The Socrates programme in Poland. An overview of Outcomes 1998-2006

THE SOCRATES PROGRAMME IN POLAND Comenius Erasmus Grundtvig Lingua Minerva Eurydice Naric Arion

An Overview of Outcomes 1998-2006

Foundation for the Development of the Education System Warsaw 2007

Š Foundation for the Development of the Education System Warsaw 2007 ISBN 978-83-60058-19-0 Prepared by: Ewa Kolanowska National Socrates Agency staff Graphics and layout: Eliza Goszczyńska Foundation for the Development of the Education System ul. Mokotowska 43 00-551 Warsaw, Poland www.frse.org.pl kontakt@frse.org.pl

Comenius Erasmus Grundtvig Lingua Minerva Eurydice Naric Arion

THE SOCRATES PROGRAMME IN POLAND An Overview of Outcomes 1998-2006

Table of contents Introduction

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EU Programmes in the field of Education and Training

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Socrates in Outline: Participants, Objectives and Actions

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Socrates in Action: Outcomes of the Programme in Poland

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Comenius – School Education

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... To have a good idea and strong determination as over 3% of schools, and more than ten thousand pupils and teachers ...

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... So much in one Comenius project ...

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... Pupils and teachers: to know more, to have greater motivation to teach or learn, to have a closer look at Europe and gain more self-confidence ...

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... Education at school: quality and attractiveness measured in European dimensions ...

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... Life at school: greater variety and internal integration through European integration ...

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... School in its environment: greater prestige in a larger community ...

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... Our school in Europe: strengthening the Polish dimension of the common European space ...

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Erasmus – Higher Education

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... Polish team in Erasmus: from 46 higher education institutions in 1998 to 240 in 2006 ...

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... Choice from the Erasmus menu: student and teacher exchange, ECTS, intensive programmes, networks, curricula ...

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... Higher education institutions: on the way to earn a European quality label ...

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... Teachers: mobile despite some difficulties ...

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... Facts and figures about Polish and foreign students: 42 310 to 10 145 ...

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Polish students: many and more

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Foreign students: more but no so many

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... Polish students about studying in other European countries: investing in a better future, discovering oneself and a community in Europe ...

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... Foreign students about studying in Poland: discovering new Member States in the heart of Europe ...

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Grundtvig – Adult Education and Other Educational Pathways

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... Grundtvig in Poland: animating adult education ...

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... Projects: as diverse as needs in adult education ...

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... Outcomes: as diverse as projects, but first of all emerging in the European co-operation space ...

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Lingua – Language Teaching and Learning

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... A smaller, but no less valued, action for specialists ...

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...Poland in the Lingua Action: a large share of the small cake ...

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... A state-of-the-art product for specialists, children, young people and adults ...

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... The Polish language: to make it a more widely taught and used language ...

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Minerva – Information and Communication Technologies in Education

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... Spreading e-learning experience, mainly through the efforts of higher education institutions ...

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... Projects and outcomes: the European dimension of e-learning not only in higher education ...

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Observation and Innovation in Education Systems and Policies

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... Eurydice: jointly about education in Europe ...

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... Polish Eurydice Unit: about Polish education for Europe and European education in Poland ...

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... Joint Eurydice Europroducts: about European education in general and in detail, in a database, studies and glossaries ...

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... Naric: jointly about the recognition of diplomas and study periods ...

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... Polish NARIC: not only about the recognition of diplomas in Poland and abroad ...

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... ARION study visits: European integration among decisionmakers and specialists ...

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Conclusion

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Statistics

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EU programmes in the area of education and training: useful links

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Introduction

Introduction

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The Socrates Programme, which has provided a broad framework for co-operation in the field of education for over a decade since 1995, is drawing to an end – last projects with the Socrates trademark were launched in 2006, though some of them will still be carried out for another year or two. Achievements of Socrates in Poland, which joined the Programme in 1998, have been discussed in detail in various publications produced periodically by the teams responsible for individual Socrates actions in our Foundation. This publication summarises outcomes of all main actions, including Comenius, Erasmus, Grundtvig, Lingua, Minerva, Eurydice, Naric and Arion. However, given its limited space on the one hand and the wealth and diversity of the outcomes on the other hand, it highlights only these aspects which featured most prominently in more detailed reviews of each action of the Programme.

The introductory chapters of this overview first place Socrates in a wider context of current and previous EU programmes in the field of education and training, and then discuss opportunities offered in all eight Socrates actions. Although many readers are probably familiar with EU programmes in the area of education and training and the Socrates Programme itself, background information may be useful for institutions and individuals who only now intend to enter the path of co-operation. The next and main chapter gives an insight into what has been achieved under the above-mentioned Socrates actions in Poland. It describes both quantitative outcomes, such as the extent of mobility or the number of projects involving Polish institutions, and more or less tangible benefits gained as a result of the participation in the Programme.

Moreover, key statistical data, illustrating the scale of our involvement in the Programme, are given in the final part of the publication.

We hope that our publication will encourage you not only to learn more about the outcomes of the Socrates Programme in Poland, but also to establish or extend cooperation with foreign partners under the Lifelong Learning Programme, the successor of Socrates and other EU programmes in the field of education and training.

Foundation for the Development of the Education System

EU Programmes in the field of Education and Training The organisation and content of education and training within the European Union are the exclusive responsibility of its Member States.

However, the European Union (EU) should contribute to the development of quality education and the European dimension of education and implement a vocational training policy by encouraging cooperation between EU Member States and between the Member States and third countries. These general goals, providing a framework for action taken by the EU in the field of education and training, are set in Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (EC Treaty).

Lines of action as well as areas, priorities and forms of co-operation within the EU and between the EU and third countries are described in more detail in other documents, such as memoranda, resolutions, decisions and recommendations, adopted by the relevant EU bodies on the basis of the EC Treaty.

These regulations and documents provide a basis for the establishment of EU programmes in the field of education and training. Within the framework of such programmes, the EU budget provides funding for co-operation between educational institutions and other institutions or organisations active in the field of education and training in various countries, as well as for the transnational mobility of pupils, students and other learners, teachers, trainers and other persons involved in education and training; mobility may be an integral part of broader cooperation or may be organised on an individual basis. Each programme or action of a programme has its own specific features: it aims to achieve slightly different objectives or addresses a different target group, and provides funding to cover full costs or only a part of costs incurred in various transnational activities. However, in all EU programmes, grants are allocated on a competitive basis through a call under which interested institutions and/or individuals submit their proposals. Proposals are assessed by experts at European level or in a given country participating in the programme.

EU programmes in the field of education and training are managed at EU level by the Directorate

General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) of the European Commission. The Commission is supported by an agency responsible for day-to-day administration of a given programme. At present, the key agency providing support in the implementation of EU programmes in the field of education and training is the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EAC Executive Agency).

At national level, ministries of education supervise the implementation of EU programmes, whereas so-called national agencies are responsible for day-to-day administration. In Poland, the institution which currently performs the role of a national agency for all major EU programmes in the area of education and training is the Foundation for the Development of the Education System in Warsaw, supervised by the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Treasury. A national agency is the first contact point for all institutions and individuals in a given country who wish to participate in a specific programme. All national agencies provide information, guidance and assistance at the stage of developing proposals, as well as monitor the implementation and outcomes of supported activities. In some programmes or actions, they also organise the assessment and selection of proposals, award contracts and distribute grants to institutions and individuals whose proposals have been approved.

EU programmes in the field of education and training may be divided into “intra-EU programmes” and “external programmes” or “external cooperation programmes”. Intra-EU programmes support primarily co-operation between EU Member States, which now include Poland. In addition, countries which have closer links with the EU through special agreements may participate in intra-EU programmes on a self-financing basis.

These countries include member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and EU candidate countries. External co-operation programmes aim to support co-operation between EU Member States and third countries, i.e. other countries of the world.

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These programmes are also open to EEA/EFTA countries and EU candidate countries which may participate pursuant to the rules laid down in separate agreements concluded with the EU. The largest intra-EU programmes in the last decade were Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci, initially established for the period 1995-1999 and subsequently extended for the period 2000-2006.

Regardless of their slightly different specific objectives, both programmes aimed to encourage EU citizens to learn throughout their life and to facilitate access to lifelong learning in various settings. Socrates offered various opportunities for broader co-operation and mobility to all categories of learners, teaching and training staff, and institutions active in the field of education and training at all levels (for more detailed information, see: the next chapter). Leonardo da Vinci, which also supported broader institutional co-operation projects at various levels and individual mobility, focused on initial and continuing vocational education and training. Moreover, there were two other smaller-scale and targeted programmes.

Extended regularly from 1990, the Jean Monnet programme supported co-operation between higher education institutions in the area of European integration. The eLearning programme (2004-2006) aimed, amongst other things, to facilitate effective integration of ICT in schools and higher education institutions.

These intra-EU programmes have now been replaced by one integrated programme, the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), established for the period 2007-2013. Offering vast opportunities for lifelong learning, the LLP aims to support the development of a knowledge-based society, sustained economic development and greater social cohesion in the EU, while ensuring protection of natural

environment. These general and ambitious goals are translated into specific objectives in individual sub-programmes. Each of the sub-programmes addresses a specific target group or a specific aspect of lifelong learning, and jointly they cover all stages of lifelong learning (for more detailed information, see: Chapter “Conclusion�).

In addition to the popular Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes, the EU established Youth for Europe in the 1990-ties: a programme targeted exclusively at young people, and addressing various issues in the youth field and non-formal education of young people. Poland joined the programme in 1998 and subsequently participated in Youth (2000-2006), the successor of Youth for Europe.

With the national agencies extensively involved in the management of the programme, activities under the aegis of Youth were taking place close to the beneficiary and at the same time accommodated diverse youth policy frameworks and contexts in the youth field. The programme currently underway is Youth in Action 2007-2013, which aims to overcome barriers and prejudices among young people, and to support their mobility and active citizenship.

External programmes for co-operation between the EU and third countries are targeted mainly at higher education institutions. The main programmes include Erasmus Mundus (2004-2008), open to all countries of the world, and a number of regional co-operation programmes: Tempus (launched in 1990, to be extended for the period 2007-2013) which covers Eastern and South-East Europe, Central Asia and Mediterranean countries, and smaller programmes or projects supporting co-operation between the EU and the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, countries of Latin America and many Asian countries.

Socrates in Outline: Participants, Objectives and Actions Who could participate ...

The Socrates Programme was open to EU Member States, countries belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and EU candidate countries.

In these countries, Socrates offered various opportunities to virtually all those who learn, teach or train, manage educational institutions or design policies, and to all educational institutions – ranging from nursery schools and schools to higher education institutions and adult education providers – as well as other institutions and organisations active in the field of education and training. The Programme was aimed in particular at: • pupils, students and other learners; • staff involved in education; • all types of educational institutions; and • individuals and bodies responsible for education systems and policies at local, regional and national levels.

Joint activities could also involve institutions and organisations such as: • associations working in the field of education, including students’, pupils’, teachers’ and parents’ associations; • social partners, e.g. trade unions and employers’ organisations; • research institutions conducting studies and research in the field of education; and • companies, chambers of commerce and industry, trade organisations, etc. ... what kind of activities were supported ...

Grants were awarded for the transnational mobility of individuals undertaking either a period of initial or in-service training or a teaching or training assignment abroad, the development of a future joint project with potential partners, broader co-operation between educational and other institutions under transnational projects and networks, as well as for the dissemination of results achieved in such transnational activities. Moreover, support was provided for activities related to the

analysis of education systems and policies and the exchange and dissemination of information in this area. ... and for what purpose ...

Individual mobility and broader institutional cooperation within the framework of the Socrates Programme aimed, amongst others, to: • contribute to the development of quality education at all levels; • strengthen the so-called European dimension of education at all levels, i.e. facilitate the introduction of curricular contents and teaching approaches which give educational establishments a European “character”, enable pupils, students and adult learners to learn more about Europe, develop their sense of belonging to European society and prepare them to live and work in Europe; • promote qualitative and quantitative improvement in the learning and teaching of EU languages, in particular those languages which are less widely used and less widely taught; • encourage the development of, and ensure wider access to, innovative educational practices and materials; • facilitate research and analysis concerning education systems and educational policy issues of common interest to EU Member States; while promoting equal opportunities and combating social exclusion, racism and xenophobia.

These general objectives of the Programme as a whole were translated into a specific “menu” offered in its eight actions. ... in eight Socrates actions Socrates was composed of eight larger components, referred to as “actions” in the jargon of EU programmes, which were subdivided into smaller actions, thus offering a structured menu of opportunities for various categories of individuals, institutions and organisations. The following five actions provided support for mobility and

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institutional co-operation related to a specific level of education or focusing on specific aspects of education: • Comenius – school education, • Erasmus – higher education, • Grundtvig – adult education and other educational pathways, • Lingua – language teaching and learning, • Minerva – information and communication technologies in education.

Within these five actions, grants were also awarded for contact seminars and preparatory visits which enabled interested institutions, in particular those less experienced in international co-operation, to find partners and discuss future joint projects.

Within the remaining three actions, including: • Observation and innovation in education systems and policies, • Joint Actions with other EC programmes, • Accompanying Measures, support was provided for various transversal activities related to the development of education systems and the implementation of the Socrates Programme itself.

More specifically, what opportunities for transnational mobility and broader institutional cooperation were offered by the individual actions of the Programme?

Comenius – School Education ... pupils, teachers, school education staff, nursery schools, schools, initial and in-service teacher training institutions, educational authorities, educational associations ...

Comenius was divided into three actions. Within Action 1 (School partnerships), public and nonpublic schools and nursery schools could apply for support to carry out one of the following three types of projects: School Projects, Language Projects and School Development Projects. Each project was designed to be a joint initiative of all partners, working in accordance with a plan agreed beforehand, and their joint efforts were expected to lead to a specific “product”, e.g. a publication, a film, teaching/learning resources, etc. Under School Projects, pupils and teachers from at least three countries explored together a selected topic, e.g. environmental protection, history or culture of

a given region, during regular classes at their school and visits at the partner institutions abroad. Within the framework of Language Projects, which included pupil exchanges of a minimum ten-day duration between schools in two countries, pupils could improve their language skills, jointly performing tasks planned beforehand and usually staying with their colleagues’ families. Under School Development Projects, school directors and teachers from at least three countries focused on the exchange of experience and information concerning the organisation of work in their institutions, and developed and tested innovative methods and approaches in the areas of school management and teaching, and the implementation of educational and prevention programmes.

Action 2 (Training of school education staff) provided support for European Co-operation Projects and individual grants. Within Transnational Co-operation Projects, initial and in-service teacher training institutions, schools, educational associations and other organisations involved in school education could develop and organise training courses for school education staff, and develop initial and in-service teacher training programmes as well as teaching/training methods and materials for specific groups of learners.

Individual training grants were awarded to: student teachers for a period of teacher-supervised training abroad under a Transnational Co-operation Project; future language teachers for language assistantships in schools abroad; and teachers and other school education staff for in-service training.

Within Action 3 (Comenius Networks), financial support was available for various activities designed to strengthen co-operation under Actions 1 and 2, and for the dissemination of innovations and good practice by individuals and institutions participating in Comenius actions.

Erasmus – Higher Education ... students, teachers, higher education institutions, academic and professional associations ...

Action 1 (European inter-university co-operation) offered support to higher education institutions for the following activities: curriculum development projects, including both joint development of study programmes and European modules, and the

implementation and dissemination of outcomes of completed projects; the organisation of intensive programmes for students and teachers from at least three countries; the introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), facilitating the recognition of study periods completed abroad; and the organisation of student and teacher mobility supported under Action 2.

Within Action 2 (Mobility of students and teaching staff), grants were awarded to students for a study period of 3 to 12 months in a foreign higher education institution which had signed an Erasmus co-operation agreement with their home institution, and to teachers undertaking a teaching assignment for a period between 1 week and 6 months.

Projects in Action 3 (Thematic networks) served as a forum for higher education institutions and, additionally, academic and professional associations to discuss and jointly develop “the European dimension” of a given discipline, a curriculum for a given field of study or selected interdisciplinary topics. Partners could, for example, analyse innovations in curricula for a given field of study, define qualitative criteria and quality assessment methods for selected fields of study or focus on the dissemination of innovative teaching methods, etc.

Grundtvig – Adult education and other educational pathways ... adult learners, adult education providers, initial and in-service teacher training institutions, authorities, professional associations, companies ...

Grundtvig, focusing on non-vocational adult education, was subdivided into four actions.

Action 1 (European co-operation projects) provided support for projects carried out by partner organisations from at least three countries which were designed to bring specific innovative “products”, e.g. methods stimulating “demand” for learning among adults, innovative educational approaches or flexible accreditation and certification systems, which facilitate transition between formal and non-formal education. Action 1 projects were targeted at adult education providers, institutions training adult education staff, enterprises, local and regional authorities, professional associations, European umbrella associations and other

institutions and organisations.

Within Action 2 (Learning partnerships), institutions and organisations from at least three countries which were less experienced in international cooperation could be awarded grants for the exchange of information, experience, practices and methods, and for joint work on selected topics in the area of adult education.

Grants for participation in training courses abroad under Action 3 (Individual training grants for adult education staff) were awarded to, amongst others, teachers/trainers working with adults, managers of adult education institutions and other individuals involved in broadly defined adult education.

Action 4 (Grundtvig networks) provided support for thematic networks and networks of projects designed to support long-lasting co-operation between institutions, organisations and individuals involved in adult education through joint work on selected topics. Networks could be established by partners from at least 10 countries.

Lingua – Language teaching and learning ... educational institutions at all levels, initial and in-service teacher training institutions, resource centres, research institutions, authorities, associations ...

Projects in both Lingua actions involved partners from at least two countries. Within Action 1 (Promotion of language learning), above-mentioned institutions and organisations applied for grants to undertake various information and promotion activities. These could include activities designed to: raise awareness of advantages of language learning and encourage language learning (e.g. research and studies, information campaigns or contests); facilitate access to language teaching and learning resources (e.g. pilot projects covering the exchange of information and the establishment of networks linking language resource centres); or disseminate information on innovative methods and good practice in language teaching or learning (e.g. conferences, publications and networking).

Action 2 (Development of language learning tools and materials) offered support for international projects which aimed to develop and disseminate innovative curricula, methods and materials, as well as tools for the assessment of language competence

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and skills.

Minerva – Information and communication technologies in education

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... all types of educational and training institutions, initial and in-service teacher training institutions, resource centres, research institutions, associations ...

Within the Minerva Action, above-mentioned institutions and organisations could receive support for activities designed to enhance understanding of the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on education and to introduce ICT in education on a wider scale. For example, activities could include: • studies on the impact of ICT on teaching and learning processes; • the development and testing of innovative teaching and learning methods; • the development of systems and services at European level which facilitate the dissemination of information on teaching methods and resources based on ICT; • the exchange of information and experience; and • other activities strengthening co-operation between producers and users of educational software.

Observation and innovation in education systems and policies ... policy makers, education managers, educational specialists and all those who seek information on education ...

This action was subdivided into two smaller actions. Action 1, which focused on observation, offered support for: Arion study visits undertaken jointly by educational specialists and decision

makers from many countries; studies, analyses, pilot projects, seminars, expert groups; and activities of two networks, Eurydice and NARIC, established by the European Commission. Eurydice (Information network on education in Europe) gathers and analyses information on education, and produces and distributes publications on the structures of education systems, key statistical data on education and selected issues in the field of education, as well as glossaries of terms used in the field of education.

NARIC (Network of Academic Recognition and Information Centres) provides higher education institutions, students and graduates, parents, teachers and future employers with information and guidance concerning education systems, qualifications, requirements and procedures for the recognition of study periods and diplomas.

Support in Action 2, which focused on innovation, was provided for innovative projects which responded to emerging needs.

Joint Actions with other EU programmes This action offered support for various activities extending beyond the Socrates Programme and thus undertaken in co-operation with other EU programmes, e.g. Leonardo da Vinci.

