Putting the World into WorldClass Education

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Putting the World into World-Class Education

• Our vision is that the people of the UK should
  have the knowledge, skills and understanding they
  need to fulfil themselves, to live in and
  contribute effectively to a global society and to
  work in a competitive, global economy
• DfES International Strategy, November 2004

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EU and UK Education Priorities

• Intercultural education
• Language learning
• Employability
• Sustainability
• Widening participation/inclusion

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COMENIUS 1 School Partnerships
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Participating Countries
Belgium Denmark Germany Greece Spain France
Ireland Italy Luxembourg
UK Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania
Poland Slovakia Romania
Netherlands Austria Portugal Finland Sweden
Slovenia Cyprus Malta Bulgaria
EU
Liechtenstein Norway Iceland
EFTA
Turkey possibly others (e.g. Switzerland,
Western Balkans)
Associated
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Comenius is expanding and will continue to
operateunder the new EU Lifelong Learning
Programme(2007-2013)
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Objectives of Comenius

• enhancement of the quality of education
• reinforcement of the European Dimension in
  education
• promotion of the learning of languages
• promotion of intercultural awareness

Encouragement of transnational cooperation
between schools and colleges in Europe
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Benefits of Comenius projects

• promote the use of other languages
• encourage team-building for teachers and students
• raise standards esp. in ICT literacy MFL
• provide in-service training for lecturers
• enhance colleges reputation and encourage strong
  community links

• enable co-operation with partners outside college
• increase motivation for students and lecturers
• raise levels of achievement
• broaden horizons raise intercultural awareness
• provide professional development for lecturers
• help combat social exclusion, racism and
  xenophobia

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Comenius Partnerships
Project types

• Multi-lateral Projects
• Bi-lateral projects
• 2 year duration
• Projects will be classed as small, medium or
  large, (staff/pupil travel to partners)
• 4-11 mobilities (8,500), 12-24 (16,000), 25
  (22,000)

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Multilateral Partnerships

• At least 3 colleges from 3 different European
  countries (but aim for 5 or 6)
• Staff mobility includes lecturer exchanges,
  director study visits Lecturer placements, and
  project meetings (which may include groups of
  students working on the project theme)
• Themes may be anything form the FE curriculum,
  but could include Travel and Tourism, Social
  Care, Drama, Enterprise and Employability, Arts
  and Crafts, Environmental Issues, Intercultural
  Education, Combating Racism, Making Films etc.

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Bi-lateral projects with language focus

• Aim to improve students' motivation and
  capacity to communicate in foreign languages
• 2 colleges working together on a common topic
• Reciprocal 10 day exchange for face-to-face
  project work
• Currently at least 10 students aged 12
• Funded escorts on ratio of 1 5
• Collaborative, cross-curricular student work
  before, during and after exchange
• 20-40 hours tuition (funded, if the language is
  not taught in college)
• Jointly produced end product - magazine,
  accredited piece of work, drama production,
  environmental survey, mural, film, DVD, tourist
  guide, website, handbook etc

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How to get started?

• Finding Partners

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Comenius Contact seminars

• 3/4 days duration, normally over weekend
• Take place all over Europe
• Seminars may have specific focus eg ICT,
  Citizenship, Special Needs, Vocational Education
  or concentrate on project type e.g.
  multilateral/bilateral
• Unique opportunity for teachers to meet
  colleagues from other countries and form
  partnerships
• Grants available to cover travel seminar costs
• See website for details of forthcoming seminars
  and how to apply
• http//www.britishcouncil.org/socrates-events.htm

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Partner Finding websites

• Comenius Space (official EU partner-finding
  website)
• http//comenius.eun.org/ww/en/pub/comenius
• BBC Worldclass
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/worldclass/
• Partbase
• http//partbase.programkontoret.se
• Global Gateway
• www.globalgateway.org.uk

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• Comenius Preparatory Visits
• Up to 1 week
• During term time
• Preferably during Autumn term, but must be before
  project application deadline
• Must be multilateral
• 100 travel costs daily subsistence
• Apply to ben.wakeford_at_britishcouncil.org

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Other Opportunities

• Comenius 2

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Comenius courses for professional development

• Courses for all education staff
• Excellent training opportunities
• Opportunity for reflection on current practice
• Networking and partner-finding opportunity
• Language and non-language courses

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Comenius courses for professional development

• Job-shadowing with identified partner in 30 other
  European countries
• 1500 for 1 week/1800 for 2weeks etc.
• Application deadlines 30 March for activities
  between 1 June and 30 September 2007 30 May 2007
  for 1 October 2007 to 31 January 2008 30 October
  2007 for 1 February to 31 May 2008
• Contact michael.butterworth_at_britishcouncil.org

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• Comenius Language Assistants

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Comenius Language Assistants

• Teachers/student teachers
• Work across the curriculum to provide cultural
  and linguistic experience
• 3-8 months/12-16 hours per week (including 2
  hours native language teaching)
• At secondary/FE level language must not be taught
  on curriculum (i.e. normally LWULT)
• Often offer more than one language
• Up to 3 colleges can share

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Comenius Language Assistants

• Benefits
• Free resource
• Establish/develop international dimension in
  college
• Can complement Comenius project or stand alone as
  separate activity
• Contact
• alison.macewen_at_britishcouncil.org