D.6

What impact do you expect partnership activities to have on persons (pupils/learners/trainees and staff) and on the participating institutions ?
 * D.6. IMPACT **

Teachers who have participated in the Comenius programme acquire unique abilities and qualities. Realisation of successful projects in the Comenius programme provokes a feeling of being a teacher on a European level. An international project is a challenge for schools. It means hard work but at the same time great benefits. Realisation of the project requires modern equipment which is sometimes impossible to purchase without a Comenius grant. International visits in our schools will make our local community and authority be more actively involved in school life. So far our schools have gained positive recognition because of international collaboration. A new project will enhance our prestige. From an educational point of view, we expect better school results in external examinations. Our project is intended to have a great impact on students who have problems at school. We expect they will improve their reading, linguistic, ICT and intercultural competences. Better examination results may become an important factor in their decision concerning further education. We intend to create a much more supportive and inspiring environment for our students. Some students will have an opportunity to present their “hidden talents” to an international audience which should enhance their self-esteem even if their results in school subjects are modest. The new project will deal with pedagogical issues. We hope it will have a great impact on the staff and their professional development. It should encourage teachers to do some research on a more academic level. Teachers will be more involved into their national programmes of assessment (external exams) as well as into international ones (PISA or PIRLS). The participation in the project will let us observe the lessons of teachers from abroad and conduct lessons in visited schools. Since we are going to use ICT tools, thus our ICT competences will improve. Using English as a communication language will contribute to its improvement. Our colleagues will have an opportunity to practice their linguistic abilities. We will use our native languages during special lessons and in our publication so our students and we will be exposed to less used European languages. Teachers will become familiar with European educational programmes and the procedures for submitting European applications. Successful in a Comenius project they will apply for even more demanding projects. 2439drf