Accompanying Measures This action covered various activities which, while not eligible under the other actions, were designed to contribute to achieving the overall objectives of the Programme; for example: awareness-raising campaigns, training activities, dissemination activities or activities concerning aspects common to all levels of education, such as equal opportunities for men and women, inclusion of disabled people or fight with racism.

Socrates in Action: Outcomes of the Programme in Poland Poland joined Socrates in February 1998 as a country associated with the European Union and starting negotiations on its EU membership. Thus the first years of our participation in the Programme, which were at the same time an experimental period for many Polish educational institutions, coincided with the end of its first phase (1995-1999).

In the second phase (2000-2006), we were still involved initially as “an associated partner”, but also as a much more experienced one. In recent years, when Poland was already an EU Member State, co-operation under the Socrates Programme entered “the stage of maturity”.

The implementation of the Socrates Programme in Poland was supervised by the Ministry of Education, whereas the Socrates National Agency in the Foundation for the Development of the Education System was directly responsible for the co-ordination of the Programme at national level.

The National Agency organised broad information and promotion campaigns and wide-ranging training activities. The teams responsible for individual actions of the Programme published all documents for potential applicants on the website of the Agency and distributed them among institutions concerned, organised numerous seminars and training events, participated in meetings organised by interested institutions themselves, and provided guidance at the application stage. Moreover, within several Socrates actions, the National Agency organised the selection of applications and distributed grants directly to successful Polish applicants on the basis of contracts concluded with them. Activities financed under the Programme were subsequently monitored, and their outcomes were discussed by the Agency in various publications.

The total budget of the second phase of Socrates was 1.85 billion euro for all European countries.

Disbursement rates in Socrates, published by the European Commission, are high, often exceeding 95% of committed funds. However, there is no mathematical formula to translate such expenditure into long-term outcomes in the field of education. Moreover, some outcomes often

take time to become fully apparent. Nevertheless, Socrates in Poland produced above all a multitude of outcomes which can be easily identified, which are already clearly visible and which are highlighted by both the institutions responsible for the management of the Programme and its participants.

Such outcomes are the main focus in our overview.

The overview draws on: detailed reviews published by the National Agency, which are based on reports submitted by programme participants, questionnaire surveys conducted by the Agency and information collected by the Agency during direct contacts with participants; findings from a 2002/2003 survey among Socrates participants, commissioned by the Ministry of National Education and Sport and conducted by PENTOR, a market research company; and various publications and information on the Programme available in the Internet.

How then were opportunities offered in Socrates used by Polish educational institutions, pupils, students, teachers and other institutions and individuals involved in education, and what are the outcomes of their co-operation with European partners under the Programme?

Socrates covered all stages of lifelong learning – from pre-primary and school education to higher education and adult education. Each of the programme actions obviously had its own specific features, focusing on a different level of education, addressing a different aspect of education or covering a different extent of co-operation.

Generally, however, one may certainly say that Socrates as a whole was becoming increasingly familiar across Poland, the Programme involved a steadily growing number of participants, the number of applications submitted by Polish institutions was continuously increasing and their quality was continually improving.

Overall outcomes, regardless of results specific to each action, may be summarised in a few words, referring to the general objectives of the Programme: Socrates did indeed encourage learning and help to teach better, to teach about our common Europe, in our common Europe and for our common Europe.

Better quality of education in a given institution,

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improved skills in using innovative teaching and learning methods, enhanced understanding of other European countries, cultures and languages and, as a result, a greater sense of European identity, and stronger motivation to work, teach or learn – these are the outcomes mentioned by an overwhelming majority of institutions and individuals submitting reports to the National Agency and participants questioned in surveys by PENTOR or the National Agency.

At the same time, as our common Europe is also a Europe of different nations, cultures and languages, and of different approaches to education, it is equally important for us that Socrates helped us to strengthen our presence in this European community. It gave us an excellent opportunity to introduce our country and our education to those who had not infrequently seen them before only

from a distance, to show or illustrate one or another aspect of Polish culture, as well as to promote the Polish language. Some Socrates activities, projects and products were specifically designed to – and actually did – produce such outcomes. Where this was not an aim in itself, such promotion was a spin-off effect of pupil, student or teacher exchange or broader co-operation between Polish institutions and their foreign partners. This may be best illustrated by Socrates projects, other activities of the Programme and feedback from participants discussed on the following pages.

Our overview may only provide a snapshot of what has been achieved in individual actions of the Socrates Programme. The best way to have a better insight is, as it was put by many participants in the Programme, “simply to make it your own experience”.

Comenius Comenius – School Education ... To have a good idea and strong determination – as over 3% of schools, and more than ten thousand pupils and teachers ...

Unlike higher education institutions which carried out projects together with their European partners from 1990 under a targeted EU assistance programme, schools in Poland were given their first great chance to emerge in the common European space and engage in broader multilateral cooperation only in 1998 by the Socrates-Comenius Programme. Although schools entered this path later than higher education institutions, a growing number of them joined “the European community” of Comenius schools every year, and Comenius was gradually increasing its presence in the Polish school system.

How can we prove it? Firstly, the number of submitted and approved projects involving Polish schools was steadily increasing each year. This trend could be clearly seen in particular during the last six years of our participation in the Programme.

Between 2000 and 2006, the number of submitted projects grew almost fourfold – from 462 in 2000 to 1 740 in 2006, and the increase in the number of approved projects was over fourfold – from 263 in 2000 to 1 119 in 2006. Secondly, between ten and twenty thousand pupils and teachers from more than 1 000 Polish schools and nursery schools, accounting for over 3% of all institutions in the Polish school education system, were in total engaged in co-operation under Comenius with partners in other European countries. Thirdly, Comenius projects covered jointly all 16 Polish provinces. And fourthly, Comenius projects involved all types of institutions, ranging from nursery schools, primary schools and lower secondary schools to general, vocational and technical upper secondary schools, and special schools.

Undoubtedly, much still needs to be done in

order to ensure that as many as 10% - the target level set by the European Commission – of schools take part in European co-operation under the Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013, and to see that statistics confirm irrefutably not only the equality of opportunities but also actually balanced participation of various types of schools from different regions. Nevertheless, there is much evidence which shows that Comenius was growing up and developing in the right direction in Poland.

Schools in the Silesia, Mazovia and Małopolska provinces, and those in the Lower Silesia, Wielkopolska, Pomerania and Opole provinces had, respectively, strongest or fairly strong representation in Comenius projects. However, Comenius also supported an increasing, or a gradually increasing, number of projects in the underrepresented provinces of eastern Poland. This gradually growing interest was also stimulated by the National Agency together with the regional Comenius co-ordinators and promoters through special training sessions organised in the provinces which were less visible in the Programme. In a different geographical breakdown, institutions in urban areas were clearly taking the lead, but the band representing the percentage of those in suburban and rural areas was also growing steadily in bar charts. Moreover, while a breakdown by level of education shows that a large proportion of projects involved secondary schools, over time primary and nursery schools were also increasing their share in the total number of Comenius projects. Furthermore, although general schools were most active among secondary schools themselves, a growing number of projects were also submitted by vocational and technical schools. Finally, it is

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worth emphasising that several percent of projects involved special schools.

At the same time – as a result of an increasingly wide information and promotion campaign run by the National Agency and the regional Comenius co-ordinators and promoters on the one hand and

successes of many participating schools from various parts of Poland on the other hand – there was a growing awareness in the educational community that Comenius was open to all and that what mattered most was, to quote a school director, “a good idea, eagerness, and considerable perseverance and self-discipline”.

... So much in one Comenius project ...

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All data collected through the monitoring of Comenius show that this action brought various but interrelated benefits to its individual participants, produced broader outcomes which could be seen in the school and its environment, and at the same time helped to strengthen Polish features of the European landscape. In brief, Comenius projects were a learning and formative experience of truly European dimensions which brought closer and linked all those involved, and at the same time – though requiring a lot of work – were “a unique adventure” or “an unforgettable experience”. In Polish realities, Comenius projects were also integrated into all those measures taken within the framework of the school education

reform which were designed to increase the responsibility of local authorities for schools under their supervision and the reform of school curricula.

These included, for example, the introduction of child-rearing programmes, pupil-centred approaches and interdisciplinary approaches in the form of so-called cross-curricular pathways, and stronger emphasis placed on the development of skills and competences. How then did Comenius influence pupils and teachers, schools and their environment, and how did it at the same time help to make Poland more familiar to partners in other European countries? The following overview focuses mainly on Comenius School Partnerships as they were the core element of this action.

... Pupils and teachers: to know more, to have greater motivation to teach or learn, to have a closer look at Europe and gain more self-confidence ...

By their very nature Comenius projects allowed participants to develop and test all skills which are required in a project as a working method, an educational project and a transnational project.

It all started already in the preparatory phase when those who wished to benefit from Comenius had to systematise their knowledge in a given area, design carefully a joint project and make arrangements with their superiors, colleagues as well as partners in other countries. Then, when drafting an application for financial support, they had to describe clearly aims and objectives of their project, activities leading to the objectives, expected outcomes and methods to be used in the evaluation of outcomes. Thus the preparatory stage itself was a test verifying participants’ capacity for creative thinking, planning skills and team work skills.

At the same time, because of the transnational

character of the project, such preparatory work gave an opportunity – not infrequently the first one – for testing and improving in practice one’s language skills, and required additionally efficient use of electronic mail in the initial phase of communication with partners abroad. All these skills, as well as management skills, problem solving skills and skills necessary for critical assessment of one’s own and other people’s activities, were subsequently developed by participants during the implementation of their Comenius project. At the implementation stage, this was achieved in the process of exploring the topic chosen as the main theme of the project, making arrangements to go abroad and host partners, performing various administrative tasks in the project and, finally, evaluating results of activities.

Comenius, Action 1: School Project Project „Tolerance in our common European home” Partners: School Complex – General Lyceum in Wojkowice, Poland, and schools from Germany and Italy Working languages: German and English The project aimed to achieve several interrelated objectives: firstly, developing creativity, and communication, team work, presentation, ICT and language skills; secondly, improving teachers’ skills and teaching methods; thirdly, promoting interdisciplinary and intercultural education; and fourthly, strengthening the sense of European identity while respecting the diversity of cultures, languages, traditions and education systems; promoting tolerance, democracy and solidarity, respect for human rights and cultural differences, different views and attitudes.

In the Polish school, the project was divided into three smaller projects, “Our life in Silesia”, “A Dictionary of Gestures” and “Stereotypes and Prejudices”, which were carried out by pupils and teachers as part of their Polish, German, English, geography, history, civic education and ICT lessons and educational activities.

Within the project “Our life in Silesia”, young people first worked in smaller groups under their teacher’s guidance, identifying various topics which could be addressed in a catalogue about the life in Silesia. As a result of brainstorming, the group agreed on a final list comprising the following topics: “the world of our values”, “leisure time”, “teenagers’ social life”, “what we are like – youth subcultures”, “at school like at home” and “what we do after school – charity, ecological and European activities”. Further activities, undertaken in accordance with a plan adopted by the group, included: preparing “genre scenes”, selecting appropriate materials, writing texts and drafting descriptions for pictures, and computer processing of pictures and texts. As a result, the following “final products” were developed: a catalogue about the life of young people in Zagłębie and Silesia, in Polish, German and English; thematic display cases presenting national Polish, German and Italian cuisines; project information boards; and press articles describing the activities of the group. At the end, the group evaluated its work and final products, and compared its catalogue with those produced in parallel by young people in the German and Italian schools.

The work within the project “A Dictionary of

Gestures” began with workshops on non-verbal communication, and on how to write press articles and releases, design questionnaires and generalise conclusions. After this “training session”, a group of pupils and teachers from the Polish school – like groups working in the partner schools – developed a questionnaire and conducted a survey on tolerance among young people. On the basis of findings from the survey, pupils wrote articles about how young people understand tolerance and about their attitudes towards other nations. Selected articles were published in the school bulletin. Then, studying their peers’ behaviour, young people chose a dozen or so gestures, made pictures of them and produced an album of gestures which was published on the school’s website.

The album was also used to produce a Polish-GermanEnglish “Dictionary of Gestures” . Like in the first project, at the end the group evaluated their work and its final results.

Within the project „Stereotypes and Prejudices”, the school organised workshops during which participants had a discussion on stereotypes and tried to debunk jointly various “myths”. On the basis of materials and information collected, young people – supported by their teachers – produced a PolishGerman-English mini-dictionary on stereotypes and prejudices, a series of articles on stereotypes and prejudices, a report with findings from the survey conducted in the second project, a multimedia presentation on stereotypes, a poster showing an ideal European, and a gallery of caricatures of Europeans.

During visits in the partner schools, Polish teachers familiarised themselves with curricula and teaching methods stimulating active participation of pupils. Teachers from the partner schools observed English and German classes in the Polish school.

Outcomes of the project were presented during meetings with local authorities and other schools, numerous meetings, seminars and other events devoted to European topics, meetings of European clubs, regional and national competitions and celebrations of the Europe Day.

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Joint work on a topic, e.g. “tolerance among young people”, “life in the region”, “places of remembrance”, “support for pupils facing school problems” or “growing plants”, combined with the development of a final product, such as a dictionary, catalogue, exhibition or theatrical performance, was in itself an educational project, carried out within the organisational framework of a Comenius project. In addition to the above-mentioned typical project-related skills, such an international educational project developed or improved skills necessary to work not only in a group in general, but also in various types of groups. A group in Comenius could be a group of teachers who set a contentrelated or methodological framework for the work to be carried by pupils; a group of pupils in one school working under the guidance of their teacher; and a mixed and transnational group composed of pupils and teachers from all partner schools. At the same time, in order to explore a given topic and develop a final product, project participants looked for information in the Internet and used a computer to process data and texts, thus developing all ICT skills which are now jointly referred to as “digital literacy”. Moreover, as was the case in a large proportion of projects, the work on topics covering history, geography, literature and national, regional or local traditions, combined with visits in partner countries, helped those involved to learn about other countries and cultures both in theory and in practice. Finally, as final products were often developed and always presented in foreign languages, participants could practise both their writing and speaking skills.

Specific projects (see: examples in the boxes) are the best illustrative evidence that knowledge of a given area, knowledge about Europe and all above-mentioned skills could indeed be developed in a single Comenius project. However, this is also confirmed by a survey conducted by PENTOR in

2002/03. Outcomes such as improved skills in using innovative teaching and/or learning methods, e.g. project-based methods ensuring active participation of learners or ICT-based methods, improved team work skills, and enhanced understanding of other European cultures and languages were mentioned by over 90% of respondents. Over 80% extended their knowledge of the area addressed in the project and improved their language skills.

At the same time, participation in a Comenius project as a European learning experience did indeed have influence on attitudes of its participants. The PENTOR survey and reports submitted by schools show that the involvement in Comenius projects strengthened the sense of belonging to Europe in an overwhelming majority of participants. This was so not only because they could learn more about other countries and cultures and present Polish culture as an integral part of European culture, but also because of the very fact that they worked together with European partners on a partnership basis. Moreover, success in overcoming a language barrier, pride or at least great satisfaction felt by those who saw their own final products, not infrequently published and disseminated in the printed version or through the Internet, and recognition from partners in other European countries – all these factors, as emphasised in reports, did all contribute to boosting self-esteem in both pupils and teachers. Simultaneously, both teachers and pupils often demonstrated afterwards a strong entrepreneurial spirit, an attitude resulting from the very fact that they had taken part in a Comenius project and educational projects within its framework, coupled with new skills and knowledge and enhanced self-esteem. The spirit of enterprise manifested itself in the search for new opportunities to take action and active involvement in various initiatives and events organised within the closest environment, in a given region and across the country.

Comenius, Action 1: A School Project Project „Places of Remembrance” Partners: Complex of Schools of Economics in Pszczyna, Poland, and schools from France and Italy Working languages: English, French

The project had the following objectives: studying a key moment in the history of Poland; understanding what “historical memory” means and how it is passed on; reflecting on the concept of respect for an individual; developing skills to use ICT tools; improving language skills; establishing links between pupils from different part of Europe, with special emphasis on the concept of European citizenship and friendship between nations.

In order to study, catalogue and describe places of remembrance in the Pszczyna Region, pupils and teachers of the Polish school collected factual data and photographic materials in various ways. They had meetings with authors of books about the Death March and Second World War events in their region and with witnesses of those events, visited the AuschwitzBirkenau Museum, and went to places of remembrance on the Auschwitz-Birkenau route on the 59th anniversary of the Death March. They also attended lectures at the Institute of National Remembrance in Katowice and looked for information in the Internet. To improve their language skills, pupils were simultaneously taking additional English or French language classes. In parallel, pupils and teachers in the partner schools collected materials about places of remembrance in their regions. At the stage of producing materials, participants from all partner schools corresponded regularly with one another via electronic mail. In addition to virtual communication, Polish teachers went on working visits to France and Italy, and joint meetings were organised for pupils from all partner schools. During the stay in each partner country, pupils visited jointly places of national remembrance in a given region.

On the basis of the information collected about places of remembrance, each participating school produced materials, some of them on CDs, which were used widely by a given school as well as sent to the other partners. The Polish school produced the following materials: a catalogue of places of remembrance in the Pszczyna Region; portfolios „The Pszczyna Regions – Years of Occupation 1939-

1945”, „Auschwitz” and „The Death March – January 1945” together with CDs, sent to the foreign partners; teaching materials in Polish, English and French, in the printed version and electronic version on CDs, also sent to the partners; and lesson scenarios. All materials are ready for use in the future during history and Polish language lessons, educational activities, and – as they are also available in English and French – foreign language lessons. During the implementation of the project, pupils also published articles in local newspapers on an on-going basis and made their own presentations during the celebrations commemorating the events of 1939. Moreover, the school organised a ceremony to set a memorial plaque, funded by pupils of the school, on the 60th anniversary of the Death March, and arranged an exhibition “The Bold of the Times of Contempt” to disseminate the materials collected during the project. The exhibition showed not only texts and pictures, but also many items concerning the Second World War, original or made by pupils themselves.

In addition, using materials received from the French school, pupils arranged a theatrical performance “A Guest at Hotel du Parc”, telling a story of a Pszczyna inhabitant who found himself in a Polish lyceum in Villard-de Lans.

The project was supported not only by pupils’ parents, but also by various local institutions and companies. Parents were involved, together with young people and teachers, in the search for documents and helped to make contact with witnesses of Second World War events. The National Archives in Pszczyna, the Auschwitz-Brikenau Museum and members of the Pszczyna section of the Polish Veterans Union provided documents and exhibit items which were used to produce the above-mentioned materials or showed at the exhibition. Local craft companies were involved in the work to arrange the exhibition. From its beginning, the project was also supported by the Office of the Pszczyna County Authorities, the managing body of the school, and its representatives attended all major

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events of the project. The entire local community, and in particular other local schools, were invited to join the March of the Living, accompanying the ceremony to set the memorial plaque, and to visit the exhibition.

The dissemination of outcomes was inherent in the project activities. In addition, the outcomes were presented at the Education Fair in Bielsko-Biała in

2004, and during two study visits of European school directors to the Pszczyna school, organised within the framework of ARION under the Socrates Programme.

The presentation of the project was so interesting for one of the visiting school directors that the school in Pszczyna soon hosted a group of young people from an Italian school.

Finally, as stated by as many as 97% of respondents questioned by PENTOR, greater commitment and greater motivation of teachers to work and pupils to learn was the overall effect of their participation in Comenius projects.

Commitment and motivation were strengthened by the very fact that participants actually used innovative teaching and learning methods in the project, and the satisfaction from improved skills to use such methods and achievements of the project.

...Education at school: quality and attractiveness measured in European dimensions ...

According to an overwhelming majority of participants, giving their feedback in the PENTOR survey and reports for the regional co-ordinators and the National Agency, Comenius projects contributed – considerably or at least to some extent – to introducing innovations, and improving the quality, increasing the attractiveness and enhancing the European dimension of education in Polish schools. This came as a result of several factors.

