Study Program for the Project
European approach – Exploring – Experiencing - Exchanging
Common study program has been planned together with the partner organizations. The program consists of facts about the European Union and facts (e.g. history, geography, climate, nature, population, culture and economy) about partnership countries. When they study issues above they can also have motivation to learn English and computer skills. Each partner can adapt this program to their study group according to the composition and needs of the group.
Background
The common rationale of the project is increasing the feeling of European togetherness by offering adult learners opportunities to study facts about EU and explore European countries and get experiences of international living. Increased mobility, studies of English and IT skills and new networks with the project partners help to achieve these goals.
Adult learners need more facts about the European Union to get a better understanding of the politics, aims and functions of the EU. They need also more facts about member countries of the EU and the everyday life of people to get a better understanding of different cultures and problems that may occur because of lacking data and / or different attitudes and prejudices. They also need to become familiar with big questions to be solved in the future, e.g. population, climate change, nature environment, working life, social issues, family life and health.
Objectives
The project is for adult learners a chance to learn more facts about their partner countries and the European Union and get readiness to understand needs and problems which are to be solved in the wide European Union now and in the future. They will have the opportunity to rethink their attitudes and reduce their prejudices through new friendships and cooperation with other countries.
Many elderly people have not learned enough foreign languages and IT skills. When they study issues above they also can learn closer English and computer skills in order to participate in the various tasks of the project. They need to collect material from the Internet. The learners will need ICT skills to communicate with their partners. They will be more motivated to study when they are working with concrete issues.
For teachers / tutors the project will give a chance to develop their methods to activate and motivate adult learners to study in groups and to become familiar with the learning method of project work. They will have a chance to benchmark their colleagues from abroad, because possibilities of LLL are different in the participating countries.
For the organizations the project will give a way to find new approaches and aims for their learners, as it is sometimes difficult to get people to study complicated social matters. Through the mobility and partnership meetings the organizations and learners can establish continuing cooperation with other partners after the project has finished.
For a wider public in participating countries the project gives a chance to become familiar with distant countries and open to different cultures - and to some extent also reaches the same aims as the learners in the project. In the course of the project and after that we are going to inform also other elderly people around about the results of our project in the form of exhibitions and meetings.
Methodology
The studies consist of working in the study groups and participating in the partnership meetings. In connection with the partnership meetings the matters learned in the study groups will be presented in the form of portfolios. The participants will get acquainted with the hosting country through study visits and cultural program. Each partner's own country will be presented according to the theme of the meeting.
Each partner will organize study groups (study circles) of adult learners. The groups will study in couples, after studies of about three months the groups will change partners. E. g. in the first phase Estonia will work with Poland, Finland with Greece and Italy with Turkey, while Portugal is preparing the first partnership meeting. When working in pairs the intention is to offer a possibility to interchange and deeper discussion between the groups during the study period as well as at the partnership meetings.
In the first phase the Estonian partner has to collect material about Poland and the Polish partner about Estonia etc. Material found on the internet, music, recordings, films and also literary sources will be used as material for the studies. As for current issues e. g. newspapers and magazines will be used as a source of information. The scope of the studies is 15-24 lessons during one period of working in pairs and the total length 90-120 lessons covering seven study periods.
Each partner will organize a partnership meeting in their own country. The partner organizations and tutors have a chance to evaluate the progress, the methods used and the feedback from the earlier phase. The learners will have a chance to learn more about the target country and continue discussions with their couples and to make friends at a personal level. With the aid of portfolios the study groups will indicate the others what impression they have got about their working partner. The portfolios can include folders of study material, Power Point presentations etc.
Connected to each meeting there will be arranged an International Fair where the partners can present their own organization, their home region and culture as well as themes of the meeting for the participants and local public.
Common themes for the partnership meetings
Lisbon, Portugal; History of Portugal, and especially the Age of Discovery
Athens, Greece; Arts
Białystok, Poland; Gastronomy
Palamuse, Estonia; Dance and Music
Konya, Turkey: Handicrafts
Naples, Italy; Europe and us
Kouvola, Finland; Nature Environment
Example of the contents of the first study period about Greece in Finland
14 Sep 2010
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Our ideas about Greece and the Greeks x), general information on Greece, current news from Greece, a few words of the Greek language. Greek music as a starter
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28 Sep 2010
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Greek history, general information on Greece, current news from Greece, a few words of the Greek language. Information about EU. A representative of an EU information office as our guest. Greek music as a starter
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5 Oct 2010
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Greek history, a few words of the Greek language. Greek music as a starter
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19 Oct 2010
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Natural environment and geography of Greece, a few words of Greek. Greek music as a starter
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2 Nov 2010
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Greek student's opinions about Finland – politics, economy, industry, population. A few words of Greek. Greek music as a starter
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16 Nov 2010
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Greek culture: Arts, music, items on the UNESCO list. Greek language – food vocabulary. A Greek exchange student was as our guest. Feedback of the study period. Greek music as a starter
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Discussion between groups
x) Our preconceptions about Greece and the Greeks (questions):
WHAT VIEWS OR IMAGES DO YOU HAVE ABOUT GREECE AND THE GREEKS?
HOW / ON WHAT BASES HAVE YOU FORMED YOUR OPINIONS?
WHICH OF THESE VIEWS ARE MOSTLY POSITIVE?
WHICH OF YOUR VIEWS ARE MOSTLY NEGATIVE?
HOW WELL ARE YOU ACQUAINTED WITH GREECE OR GREEK PEOPLE?
WHAT WOULD YU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT GREECE AND GREEK PEOPLE?
Questions from Greek study group to Finns
Our preconceptions about Finland
What do we want to learn or/and know better:
- How the people’s behavior and habits are affected by the climate?
- Waste management system
- Food and drink
- History of sauna
- Is there any official religion?
- Are there conflicts with the neighbored countries?
- More info on the educational system
- More about finish culture and everyday life
- Distances between villages and sometimes between houses are long. We are wondering how you develop your human relationships.
Updated by Kuusankoski Hiking Club / Seppo Tahvanainen
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