Derry2016
Start date: Jul 1, 2016,
End date: Jun 30, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
Olav Duun vgs aims to appear as an exciting school that can provide attractive education for youths across the region. International cooperation is a priority area for the school. The school’s main values are formation, human compassion and involvement. By participating in this mobility project, where cultural activities, going to school in a foreign country, staying with foreign families and work in relevant institutions are ingredients, we think that the students will be positively exposed to these values. The general part of the National Curriculum describes how education should contribute in developing the different sides of each human. The content of the mobility project covers this basic principal, which expresses a wide view on education and formation.This year, 2016, 10 students and 4 teachers from the Building and Construction department and 1 teacher from the department of Early years (Children and Young) are going abroad. The next 2 years, it is applied for 60 students and 16 teachers to get the same possibility. In addition, two teachers from other departments will follow language training and will have the opportunity to look for projects that can suit their respective curriculum areas.There are several goals for going ahead with the project. The main goal is to increase the students’ occupational and social skills. By attending courses in a vocational school and a language school, visiting firms within their own vocational areas, interacting with Northern- Irish youths through cultural and social activities and by staying in a private Northern-Irish home, we will strive to reach the goal.The students from the Building and Construction department attend practical classes at North West Regional College and they get English lessons at Foyle International. In some of their practical classes, the students are introduced to bricklaying, painting and wall- covering. These are highly relevant areas, but in which we have low competence in our school.The students at Healthcare and Early Years will partly attend classes at NWRC and partly have training in institutions that are covering their curriculum areas. Some afternoons and / or weekends, the students go on excursions to different spots of historical or cultural interest. Furthermore there will be arrangements like football matches, cinema etc.The base for the students’ evaluation of the project is the planning, tests, interviews, in-depth tasks, reports and presentations. Some of this work will also give a base for the students’ grades.We think that the project will strengthen our students as future participants in an international job marked. Participating in international projects will contribute to make them more confident in what they might meet in their future working life. Having an international perspective will increase the quality of the education.By attending the mobility project and through the learning processes attached to the preparations and evaluation parts, the students will have an insight in the practice of their vocation in another culture. They will also get an understanding of the culture when they stay with Irish families.When the students stay two weeks in an English-speaking environment, they will get some experience with using the English language that will give them an advantage in their further education. There is a demand for language competence both in the construction field and within the field of Health and social care.There is a demand at the job market for more employees with a craft certificate. Therefor it is important to make the vocational education attractive. When we can offer a stay abroad, it will make the education more interesting and it will give more breadth in the competence, which in turn will increase the reputation of the vocational education. We also think it will affect the students’ sense of coping and ensure that more students carry out their education. At Olav Duun vgs most students at the Building and Construction department complete their education, while at Health and social care, and also at other curriculum areas, the achievement rate is lower. We hope that our good experiences from Building and Construction will give spin-offs so a higher rate of students will complete their education.Teachers participating in the project will also get a broader competence through the exchange with colleagues in Northern Ireland. We will experience new learning methods and get an impression of the level of competence in another culture. In addition, it is of great value to interchange experiences with colleagues in Derry. By building good relations, the work will be more interesting and the insight in other ways to teach, may contribute to a more varied teaching at home. Olav Duun vgs. will become a more attractive school to work at.