Firstly, teachers introduced – for the first time or on a wider scale – teaching methods with which they familiarised themselves or which they tested in a Comenius project. These include, in particular, multimedia-based methods, e.g. using ICT, pupilcentred methods, active learning methods, methods tailored to individual needs of pupils and those based on the experiential learning approach. Such methods were introduced during the implementation or after the completion of a project by over 80% of teachers questioned by PENTOR. Reports from participating schools show that most teachers introduced a number of methods which are generally considered effective and

attractive for pupils, such as a project, discussion, e.g. brainstorming, and role plays followed by discussion and joint evaluation of a given aspect.

Secondly, by their very nature all Comenius projects extended beyond syllabi for individual subjects. For example, a project on environmental protection was often “spread” over biology, chemistry, geography and civic education lessons, or even Polish and history lessons, and – since a foreign language was used as a working language of the project and for the presentation of final products – English, French or German lessons or classes in another language taught in a given school. Thus Comenius projects introduced interdisciplinary education or increased the range of options available in this area, being integrated into the curriculum of a given school as a cross-curricular pathway.

Thirdly, as a result of Comenius projects, as many as 93% of teachers questioned by PENTOR developed and introduced various elements of the European dimension, thus broadening the contents taught within both individual subjects and cross-curricular pathways. These elements

of the European dimension included, for example, history, institutions and activities of the European Union; history, political, economic, social and cultural life of the European countries which were partners in a given project; or specific topics dealt with in the way in which they are taught in the partner schools.

And fourthly, regardless of their longer-term outcomes, Comenius projects made education more attractive throughout their one-, two- or threeyear lifetime simply as an extraordinary and transnational undertaking, and at the same time an undertaking which is integrated into regular school classes and activities.

Comenius, Action 1: Language Projects Project „Biological farming methods in vegetable growing” Partners: Complex of Schools of Agriculture in Sichów Duży, Poland, and a school from Portugal Working languages: English, French, German The project aimed to support the development of vocational and language skills, and to enable participants to familiarise themselves with Poland’s and Portugal’s cultures, regional traditions and cuisines.

Pupils and teachers of the Polish school carried out the project during various lessons. During general subject lessons (Polish and French, geography, history, biology, chemistry and physics), they developed materials containing information on Portugal’s climate, flora and fauna, customs, history and literature, which they had found in the Internet and multimedia encyclopaedias. During French lessons, they expanded their specialist vocabulary in the area of breeding, plant growing and organisation of production. During practical training and vocational subject lessons, they discussed specific features of production, organisation of work and marketing in Poland and Portugal.

During a two-week visit in the partner country, pupils and teachers visited farms, some of them run by pupils’ parents, and vegetable and fruit production companies, attended lectures, participated in meetings with local authorities, visited historical places (Cracow, Tokarnia, Sintra, Sobreiro) and religious sanctuaries (Częstochowa, Fatima), took part in

festivities to celebrate local holidays and, together with parents, presented regional cuisine, music and dances.

The specific “products” of the project include, in particular: a publication „Portugal: the well-known and the unknown”; a Polish-French dictionary containing specialist vocabulary; a Polish-French guide to cuisine describing Polish Easter traditions; and a film about the region on a video cassette. Moreover, the project encouraged teachers to introduce new practical training methods; on the basis of tests, questionnaire surveys and interviews conducted during the project, the school made changes in the teaching of curricular contents; topics concerning Portugal were added to the curricular contents; and some topics explored during the project provided a basis for final papers written by pupils to be awarded a school leaving certificate.

Outcomes of the project were presented by the school management, teachers or pupils during conferences and meetings organised by the regional and local educational authorities, meetings with parents, recruitment campaigns for lower-secondary school pupils, as well as in local newspapers and Radio Kielce.

Moreover, the partners planned to submit a joint project under the Leonardo da Vinci Programme.

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Project „What to do with that rubbish?”

Partners: R. Schuman Public Lower Secondary School No. 2 in Warsaw, Poland, and a school from France Working languages: French and English

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The project aimed to stimulate young people’s interest in the state and protection of the natural environment, to familiarise them with waste disposal methods used in other European countries, and to develop creativity, team working, information gathering and French language skills.

In the Polish school, the project was carried out during French, biology, civic education, ICT and artistic education lessons, activities of special-interest clubs (focusing on ICT, ecology, theatre and European education), workshops, field work and excursions.

Pupils and teachers designed a questionnaire, and conducted a survey among residents of the Targówek district in Warsaw and interviews with officials of the Environmental Protection Department, Targówek District Office. Findings from the survey were discussed in a report, and interviews were used by pupils as a basis to write papers for biology lessons.

During the partners’ visit in Warsaw, Polish and French pupils gave short theatrical performances, produced artistic work, coined promotional slogans encouraging segregation of waste, and made posters relating to recycling. During their stay in France, Polish pupils visited a sewage treatment plant and a waste management plant; working together during workshops, Polish and French pupils produced artistic work (toys made of rubbish) and poems on ecological

themes. At the end of each group’s visit, results of the joint work were presented to the entire school community, parents and other invited guests.

Another event organised in Poland was an exhibition summarising results of the work. During the exhibition participants “unveiled” a table made of compressed juice packaging waste to highlight the importance of recycling in measures taken to reduce the amount of rubbish. Various organisational arrangements for the visit of French guests in Poland and the trip of the Polish group abroad were made by parents who also hosted French pupils and teachers throughout their stay in Warsaw.

Another final product of the project was a brochure about the Polish school in Polish, French and English. After the completion of the project, the school introduced extra-curricular French classes for pupils preparing for the DELF examination and French and English courses for teachers.

Outcomes of the project were presented by pupils and teachers on the school notice board, during various meetings for the entire school community, on the school’s website, in local press and in an information brochure about the Targówek district.

The partners were also preparing to set up another joint project entitled “City and land development”.

... Life at school: greater variety and internal integration through European integration ...

For the same reasons Comenius European projects clearly added variety to life at school. Hosting pupils and teachers from the foreign partner schools, events organised after school to celebrate this occasion, stories told by pupils and teachers who visited the partner countries and schools, exhibitions, theatrical performances and presentations of other final products of Comenius projects – obviously, all this was not only another way of

learning, but also an attraction for the entire school community, including those who were not directly involved in a given project.

Moreover, as it is often the case in European projects carried out in various institutions, Comenius projects changed somewhat relations within the participating schools and encouraged “internal co-operation”, bringing pupils themselves, pupils and teachers, teachers themselves or teachers

and the school management closer to one another.

The transnational dimension of a Comenius project certainly played a major role in this process: pupils and teachers pooled their resources in order to show the best “Polish product” to their partners in Europe.

However, this “unifying effect” was also inherent in the project formula – a project as a working method and a Comenius project. In School Projects and Language Projects, pupils worked together in groups, but also under the guidance of a teacher, to

explore the theme of the project and develop its final products. At the same time, because of their interdisciplinary nature mentioned earlier on, Comenius projects – like cross-curricular pathways – brought together teachers of various subjects. Finally, teachers and school directors worked together in task forces, tackling various teaching and organisational issues, in School Development Projects.

... School in its environment: greater prestige in a larger community ...

Regardless of whether such changes were introduced as part of a new management strategy by school directors or stimulated by project participants themselves, schools were integrating with their environment as a result of Comenius projects. In a very large number of projects, parents became very active members of the school community as part of their “extracurricular activities”, co-organising – and not infrequently co-financing – various events which were an integral part of a project, providing accommodation to pupils and teachers from the partner schools, and making various arrangements for Polish groups going to the partner countries. Moreover, representatives of the local educational authorities and various local organisations active in the area of

education joined this enlarged school community as “associated members”; they contributed to the work on content-related aspects of on-going projects and/or attended events organised to present final products of projects.

At the same time, Comenius projects boosted the prestige of the school in its environment, as confirmed by over 60% of participants questioned in the PENTOR survey and reports submitted to the National Agency. This was a combined effect of both the successes of Polish schools in transnational Comenius projects, which members of the enlarged school community could see for themselves as eyewitnesses, and the wide-scale promotion of these successes through materials printed or published by schools in the Internet and local media.

Comenius, Action 1: A School Development project Project „Designing a model of support for pupils aged 14-16 years facing various school problems” Partners: Lower Secondary School No. 6 in Tarnów and schools from France, Greece, Spain and Romania Working languages: English and French The project aimed to: compare different approaches to school problems faced by pupils in the partner schools; introduce in each school appropriate procedures to diagnose school problems and methods for solving such problems agreed upon by all partner schools; and improve the quality of

education in general, with special regard to individual needs of pupils.

The methodological framework for the project in the Tarnów school was developed by its Teaching Council. The project covered existing arrangements in a wide range of areas, including school organisation

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and management, full-time compulsory education, pupil assessment, eligibility for assessment and promotion, school statutes and operational arrangements of school bodies, core curricula, educational programmes, professional promotion of staff and school documentation. Teachers worked in teams co-ordinated by leaders and the school director. They analysed the legislation currently in force in Poland and literature concerning the issues covered by the project, and compared the arrangements adopted in Poland with those in the partner countries. In some areas, the school was supported by representatives of the local educational authorities and psychologists from the Tarnów branch of the Polish Association of Practising Psychologists.

The Teaching Council of the school was regularly briefed about the progress in work. Partners in the foreign schools were working in parallel in the same way. Conclusions and proposals based on this analysis were presented and discussed at lectures, discussion meetings and seminars organised during visits in the partner schools. This served as a basis for the development of the following “final products” in Polish and French: • A Methodology and Information Handbook describing the main directions of changes in the contemporary Polish model of teaching and education, together with a concise dictionary of key terms and concepts used in the Polish legislation on school education; • A model for school management by values (in graphic form on a CD-ROM), already introduced in the Tarnów school. The model defines the mission (4 principles: “to learn in order to know; to learn in order to develop skills; to learn in order to act; to learn to be a human being”) and vision of the school. It also identifies the resulting aims of education as well as the methods for the evaluation of objectives and tasks which enable the school to teach and educate pupils in keeping with the adopted model of a school leaver and, if necessary, adjust the programme of the school; • A Model for work with demoralised underage young people and a Model for work with children refusing to attend school (in graphic form on a CD-

ROM), which were already integrated into everyday school practices; • A comparative chart of the education system in Poland in the context of the Spanish system; • A lecture „Integrated teaching in Poland”; • An exhibition „Our school in the context of the European model of education”; • Promotional materials about the school, the town and the region.

In addition to these specific “products”, the school introduced as a result of the project a wide range of programmes and courses, including programmes in 3 languages, based on elements of the European crosscurricular pathway, and ICT courses using multimedia.

Moreover, the school set up a task force responsible for education quality improvement. As a spin-off effect of the project, the director of the school was invited by the Tarnów Municipal Council to participate in a project concerning the establishment of careers guidance services for young people with various problems.

As – like all School Development Projects – the project involved mainly the school management and teachers, pupils performed a supporting role, helping to produce promotional materials and arrange the exhibition. The development of materials and the promotion of the project in the local environment was also supported by parents, who even covered partly the costs of printing materials, local authorities and educational authorities.

Outcomes of the project were presented by the school during various municipal and national competitions, school meetings and other internal events, regular meetings with parents and the Parents’ Council, as well as in local newspapers and the Tarnów Cable Television. In 2003 the project won an award in the Europroduct contest in the category „Education Initiative”.

In the future, the Polish school and its French partner planned to apply together for a grant to launch another joint project, and to arrange a theatrical performance, with Polish and French pupils in the role of authors and actors.

... Our school in Europe: strengthening the Polish dimension of the common European space ...

This short review shows clearly that Comenius project strengthened the so-called European dimension of Polish education which consists in, for example, the openness to cooperation, the sense of belonging to common Europe, enhanced understanding of our closer and more distant neighbours in Europe, and the presence of various European issues in what we teach at school. At the same time, as already indicated in the previous sections, Comenius helped us – in accordance with the principle of reciprocity – to introduce our Polish piece of Europe to partners in other countries.

The Polish dimension of the European education space was clearly reinforced by the very presence of all participants and their active involvement in Comenius activities, regardless of their specific objectives or themes. As mentioned earlier on, Polish schools had simply not been given a chance to have such a strong presence in the European space before.

This apparently obvious value of Comenius should be emphasised, because – as reported by Polish participants – many schools in other European countries only began to discover Poland and our schools as partners for joint ventures through their involvement in Comenius projects.

Like their partners from other countries, Polish participants did naturally make their own contribution to all joint activities. However, best opportunities to discover and introduce Poland were offered by those projects and products where we could tell partners about our past and present.

In recent years, for example, projects focusing on cultural heritage, history and traditions represented between 35% and 60% of the total number of projects involving Polish institutions which were launched in a given year. What do we find behind these figures? Hundreds of materials available in foreign languages: albums, catalogues, brochures, multimedia presentations, CDs, films and pictures, each of them presenting one or another aspect of our country – from events of major importance to all Poles to elements which forged the identity of a given local community or school. Many places described in those materials could also be visited by pupils and teachers coming to Poland,

not infrequently for the first time, within the framework of school exchanges. Some projects also introduced our partners in other European countries to the Polish education system or its selected aspects.

They had a smaller share in the total number of approved projects, ranging from 7% to over 30% in recent years. However, the presentation and analysis of education systems were not the main focus of Comenius; these were the main aims of other Socrates actions: Eurydice, Naric and Arion.

The Polish language has been an official language of the European Union only since May 2004 and – in fact, not only for this reason – belongs to so-called less widely used EU languages, like Finnish, Greek or Hungarian. Thus it is not surprising that our language did not become the main working language of Comenius projects in the last few years.

However, we are glad that here and there Polish Comenius participants promoted our language, even if on a mini-scale. For example, in several Comenius Language Projects where the working language was a widely used EU language, participants produced additionally, for their own use, mini-dictionaries containing basic phrases in the Polish language and the language of the partner, and then practised jointly – not infrequently difficult – pronunciation.

Moreover, teachers or future teachers of languages, who went abroad as Comenius Language Assistants mainly to teach more popular languages, also gave Polish classes during their assignment. As a result, we may now find a slightly larger group of pupils in other European countries who can start a conversation, sing a carol or write a postcard in our language.

Finally, we cannot ignore the personal dimension of Comenius “promotional” outcomes, a dimension added simply by new friendships. Understandably, this aspect was particularly important for younger and youngest Comenius participants from other countries. Thus, on various websites with feedback from pupils in other countries, one can most frequently find sentences like: “I have a great new friend in Poland who will come to visit us next year”. This is nice also because friends in Poland and visits and return visits cease to be something extraordinary.

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Erasmus Erasmus – Higher Education ... Polish team in Erasmus: from 46 higher education institutions in 1998 to 240 in 2006...

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Erasmus experience was not the first great adventure introducing Polish higher education institutions to EU programmes, because most of them were growing up to work in partnerships on EU terms from 1990 under Tempus, an EC assistance programme for higher education.

Nevertheless, we started rather modestly with 46 Polish higher education institutions participating in Erasmus in the academic year 1998/99, among which public institutions with most extensive experience in European co-operation were clearly taking the lead. From then onwards the number of institutions in Erasmus was growing rapidly

and those participating represented an increasingly wide cross section of Polish higher education.

We had 74 institutions involved in the Programme in 1999/2000, 99 institutions in 2001/02 and 151 in 2003/04, whereas in 2006/07 the Polish Erasmus team includes as many as 240 institutions. This large group is a fairly balanced representation of public and non-public institutions: 104 (of all 130) public institutions, including non-university higher education institutions, and 136 (of all 315) non-public institutions whose interest in European co-operation has grown considerably since 2003/04.

... Choice from the Erasmus menu: student and teacher exchange, ECTS, ... intensive programmes, networks, ... ... curricula ...

The extent of co-operation with European partners was naturally determined by the rules of this action. As mentioned earlier on, Erasmus activities could include: exchange of students and academic teachers; joint development of study programmes and so-called European modules; organisation of intensive programmes; introduction of the European Credit Transfer System; and various activities under thematic networks. Student and teacher exchange was clearly the item which Polish higher education institutions were most keen to choose from the Erasmus menu. From the first year of our participation in the Socrates-Erasmus Programme, most institutions were sending and hosting both students and teachers. In recent years, Erasmus grants were also used by most institutions to introduce the European Credit Transfer System

(ECTS) – mainly as a credit transfer system for student exchange with partner institutions abroad, and in some cases also as a system for the accumulation of credits by students studying for a degree in a given institution.

At the same time, a half or nearly half of the Erasmus institutions participated every year in intensive programmes and activities of thematic networks in various areas – from humanities and social sciences to natural sciences, medical sciences, and engineering and technology. It is worth noting here that three Polish institutions (2 institutions in 2001 and 1 institution in 2002) joined the thematic network “Tuning Educational Structures in Europe” which pointed the way for work on the harmonisation of educational structures in European higher education institutions.

Much less frequently higher education institutions, both public and non-public, were involved in the development of curricula and European modules together with their European partners. Only one fourth of all Polish institutions participating in Erasmus seized opportunities for co-operation in this area of teaching. Explaining

their more scant interest in joint curriculum development, higher education institutions pointed to the fact that teaching still had a lower status than research in Poland, Erasmus grants awarded for this purpose were relatively small, and funds to cover additional costs involved were hardly available in their own budgets.

... Higher education institutions: on the way to earn a European quality label ...

The total number of Polish higher education institutions in Erasmus clearly confirms a growing belief in the academic community that participation in Erasmus is a “to be or not to be” question for all those institutions which seek to find a place for themselves both on the EU education market and in the larger European higher education community, referred to as the European Higher Education Area in the Bologna Process. Moreover, the fact that the number of institutions participating in Erasmus increased steadily from one year to the next demonstrates that co-operation is profitable because it does exactly enhance the European dimension of a university as an institution, of the academic community in a given institution and of programmes offered by the institution. To give a quantitative indicator illustrating the scale of this Europeanisation process, Polish institutions have co-operated under Erasmus with nearly 1 400 partner institutions on the basis of bilateral agreements.

Qualitative changes in this process were already initiated in the preparatory phase. Drafting their applications for Erasmus grants, all participating institutions prepared on a compulsory a basis a document, the so-called European Policy Statement (EPS), which outlined, amongst other things, the present situation, objectives and main lines of action in the area of international co-operation, with special regard to European co-operation.

Extensive consultations held in this context within higher education institutions widened considerably the circle of those who recognise the great value of transnational contacts and activities. Furthermore, as the EPS was subsequently approved by the university senate, the enhancement of the European

dimension became one of the development priorities in many institutions. Simultaneously, as part of practical arrangements for the implementation of Erasmus projects, many institutions strengthened their international relations offices, providing them with additional staff and appropriate equipment.

What are then the outcomes of co-operation projects carried out after this preparatory phase?

Outcomes such as “improved quality of education” and “enhanced European dimension of education” were mentioned by over 95% of academic teachers and students participating in Erasmus or Institutional Erasmus Co-ordinators, questioned in a survey by PENTOR in the academic year 2002/03. The enhanced European dimension and better quality of degree programmes in the participating institutions are an aggregate effect of several factors – in various combinations, depending on the extent of co-operation.

First of all, faculties introduced Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree programmes which were developed jointly with partners from other countries and which thus integrate various European approaches (see: the example in the box). Although impact in this area is rather limited in terms of the number of institutions, it is much wider in terms of the range of areas, which include, for example, social sciences, engineering and technology, environmental protection, European studies, foreign languages, management and agriculture. Moreover, programmes for students of modern languages, pedagogy, medicine and environmental engineering in a number of institutions were enriched with European modules: courses or classes devotes to

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topics such as the history, institutions and activities of the European Union or the EU legislation and standards concerning a given area.

Various innovations in line with the latest European trends were also introduced in both curricula and teaching methods as a result of the participation of institutions in Erasmus thematic networks. By their very nature thematic networks brought together a very large number of partners from all over Europe, thus giving an insight into a very wide spectrum of teaching approaches (see: the example in the box).

