About the project

The project addresses the issues connected with the students’ awareness of themselves as citizens of their communities, their countries, their planet and the entire Universe.

The basic idea of this project is to create a real connection and friendship between the partner students and raise their self-identification as the full-fledged members of the society. The students are getting to know each other, share information and experiences and improve their communication, language, and ICT skills simultaneously. They are learning to discuss different matters and come to agreements and work in teams. They are also learning about the notion of citizenship and realize their own place and role in the world and the bonds that unite us all, they raise their awareness of the nations' equality, justice and diversity.

The project bases on the topic of citizenship. During the project, the students arel working in mixed teams of partners. The teachers are monitoring the students' work and act as coordinators.

We are integrating the above ideas focusing on the partners' educational, cooperating and entertaining roles.

Within the scope of this project, we aim to:

- encourage students to get to know each other and become friends;

- develop the students’ abilities to communicate in foreign languages, share information, create tasks for each other and collaborate virtually;

- enhance the students’ ICT skills;

- enhance the students’ understanding and knowledge of European countries, communities and citizenships;

- develop the students’ citizenship awareness and foster their teamwork;

- help the students make new friends and have fun.

Web 2.0 tools we used in the project

The stages of the project:

Stage 1:

-the students provide presentations of their schools and classes;

-the students provide their logos and slogans for the project;

-the students create the project’s website (1 month);

Stage 2:

-the students have their first online meetings, vote for the project’s logo and slogan, exchange information about their countries, schools, and themselves, make international teams, and take part in common learning activities (2 months);

Stage 3:

-the students perform the project’s activities tasks in international teams using different e-tools, like reading books on citizenship, watching films and having discussions online, finding news on the topic and analyzing them. They also learn to use ICT tools, make up and present their videos, presentations, slogans, write essays and reports about their social activities, using the vocabulary they’ve learned in school classes within such school topics in English as “History”, “Citizenship”, “My country”, do online learning activities and have online meetings (3 months);

Stage 4:

-the students improve and develop their writing and ICT skills, practise new vocabulary, learn to communicate and collaborate, do online learning activities and have online meetings and do finalizing activities in international groups (1 month);

Stage 5:

-summarizing: creating the project’s e-books and videos, having a common online CLIL lesson on the topic “Citizenship”, completing the project’s website, and doing the project’s evaluation (1 month).

The expected results:

The project's final result will be the final project’s e-books, videos, a CLIL lesson plan and video, and the project’s website with all the school activities and materials. Besides, all the materials will be provided on the project’s site and TwinSpace.

The key competencies we have concentrated on

In today’s world, the essential teachers’ goal is to teach their students to be successful in the adult life beyond the school. For this reason, we are aimed to help students master and develop the key competencies and the 21st-century skills.

The key competencies are defined as the competencies each European citizen needs for personal fulfillment and development, employment, social inclusion, and active citizenship in “Council Recommendation of European Commission on key competencies for Life- Long Learning” (17 January 2018). Considering this, we paid special attention to developing in the students these competencies and skills while working in the project.

Communication in the mother tongue:

It covers using the language appropriately, effectively, and respectfully.

This project is in English, but it also includes tasks in the mother language, such as discussing the project’s activities within the national teams in the native language, presenting the project to the people around them: their classmates, parents, friends, etc. So, they regularly use and develop their mother language skills throughout the project.

Communication in foreign languages:

This competency is also about using the language appropriately and effectively. If the language is foreign, it becomes much more important to use it correctly to avoid misunderstandings.

As mentioned before, the project language is English. We are partners from 6 different countries, and all the partners learn English as a foreign language. Therefore, it can be said that this project is an excellent opportunity for the students and the teachers since it creates real situations in which English language can be used for communication. The students can learn new words, expressions, idioms and comprehend the structures or speech acts. They work in international groups and regularly exchange ideas with their peers.

Mathematical competency and basic competencies in science and technology:

Mathematical competency includes logical and spatial thinking in solving and presenting everyday problems. Competence in science includes understanding the natural world and the cause-effect relation. Competence in technology covers using the technology interactively and mastering ICT literacy.

We aim to improve the students in these fields in the project. For example, they design logos, create slogans make videos, presentations, and e-books. In all these activities, they use their competence in mathematics and technology. They think, analyze, and make guesses.

Digital competency:

It describes information and media literacy and uses technology effectively.

The project creates opportunities for the students to use technology interactively. The students will learn various Web 2.0 tools and can use them when needed. They create avatars, logos, videos, games, etc. They learn about media literacy and disinformation, e-safety, and netiquette rules. With this project, they can become good digital citizens.

Social and civic competencies:

These competencies include collaborating, managing, and resolving conflicts, interacting respectfully, and understanding global issues, human rights, etc.

