 2017.
5) Information about the planned activities with active participation of all teachers – Teachers’ Meeting- 26th June, 2017
6) Training course in Italy entitled: “Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders: Introduction and Interventions”, 24th – 28th July 2017.
7) Training course in Great Britain entitled: “Programmes for teachers of students with Special Educational Needs”, 14th-25th August 2017.
8) Webinar organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System entitled “Mobility Tool +”, 6th September 2017.
9) Trip to Budapest and Bratislava as part of the continuation of the educational-language project entitled “The path of European capitals” (Bratislava: the old town and castle, the Budapest Parliament, an evening cruise on the Danube, the Museum of Terror, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the thermal baths and the Balaton) – 10th – 14th August 2017.
10) The conference “The language teacher in the modern world – expectations, challenges and perspectives” in Warsaw, 25th September, 2017.
11) Webinar organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System entitled: “Modern methods of dissemination of educational materials”, 29th September 2017.
12) Installation of an information board concerning the implementation of the project, in a place often visited by students, parents, teachers and guests of the school.
13) Trip to Dresden as part of the continuation of the educational-language project entitled “The path of European capitals and cities” (the Old Masters’ Gallery, the Technical Museum, the Museum of Hygiene, the Old Town and the Frauenkirche Church) – 16th October 2018.
14) Continuation on two levels of the all-year English-language course for teachers.
15) Beginning a pilot programme of occupational-therapy lessons (internships in the “Cafe Równik” cafe-club as well as occupational lessons in school) – November 2018.
16) Workshops: “From the need to the design concept. Key quality aspects of project preparation in Act 2 SCHOOL COOPERATION” – Warsaw, 29th November, 2017.
17) Establishing cooperation with the IES la CANAL school in Spain.
18) Implementation of the project “My small world – my family, my hometown, my school” on the eTwinning platform.
19) Providing an online chat on the eTwinning platform with participants of the “My small world – my family, my hometown, my school” project (students of the Amigo school and the IES la CANAL school in Spain, 15th March 2018.
20) Submission of the Erasmus + project application: “Necessity of water”, Project coordinator: IES la CANAL in Spain. Partners: Social Integrative High School, “Amigo”, Liceul Tehnologic Inaltarea Domnului in Romania, Secció d’Educació Secundària Sivera Font in Spain, March 2018.
21) Classes conducted in English for junior-high-school and high-school students by volunteers from the European Voluntary Service: “The 3R principal: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.
22) Training workshops for the Erasmus + programme organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System and the National Agency of the Erasmus + Programme, 5th April.
23) Providing an online chat on the eTwinning platform with participants of the “My small world – my family, my hometown, my school” project (students of the Amigo school and the IES la CANAL school in Spain), 10th May 2018 and 14th June 2018.
24) Training course in Great Britain: “CLIL For Secondary Teachers (Science & Maths)”, 26th June – 6th July 2018.
25) Grant to fund the implementation of the project entitled “Necessity of water” by the National Agency of the Erasmus + programme, 29th August, 2018.
Project information:
Date project began:
1st September 2018
Date project is due to:
31st August 2020
Grant awarded for Inclusive Independent High School “Amigo”: EUR 22 680
Project coordinator: IES la CANAL / Spain
Partners:
- Społeczne Integracyjne Liceum Ogólnokształcące Amigo / Poland
- Liceul Tehnologic Inaltarea Domnului / Romania
- Secció d’Educació Secundària Sivera Font / Spain
26) Continuation of an all-year English course for teachers of various levels, academic year 2018/19.
27) Training in Austria: “ Innovatives Lernen mit Tablets” (“Innovative Learning with Tablets”), 30th September – 5th October 2018.
28) Meeting for beneficiaries who are beginning the implementation of Erasmus + projects. School education – Act KA 229, 22nd October, Warsaw.
29) Participation in an author’s evening relating to the book “Autistic son, Desperate Dad” by Rafał Motriuk, along with a panel discussion on the daily life of autistic people and their career prospects – Nokia Garage, 25th October, 2018.
30) Training council: presentation of methods learned from overseas courses, discussion regarding the experience acquired, discussion of a plan for implementing the results achieved in the life of the school, 29th October, 2018.
31) Training course in Great Britain: “Inclusive Teaching and Special Educational Needs”, 18th-25th November.
32) Classes at the House of Europe for the high school students called: “Mobility in the EU”; becoming familiar with the basic institutions dealing with recruitment in Europe – EPSO and EURES, as well as EU initiatives as part of the Erasmus + package: Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Youth Mobility as well as Europass documents, 29th November, 2018.
33) Presentation of the project “Equal opportunities – inclusive education for people with disabilities and autism” by Michał Drozdowski at the Information Conference for Lower Silesia, concerning the implementation of Erasmus + projects. The conference was held under the honorary patronage of the Board of Education in Wrocław, 11th January, 2019.
34) Implementation of CLIL teaching elements (in English) in maths lessons in high school classes (the group implements the programme at the extended level) – from 15th January, 2019.
35) Multimedia in foreign languages – preparing short films about Wroclaw as part of German-language lectures – outdoor education – March 2019
36) Mathematics quiz on the Kahoot platform regarding the number Pi, on the occasion of World Pi Day – March 14th 2019.
37) Presenting a lecture at the College of Philology in Wrocław entitled: „To Be A Teacher! Expectations, challenges and development opportunities for today’s teacher, with special emphasis on the Erasmus + programmes” – March 14th 2019.
38) Workshops in the 3rd year of High School – getting familiar with the website www.europass.org.pl and preparing Europass documents – CVs and Language Passports in three languages: Polish, English and German – 4th –13th March 2019.
39) Participation in a nationwide scientific conference: „School of equal opportunities” organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System – Erasmus+ – 19th-21st May 2019, Gdynia.
40) European Week – „Let’s talk about Europe – Let’s ask, let’s discover more, let’s discus!!!” – poster campaign about the EU; „Europe as a lesson topic in various subjects”; Primary-school elections to the European Parliament. 20th – 24th May 2019
41) A presentation of the project results during a nationwide conference for the beneficiaries of the Erasmus + programme for schools which had begun the implementation EU projects – Katowice, 11th June 2019
42) A summary of the implementation of the project during a meeting of the Pedagogical Council, 24th June 2019
43) Amigo was awarded the nomination by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System EDUinspirations award 2019 in the category of School Education, for implementing the project entitled „Equal opportunities – inclusive education for people with disabilities and autism”, June 2019