Furthermore, as confirmed by the PENTOR survey, many Polish teachers developed and introduced new contents, methods, materials and aids after teaching assignments in the partner institutions where they observed classes, taught classes themselves and participated in examinations.

Other, even if small, Europe-oriented and qualitative changes were also “imposed” by Polish students returning from the partner institutions who had an opportunity to compare not only the conditions for provision but also the concept of education, curricular contents and teaching methods during their study period abroad. These aspects were also compared by foreign students undertaking a period of study at Polish higher education institutions; further “adjustments” in the area of teaching were made as a result of their very presence or their more or less tentative suggestions.

Moreover, classes in more widely used European languages were taught by Polish teachers for foreign students, and thus were also available for interested Polish students. The European dimension of degree programmes was further enhanced by classes provided by foreign teachers, because by their very nature such classes covered contents taught in the partner institutions; this was particularly important for students and teachers who could not go to other European countries.

Finally, the European Credit Transfer System – a key element of European quality which also plays a major role in enhancing the European dimension of higher education. Firstly, as ECTS has become one of the building blocks of the European Higher Education Area, institutions or faculties which introduced this system simply have “an entry ticket” to all European initiatives involving student mobility. Secondly, the introduction of ECTS encouraged higher education institutions to review more thoroughly and modernise their curricula because, according to ECTS rules, each course unit in each year of study must be allocated a specific number of credits on the basis of full student workload required to complete a given unit.

Thirdly, institutions introducing ECTS must produce a course catalogue in their national language and in English, respecting a number of specific requirements. Thus those which used Erasmus grants for this purpose have made their study programmes transparent and easy to understand for teachers and students in other European countries. Such information and promotion measures may encourage a larger number of teachers and students to come to Poland for a teaching assignment or a period of study. And fourthly, ECTS ensures the recognition of a study period completed in a host institution; this is, in turn, of crucial importance to those students in other European countries who have already taken an interest in the programmes offered by Polish higher education institutions. It is worth mentioning at this point that one Polish higher education institution, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, received the ECTS Label, a label which was awarded until recently by the European Commission to institutions which apply ECTS correctly in all its degree programmes.

Erasmus, Action 1: A Curriculum Development Project Project „EMCF - European Master of Corporate Finance” Partners: Wrocław University of Economics, Wrocław, Poland (coordinator) and higher education institutions from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece and Spain

On-going project The project aims to develop and introduce a new programme “European Master of Corporate Finance”.

The programme is designed to equip future graduates with competences necessary to work as the chief accountant in an enterprise. Students will be able to choose from two specialisation options: audits in SMEs and audits in non-profit organisations.

The programme will comply with the requirements of so-called joint study programmes: it will be developed jointly by a consortium of European higher education institutions, and competences acquired by students during study periods in different institutions-members of the consortium will be mutually recognised. The duration of the programme will be two years. The entire programme will represent 120 ECTS credits. The programme will also provide for practical placements to be undertaken in foreign

enterprises. The consortium plans to award double diplomas and, in the future, joint diplomas recognised in the countries participating in the project.

The EMCF will be offered to first-cycle graduates mainly in the fields of management and economics, but also law or mathematics. The programme may also be open to specialists in the area of finance and accountancy wishing to upgrade their skills.

The project also aims to contribute to the development of European standards for second-cycle programmes in the field of corporate finance, to support the harmonisation of training in this field, and to help convince higher education institutions in the old EU Member States that the quality of training in the field of finance and accountancy offered by institutions in the new Member States does not fall short of standards adopted in EU-15.

Erasmus, Action 3: A Thematic Network Project „Inter}Artes Thematic Network for Higher Arts Education in Europe” Partners: A. Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy, Warsaw, Poland (coordinator) and 55 higher education institutions from all over Europe On-going project The „Inter}artes” thematic network draws on the achievements of the thematic network “Innovations in Higher Arts Education” 2000-2004. The network aims to analyse in more detail the training of artists in Europe in the context of increasing European integration, and in particular changes resulting from the Bologna Declaration.

The partners explore all aspects of learning and teaching and research in the field of arts, focusing in particular on the following topics: • ensuring continued influence of higher arts education on the development of the society, fine arts and culture; • building a strong identity for higher arts education across the European area; • a student-centred approach to study and teaching; • cultural diversity and social environment, and teaching in the area of fine arts; • innovations inspired by traditions in the areas of culture, fine arts and education;

• creating, designing, developing, presenting, exploring as purely artistic competences; • building a portfolio, and following artists’ unusual career paths.

The network works in four thematic streams: • Quality: topics such as ways of looking at quality of education and ensuring quality of education; accreditation and self-evaluation, evaluation criteria (more ambiguous in the field of fine arts than in science); meanings of the term “academic”.

• Structures: topics such as formal education structures in Europe; compatibility of those structures and their compliance with the structures proposed in the Bologna Declaration.

• Innovations and tradition: examples of innovations in teaching/learning processes, disappearing traditional arts and related skills, and innovations which result from return to traditional knowledge.

• Professional practice: links between artists’ education and professional practice and their role

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in the society; continuing education issues; maintaining contact with graduates; employment and self-employment prospects.

The network plans to produce, amongst other things, a quality handbook for arts education in the context

of the Bologna Process; a register of experts and experts’ opinions to be available on-line; and common terminology concerning the areas covered by the network. Moreover, the partners plan to initiate work on joint projects and joint courses.

If the above-mentioned number of bilateral inter-institutional co-operation agreements and the growing number of incoming Erasmus students may be taken as indicators of European quality standards, the distance to other higher education institutions in the race for a good position in the European Higher Education Area has been

considerably reduced as a result of increasingly extensive co-operation. However, detailed data on incoming students, which are given below, show that much still needs to be done as regards both the programmes offered by Polish higher education institutions, and measures taken to present and promote them.

... Teachers: mobile despite some difficulties ...

Teachers in all countries participating in the Socrates-Erasmus Programme grappled continuously over years with “a basic set” of problems: a low grant and difficulties in finding extra funds in the budget of the home institution; a minimum number of hours to be taught at the partner institution – a requirement which one could not easily meet; the need to plan the assignment at the partner institution well in advance, as required in the Programme, and the impossibility of making such longer-term plans, as it is often the case in real life; the need to find a replacement …

Moreover, it was not always easy to find many teachers in Polish higher education institutions who – given their own “minimum teaching load requirements” – would be interested to undertake an assignment abroad; others would not yet feel sufficiently comfortable when teaching classes in a foreign language at an institution abroad.

Furthermore, some partner institutions simply did not show too much interest in hosting lecturers from other countries. Despite these constraints and difficulties, Erasmus assignments were increasingly rarely undertaken “at random” by outgoing Polish and incoming foreign teachers, and classes taught at partner institutions were gradually becoming an integral part of study programmes.

The number of outgoing Polish teachers grew during eight years almost fivefold: from 356 in the 1

- Preliminary data.

academic year 1998/99 to 614 in 1999/2000, 678 in 2000/01, 800 in 2001/02, 884 in 2002/03, 947 in 2003/04, 1 394 in 2004/05 and 1 741 in 2005/06.

This makes a total number of 7 414 assignments undertaken by Polish teachers at higher education institutions in other European countries. Almost 2 300 teaching assignments abroad are planned

by Polish institutions for 2006/07. As early as in the academic year 2002/03, outgoing teachers represented slightly more than 1% of the total number of teachers working in Polish higher education institutions, which was a good result confirmed by European statistics. The European Commission’s statistics showed that teachers from the then EU candidate countries were more mobile than their colleagues in the 15 EU Member States and EFTA-EEA countries where the proportion of outgoing teachers was generally smaller than the average for the candidate countries. In the academic year 2005/06, Polish teachers going abroad under Erasmus accounted for 1.75% of the total teacher population in Polish higher education institutions.

The number of incoming foreign teachers increased steadily from 488 in the academic year 2000/01 to 749 in 2003/04 and 1289 in 2005/061.

In total, between 2000/01 and 2005/06 we hosted over 4 700 teachers. Polish higher education institutions may be proud of a relatively good ratio of outgoing teachers to incoming teachers. In recent

years, teachers coming to Poland under Erasmus represented on average ca 70% of outgoing Polish teachers, which means that Polish institutions are a relatively attractive place for teaching classes.

Polish teachers went to higher education institutions abroad to teach classes. Thus this was not a classic in-service training period abroad, but rather a sort of examination or test of professional competence, taken before a different group of

students and in a foreign language. Nevertheless, according to a great majority of teachers questioned

by PENTOR in 2002/03, Erasmus teaching assignments had extended their knowledge in a given area and improved their teaching methods and language skills – as a spin-off effect of extra work to prepare classes and first-hand experience of the teaching process in another higher education institution and another country.

... Facts and figures about Polish and foreign students: 42 310 to 10 145 ...

Polish students: many and more Polish students, though not infrequently complaining about the level of Erasmus grants, applied for them and went for study periods to other European countries in steadily increasing numbers. From the first year of our participation in the Socrates-Erasmus Programme, the annual number of outgoing students increased nearly sevenfold: from 1 426 in the academic year 1998/99 to 2 813 in 1999/2000, 3 691 in 2000/01, 4 321 in 2001/02, 5 419 in 2002/03, 6 278 in 2003/04, 8 388 in 2004/05 and 9 974 in 2005/06. In the academic year 2006/07, higher education institutions plan to send 10 450 students abroad2. During eight years, between 1989/99 and 2005/06, a total number of 42 310 students completed an Erasmus study period at higher education institutions in EU countries.

Moreover, outgoing Erasmus students accounted for a steadily increasing proportion of the total student population in Poland: 0.11% in 1998/99, 0.20% in 1999/2000, 0.23% in 2000/01, 0.25% in 2001/02, 0.30% in 2002/03, 0.34% in 2003/04, 0.44% in 2004/05 and 0.51% in 2005/06.

Although these figures alone look rather impressive, Poland lags slightly behind others on

this in international comparisons. While in recent years outgoing students represented between 0.3% and 0.5% of the total student population in Poland, the European average was ca 0.8%. However, European statistics do not reflect the specific situation in our country. The total number of students includes, obviously, both full-time and part-time students. The latter group in Poland accounted invariably throughout the last decade for over a half of the total student population (e.g. 53.5% in 1998/99, 54.2% in 2002/03 and 51.3% in 2005/06). According to OECD data, in 2002/03, i.e. at the midpoint of the period covered here, the proportion of part-time students in Poland was by 20 to 30% larger than in many other EU countries, in particular many old EU Member States. At the same time, for fear of losing their job or simply because of the nature of their job and family duties, part-time students represent a very small proportion of outgoing Erasmus students. In any statistics reflecting these significant differences, Polish students would probably appear as mobile as their colleagues in many other European countries.

Foreign students: more but no so many The number of students from other European countries who came to Poland for an Erasmus study period increased more than fourteen times: from 220 in the academic year 1998/99 to 466 in 1999/2000, 2 3

- Preliminary data for the current academic year (2006/07).

- No preliminary data for the current academic year (2006/07).

614 in 2000/01, 750 in 2001/02, 966 in 2002/03, 1 459 in 2003/04, 2 450 in 2004/05 and 3 220 in 2005/063. During eight years, between 1998/99 and 2005/06, we hosted 10 145 students. These figures

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show that the number of incoming students was growing more rapidly than the number of outgoing students. It is also worth adding that, according to the most recent statistics of the European Commission (2004/05), Poland ranked 14th among 31 European countries participating in the Programme in terms of the number of incoming students.

Nevertheless, students coming to Poland still represent slightly less than one third (32%) of Polish students going abroad under Erasmus, even though the proportion has increased twofold since 1998/99 (15%). Comparing student figures with figures for outgoing and incoming teachers, one might say that we still find it more difficult to attract those who would come to attend classes than those who come to provide them. However, taking a decision to go to another European country was, is and will always be incomparably more difficult for students than for teachers, mainly because of the duration of stay and all its implications. While during the last five years (2000/01-2004/05) European teachers went abroad on average for 6.6 days, students moved to other countries on average for 6.6 months.

The position of a given higher education institution and all institutions of a given country in European rankings will depend to an increasingly large extent by both the number of incoming students and the proportions between outgoing and incoming students. Where then did Poland rank in international comparisons based on the European Commission’s most recent statistics referring to the academic year 2004/05? First of all, it should be emphasised that the statistics showed a very sharp difference between the old EU Member States on the one hand and an overwhelming majority of the new EU Member States and EU candidate countries (the only exceptions are Cyprus and Malta which have “a surplus” of incoming students). In 2004/05 incoming students accounted for over 65% to 245% of outgoing students in the old Member States, and for 20% to nearly 62% in the new Member States and the candidate countries, except Cyprus and Malta. In the old Member States, incoming students represented the smallest proportion in Greece (66%), Germany (77%) or Italy (81%). Austria, Belgium, France and Portugal achieved almost equal proportions between outgoing and incoming

students (between 92% and 108%). In the other countries incoming students considerably outnumbered outgoing students, their proportion ranging from 120-140% in Spain, Finland and the Netherlands to 216-245% in Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Among the new Member States, except Cyprus and Malta, and the then-candidate countries, Poland – where incoming students accounted for 27.8% of outgoing students – achieved a result comparable to that of Latvia and Slovakia (26.3% and 29.0%) and by several percentage points better than Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania (20.2%, 22.9% and 24.7%). However, it was far behind Estonia (61.9%), Hungary (56.0%) and Slovenia (50.9%).

How can we explain the relatively small number of students who have come to study in Poland under Erasmus? Undoubtedly, this can be partly explained by „an external factor” largely beyond the control of Polish higher education institutions.

Higher education institutions in Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland, have cooperated extensively with partners in old EU Member States since the 1990-ties. However, it seems that only in the last few years, and in particular after the accession of the CEE countries to the EU in 2004, did many students in the older part of the EU begin to see our region also as a not-too-remote place which one could choose for a period of study and which might be worth a closer look (see: “Foreign students about studying in Poland” below). This less “advantageous” position of our part of Europe is confirmed by the statistics given above. At the same time, Polish higher education institutions started a more vigorous and extensive campaign targeted at foreign students only in recent years. Until recently academic co-operation was mainly understood as exchange between teachers combined with sending our students to partner institutions. Having said that, the range of programmes or courses offered in foreign languages by our higher education institutions, even though definitely much wider than a few years ago, was and still is too modest.

One should bear in mind that largest numbers of foreign students are attracted not only to the countries where the national language and, of course, the language of tuition is a widely used

language like English, French or German, or Spanish or Italian. Equally or even more attractive are countries like Denmark, Finland and Sweden where courses in various fields of study are offered on a regular basis or may be offered, where necessary, in those popular languages. At the same time, since – as the surveys discussed below show – students coming to Poland value very highly our “non-academic assets”, it might also be a good

idea to invest more in wider promotion of various aspects of our country which are worth a closer look after class hours.

Summing up, it seems that in the coming years – within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme – we must literally double our efforts in order to catch up with the old and leading new Member States in terms of our “force of gravity” or attractiveness to foreign students.

... Polish students about studying in other European countries: investing in a better future, discovering oneself and a community in Europe ...

Questionnaire surveys conducted every year by the National Agency show that Polish students were motivated by several reasons when deciding to undertake a study period abroad. The most important ones included: eagerness to have a new European experience; academic reasons; preparing oneself better for future work; curiosity about other countries and cultures; and the need to test one’s ability to cope with a new environment.

The feedback given after return, officially in questionnaires and less officially in direct contacts, demonstrates that a study period and stay abroad satisfy or even surpass students’ expectations in these various areas.

In the survey conducted by PENTOR in 2002/03, an overwhelming majority of students confirmed that, as a result of their Erasmus study period abroad, they had gained new knowledge, had improved their skills in using innovative learning methods, including ICT-based methods, and language skills, and had a better understanding of other cultures and a stronger sense of European identity. However, students themselves described these and other outcomes of their stay abroad much more vividly in the questionnaires for the National Agency and other reviews, referring to their specific individual experiences. According to many students, a period abroad is, generally speaking, a combination of “hard work at the university” and “great fun after classes” with “a resilience test” and “most important experience in a lifetime”. And many of them were unhappy that it could all be only a one-off

experience because only once can a student be awarded an Erasmus grant.

Assessing their stay from the academic point of view, students very often emphasised that a study period in an institution abroad enabled them not only to extend their theoretical knowledge through study in libraries offering a magnificent collection of resources, but also to gain practical knowledge because this is the approach to training in many European institutions. Simultaneously, since teachers focus on practical aspects and students are expected to study theoretical material on their own, they developed the capacity and motivation for independent study. Moreover, for some students, the period of study abroad turned out to be “an introduction” to further academic career in a foreign institution, helped them to apply successfully for an additional grant for a practical placement in a given country or guided them to choose a different, more interesting and more “future-oriented” topic for their Master’s degree thesis.

For all Erasmus students, the stay in another country offered, naturally, an excellent opportunity to overcome barriers and “learn the language decently” as it is not only the language of tuition, but also the language of communication in after class hours. Some students even passed language proficiency examinations which are officially recognised across Europe. Moreover, personal contacts with students from many countries, both during the stay abroad and after return to Poland, encouraged many students to start learning or

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“polish” a second foreign language, often one of those which are less widely used.

The very fact that one has completed a study period abroad, even if combined with a language proficiency certificate from another country, does not guarantee employment. However, students who were awarded their degree and entered the labour market soon after return confirm that “a study period abroad” in their CV was not only considered a big plus by potential employers, but it really helped them to find a job.

However, students are also quite right in saying that university studies are not only about “getting a qualification to find a job” and “book learning”, but also about “mixing with people, learning about customs, culture and oneself”, and highlight unanimously the role of cultural and psychological benefits from their stay abroad.

After this lesson in life, they returned “without

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complexes”, with greater self-confidence, more independent and resourceful. Moreover, they became more tolerant, more open to other cultures and, equally importantly, saw the same readiness to accept differences in others, which is best illustrated by the following comments: “… study periods abroad are a fantastic way to get to know the world, other people, but also oneself; it’s the best lesson in tolerance, […], showing that, despite great differences, we have similar aims, that we can build a Common Europe in which everyone can find a place for themselves …”; “… I think that the greatest benefit is the opportunity to meet people representing most diverse cultures, […], and discovering that, despite so many differences between nations, we can understand one another and even work together. European integration among young people really works! …”

... Foreign students about studying in Poland: discovering new Member States in the heart of Europe ...

Surveys conducted among foreign Erasmus students studying in Poland show that their decision to undertake a study period abroad was motivated mainly by non-academic reasons.

Learning about another culture was the main reason for coming to study in Poland given by students questioned by the Education Research and Development Centre of the Academy of Humanities and Economics (AHE) in Łódź in 2001/024. Likewise, eagerness to learn about another culture was identified as one of the three main reasons for going abroad by Erasmus students in Poland who participated in a survey conducted by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in 20055. The other two reasons, mentioned by an even larger number of students, were: to have new experiences and to improve foreign language skills. Although some of the Erasmus students questioned were motivated by strictly academic reasons, “nonacademically oriented” students represented a larger group.

How did students rate their stay and study period in Poland? As questions in the surveys

conducted by the AHE in 2001/02 and the ESN in 2005 were formulated in a slightly different way, their findings are hardly comparable. However, it is worthwhile to quote key findings from both surveys. Most students questioned in 2001/02 were generally “satisfied” or “rather satisfied” with their stay and study in Poland, though some students enrolled in a given type of higher education institution had objections concerning specific aspects, e.g. the teaching of courses or student services. Gaining life experience was listed by most students as the main outcome of their stay in Poland; this was understood as both greater independence, the tested and proven ability to cope with a challenge and the previously unknown reality, and a new way of looking at things which helped them to understand a different culture. Among other benefits, many of them also mentioned learning about new methods of study and new academic customs.

The survey conducted by the ESN in 2005 shows that the level of satisfaction among students staying in Poland was comparable to the average lev-

4

- T. Saryusz-Wolski, R. Figlewicz, A. Antosiak, D. Wodnicka, P. Ciołkiewicz, Jak studiuje się w Polsce? Badanie zadowolenia studentów Erasmusa 2001/2002 (An Erasmus student satisfaction survey 2001/2002), Academy of Humanities and Economics in Łódź, 2003.