This project has 7 schools and around 120 students from different cities and countries. In other words, it is a small society, a sample of the world population having different backgrounds, cultures, and expectations. The students work in their school groups or transnational teams. They need to cooperate and work collaboratively to complete the tasks. While trying to do the activities, they may face problems. They are expected to overcome these conflicts democratically. In the project, the students will learn to cope with the problems, express their ideas respectfully, and defend themselves while being fair. Shortly, they will learn to be civic and internalize their rights.

Civil awareness and expression:

This is a very important competence for being a citizen of the native country, Europe and the whole world. We should be aware human rights, common European values and act respectfully to live in peace and equality.

Raising citizenship awareness and getting the students to respect each other is one of the main aims of this project. The students introduce themselves, their schools, and their cities, countries at the beginning of the project. They prepare presentations about being citizens in their countries. They create videos and presentations about human rights, common values and citizenships. They express their opinions on these topics and do case studies together. All these activities inform the students about other citizenships. During the project, the students carry out many tasks together and try to be polite, attentive, tolerant and sympathetic to each other all the time.

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship:

It can be defined as “leadership” and “creativity.” It requires making personal plans, projects, and attempts.

This project presents many activities to develop students’ creativity, such as logo-designing, making short videos, preparing presentations, etc. Moreover, the team and group work activities lead to improved leadership skills. The students need to express themselves well and make the others accept their offers or ideas. In this project, the students will be encouraged to take control of the activities.

Learning to learn:

It consists of autonomous learning skills as well as analytical and critical thinking skills.

The students will learn to use knowledge and information appropriately and interactively in the project. For example, they will do research and present the information they get in a suitable way as country, human rights, common values, citizenship presentations. They are also responsible for their learning in the project. They are given task and tool instructions, and they decide how to put things together to create the product, and they successfully solve the problems they come across. They are guided by the teachers. In brief, this project shows them there are always new things to learn and discover, and they have the power to determine their own way of learning.

Netiquette

Be polite online and offline;
Respect the others’ privacy, religion, nationality, gender;
Respect the others’ feelings and points of view;
Do not copy and use images, videos, texts, or any other materials that are considered to be private properties;
Do not demonstrate any discrimination to your partners whom you work with or any other people;
Do not share your personal information that may be used by anyone in a criminal way.

eSafety Rules

It is essential to use the internet in a safe way!

eSafety rules for the students:

Block and report online bullies.
Be careful with unknown links, downloads, and websites: some of them may contain viruses and other threats.
Be careful with the information you share on the Net. Remember: anything shared on the internet is shared forever.
Never reveal personal information, such as your address, phone number, or your school name or location.
Use only a screen name and don't share your passwords (other than with parents).
Never agree to get together in person with anyone met online without parent approval and/or supervision.

Curriculum Integration

The citizens of the universe is an eTwinning project that focuses on citizenship, human rights and common European values. It is closely connected with such school subjects as Languages, History, Cross-Cultural Studies, Social Studies and Computer Studies.

In this project, secondary and high school students will integrate their knowledge received during school lessons in the above subjects into the project’s activities, developing their abilities to communicate in foreign languages, share information, create tasks for each other and collaborate virtually, enhancing their ICT skills, understanding and knowledge of European countries, communities and citizenships, increasing their citizenship awareness and fostering their teamwork.

Within the project’s work, the students are going

1) to vote for the project’s logo and slogan, exchange information about their countries, schools, and themselves, make international teams, and take part in common learning activities;

2) to perform the project’s tasks in international teams using different e-tools, like reading books on citizenship, watching films, having discussions online and working in international group online;

3) to learn to use ICT tools, make up and present their videos, presentations, posters, e-books, using the vocabulary they’ve learned in school classes within such school topics in English as “History”, “Citizenship”, “My country”, do online learning activities and have online meetings;

4) to practise new vocabulary;

5) to improve their writing, speaking, presenting, teamwork, and ICT skills;

6) to raise their citizenship awareness;

7) to participate in forums, debates, and online meetings.

The multi-disciplinary approach

The eTwinning project The citizens of the universe brings many disciplines together.

First of all, the project integrates both the mother language and the target language through different tasks such as the citizenship glossary, e-books, various presentations. Furthermore, the students need to interact in English in transnational team activities, online meetings and discussions while they may prefer using their mother tongue in national group activities.

Secondly, the project topic is linked to social studies. Many partners come from different countries, and we learn about their citizenships in videos and presentations.

Thirdly, it is integrated with geography. In country presentations, we also learn a lot about the countries, at least their location on the map.

Fourthly, our project is integrated with history as the students learn about the ways to independence of their countries and the countries of their partners.

In addition, the project is certainly integrated with “Information Technologies”. From eSafety and netiquette to using web tools, the students use and improve their ICT skills.

Finally, considering the citizenship, human rights and common values theme, our project is related to the curriculum of guidance and counseling lessons or psychology as well. With this activity, we aim to assist the students to be aware of their citizenship rights, responsibilities and common European values.