Project description - Schedule - Topics

Introduction

At start of each school year, the aspiration of parents and teachers is the children’s successful acquisition of skills and abilities needed to ensure a smooth and creative educational course and a significant school performance.

Teachers, however, find every day that children nowadays do not have the same learning ability in school. It is estimated that more than 10% of European children are affected by "dys-"type disorders, including dysphasia, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder and dyslexia. Many children show no interest in their courses, do not have the ability to overcome the difficulties, concentrate, control their impulsive tendencies and be organized and responsible for their behavior to others and to themselves. These children are not sick, just showing some developmental disorders of speech, difficulty reading and writing, have learning difficulties, especially dyslexia. They have problems of low self-esteem and antisocial behaviour. Teachers know that these children need special treat and help.

As children with learning disabilities are often victims of social exclusion, the aim of our project is to encourage the recognition of "dys-"type problem (mainly dyslexia) and find ways to tackle social exclusion often faced.

Pupils and teachers will work in groups and collaboratively on the project to encourage parents and students of our schools to change their view on their classmates with learning problems and share information and best practices aiming at:

Ø     making information accessible

Ø     taking timely steps to spot, screen, systematically diagnose and treat the disorder at an early stage

Ø     providing special, early, intensive and multidisciplinary treatment and effective teaching methods in appropriate, educational structures in schools for children, adolescents and young adults

Ø     breaking down stereotypical beliefs that these children are ill

Ø     avoiding introspection domestic trends and concealment of the problem

Ø     minimizing isolation phenomena, social and digital exclusion against children with learning difficulties and dyslexia

Ø     searching link between poverty, learning difficulties and social exclusion.

Guidelines

Ø     The pupils aware to the problem of dyslexia (at first they watch a film and comment on it.)

Ø     They complete an initial questionnaire about symptoms of dyslexia

Ø     Investigating whether new technologies with special tools can help dyslexic students to reduce the risk of potential social and digital exclusion

Ø     Looking for ways to individual and collective action to break on stereotypes

Ø     Formulating possible solutions aimed at promoting e-inclusion and digital literacy of dyslexic people and not their exclusion from the democratic process advocated by the Declaration of Riga (2008) for all people

Ø     Communicating with experts and scientific organizations

Ø     Forming a questionnaire and exploring public opinion on dyslexia

Ø     Showing the results of their work in schools and education authorities

Ø     Publishing releases to the media and the Internet

Ø     Improving students’ skills in English, learning to work collaboratively, creating friendships through this international cooperation, using the tools of ICT.

 

Work process

Students work in groups, share ideas and develop proposals, staffed by four groups (Plan of action and coordination (I), Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis and Conclusions (II), Communication and Press Releases (III), and Video & Presentations (IV). Each team consists of 4-5 students from each school (from Greece, France etc.).

There will be collaboration between teams. Comparison and convergence of views among members of European are of great importance, along with communication between them in English, French or Greek through ICT. For each file used (photo, image, audio or video) the source is mentioned. Copyrights are respected.

 

Expected Results - "Project outcome" production

Ø Project planning and deadlines

Ø posters, drawings, presentations (slide show, video, web pages)

Ø Questionnaires and analysis

Ø Photos, videos of the various stages of project development

Evaluation

Ø The participation of students

Ø The sense of organization and communication

Ø The successful fulfillment of program objectives

Schedule

October 2010

1. Getting to know each other – About us  (who am I?)
   CV, application form
   (text files: word, pdf,
   presentation files: ppt, pps,
   video files: avi, mpg, mp4, mov, wmv, flv (movie-maker, picture-project), video players
   sound (mp3, wav): recording, audacity
   images, photos (gif, jpg, png, animated gif): painting, power point
2. Watching the movie: TAARE_ZAMEEN
   impressions’ writing,
   questionnaires,
   discussion in the classroom

November 2010

1. An expert in the school
2. Workshop
3. Human rights – Disabilities - Minorities
4. Social exclusion – Digital inclusion

December 2010

1. Mind mapping
2. Cartoon painting about dyslexia

January 2011

1. Combating social exclusion caused by disabilities problems
2. Social exclusion because of poverty

February 2011

1. Gallop
2. Project meeting …..

March 2010-10

1. Statistical analysis
2. Results

April 2011

1. Reports publishing
2. Educational visit ….

May 2011

1. Presentation of the whole project to the educational authorities (parents, school)
2. Upload files to twinspace

Each partner updates the community via twinblog. Every new proposal or new activity is welcome. The communication among the schools could be via skype, messenger and e-mails.

Topics of the project "Dyslexia... and Social Exclusion":

"Miltos Kountouras" Team: Human Rights, Discrimination, Minorities (The Poor - The Immigrants - The Homeless, The Prisoners,...), Social Inclusion, Digital Literacy

LP Jean Perrin Team: Poverty - Volunteering - Charity

142 Elementary School Team: Social skills, respecting difference, self-esteem, human rights

40 Gymnasium Team: Disabilities and School (Dyslexia)

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