5

- S. Krupnik, E. Krzaklewska, Studenci Erasmusa w Polsce – raport z badania Erasmus Student Network 2005 (Erasmus students in Poland – a report on the Erasmus Student Network survey 2005): an ESN Report 2006 published by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. The survey was carried out as part of a wider-ranging survey of the ESN covering Erasmus students in Europe.

el of satisfaction among Erasmus students studying in other European countries. All students questioned in the survey rated their experience on a scale of 1 to 5. Among 14 countries which hosted the largest numbers of Erasmus students, Poland ranked very high in the ratings for social and cultural aspects: number one in terms of the atmosphere of the city and country of the institution hosting Erasmus students (4.45) and the contact with the culture of the host country (3.99); and number two in terms of contacts with local students (3.54). This high position is naturally most welcome in itself, but first of all because it shows that the stay in Poland met the expectations of the majority of students who came to our country mainly to get to know us better. In the ratings for other aspects (e.g. information, local language courses, courses at the university and teachers, university facilities and support from the relevant university services), the level of satisfaction among Erasmus students in Poland was identical with that among students in other countries or differences were marginal (from 0.1 to 0.2).

Comparing the levels of satisfaction with the different aspects of the stay only among Erasmus students in our country, highest ratings were given for “the social dimension” (4.1), slightly lower ratings for “the academic dimension” (3.8) and lowest ratings for “the practical dimension” (3.4).

As regards the practical dimension, insufficient information about studying and living in Poland was mentioned as a major weakness, which confirms that we should definitely invest much more in broadly understood “public relations”.

Opinions from foreign students quoted in various publications and the Internet cannot be considered “a representative sample”, but conclusions which one may draw on this basis are similar to the findings from the AHE and the ESN surveys. Firstly, opinions highlighting academic aspects are clearly much fewer – like academically oriented students. Secondly, students do indeed give a high priority to the above-mentioned “informal learning aspects” or social and cultural aspects of the stay; in other words, everything that is involved in discovering oneself, others and the world

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after classes. This is exactly what all students from various countries focus on, sharing their thoughts and feelings about their stay in Poland on the website launched by the Erasmus Student Network to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Erasmus6.

Thirdly, its is indeed true that many incoming Erasmus students are only now discovering our country – hence comments such as the following on the ESN website: “Before I went to Poland as an Erasmus student, the only thing I know about Poland (Polish – Polska) it was the geography facts and numbers: a country in Central Europe bordered by 7 countries, being the 69th […] largest country in the world […] Still in my imaginary, like a border between East and West. […]

At arrival I saw it will be few nine months. […] So I didn’t waste any time and started to discover the Polish rich thousand-year atmosphere immediately, checking the architecture, the folklore, and the art, finding out that many world famous people born there. […] I travelled across Poland […]” – a student from Porto. “[…] a friend of mine told me about erasmus. he had it all figured out. we would travel to Central-Europe, learn more about the new member states and their cultures … […] I owe a lot to him. […] – a student from Antwerp. “[…] I learnt that Poland is as much a part of Europe as the UK, and historically even more so. In this way my Erasmus exchange […] has fundamentally changed my perception of Europe’s frontiers.” – says a British student who went for an Erasmus study period to another country, but spent a part of his holiday in Poland, visiting Erasmus fellow students7.

And fourthly, it seems that we are quite rightly ranked high in the ESN survey because – again as confirmed by comments on the ESN website – the discoverers do not regret having come to our country: “Poland is very close to the Dutch border – at least for me. … I came back for more than 30 times: for studies, research, holidays, birthdays to have the spirit of ERASMUS in my mind … I can advise to go abroad to one of the new EU-Member-States. you will be very often very surprised…” – a student from Oldenburg who is now a Dutch-Polish translator.

- http://www.20erasmus.eu

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- UK Erasmus and Comenius Awards 2005, UK Socrates-Erasmus Council, British Council.

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Grundtvig Grundtvig – Adult Education and Other Educational Pathways

... Grundtvig in Poland: animating adult education ...

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Encouraging adults to learn throughout their life, extending the range of options offered in the area of non-vocational adult education, including nonformal and informal learning, improving the quality of adult education, the use of electronic media in adult education, introducing the European dimension in adult education … Before Poland joined the Socrates Programme, these and other issues related to adult education emerged only occasionally and on an ad hoc basis in programmes or projects carried out jointly with institutions in other European countries. Joint initiatives were mainly based on bilateral partnerships and usually involved few Polish institutions. Grundtvig was the first to offer Polish institutions opportunities for more structured, broader and multilateral European co-operation in this area. This action was ideally suited to the needs of the Polish adult education market, and at the same time Polish institutions, eager to co-operate, proved to be successful, together with their foreign partners, in the competition for Grundtvig grants. This is confirmed by a number of “indicators”.

Firstly, why did various individuals involved in adult education decide to apply for Grundtvig grants? The survey conducted by PENTOR among Grundtvig participants in 2002/03 showed that the main reason, given by 66% of respondents, was “establishing professional links in other European countries”. Thus Grundtvig was seen first of all as a chance to establish co-operation by many Polish institutions.

Secondly, a growing number of Polish institutions tried to seize that chance, being actively encouraged and supported by the Socrates 8

National Agency. The National Agency stimulated further “the demand” for co-operation both through numerous publications and during numerous meetings with various groups of stakeholders across Poland, and helped them to prepare high quality proposals. Depending on the action within Grundtvig, the number of proposals involving Polish institutions increased over threefold or nearly sixfold. While, for example, Polish institutions and their partners submitted 33 proposals for European Co-operation Projects and Networks within Grundtvig Action 1 in 2001/02, the number of proposals competing for grants in 2003/04 and 2004/05 was 120 and 115 respectively. The only exception was the year 2005/06 – 86 proposals8.

Likewise, while there were 26 proposals for new Learning Partnerships submitted by Polish nstitutions under Grundtvig Action 2 in 2001/02, their number grew to 67 in 2002/03, 85 in 2003/04, 102 in 2004/05, 144 in 2005/06 and 153 in 2006/07.

Thirdly, Polish institutions were not discouraged by strong or even very strong competition and the invariably modest budget of the Grundtvig action. The number of submitted proposals was growing in spite of the fact that, for example, Action 2 funds were barely sufficient to finance, on average, a slightly less than a half of new projects; approved projects in Action 1 represented on average less than one fifth of submitted proposals, and the budget was too small to finance many high quality projects.

And fourthly, this determination did pay off.

A total number of 71 European Projects and Grundtvig Networks and 266 Learning Partnership projects were launched between 2001/02 and

- Following the European Commission’s decision, no new proposals were accepted and no new projects were launched under Grundtvig Action 1 in 2006.

2006/07. Moreover, Polish institutions had a fairly strong presence in “the European adult education area” of the Grundtvig action, on average co-

operating with foreign partners in one fifth of the total number of approved projects.

... Projects: as diverse as needs in adult education ...

Looking at all Grundtvig projects involving Polish institutions, one is struck first of all by diversity: a great diversity of objectives or themes of the projects and an equally great diversity of target groups and institutions participating in the projects (see: examples in the boxes).

Some Grundtvig projects aimed to promote the very idea of lifelong learning, and thus to create greater demand for learning among adults, and to stimulate more active participation of adults in broader terms – to encourage their more active involvement in the life of their local communities.

Other projects focused on extending the range of options offered in, and improving the quality of, adult education. Still others were geared towards improving general skills of adult education teachers/trainers, for example, skills necessary to use specific methods in the work with adults, including information and communication technologies. And other projects aimed to solve specific problems of selected adult learner groups, mainly disadvantaged groups. During the implementation of their projects both staff and learners were offered financial support for language learning, so as to facilitate their participation and ensure even greater benefits from transnational co-operation.

In a breakdown by target group, some Grundtvig projects were targeted at those training and working with adults, whereas other projects – representing a much larger group – involved directly or addressed adult learners in formal education or those in alternative education settings and other adult learning pathways. The latter category comprised mainly projects focusing on selected groups, but also those targeted at wider circles of individuals wishing to extend their general knowledge or upgrade their general non-vocational skills in specific areas. The survey conducted by the Socrates National Agency at the end of 2005 shows that the largest group

of beneficiaries (36%) included teachers, trainers and experts from various types of institutions and organisations; for example, teachers and other staff working in universities of the third age, teachers in continuing education centres, staff in so-called folk universities, trainers and psychologists working with disabled people. Beneficiaries forming another large group (in total, 25%) were adult learners from various disadvantaged groups, including disabled people, women in a difficult situation, people living in rural areas, socially or economically disadvantaged adults and people breaking the law.

Target groups for only a slightly smaller number of projects were leaders and staff in non-governmental organisations, associations, community centres, welfare centres, civic and cultural organisations in rural areas and smaller towns (17%). A smaller group of beneficiaries (6-8%) included young adults and representatives of local authorities. In Grundtvig projects, “learners” were not only adults in various age groups, or so-called target learners, but also specialists providing education to those adults, e.g. trainers, leaders, mentors, facilitators, volunteers and staff in organisations active in the broadly understood area of adult education.

Polish project partners represented various regions of the country, both bigger cities and smaller towns and villages, and a very wide range of institutions. Those co-operating with foreign partners in Grundtvig’s European space included: higher education institutions, continuing education centres, training centres, community centres, education associations, professional associations, foundations, regional and local civic organisations, religious organisations, and – though only in few projects – regional or local authorities and private companies. Higher education institutions were a fairly large group within the Grundtvig circle, in particular among those involved

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in innovative Grundtvig 1 and Grundtvig 4 projects.

This is understandable because higher education institutions are most experienced in European co-operation in general, and in particular in applying for EU funds. This is also most welcome because, according to various European policy statements and strategic documents adopted by the Polish authorities, higher education institutions should play a leading role in putting the idea of lifelong learning into action. It should, however, be emphasised that the other Polish institutions and

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organisations co-operated with higher education institutions within individual projects or competed successfully with them for Grundtvig grants. As a result, we had a fairly balanced representation of various types of institutions in the Grundtvig action. Combined with the wide variety of project profiles, this enabled participants to develop simultaneously alternative forms and approaches to education which were as diverse as needs of adult learners.

Grundtvig, Action 1: A European Cooperation Project Project „Employing Women’s Potential” In 2003 the project won the first Grundtvig Award of the European Association for the Education of Adults.

Partners: Simulation Company MODEX, Continuing Education Centre for Economics, Sopot, Poland, and institutions from the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Italy and the United Kingdom

The overall objective of the project was to facilitate return to work for long-unemployed women, and its immediate objective was to modernise existing programmes in the partner institutions and to adapt them to women’s needs.

Existing programmes were modernised through the introduction of various tools, methods and materials used in ODL and e-learning. The new programme comprises, for example, training which prepares female participants to manage their own development, and ICT training. Other elements integrated into the programme are: a peer mentoring scheme, where women with similar experience help one another, and a set of materials containing information on financial support for child care, reimbursement of trainingrelated travel costs, careers guidance, etc.

Training courses for mentors organised by the Centre in Sopot were attended by 200 women. In addition to their participation in the training programme, women communicated with their “counterparts” taking part in a similar programme at the partner institutions, via a teleconferencing system, discussing various aspects of life in their countries and sharing their experiences.

In order to facilitate further contacts between the participating women, the Centre in Sopot created a so-called Support Group, including a psychologist who worked as a volunteer. Monthly meetings of the group were attended by 10 to 20 women. During the meetings, women were given both moral support and “friendly tips”, and sometimes also financial support.

The Centre plans to organise further meetings of the Group after the completion of the Grundtvig project.

Benefits for the participating women • All women participating in the programme developed skills which, according to the Centre in Sopot, “will enable them to continue their professional activity for a long time after the completion of the project”.

• As a result of their participation in the programme, 11 women decided to take up further study: 3 women at a university, 3 women in a college, 4 in a secondary school, and 1 enrolled on a marketing course.

Benefits for the Polish institution • Learning about adult education methods and approaches at the partner institutions

• Developing skills of the staff in using ODL and e-learning methods • Extending the knowledge of the staff about the work with disadvantaged groups • Experience gained by the staff (the director, the accountant and administrative staff) in

the management of EU projects • Greater openness to European co-operation and better understanding of the transnational and intercultural dimension of joint work in a project with foreign partners

Grundtvig, Action 2: Learning partnerships Project „www-golden-age” Partners: Association “The Fullness-of-Life Academy”, Cracow, Poland (coordinator) and institutions from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania and Spain On-going project The main objective of the project is to introduce elderly people to information and communication technologies.

Until now the partners have developed and tested a trial version of an ICT course for seniors-beginners, and organised numerous on-line chats for seniors on various topics (e.g. “Our first experience with a computer”, “Family life in our countries”, „Leisure time. Hobbies”, „Music – Opera”, „Our health”,

„Immigration/Emigration”, „Social aspects of the Internet”), running at the same time English language classes for seniors during on-line meetings.

As a result of these activities, senior students are now much more active and regularly use a computer to make contact with their peers. Moreover, senior participants contributed to a leaflet about the project in Polish and English.

Grundtvig, Action 1: European Cooperation Projects Project „ICAR – Internet Communication and Active Rehabilitation for People with Mental Disorders” Partners: Bródno Association of Friends and Families of People with Mental Disorders “POMOST”, Warsaw, Poland (coordinator) and institutions from Germany and the Netherlands The objective of the project was to use ICT for the social rehabilitation of people with mental disorders, mainly people suffering from schizophrenia.

The partners developed a common curriculum for an ICT course for participants in Poland, the Netherlands and Germany, training materials for participants, and a textbook for trainers who provide ICT courses to people with mental disorders. The course was run four times, and a total number of 243 participants were trained. Participants who passed an examination were awarded a certificate confirming the completion of the course and subsequently took part in “Creativity

Workshops”, developing their expressive and creative abilities through the use of multimedia techniques.

Simultaneously, they were involved in the development of websites with information about the project, ICAR training courses and the Internet magazine (“e-Zine) edited by participants themselves. The website of the project has a chat room which facilitates contact between course trainers and participants.

The website is also available for other institutions and individuals wishing to use ICT in the rehabilitation of people with mental disorders.

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... Outcomes: as diverse as projects, but first of all emerging in the European co-operation space ...

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The survey conducted by PENTOR in 2002/03 and the questionnaire survey carried out by the Socrates National Agency at the end of 2005 both show that institutions involved in adult education look at the outcomes of their participation in the Programme in a slightly different way than participants in the other Socrates actions. Those involved in Grundtvig projects emphasise more strongly the European dimension of outcomes.

The most important long-term outcome, mentioned by 65% of respondents in the PENTOR survey, was the very fact that they had emerged in “the European education space” or, in other words, as partners in European co-operation in the area of adult education. Likewise, exchange of experience with partners in other countries was the most commonly listed benefit in the questionnaire survey conducted by the National Agency. This feedback confirms that Grundtvig did indeed fill a huge gap in opportunities for transnational cooperation available to Polish institutions.

It is also worth emphasising in this context that Grundtvig – to an even larger extent than the other Socrates actions – focused on the very process of co-operating, i.e. maintaining regular contact, planning and performing jointly specific tasks, and evaluating jointly the results achieved.

One could have a better insight into the process itself and its more or less tangible outcomes, in particular, during site visits at individual participating institutions, but also when analysing reports and questionnaires sent to the National Agency. Direct observation and all the documentation available show clearly that Grundtvig projects did indeed enable participants to establish links, gain experience in applying for grants in EU programmes and organising co-operation within transnational projects, develop skills necessary to work in international teams, and to set up new, infrequently

larger-scale, co-operation projects. Moreover, many Polish institutions set up teams specialising in the development and implementation of EU projects.

Naturally, co-operation was not an aim in itself: joint projects were designed to, and actually did, produce both hardly measurable and very tangible outcomes. Because of the wide diversity of projects, their outcomes can hardly be summarised. Thus we only highlight below various, but definitely not all, outcomes, looking at them from the viewpoint of the demand and supply in the area of adult education and benefits for individual participants.

Firstly, what did Grundtvig do in Poland to encourage more active participation of adults in general, and in particular their participation in various forms of education? A number of projects analysed educational needs and developed strategies or approaches designed to support education or encourage more active participation of specific groups, e.g. adults at risk of social exclusion, people living in rural areas or elderly people.

Obviously, most projects, as discussed in the following paragraphs, developed jointly a large number of innovative courses and other education options which use attractive teaching and learning methods and should thus appeal to potential participants. Furthermore, a number of projects trained so-called “social animators” or mentors – resource persons whose task is exactly to encourage active participation of adults or provide support to learners. In other Grundtvig projects, partners concentrated on creating an attractive environment for learning or participation in the community life, or simply on organising attractive learning activities for adults. Examples of such outcomes may be pilot tele-centres in rural areas, a theatre forum for adults, ICT classes and a chat room for seniors or reading clubs for adults.

Grundtvig, Action 2: A Learning partnership Project „READCOM – Reading Clubs for Adult Learning Communities” In 2006 the project was proposed by the Socrates National Agency as a candidate in the ”Best of success stories” competition, held by the European Commission. It is already included among 20 best Grundtvig projects carried out in Europe between 2001-2006 and has a good chance of taking first place.

Partners: W.J. Grabski Public Library in the Ursus District, Warsaw, Poland (coordinator), Intercultural and Media Education Centre, Warsaw, Poland, and institutions from Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Turkey On-going project The overall objective of the project is to develop reading habits among adults as a way of making them intellectually and socially active. The specific objectives of the project include: identifying people and setting up groups of people interested in lifelong learning, in particular involving elderly people; creating a website for communication among READCOM groups across Europe; developing courses for mentors working in local communities; developing appropriate pedagogical strategies; organising panel discussions for readers and persons writing diaries; organising exchange of experience between members of Reading Clubs.

Outcomes jointly achieved until now by all partners: • A 25-hour course for mentors working in Reading Clubs, which includes five modules developed by different partners: “Creative meetings with books”, “Intercultural education” , “Reading Strategies”, “Literary writing” and “Editing and publishing”; • A textbook for mentors based on the course, in four languages (Polish, English, Portuguese and German); printed version: 200 copies for course participants and to be disseminated during various education and cultural events; electronic version available on the project website; • New intercultural learning methods using reallife materials in foreign languages, and KLANZA methods, which were used before in the work with children, adapted to the needs of lifelong learning and activities in Reading Clubs; • Common reading lists, including literature recommended to adults, available on the project website;

• Special quizzes in four languages which aim to extend the knowledge about the history, culture, traditions and customs of the countries participating in the project: quizzes about Austria, Belgium, Poland, Portugal and Turkey available on the project website.

Outcomes of the project in Poland: • Five READCOM Reading Clubs organising activities which address needs of the local community and, at the same, are based on the programme of the course for mentors; • Training of mentors: a two-day course in Warsaw for 25 participants from 6 Polish cities and towns, and summer courses organised for mentors in Portugal; • A six-month programme of activities in the Reading Club in Warsaw: 5 sessions/modules, slightly different than in the course for mentors, including: „Basic ICT skills”, „Creative meetings with books”, „Books in therapy”, an English language course for beginners, and intercultural workshops with books. Most members of the Clubs are people aged 50 to 65 years. “Products” of their work include, for example, stories about their life which they wrote and published themselves; • Various teaching materials for workshops and articles for professional journals.

Information about the project was disseminated via leaflets, posters and materials produced for exhibitions. Moreover, the project was presented on a Polish commercial TV channel (TVN) and during the 20th Education Book Fair in 2006.

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Grundtvig, Action 2: Learning Partnerships Project „European Summer Academy” Partners: Higher Vocational School in Tarnów, Poland, Community Centre in Gołdap, Poland, and institutions from Denmark, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom The project aimed to promote an intercultural approach in adult education through the establishment of a European network of institutions (schools for adults, higher education institutions, colleges and so-called alternative organisations) which use intercultural education methods.

