REFINING THE BOUNDARIES OF EDUCATION STAGES IN THE COMPULSARY EDUCATION SYSTEM: FROM TRANSITION TO CONTINUITY
ONE MORE ERASMUS+ KA220 PROJECT IS STARTING:
Since the 1st September, 2023 another Erasmus+ KA 220 project funded by the European Commission - "Refining the boundaries of education stages in the compulsory education system: from transition to continuity" is starting at the President Valdas Adamkus Gymnasium.
This project will last for three years and will end on August 31st, 2026. 4 countries participate in the project: Slovakia (project coordinators), Slovenia, Lithuania and Estonia. The main objectives of the project are: to improve the transition process of students when they move from one stage of education to another (e.g. from primary to secondary education), to promote the continuity of the curriculum at various stages of education in order to ensure the development of students' knowledge and skills, to carry out comprehensive transitions between different assessment of the stages of compulsory education in order to identify areas that need to be improved, to accurately identify the most important stages of the transition of the compulsory education system, where students may face challenges and learning obstacles and to find effective ways to overcome them.
We believe that participating in the project will help to solve the challenges and obstacles faced by students when they move from one stage of education to another, as well as improve the academic and non-academic results of the students. Solving transition problems will improve students' learning outcomes and increase their motivation. Also, teachers will have the opportunity to improve teaching/educational methods and strategies that help students successfully move from one level of education to another, therefore, teachers' motivation and job satisfaction will increase as long.
Let’s wish to our project participants great success and excellent results while implementing the project's goals!
THE FIRST 'ERASMUS +' KA 220 KICK-OFF MEETING IN TRNAVA
On 5-7th May 2024, the first meeting of the „Erasmus+“ KA220 project "Refining the boundaries of education stages in compulsory education system: from transition to continuity" (No. KA220-SCH-027BD615) took place at the University of Trnava in Trnava, Slovakia. It was attended not only by a team of teachers from the President Valdas Adamkus Gymnasium but also by joint teams of education specialists from countries such as Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The aim of the meeting was to introduce the partners, to discuss in detail the stages of the project development and to allocate the funds for the various project activities. The meeting focused on the management and implementation of the project, the discussion on the different countries' education systems, and the maintenance of good practices to help fourth grade students to adapt more easily to the fifth grade. The project coordinators presented the overall vision of the project, outlining the main milestones to be achieved by the target dates, the responsibilities of each partner, and the participants discussed concrete actions, presenting the specificities of their countries' education systems, the particularities of students' transition and the challenges for teachers.
The discussions revealed that, although education systems differ, many countries face similar problems, such as increased stress levels among students, difficulties in social adaptation and increased workload. These discussions are an excellent start to clarify a common term for adaptation, which will allow a better understanding of how the transition from fourth to fifth grade takes place in different countries and help to find ways to speed up and simplify this period. To ensure the smooth running of the project, it was agreed to exchange information and keep in regular contact, and further meetings and seminars were foreseen to share the progress of the project and discuss possible improvements.
This international Erasmus project has not only helped to understand better the adaptation process of fourth graders in the transition to fifth grade but has also fostered cooperation between education professionals in different countries. Participants returned to their home countries with new knowledge, ideas and inspiration that will help them to further improve the quality of education and the well-being of students.
Second meeting of Erasmus+ KA220 project partners in Ljubljana
On November 27-29, 2024, the second meeting of all participating partners of the Erasmus+ project "Refining the boundaries of education stages in compulsory education system: from transition to continuity" took place at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This project focuses on the essential stages of education, which are necessary for the smooth transition of students from one level of education to another. The seminar was attended not only by a team of teachers from the President Valdas Adamkaus Gymnasium, but also by a joint team of education specialists from other countries, such as Estonia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Each delegation had the opportunity to share their unique practices and challenges facing their education systems. During the meeting, a lot of attention was paid to the preparation of the questionnaire about the transition process of students and the discussion of its questions. This questionnaire is an essential component of the project, as it will help to systematically study how the transition between education levels is organized in different countries, and what can be improved. The partners worked together to select questions that best reflected the experiences of students and teachers, while ensuring that the resulting data were reliable and useful for the project's goals. Another important part of the meeting was devoted to the presentation of the activities of each educational institution of the country participating in the project, which help children to adapt faster when moving from one level of education to another. The sharing of best practices covered various methodologies used to ensure an effective transition. Representatives of Estonian, Lithuanian and Slovak schools presented methodologies, activities and experiences that are focused on emotional support and social integration for students who are moving from one level of education to a higher one. An innovative approach to pedagogy and collaboration between schools is the key to a more successful student transition. During the discussions, there was no shortage of different examples of how the same thing can be promoted in different ways, taking into account cultural and social contexts. This meeting not only strengthened international cooperation between partners, but also encouraged the search for new ideas and solutions that could improve the process of student education. The partners expressed the hope that future meetings and discussions will contribute to the achievement of the project's goals and ensure a smoother transition of students.
