Teachers of 5 EU schools from Germany, Poland, Turkey, Latvia and Italy united their effort in creating a project targeting high school students aged 13-18 years old.
The common needs identified among all partner schools were: the need to develop students’ interest towards social issues, to boost students’ employability skills and to strengthen their feeling as European citizens. Therefore, our project comprises 3 dimensions – educational, professional and cultural. The activities are designed so as students aged 13-18 will develop their creativity and competitiveness, key factors needed for the European growth.
Working together will help participants to reduce stereotypes, racism, xenophobia and combat prejudices, discovering the cultural features, and understanding different EU lifestyles. Participants will be united in diversity and they will promote the European identity, especially that our project ensures the geographical diversity.
The aim of “Approaching Social Issues By Film“ is to develop the digital skills of students from 5 European countries encouraging them to reflect about social issues during a two years project.
OBJECTIVES
- To build up communication and interpersonal skills
- To develop ICT skills and digital competence
- To expand creativity and critical thinking skills
- To encourage students to approach social issues actively
- To develop practical skills related to film-making
- To boost interdisciplinary thinking linking different elements
- To raise awareness about cultural features, similarities and differences
- To improve English skills and get exposed to other EU languages
A total of 80 students and 40 teachers will directly be involved in the project activities. Participants will improve their competences in using film-making applications, tools, and techniques; related to communication, language, ICT, digital and problem-solving skills; their awareness about the EU diversity and of the necessity of active citizens promoting mutual respect, tolerance and peace. Students will also develop team working skills as most of the activities require group work.
The activities are designed to boost participants’ film editing skills and knowledge in their attempt to create more appealing teaching materials. The project is linked to the priority we have selected in the way that students will identify social issues, reflect about them, exchange opinions about their causes and effects, suggesting solutions, learn practical skills needed to accomplish practical tasks. Therefore, students’ motivation for learning and cooperating will be stimulated.
The project responds to the current needs to develop ICT and digital competence for all students at the EU level. Focusing on social issues complements the school work of civic education, social science, religious education, philosophy who teaches moral values like tolerance and mutual respect from a pedagogical perspective. The project will take these values to the next level, the level of practice and real life experience.
The interdisciplinary approach in designing the project activities will lead to achievement of the project’s objectives. Using films as key element to address social issues will develop social empathy and awareness, as well as digital skills in the learning by doing process will stimulate students’ interest. Students will share their visions about short films with an impact that addresses social issues; they will see their EU peers’ vision and exchange opinions about topics of their interest. Then, they will learn the steps to make their own films, and gradually become proficient in understanding the technical aspects of film making.
All activities promote the freedom of expression, social cohesion, active citizenship, creative and critical thinking.
Participants will interiorize values like tolerance, mutual respect and acceptance in diverse life situations, being exposed to issues like the sense of belonging to a group, racism, different social backgrounds, disability, gender inequalities, homophobia, xenophobia, etc.
The project will offer participants the opportunity to learn determining a growth mindset helping them to respond with constructive thoughts, feelings and behaviors to life challenges or setbacks. Such mindsets will boost participants’ intelligence for academic tenacity and performance.
As students and teachers will work closely to reach common objectives, on the long run it will help teachers to be more aware of their students’ needs, to consider carefully the students’ interest and aspirations and to understand how they can be best supported.
Schools will strengthen their cooperation with other EU institutions and acquire more experience in implementing Erasmus+ projects.
​