The project was targeted at young adults, mainly from socially disadvantaged groups. Each year participants

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explored a different topic. For example, “Water” was chosen as the topic for the first year; participants considered it from the perspective of ecology, culture, philosophy, medicine and economics. Regardless of the topic, the methods used very year included workshops, e.g. artistic, theatre and music workshops, discussions and lectures. Moreover, participants arranged theatrical performances and exhibitions of artistic work.

Project „RECALLING PAST MEMORIES – The Life Stories of Senior Students” Partners: Jagiellonian University – University of the Third Age, Cracow, Poland, and institutions from Estonia, Germany, Hungary and Sweden The project aimed to encourage senior students to “revive memories”, to take an active part in discussions devoted to selected topics and to write about their memories from the past. Moreover, the project was designed to have a therapeutic effect on elderly people and prevent their social alienation, for example, through the development of ICT and foreign language skills, and to enable participants to

exchange experiences, learn about teaching and learning methods, and extend their knowledge about other cultures, societies and the history of other nations.

The project produced two English books in Polish and English, entitled “Recalling past memories – The Life Stories of Senior Students”, which contain life stories analysed from the viewpoint of social and historical changes, family relations and general values

Project „MABEL – Multidisciplinary Approach to Adult Basic Education and Learning” Partners: Penitentiary in Rzeszów, Poland, and prisons in Bulgaria, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom The project aimed to develop new approaches to the education of adults who live in situations of restricted liberty and social isolation.

During the project prisoners produced the first issue of a collaborative magazine “Open Doors” . While preparing materials for the magazine, prisoners developed their writing and reading skills, ICT skills and

foreign language skills. Moreover, they learned about the culture and history of the partner countries by reading the materials, and could communicate with prisoners in the partner institutions. Prison staff familiarised themselves with how the work is organised in the partner prisons and with approaches and methods which they use in education.

Project „Romes in Europe” Partners: Continuing Education Centre in Mielec, Poland, and institutions from Austria, Bulgaria and Greece The objectives of the project were twofold. On the one hand, it aimed to encourage active participation of the Roma community in the participating countries, familiarise them with learning opportunities available, involve them in the development of learning options and encourage them to learn. On the other hand, it was designed to enhance public understanding of the history and culture of Romes with a view to

eliminating stereotypes and prejudices against this minority.

“Products” of the project include: a book “Jalum, Jalum”, which contains Romes’ stories about their everyday life, education and traditions, and reports on project partner meetings, and a website with information materials and a discussion forum.

Secondly, did Grundtvig contribute towards extending the range of provision and improving the quality of adult education and if so, how? It certainly did as these are exactly the outcomes listed by an overwhelming majority of participants questioned by PENTOR in 2002/03 and the National Agency at the end of 2005: between 80% and 95%, depending on the survey and/or the question in the survey. More specifically, “the extended range of provision” and “improved quality of education” are a cumulative effect of numerous innovative courses concerning various aspects of adult education, and various tools, materials and other educational resources. All these “products” are based on innovative teaching and learning methods, in particular ICT. Moreover, within a large number of Grundtvig projects, Polish institutions purchased equipment to provide training and organise other activities for adults.

Grundtvig contributed especially to enhancing the range of adult education provision for specific target groups, including in particular disadvantaged groups. Grundtvig projects targeted at these groups have produced, for example, the following outcomes: • an educational package helping people in rural areas to learn and acquire practical skills in areas such as new technologies, ecology, arts or crafts, • tools for people with low educational attainment, in particular adults at risk of social exclusion, to acquire so-called basic skills,

• training courses for parents of disabled people, • ICT-based activities as an instrument supporting the rehabilitation of people with mental disorders, • autism training sessions for parents and specialists, • training courses in ICT, interpersonal communication and assertiveness for unemployed women, • as well as training courses and other educational activities for families, designed to strengthen family bonds, to prevent inter-generation conflicts and to prepare young people for family and social life, or training courses for staff and volunteers working for welfare and mental health care services, not to mention training courses for teachers and trainers themselves who subsequently ran all those training courses. As regards courses open to wider circles of learners, Grundtvig projects introduced various new topics and issues such as democracy and human rights, the European Union and the European identity vs. national cultures and traditions, intercultural education, active citizenship or fine arts as a catalyst for social inclusion.

All these courses and tools have already been and will continue to be used mainly in non-formal education, i.e. within structured education or training programmes, but outside the formal education system, and within formal education, i.e. within the education system.

However, one should also say a few words about Grundtvig’s contribution to informal education, i.e. learning outside the formal education

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system and non-formal education providers, for example, through various activities in leisure time.

Grundtvig projects produced tens of various “final products”. These range from handbooks or guides for a specific target group, printed materials or materials published in the Internet, where specific groups of adults simply tell their life stories, to reading lists recommended for adults by project partners.

Such products can be hardly divided into clear-cut categories, but they have one common feature: many adults who wish to learn throughout their life, either to cope with professional challenges in their evolving environment or to satisfy their pure curiosity about the world, may find something for themselves in them.

And thirdly, what did Grundtvig projects bring to individual participants? An overwhelming majority, over 85% to over 95%, of participants familiarised themselves with new forms of learning and extended their knowledge of a given area; they can now use more efficiently innovative teaching/ learning methods, including those based on ICT, communicate more easily in a foreign language and work better in a team; and they have stronger motivation for work or learning. These are the findings from the PENTOR survey and the same conclusions can be drawn from the questionnaire survey conducted by the National Agency. However, given the specific features of the Grundtvig action, such a “typology” of outcomes and “bare figures” can by no means illustrate what each project actually brought to the participating individuals

and institutions. Reviews classify outcomes in the predefined categories. However, in diverse Grundtvig projects which do not easily lend themselves to categorisation, each outcome – such as links with foreign partners, ICT skills, a publication or even participation in joint work in itself – has a completely different meaning. It has a different meaning, depending on whether participants are teachers, elderly people who wish to come out of the shadow towards others or those in penitentiaries, out of necessity living in social isolation.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Grundtvig has also produced outcomes which take some time to become fully apparent and those which one can hardly “touch”. For example, it may take some time before we can actually see the benefits resulting from the participation of job seekers, young adults at risk of social exclusion or convicts in penitentiaries in Grundtvig projects. It is equally difficult to measure the effects of participation in the case of those who took part in various activities organised within Grundtvig projects only “to learn about European cultures” or “to broaden their horizons”, with no intention to make any practical use of the knowledge gained. And these outcomes, though rather intangible, are equally valuable because education, and in particular education promoted by Grundtvig, is not only a way to acquire specific qualifications or skills, but also a way to selffulfilment and improved quality of life.

Lingua Lingua – Language Teaching and Learning ... A smaller, but no less valued, action for specialists ...

Lingua grants were awarded, as mentioned earlier on, for the promotion of language learning and for the development and dissemination of tools for language learning; in other words, for activities designed to encourage language learning or create “conditions” for learning and assessing learning outcomes rather than language teaching or learning itself. Thus, unlike Comenius, Erasmus or Grundtvig, Lingua was targeted at a smaller circle of specialists, in particular as regards the development of tools for learning and assessment. This circle could, however, include various types of institutions and organisations, ranging from schools, higher education institutions and other educational or training institutions, resource centres and research institutions to local government bodies and educational authorities, associations and companies. Higher education institutions were clearly taking the lead among Lingua project specialists on the Polish side, followed by secondary schools. However, some projects also involved private language schools, associations, foundations,

and local authorities as “local promoters” of language learning.

According to those who carried out projects in Poland, Lingua accomplished its mission successfully because it did indeed contribute towards improving the quality and extending the range of provision in the area of language teaching and learning, and helped participants themselves to improve their skills and competences.

An overwhelming majority, over 90% to over 97%, of participants questioned by PENTOR in 2002/03 developed and introduced new contents and elements of the European dimension into curricula, new teaching methods and resources, including e-learning; improved their area-specific and teaching competences; broadened their knowledge or skills in teaching people with special or specific needs; and extended their skills in using innovative language teaching/learning methods. This was also confirmed by the feedback received by the National Agency from Polish institutions participating in Lingua projects.

... Poland in the Lingua Action: a large share of the small cake ...

The number of projects involving Polish institutions which were submitted within the strictly defined framework of the Lingua Action increased over sixfold during all years of our participation in the Programme: from 5 in 1998 to 33 in 20059. Simultaneously, according to independent experts, the quality of proposals was steadily improving and, consequently, the applications submitted in recent years were much better prepared in terms of content than in the first 9

years. Quantitative and qualitative improvements are first and foremost the result of hard work done by interested institutions themselves. However, the Socrates National Agency also deserves some of the credit for Lingua’s successes as it organised a wider-ranging and better information and promotion campaign every year. The Polish Agency can be proud of the fact that, as one of the National Agencies in 30 participating countries which competed with one another, it made twice

- Following the European Commission’s decision, there was no call for new proposals in 2006.

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a successful bid to the European Commission for a grant to organise an international promotional and training seminar for potential Lingua applicants in recent years. The last seminar, organised in 2003, was not only considered “a showcase event” by participants and the European Commission, but also certainly translated into a better quality of proposals submitted subsequently. Moreover, the National Agency organised many national information and promotional events and participated in numerous meetings organised by interested institutions themselves.

While we had only 3 projects approved in 1998, Polish institutions, together with their foreign partners, launched 7 to 9 projects each year in the period between 2002 and 2004 and 14 projects in

2005. During all years, a total number of 63 projects involving Polish institutions were launched in the Lingua Action. The figures themselves are not as impressive as, for example, 1 119 Comenius projects.

However, even with Lingua’s “specialist” and “selective” nature set aside, the total budget of this action within the entire Socrates Programme was very modest. Hence, the low success rate which describes the ratio of submitted proposals to approved projects. Nevertheless, Polish institutions developing proposals together with their foreign partners did very well in that closely fought contest, which is confirmed by the fact that, for example, they were involved on average in almost one third of all projects approved in the Lingua Action between 2002 and 2005.

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Lingua, Action 1: Products of projects aiming to promote language learning Project „FEEL – Funny Easy and Effective Learning about Countries, Cultures and Languages” Partners: Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland, and institutions from Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia (10 new EU Member States) • Informative calendars with short texts and funny illustrations promoting a given country, its culture and language: separate calendars for each of 10 participating countries and one calendar for all countries;

• Other promotional materials: brochures, posters, leaflets, bookmarks; • Events organised in each participating country to promote cultures and languages of the other countries.

Project „SoccerLingua” Partners: Global Target Communication – Poland and institutions from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom • An interactive DVD which contains language games based on film material and interviews with football players, and a brochure on football for football funs, disseminated among teenagers via a network which

brings together education institutions, European youth clubs and schools which co-operate with football organizations or are interested in football.

Project „ELN-Euro Languages Net” Partners: A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, and institutions from Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia • WebPages including information about opportunities for learning Bulgarian, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian

and Slovak, using best methods tested in the teaching of widely used languages.

Project „Sprachenportal im Dreiländereck Deutschland, Poland, Tschechien“ Partners: Wrocław University of Economics, Wrocław, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, „Glossa” Language School, Poland, and institutions from the Czech Republic and Germany • An Internet portal including information about opportunities for learning Czech, German and Polish, and addresses of resource centres and institutions such as language schools and cultural institutes;

promotion of the portal through the organisation of language festivals and contests, radio programmes and spots, etc.

Project „Language and Culture through Community Networks” Partners: Secondary School Complex No. 2, Chojno, Poland, and institutions from Finland, France and the United Kingdom • Promotional events and materials, using widely used and taught languages (English and French) in combination with les widely used and taught languages (Finnish and Polish), for organisations

involved in town twinning, educational establishments and wider circles of users.

Project „Ahoj, Cześć und Hallo – die polnisch-tschechische-deutsche Jugendaktion“ Partners: Polish-German Youth Co-operation and institutions from the Czech Republic and Germany • Materials in three languages for schools and youth organisations, containing information about the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland, their cultures and languages; • A website in three languages where one can have a virtual journey through these three countries and find language quizzes and an international on-line

newspaper edited by young people; • A contest for young people for the best personal reports about the countries participating in the project and ideas for language learning; • An international event promoting language learning.

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... A state-of-the-art product for specialists, children, young people and adults ...

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In addition to above-mentioned, more or less tangible, benefits such as improved quality of language teaching or knowledge and skills of individuals, all Lingua projects developed a wide variety of specific “final products” to promote language learning and support language teaching or learning or language proficiency assessment. Some of the products were intended for a wide circle of users, whereas others were designed to address specific needs of selected target groups (see: examples in the boxes). Products for selected target groups, e.g. teachers or students in teacher training colleges who work or intend to work with children, were developed mainly in projects carried out in the first years of the Lingua Action. In recent years, Lingua offered an increasing number of products intended for a wider circle of users: children, young people and adults, those with different levels of language and culture awareness, those who prefer to enrol on a course to learn a language, as well as those who choose selfeducation as a way for learning a language.

In projects aiming to promote language learning,

partners developed, for example, websites with information about institutions teaching specific languages, resource centres with specific materials and other aids for language teaching and learning, promotional CDs and DVDs in various languages or radio and TV programmes, and organised events such as festivals or contests. Products of projects aiming to develop language teaching/learning tools included, naturally, programmes for general or specialist language courses at various levels or programmes for integrated language and content learning, teaching/learning materials in the printed version, on CDs or in the form of multimedia packages, as well as examinations and tests.

Regardless of their wide diversity, all projects and products of the Lingua Action have two common features. Firstly, they are, as specialists would say, “methodologically innovative”: all promote a communication-oriented approach to language learning and teaching. Secondly, they are, as specialists would say, “technically innovative”: all make an extensive use of multimedia-based learning and teaching methods.

Lingua, Action 2: Products of projects aiming to develop tools for language teaching/learning Project „Primeros Pasos” Partners: Pedagogical University, Cracow, Poland, and institutions from Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom • A training programme for foreign language teachers working with children in early school education (early language learning): a teacher

training manual, video cassettes with exercises, a CD-ROM with interactive exercises, audio cassettes with exercises

Project “Teaching and learning languages enhanced by new technologies” Partners: Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland, and institutions from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom • A module-based course for foreign language teaching methodologists and teachers on the use of ICT in the teaching of foreign languages, together with

a brochure including descriptions of modules and proposed tasks, projects and a reading list.

Project „Neues Lernen” Partners: General Secondary School Complex No. 4, Łódź, Poland, and institutions from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, Spain and Sweden • A modern Neues Lernen teaching method based on Lozanov’s Suggestopedia, J. Asher’s TPR and the Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP); a set of

materials to teach English, French and German using this method, adapted to needs of each partner.

Project “LOKI, Integration through language and culture” Partners: Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland, and institutions from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania • Learning materials for four languages (Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian) for adults at the beginner’s, intermediate and advanced levels; the programme is based on real-life texts (TV news) and

includes pronunciation exercises, grammar rules (in the target language and in French, English and German), grammar and vocabulary exercises, and additional materials.

Project „Ecouter pour Comprendre” Partners: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Polska, and institutions from the Czech Republic, Hungary and France • 6 DVD-ROMs with modules, which develop listening comprehension skills, for learners of Czech, French, Hungarian and Polish: methodological

modules and modules including audiovisual material together with transcription and translation.

Project „Modimnet” Partners: AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow, Poland, and institutions from France and Portugal • A prototype version of a Polish language multimediabased course on a CD, comprising five parts:

a course in Polish, grammar, phonetics, dictionary and civilisation (basic aspects of Polish culture).

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Project “HURRA” Partners: PROLOG Language School, Cracow, Poland, and institutions from Germany and the United Kingdom • A set of materials for learning Polish as a foreign language: student textbooks (three sets at each level), student practice books, a handbook for teachers at each level, audio and video cassettes

for classroom work and self-study, an interactive CD with exercises, a grammar reference book – developed in accordance with the reference criteria of the Council of Europe.

Project „TIPS – Development Programme for Testing in Polish and Slovenian” Partners: Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland, TAiWPN UNIVERSITAS Publishing House, Poland, and institutions from Greece and Slovenia

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• A booklet containing a glossary of terms used in Polish and Slovenian language proficiency testing; • A booklet including self-study materials for learners of Polish and Slovenian, which may also be used to assess language proficiency;

• Booklets containing guidelines for test item writers and checklists for test evaluation; • A booklet containing breakthrough level specifications, which may be used to develop appropriate language courses.

... The Polish language: to make it a more widely taught and used language ...

Other actions of the Socrates Programme offered various opportunities to promote Polish culture or education through the exchange of participants itself or through the dissemination of specific materials developed in projects. By contrast, Lingua was the only Socrates action which enabled us to raise the profile of the Polish language in the European education space. Like Danish, Finnish, Greek or the languages of the other new EU Member States, Polish is one of less widely taught and used European languages, and projects promoting these languages were given special attention in the selection of Lingua projects.

Polish institutions participating in the Lingua Action achieved a lot as promoters of the Polish language. Around one third of all 63 projects involving Polish institutions either focused on the promotion of the Polish language or produced tools for teaching or learning Polish, or for assessing

proficiency in our language. These “final products” are precious for purely promotional reasons, as well as because of their innovative approach. While until recently most textbooks for Polish language teaching or learning were heavily oriented towards grammar, Lingua products emphasise communication skills and the attractiveness of the learning process itself.

This innovative and more “user-friendly” approach may not only widen the circle of those interested to learn Polish, but also make the learning of the language more effective and enjoyable. Those, in turn, who developed tools for assessing proficiency in Polish may be proud of their products because they comply with all criteria established by the Council of Europe. Finally, it is also worth noting that, while taking part in the joint development of these products within Lingua projects, some foreign partners of Polish institutions did themselves learn a bit more of the our language.

Minerva Minerva – Information and Communication Technologies in Education

... Spreading e-learning experience, mainly through the efforts of higher education institutions ...

The use of ICT in education, as an element of a broader concept of learning based on electronic media, i.e. e-learning, is no longer an experimental approach today and is even becoming an imperative for modern education. Thus it is not surprising that the Minerva Action attracted growing interest, and that those applying for its grants faced strong competition because – like in the case of Grundtvig and Lingua – the budget of the action was rather modest as compared to “the demand”. However – again like in Grundtvig and Lingua – strong competition and a generally small proportion of projects approved every year did not discourage Polish institutions, which were involved in a growing number of proposals developed in Minerva.

The number of pre-proposals in the Minerva Action developed jointly by Polish institutions and their partners in other European countries increased gradually from 37 in 2000 to 49 in 2001, 50 in 2002, 57 in 2003 and 75 in 2004; only in 2005 was the number of pre-proposals smaller than in the previous year - 6410. In total, 332 pre-proposals were submitted between 2000 and 2005. From among the 332 proposals, the European Commission preselected 87 projects and finally approved 53 projects involving Polish institutions. This means, on the one hand, that the average success rate was ca 16%, and, on the other hand, that on average we had almost

8 new projects each year. This seems to be a rather small number, but the projects carried out jointly

by Polish institutions and their partners were increasingly visible within the relatively small pool of new Minerva projects. While initially we were involved in one sixth or one fifth of all newly launched projects, in recent years the projects involving our institutions represented between one third and almost half of the total number of projects approved in a given year.

Higher education institutions were clearly taking the lead in the introduction of new technologies through Minerva projects in Poland.

Polish higher education institutions co-operated with foreign partners, but in some cases also other Polish institutions, in the majority of projects.

Technical universities were, understandably, predominating within the circle of higher education institutions. However, the circle also included universities and non-public higher education institutions, and agricultural universities and academies of physical education had their own representation in Minerva as well. Other project participants were institutions within the education system, as well as non-formal education and training providers, information centres and institutes specialised in a number of areas.

... Projects and outcomes: the European dimension of e-learning not only in higher education ...

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- Following the European Commission’s decision, there was no call for new pre-proposals in 2006, but new projects were launched on the basis of pre-proposals submitted in 2005.

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As mentioned in the chapter on opportunities for co-operation in Socrates, the Minerva Action aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of the impact of ICT on the teaching/learning process, to facilitate the introduction of ICT-based approaches into classroom-based, open and distance learning programmes, and to provide wider access to teaching methods and resources using ICT. And these are exactly the aims of all, even if very diverse in general, projects supported by Minerva, including those involving Polish institutions (see: examples in the box).

Although information and communication technologies are entering into education – also in Poland – very fast, their role in this area is still a relatively new issue. Consequently, a number of projects in Poland focused on the analysis of needs, exchange of information and experience, and the identification, review and promotion – activities which were themselves supported by ICT – of various best practice examples. Other projects produced all resources which may be jointly described as a basic “tool kit” necessary to provide ICT-based education. Such products ranged from encyclopaedias and glossaries, methodological handbooks and databases containing information about teaching/learning methods, materials and aids to full e-learning programmes and courses in various areas. According to a questionnaire survey conducted by the Socrates National Agency in 2005, the products considered most useful by Polish institutions were multilingual dictionaries with the terminology used in specific areas, glossaries and databases of institutions with similar areas of interest. In the remaining projects, tested-andproven methods were introduced on a pilot basis into programmes for new target groups.

It should be emphasised here that, although higher education institutions predominated among the Polish project partners, many projects, including those carried out by higher education institutions, extended far beyond “electronic” higher education.

The survey conducted by the National Agency shows that beneficiaries of the Minerva Action, who were at the same time users of its products, represented very diverse groups: from pupils and students to adults representing various occupations and various backgrounds. A large group included

teachers from various types of schools, mainly upper and lower secondary schools, but also primary schools, academic teachers and staff working in in-service teacher training institutions, careers advisers and other specialists involved in vocational education or training. Within a fairly large number of projects, teachers learned to use new technologies in the teaching/learning process jointly with their pupils. Students in teacher training fields of study improved their ICT skills through their direct participation in projects, whereas students in other fields of study did so by taking Minerva training courses. Another group of beneficiaries included, in particular, various categories of education staff and specialists such as managers, administrative staff, ODL experts and experts developing teaching/learning materials. In several projects, partners focused on disadvantaged groups or groups facing specific problems, such as disabled people, women struggling to find their place on the labour market, young people from pathology-prone backgrounds or people addicted to drugs. Finally, users of products developed in a number of Minerva projects were simply adults who wished to upgrade their skills in a given area, e.g. ICT or language skills.

The very nature of the work carried out in Minerva projects and of their products were translated directly into results of the survey on the outcomes of this action, conducted among Polish participants by PENTOR in 2002/03. Over 90% to over 95% of respondents stated that, as a result of their participation, they improved their ICT skills, extended the range of their research methods in the area of ICT-based ODL, and developed and introduced new teaching methods and electronic materials in their institutions. Simultaneously, as projects were carried out jointly with foreign partners, over 92% of participants developed and introduced elements of the European dimension to curricular contents. According to 70% of respondents, these direct outcomes contributed to both immediate and long-term improvement in the quality of education provided by their home institutions.

The above-mentioned survey conducted by the National Agency in 2005 confirmed that Minerva projects were a worthwhile exercise,

identifying at the same time more precisely specific benefits which were considered most important by the beneficiaries. Asked whether their Minerva project brought benefits to their institution, as many as 85% of respondents replied “Yes”, and 11% replied “Probably yes”. Moreover, the survey shows that the exchange of best practice in the area of ICT was in itself as important for participants as the upgrading of ICT skills through participation in training courses. The great value of co-operation was emphasised by an overwhelming majority of respondents, and most strongly by organisations and institutions working with disadvantaged

groups. As regards the teaching/learning process itself, Polish participants most commonly listed two benefits from their involvement in Minerva projects.

Firstly, e-learning methods, adapted to the needs of individual institutions, which were developed and introduced at various levels of education, and cross-curricular approaches, covering groups of subjects, introduced in schools. And secondly, the multitude and wide variety of materials and other educational resources developed as a result of projects. These benefits are even greater because a large number of Minerva products are available to all via the Internet.

Minerva – Products of Co-operation Projects Project „ODELUCE – Open and Distance Education and Learning in University Continuing Education” Partners: University of Łódź, Łódź, A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, TWP Pedagogical University in Warsaw, Poland, and institutions from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom • A Virtual Observatory: a website including information on ODL ICT-based continuing education programmes offered by higher education institutions; • Models for use of ICT in continuing education,

based on the evaluation of education and training programmes in the partner institutions, and training materials; • An interactive web-based conferencing forum for individuals involved in continuing education.

Project „ELISE – Electronic Learning in In-Service Teacher Training in Europe” Partners: University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland, and institutions from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom • An e-course presenting a concept of web-based in-service teacher training together with „a support system” for users;

• Pilot in-service training modules for teachers of three subjects (science, history, foreign languages) together with learning materials in the electronic form.

Project „MEAC – Media Education Across the Curriculum” Partners: A. Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland, and institutions from Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom

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• A multilingual web-based portal with educational resources for on-line teaching/learning (existing materials published in the database format and new

materials); the portal is also used to hold seminars and workshops.

Project „LEPLA – Learning Environment for Physics Laboratory Activities” Partners: Technical University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland, and institutions from Ireland, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom • A web-based learning environment with a set of modules which present experiments and include multimedia materials for teaching/learning physics,

for teachers, secondary school pupils and first-cycle students; the environment is also used as a forum for exchange of experience and teaching materials.

Project „NIE – News in Europe – Educational Videoconferencing at Secondary School” 52

Partners: University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland, and institutions from Finland, Greece and the United ingdom • Teaching methods using video-conferencing, tested by secondary school pupils, and materials (reports, video cassettes, publications summarising

video-conferences) published in the web and on CD-ROM.

Project „Conceptual Learning Environments for Sensorily-impaired Learners” Partners: Simulation Company „MODEX” (Continuing Education Centre for Economists), Poland, and institutions from Austria, Italy, Romania and Spain • A CD-ROM on ICT-based instruction through the medium of sign language and teaching materials;

• A European lexicon on sign language for ICT users.

Project „Animated Debate” Partners: Bielskie Artistic Association „Teatr Grodzki”, Bielsko-Biała, EST – Non-Public Education Institution, Poland, and institutions from Italy and the United Kingdom • Pilot use of ICT for a dialogue through computer animations between young people from various countries;

• A handbook for teachers on a CD showing how to use „the idea of a film studio” in work with people with various disabilities.

Project „SHARE – Scheming, handling and assessing resources in education” Partners: Academy of Humanities and Economics, Łódź, Poland, and institutions from Italy and France • A web-based environment for the exchange and sharing of teaching materials; • Pilot training courses for teachers on how to use

free tools for the development, exchange and reuse of learning contents.

Observation Observation and Innovation in Education Systems and Policies

This action of the Socrates Programme, and the last one discussed in our overview, comprised sub-actions of a different nature which, however, jointly aimed to facilitate exchange of information and research and studies on education systems and policies. The following sections give an insight into three main sub-actions: activities of Eurydice and NARIC, two networks established in the early 1980-ties and included in the Socrates

Programme between 1995 and 2006, and ARION study visits. Unlike in all other Socrates actions, grants in the first two sub-actions were not awarded for transnational mobility of individuals involved in education or co-operation between educational institutions, but for the regular activities of the network and co-operation between members of the network.

... Eurydice: jointly about education in Europe ...

The primary responsibility of Eurydice (Information network on education in Europe) is to provide information on the structures of education systems and the organisation of education in Europe. Thus the network gathers basic data on education, develops indicators, analyses research findings, compares educational policies and education systems, monitors changes and publishes information on new trends, and identifies useful information sources. Given the profile of its activities, the main “customers” of the network are those who design education policies, are responsible for the management of education or carry out research and studies in the area of education.

The Eurydice network is composed of the European Eurydice Unit, set up by the European Commission, and national units established by ministries of education, currently existing in 31 European countries: 27 EU Member States, 3 EFTA-EEA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), and one EU candidate country (Turkey). The European Eurydice Unit co-ordinates activities of the network, produces and distributes Eurydice publications, and manages databases and the main Eurydice website. National units provide information inputs for comparative studies, participate in the processing of data on the topics explored by the network, and are responsible for the promotion of joint Eurydice “products” in their countries.

... Polish Eurydice Unit: about Polish education for Europe and European education in Poland ...

From the very first year of its existence, the Polish Eurydice Unit regularly updates web-based publications, which – given the rate of change in the Polish education system – is a laborious task in itself,

and gathers materials for new printed publications.

Until now, it has already contributed to several webbased publications and more than a dozen printed publications. Materials about Polish education

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for the European Unit are produced by the Polish Unit in consultation with experts in the Ministry of Education or by external experts, mainly from academic and educational institutions, specialised in a given area.

Moreover, as part of internal “Questions and Answers Service”, the Polish Unit replies to questions about issues relevant to education policies put by the other units, and sends such queries from Poland to the network. As these are all questions at a very detailed level, replies are not readily available in existing studies on education and further consultations are necessary with experts specialised in a given area.

In addition to the tasks shared by the entire network, the Polish Eurydice Unit gathers various materials and information on education in other European countries in response to individual queries and requests in Poland. Such enquirers were gradually growing in number in recent years, as

Poland was making advances on its way towards the European Union and co-operation was developing in the area of education, and then after our accession to the EU. For example, the Unit handled such enquiries from 264 individual Polish users in 2003 and 280 in 2004. Between 2005 and 2006, the Unit “served” ca 180 individual users each year, at the same time responding to an increasing number of e-mail enquiries (ca 200 enquiries per year).

Furthermore, the Polish Eurydice Unit disseminates, naturally, joint products of the network in Poland, sending them to the Ministry of National Education, the Sejm and Senate (Parliament) Offices, the Office of the President of Poland, regional educational authorities, regional in-service teacher training centres, research institutions, regional teaching libraries, university libraries, pedagogical universities and faculties of pedagogy at other higher education institutions.

... Joint Eurydice Europroducts: about European education in general and in detail, in a database, studies and glossaries ...

The Eurydice network presents European education through the web and in several series of printed publications (see: a list of Eurydice publications in the boxes). The key web-based “product” of the network, updated every year, is “Eurybase”, a database which contains comprehensive and highly detailed information on education systems in the countries belonging to the network, in English and in the national language(s) of a given country. The education system in each country is described in the following 11 chapters: political and economic background, organisation of the education system and administration of education, pre-primary education, primary education, secondary education, higher education, continuing education and training, teachers and education staff, evaluation of the education system, special educational support, and the European dimension in education.

The seven Eurydice publication series include both wide-ranging publications which cover entire

education systems, and thematic studies which discuss selected issues in more detail and more thoroughly, as well as glossaries. The best-known wide-ranging publication, one which is also familiar to a wider public, is “Key data on education in Europe” which presents basic data and indicators on education in a comparative perspective.

Other wider-scope publications of the Eurydice network discuss, for example, a decade of reforms in compulsory education and higher education or action taken by EU Member States to put into practice the idea of lifelong learning, giving both a comparative analysis and a more detailed insight in a breakdown by country. Thematic studies focus on topics such as: financing and management of resources in compulsory education, foreign language teaching in schools, ICT in education systems, the teaching profession, financial support for students, the role of consultative councils and parents in education systems or quality assurance in teacher education. Five glossaries which

have been published so far explain terms and concepts concerning: • educational institutions, • examinations, qualifications and titles, • teaching staff, • management, monitoring and support staff, and • decision-making, advisory, operational and regulatory bodies in higher education.

Overall, there are a number specific features which distinguish products bearing the Eurydice trademark from other publications on education.

Firstly, Eurydice publications cover a wide spectrum of topics in the area of education. At the same time and secondly, they contain very detailed data, e.g. the number of hours allocated to each subject in

individual types of schools, which is of great value in particular to those who specialise in a given topic. Thirdly, as a result of regular updates, the key publications present the rate of change and trends in education systems. Fourthly, data and indicators are consistent with international classifications, e.g. the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). And fifthly, Eurydice publications present facts and figures in a reliable way, drawing on legislation and statistics, and/or provide an analysis which is based on facts and figures and is free from value judgements.

Eurydice Publications Web-based publications • EURYBASE: a database containing comprehensive and detailed information on education systems, in English and in the national language(s) of a given country • Structures of the Education and Initial Training Systems: more concise description of education structures

• National Summary Sheets: summary descriptions of education systems and planned reforms • Organisation of school time: information on the organisation of school year in each country

Printed publications in English, French and German „Key Data” Series • Key data on education in Europe, 1995, 1997, 1999/2000, 2002 and 2005 • Information and communication technology in the education systems in Europe: National education policies, curricula, teacher training, 2000 • Basic indicators on the incorporation of ICT into

European education systems – Facts and Figures – 2000/01 Annual Report, 2001 • Key Data on Information and Communication Technology in Schools in Europe, 2004 • Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe, 2005

“Key Topics”/“Profile” Series • Financial support for students in higher education in Europe. Trends and debates, 1999 • Financing and management of resources in compul-

sory education. Trends in national policies, 2000 • The teaching profession in Europe, Report I – IV

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“Eurydice Studies”/„Profile” Series • Pre-school and primary education, 1995

Europe: 1980 onwards, 2000

• Consultative councils and other forms of social participation in the education systems, 1996

• Foreign language teaching in schools in Europe, 2001

• School heads, 1996 • The role of parents in the education systems, 1997

• Evaluation of schools providing compulsory education, 2001

• Secondary education: structures, organization and administration, 1997

• Quality Assurance in Teacher Education in Europe, 2006

• A decade of reforms at compulsory education level (1984-1994), 1997

• Science Teaching in Schools in Europe. Policies and Research, 2006

• Two decades of reform in higher education in

“Ready Reference” Series 56

• European Glossary on Education: Examinations, qualifications and titles, 1999, 2004 (second updated edition) • European Glossary on Education: Educational institutions, 2000, 2005 (second updated edition)

• European Glossary on Education, Management, monitoring and support staff, 2002 • European Glossary on Education, Decision-making, Advisory, Operational and Regulatory Bodies in Higher Education, 2007

• European Glossary on Education, Teaching staff, 2001

„Eurydice Surveys” Series • Forward planning in education in the Member States of the EU, 1999 • Lifelong Learning: the contribution of education systems in the Member States of the EU, 2000 • National actions to implement Lifelong Learning in Europe, 2001

• ICT@Europe.edu, 2000 • Integrating Immigrant Children into Schools in Europe, 2004 • Citizenship Education at School in Europe, 2005 • Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at School in Europe, 2005

“Focus” Series • Organisation of higher education structures in Europe (1998/99), 1999

• Focus on the structure of higher education in Europe (2003/04), 2004

• The position of foreign languages in European education systems (1999/2000), 2000

• Focus on the structure of higher education in Europe – 2004/05. National Trends in the Bologna Process, 2005

• Financial flows in compulsory education in Europe, 2001

Publications available in Polish • Kształcenie przedszkolne i podstawowe w krajach UE wraz z Suplementem (Preschool and primary education), 1998 • Struktury systemów kształcenia ogólnego i zawodowego w UE (Structures of education, vocational training and adult education systems in Europe), 1998 • Rola rodziców w systemach edukacyjnych UE (The role of parents in the education systems), 1999 • Dyrektorzy szkół w UE (School heads), 1999 • Szkolnictwo średnie w UE: struktury, organizacja i administracja (Secondary education: structures, organisation and administration), 1999 • Dekada reform w kształceniu obowiązkowym w UE (1984-94) (A decade of reforms at compulsory education level, 1984-1994), 1999 • Rady konsultacyjne i inne formy społecznego uczestnictwa w edukacji w UE (Consultative councils and other forms of social participation in the education systems), 1999 • Pomoc materialna dla studentów w Europie (Financial support for students in higher education in Europe), 2000 • Kluczowe dane o edukacji w Europie 1999/2000 (Key data on education in Europe), 2001 • Uczenie się przez całe życie: rola systemów edukacji w państwach członkowskich UE (Lifelong Learning:

the contribution of education systems in the Member States of the EU), 2002 • Europejski glosariusz edukacyjny – Nauczyciele (European Glossary on Education. Teaching staff), 2003 • Zawód nauczyciela w Europie: profil, wyzwania, kierunki zmian, Raport I – Kształcenie i początki pracy zawodowej (The teaching profession in Europe: profile, trends and concerns, Report I: Initial training and transition to working life), 2004 • Kompetencje kluczowe. Realizacja koncepcji na poziomie szkolnictwa obowiązkowego (Key competences. A developing concept in general compulsory education) , 2005 • Zawód nauczyciela w Europie. Raport IV – Atrakcyjność zawodu nauczyciela – wyzwanie XXI wieku (The teaching profession in Europe, Report IV: Keeping teaching attractive for the 21st century), 2006 • Zapewnianie jakości w kształceniu i doskonaleniu zawodowym nauczycieli w Europie (Quality assurance in teacher education in Europe), 2007 • Systemy edukacji w Europie (Education systems in Europe): descriptions of education systems in 31 countries; a web-based publication (www.socrates.org.pl/eurydice)

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... Naric: jointly about the recognition of diplomas and study periods ...

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NARIC (Network of Academic Recognition and Information Centres) focuses on higher education, and the primary aim of the network is to facilitate the recognition of study periods and higher education diplomas. Thus its main “customers” are higher education institutions, secondary school pupils, students and graduates, parents, teachers and future employers.

The network is composed of the European centre, established by the European Commission, and national centres which were set up by the competent authorities in 30 countries: all EU Member States and the EFTA-EA countries, i.e.

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Joint work within the network is co-ordinated – like in Eurydice – by the European centre. Joint tasks include, for example, exchange of information, comparative analysis of national systems for the recognition of diplomas and study periods, and the identification and promotion of best practice in this area. Most NARICs (National Academic Recognition and Information Centres) do not take decisions on the recognition of study periods and diplomas, but offer on request information and advice.

... Polish NARIC: not only about the recognition of diplomas in Poland and abroad ...

Interested individuals and institutions may contact the NARIC in Poland to obtain detailed information and practical advice concerning the recognition of Polish diplomas in various countries, specific legislation on the recognition of qualifications within the European Union and the recognition of foreign diplomas and endorsement of credentials in Poland. At the same time, the Polish NARIC itself undertakes various initiatives to keep higher education institutions and other interested institutions informed about latest trends in higher education and related developments in the area of recognition of qualifications. For example, in recent years it organised various activities to promote the Diploma Supplement in the Polish academic community, a document developed jointly by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO which is now being introduced widely in European higher education institutions within the framework of the Bologna Process.

In addition to information activities, the Centre carries out various projects aiming to improve the

recognition of foreign qualifications together with Polish and foreign institutions. MATRA, a project carried out jointly with the Ministry of National Education and Dutch centres responsible for the recognition of qualifications between 2003 and 2004, may be an example of initiatives supported by foreign funds. The project aimed to introduce a system for the recognition of qualifications in the so-called regulated professions in accordance with the relevant EU legislation. As part of a project financed by its own funds, the Polish NARIC conducted between 2003 and 2004 a questionnaire survey on the nostrification of diplomas and organised an international conference on the principles and best practice in the recognition of foreign diplomas in Poland.

Moreover, the NARIC staff participate as experts in conferences and seminars on the recognition of credentials and professional qualifications which are organised by various institutions in Poland and abroad.

... ARION study visits: European integration among decisionmakers and specialists ...

Learning about education systems in European countries via publications produced by the units of the two European networks or through participation in conferences and information meetings may, obviously, by no means substitute for “first-hand experience” or, in other words, visits in other countries. Pupils, students, teachers and others involved in education visited their foreign partners under the Socrates actions discussed in the previous chapters. Arion study visits offered the same opportunity to have a direct experience of other realities and approaches to education managers, including school directors, managers of other educational and training institutions and staff in school education administration, and education specialists such as advisers, consultants and trainers.

Arion one-week study visits covered a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from general topics such as the structure and evaluation of education systems, pupil assessment and types of certificates awarded, equal opportunities or integration of disabled children to relations between the school and its environment or the role of individual players, i.e. school directors, teachers and parents, and the teaching of selected subjects or ICT as a tool introduced into education. In recent years, Arion visits were also more closely linked with three overall goals – improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems, ensuring access to education and training systems and opening up education and training to the wider world, and 13 specific objectives which were set for education and training systems at EU level for the period up to 2010.

Polish education managers and specialists began to participate in Arion study visits already in 1996; first visits had taken place still before Poland joined officially the Socrates Programme.

Polish participants represented a wide range of institutions targeted by the Socrates National Agency during its annual information and promotion campaigns. These included: the Ministry of National Education, the National In-Service

Teacher Training Centre, Regional Methodological Support and In-Service Teacher Training Centres, the Central Examination Board and Regional Examination Boards, Regional Educational Authorities and their branches, public administration bodies at regional level, local government bodies and educational institutions. Each year Arion awarded, on average, ca 100 mini-grants for study visits from Poland to other European countries. In total, between 1996 and 20061, this action provided an opportunity to have a closer look at various aspects of education in other European countries to 1 065 education managers and specialists in our country.

All visits naturally led to closer links with partners or counterparts in other European countries. At the same time, each visit was a different sort of professional experience, because participants represented various categories of education managers or specialists, and explored in more detail different topics or different approaches adopted in a different country than the one visited by their colleagues. Thus outcomes of the visits were very diverse. However, according to the questionnaire survey conducted by the Socrates National Agency, as many as 83% of Polish participants did actually transfer what they learned during the visits to their professional activities and introduced approaches or practices observed at partner institutions in their home institutions.

The visits in other countries encouraged some participants to take various measures to improve pedagogical supervision or to stimulate closer cooperation between the school and the parents’ council, the teaching council, the local environment and the managing body of the school, or to introduce changes in the management of the school which promote young people’s selfgovernance. Some participants added new elements to educational programmes in their schools, extended the range of occupations in which training programmes are offered or the range of elective subjects, introduced a foreign language to the teaching of other subjects or changed their

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approach to the teaching of ICT and began to use ICT more widely as a tool for teaching various subjects.

Others now take a more active part in various activities designed to broaden the knowledge about education in Europe and to promote European education projects in the teaching community, or to increase the motivation of teachers to learn foreign languages and to take in-service training courses.

Still others use the lessons learned in their work on examination standards.

As Arion supported study visits in both directions, Polish institutions hosted representatives of the education systems in other European countries as from the year 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, Polish institutions submitted 100 proposals to host Arion study visits and 56 visits actually took place in Poland. During the visits, we had or still have an opportunity to give an insight into our education to nearly 370 education managers and specialists from other countries2. Those taking the role of hosts were both authorities and educational institutions: local government bodies, regional educational authorities, in-service teacher training institutions, initial teacher training institutions and schools. Most study visits focused on topics described jointly as „the European dimension in education”. Other topics which attracted greatest

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interest included „general education” and „foreign language teaching”, followed by „integration of disabled children” and “adult education”.

During other visits guests and hosts discussed, for example, topics such as the role of the school, school directors, pupils, parents or inspectors, health education, environmental education, quality in education or ICT in education. The visits in Poland were obviously important first of all because each host could present their institution, city/town and region in a wider context of the situation in our country and our education system, and make use of their guests’ knowledge and experience concerning topics which were discussed. At the same time, hosting Arion study visits was a worthwhile experience because such face-to-face meetings “on the spot” opened the way to further co-operation under other Socrates actions, and to bilateral exchange schemes, study visits and school trips or school twinning agreements.

In this way Arion participants were introducing the European dimension to education policies and education management, and at the same time building the European education space together with those who co-operated with European partners under other actions of the Socrates Programme.

Arion: Study Visits in Poland, 2000-2006 Topic of the visit

Hosting institution 2000 - 2001

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General education

Mazovia Province Marshall’s Office, branch in Radom

European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

Foreign language teaching

„Poland-East” Co-operation Association, Częstochowa

Integration of disabled children

Municipal Office of Łódź

Environmental education

Warmia-Mazuria In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Elbląg

Foreign language teaching

Lower secondary school no. 1 in Szczecinek

- Final-round applications were approved in 2006, but visits take place in the school year 2006/2007.

2001 - 2002 European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

General education

Regional Educational Authority in Warsaw

2002 - 2003 General education

County Authorities Office in Białobrzegi

General education: Polish education system

In-service Teacher Training Centre in Skierniewice

Certification and assessment

Regional Examination Board in Jaworzno

Education of disabled children

Regional Methodological Support Centre in Bielsko-Biała

European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

European dimension in education

In-service Teacher Training Centre in Piła

Foreign language teaching

Municipal Office of Częstochowa

General education: comparing education systems

Lower secondary school no. 9 in Rzeszów

Education of disabled children

„School of life” in Rybnik

European dimension in education

Continuing Education Centre in Przemyśl

Foreign language teaching

Foreign Language Teacher Training College in Leszno

School directors: school education management at local level

Silesian Science and Technology School in Katowice

Pupils: the role of the pupil at each stage of education

Primary school in Brzeg Dolny

Adult education

Regional Educational Authority in Warsaw

Role of inspectors

Regional Educational Authority in Lublin

2003 - 2004 Integration of disabled children

Municipal Office of Częstochowa

Integration of disabled children

Integrated School Complex in Legnica

Foreign language teaching

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

General education

In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Płock

New technologies in education

In-Service Teacher Training and Practical Training Centre in Łódź

Foreign language teaching

Warmia-Mazuria In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Olsztyn

European dimension in education

National In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Warsaw

61

2004 - 2005 General education

Lower secondary school no. 9 in Rzeszów

European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

Teaching as a profession

In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Radom

School

Municipal Office of Częstochowa

Integration of disabled children

Teacher Training College in Bielsko-Biała

Teaching as a profession

Świętokrzyskie Teacher Education Centre in Kielce

School

Świętokrzyskie Teacher Education Centre in Kielce

Adult education

Folk University in Płock

2005 - 2006 62

Health education

Regional Education and Methodology Centre, METIS, in Katowice

European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

Adult education

Continuing Education School Complex in Krosno

Teaching as a profession

Municipal Office of Częstochowa

Quality in education

Nursery School no. 18 in Chorzów

Environmental education

Świętokrzyskie Teacher Education Centre in Kielce

European dimension in education

Lower secondary school no. 1 in Szczecinek

Adult education

Continuing Education Centre in Toruń

School

Primary school no 2 in Włocławek

2006 - 2007 General education

Regional Examination Board in Łódź *

European dimension in education

Regional In-Service Teacher Training Centre in Sieradz*

Role of parents

Świętokrzyskie Teacher Education Centre in Kielce*

Foreign language teaching

Gen. J. Wybicki General Lyceum in Śrem

Foreign language teaching

Foreign Language Teacher Training Centre in Toruń*

Health education

Regional Education and Methodology Centre, METIS, in Katowice*

Adult education

Continuing Education Centre in Białystok

Adult education

National Centre for Supporting Vocational and Continuing Education in Warsaw*

European dimension in education

Regional Educational Authority in Katowice

* Visits taking place in the first half of 2007.

Conclusion Conclusion Most probably many readers already know that this is only the end of one chapter in co-operation. Although projects and other activities carried out by partners under the Socrates Programme are drawing to an end, equally vast opportunities for co-operation between 2007 and 2013 are offered by the Lifelong Learning Programme. The programme was designed on the basis of the evaluation of the Socrates Programme and extensive consultations held by the European Commission with all stakeholders. As a result, the Lifelong Learning Programme includes both the actions which were a part of the Socrates Programme, and other previous EU programmes and initiatives.

The Lifelong Learning Programme aims to contribute to the development of lifelong learning in various settings, and to improving the quality and increasing the attractiveness of education through its support for cooperation between education and training systems and education communities in the participating countries.

The programme comprises: • four sectoral programmes: Comenius, Erasmus and Grundvtig, formerly included in Socrates and now redesigned, and Leonardo da Vinci, a previous programme mentioned in the first chapter which has also been modified; • a transversal programme: covering co-operation concerning various transversal issues, including those previously addressed by „Observation and innovation in education systems and policies” (Arion, Eurydice, Naric), Lingua and Minerva under the Socrates Programme and the e-Learning and European Language Label programmes; and • the Jean Monnet programme: the successor of the previously existing programme with the same name.

Comenius (School education) offers opportunities for multilateral and bilateral co-operation between schools, teachers and pupils under School Partnerships.

Moreover, education staff and foreign language teachers may participate in in-service training courses. Schools may also host so-called Language Assistants and future language teachers may undertake language assistantships in another country.

Erasmus (Higher education) supports the mobility of students, academic teachers and other staff in higher education institutions, multilateral co-operation projects between higher education institutions concerning curricula, the modernisation of institutions, their co-operation with enterprises and the establishment of virtual campuses, and the organisation of intensive programmes.

Grundtvig (Adult education and other educational pathways) provides support for three types of activities in the area of non-vocational adult education: transnational partnerships, preparatory visits to develop future projects and individual mobility of adult education staff to participate in training courses abroad.

In the Leonardo da Vinci programme (Vocational education and training), various institutions may co-operate with their partners under projects which aim to develop innovations or transfer innovations to another country. Grants are also awarded to individuals for a period of vocational training or a practical placement or for participation in the exchange of experience and in-service training in various forms.

Moreover, these four programmes offer support for networks in which partners will work together on selected topics.

The transversal programme supports co-operation in the area of education policy, foreign language learning and wider introduction of ICT, as well as the dissemination of outcomes achieved in the Lifelong Learning Programme and the exchange of good practice.

The Jean Monnet programme offers support for various activities related to European integration, including the establishment of Jean Monnet Chairs and Centres of Excellence, courses in higher education institutions, research and information activities.

As mentioned in the first chapter of our overview, the Lifelong Learning Programme, including all its components, is co-ordinated by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, supervised by the Ministry of National Education. Like the Lifelong Learning Programme itself, the Foundation for the Development of the Education System builds on the experience gained in the Socrates Programme which it implemented together with the entire educational community in Poland for eight years. Now we would like to use both our own experience and feedback and suggestions from participants in various Socrates actions so as to create the best possible conditions for co-operation for all institutions and individuals interested to join the Lifelong Learning Programme. We hope that we will have an opportunity to offer information and advice not only to those who already have some experience in European co-operation, but also to those for whom the participation in the Lifelong Learning Programme will be the first chapter of European co-operation.

63

Statistics Statistics COMENIUS • COMENIUS – SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS Figure 1: Number of submitted and approved applications (disbursed grants), COMENIUS ACTION 1, 2001-2006 CSP

CLP

1500

200

1359

186

177

1249

150 1000

940 711 551

500

122

902

858

100

677

99

92 76

547 435

418

64

50

2001

2002

60

55

403

2003

2004

2005

2006

35

42 30

26

2001

2002

2003

SDP

2004

2005

2006

PV 197

200

195

400

359

171

313

150

300

137 119

118

118

222

100

200

173

153

74 61

50

114

100

39 20

105

142 109

92

92 46

12

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Action I - CSP, CLP, SDP - total number 2001 - 2006 2000 1740 1623

1500 1233 1071

1000

921

473

487

- submitted applications - approved applications

856

663

606

500

1119

(disbursed grands)

519

CSP: Comenius School Projects CLP: Comenius Language Projects 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

SDP: School Development Projects PV: Preparatory visits and contact seminars

Figure 2: Outgoing staff and pupils, COMENIUS ACTION 1 (CSP, CLP, SDP), 2001-2006

12000

10726 9932

10000

8302

8000 6187

6062

6000

4967 4425 4296

4023 3905

4000 1600 1366

2000

1944 2116

4069 4233

2118 2066

- staff 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006 (*)

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

- total

(*) - Data based on the results of the 2006 selection round.

Figure 3: Committed and disbursed funds, COMENIUS ACTION 1 (CSP, CLP, SDP), 2001-2006, in euro

7 000 000 6 178 625,00

6 000 0000 5 267 706,91

5 000 000 4 496 029,41

4 000 000 3 000 000 2 121 535,20

2 413 584,44 2 256 087,56

2 000 000 1 000 000

2001

2002

2003

2004

- pupils

2005

2006

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

- committed funds - disbursed funds: outgoing staff and pupil mobility - disbursed funds: total

65

•• COMENIUS – TRAINING OF SCHOOL EDUCATION STAFF Figure 4: Types of in-service training courses chosen by beneficiaries, COMENIUS ACTION 2, TRAINING OF SCHOOL EDUCATION STAFF, 2001-2006 131 (5%)

Total budget, in euro:

212 (8%)

162 (6%)

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

2276 (81%)

608 542,00 / 602 250,00 377 867,00 / 377 771,00 283 011,00 / 268 991,00 954 134,00 / 918 469,00 906 767,00 / 906 832,00 1 052 330,00 / — ? —

- Thematic: General topics - Languages or Methodology & Language

66

- Thematic: New Technologies - Thematic: Special/specific topic Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System A total number of 2 792 education staff followed in-service training courses between 2001 and 2006. The average grant per beneficiary was 1447.67 euro. Most courses attended by Polish beneficiaries took place in the United Kingdom (1548); a smaller number of beneficiaries chose courses in France (351), Ireland (301) and Germany (259)

Figure 5: Number of approved applications (disbursed grants), COMENIUS ACTION 2, LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS, 2001-2006 140

Total budget, in euro:

120

120

119

2005

2006

102

100 80 67

196 947,00 / 196 947,00 273 956,00 / 273 956,00 308 046,00 / 308 046,00 487 853,00 / 487 853,00 616 342,00 / 605 302,00 501 109,00 / — ? —

60

60 40

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

40

20

- approved applications 2001

2002

2003

2004

(disbursed grands)

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System Between 2001 and 2006, a total number of 508 beneficiaries completed language assistantships abroad; the average level of the grants awarded was 4 653.79 euro. 54% of all assistantships had a duration of eight months, 18% were of a seven-month duration, and 11% of a six-month duration. Assistantships were undertaken in 24 countries, mainly in Germany (92) and the United Kingdom (53). Most of the hosting schools were lower secondary schools (234), primary schools (185) and nursery schools (73). During the same period 68 Polish schools hosted assistants from countries participating in the programme. Most assistants hosted in Polish schools came from Germany (14).

ERASMUS

– HIGHER EDUCATION

Figure 6: ERASMUS budget in Poland, 1998/1999-2006/2007 25000 10456 2283

25000 19550 9974 1741

20000

15250 8388 1394

15000 10000 5000

3200 1426 359

1998/1999

5600 2813 614

5700 3691 678

5400 4321 800

1999/2000

2000/2001

2001/2002

5700 5419 884

2002/2003

6600 6278 946

2003/2004

outgoing student mobility

2004/2005

2005/2006

outgoing teacher mobility

2006/2007 budget

Figure 7: Polish higher education institutions in ERASMUS, 1998/1999-2006/2007 250

240 217

200

187 151

150

120

100 50

98

99

2000/2001

2001/2002

74 46

1998/1999

1999/2000

2002/2003

2003/2004

2004/2005

2005/2006

2006/2007

number of higher educatial institutions

Figure 8: Student mobility: outgoing Polish students and incoming foreign students, ERASMUS, 1998/19992005/2006 9974

10 000 8388

8 000 6278

6 000

5419 4321 3691

4 000

3220

2813

2 000

1426 220

1998/1999

2332

466

1999/2000

614

2000/2001

750 966

2001/2002

2002/2003

1459

2003/2004

2004/2005

outgoing students

2005/2006 incoming students

67

GRUNDTVIG

– ADULT EDUCATION AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS

Figure 9: Number of submitted applications and approved applications (incl. the amount of disbursed grants), GRUNDTVIG, 2001-2006 GRU3

120

GRU2 PV

60

113 96

100

50

50

91(*)

47(*) 42

80

71 56

60 40

22

20

2001

68

20

30 22

19

2002

2003

30

30

32

26

37

40

70

26 19

10

2004

2005

2006

16

14

11 7

2001

7

2002

GRU2

2003

2004

120

120

153

144

115

100 102 80

67

60 40

33

28

20

16

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

431

429

266 222 176

200

10

2002

2003

15

15

2004

2005

2006

Total budget, in euro:

557

400 300

19 12

2001

Grundtvig - total, 2001 - 2006 600 500

59 51

60 49

50

2001

86

80

85

26

2006

GRU1 + GRU4

150

100

2005

182 488,00 / 150 325,00 238 956,00 / 210 878,00 245 043,00 / 232 779,00 554 755,00 / 532 611,40 736 881,00 / 682 372,58 921 366,00 / — ? —

130

100

71

submitted applications GRU3

GRU2PV

GRU2

GRU1 +GRU4

approved applications (disbursed grands)

GRU3 - Transnational mobility of adult education staff (individual training grants) GRU2 PV - Preparatory visits to develop Grundtvig projects GRU2 - Learning partnerships GRU1 + GRU4 – European co-operation projects plus Grundtvig networks and thematic seminars (*) Following the European Commission’s decision in 2006/07, after 31 December 2006 the National Agencies could not take selection decisions concerning the funds which remained in the Socrates budget. Thus GR3 applications which were submitted by 31 December 2006 and after that date and GR2PV applications submitted in January 2007 could not be accepted.

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

MINERVA

– INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION

Figure 10: Number of applications involving Polish educational institutions, submitted and approved in a two-stage selection procedure, MINERVA, Transnational Co-operation Projects, 2000-2006 80

75

70

64 57

60

37

40 30

50

49

50

23

19

20

13

10

10

19

16

13 7

2000

6

2001

8

8

16

2002

2003

approved (full-proposal), 1 March

submitted (pre-proposal), 1 November

approved (pre-proposal), 1 November

LINGUA –

16

8

2004

submitted (full-proposal), 1 March

16

15

15

10

8

4

2005

2006

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Figure 11: Number of submitted and approved applications, LINGUA, 1998-2005 39

40 35 30

33

32

31 26

25

21

20

16

14

15 10 5

10

9

9

7

5

7

4

3

1998

1999

submitted projects

2000

2001

2002

2003

2005

2004

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

approved projects

ARION – STUDY VISITS Figure 12: Number of submitted and approved projects, ARION, 2001-2006 Total budget, in euro:

250 207

200 150 100

187

185

152 133

136

79

134

130

135

87 67

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

78 659,00 / 78 907,00 78 219,00 / 67 138,00 98 629,00 / 90 999,00 172 125,00 / 165 489,00 176 447,00 / 167 346,00 184 115,00 / — ? —

submitted applications

50

approved applications

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Source: Foundation for the Development of the Education System

69

EUEU programmes programmes in the area of education and training: useful links

On-going programmes Lifelong Learning Programme: • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.frse.org.pl • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa.eu/ education/programmes/llp/index_en.html • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/llp/ funding_en.htm

70

Erasmus Mundus: • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.frse.org.pl, http://www.erasmusmundus.org.pl • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa.eu/ education/programmes/mundus/index_en.html • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm Tempus (to be extended for the period 2007-2013) •Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.socrates.org.pl, http://

www.frse.org.pl, http://www.tempus.org.pl • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa.eu/ comm/education/programmes/tempus/index_ en.html Youth in Action • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.frse.org.pl, http:// www.mlodziez.org.pl/ • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa.eu/ youth/index_en.html Smaller programmes supporting co-operation between the EU and third countries (Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the US, and countries in Asia and Latin America) for higher education institutions: • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/ programmes_en.html

Programmes closed in 2006 Socrates • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.socrates.org.pl; • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm Leonardo da Vinci • Co-operation Fund, Task Force for Training and Human Resources: http://www.bkkk-cofund. org.pl • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm eLearning • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.socrates.org.pl;

• Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm Jean Monnet • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://europa.eu.int/ comm/education/ajm/index_en.html • Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index.htm Youth • Foundation for the Development of the Education System: http://www.frse.org.pl, http:// www.mlodziez.org.pl/ • European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture: http://ec.europa. eu/youth/index_en.html