Ivan Vazov High School is a centre school in the municipality of Varshets. It was chosen as an Innovative school in 2017-2018. About 650 students from grade 1 to grade 12 attend it. The students attend general education classes, after grade 7 they can choose between Foreign languages classes with English, Information Technology classes or Professional classes teaching Operative accounting, Technician–landscaper and Shop-assistant–consultant or general classes. About 62 percent of our students are of Roma origin, which requires special approaches in their education, integration and motivation.
Our main priorities are improving the quality of education, more effective learning of foreign languages and enhancing the teachers’ qualifications, teaching subjects in English, more active use of ICT and innovative methods in the classroom.
The school’s European development plan identifies staff mobility training as a priority.
Our main goal is improving the quality of teaching and motivating teachers’ career development.
Planned activities:
1. ICT Course: Audiovisuals and Social Media for the Classroom – 2 mobilities (Europass)- aimed at introducing new interactive techniques and methods of teaching, and the safe use of new audiovisuals and the social media in the educational process.
2. 21 st century Teaching: competence–based education, soft–skills and creativity–2 mobilities (Europass)-aimed at the exploration of topics and practical ideas connected with problem-solving, collaboration, communication, critical and creative thinking. It also offers the essential for us theoretical and practical skills related to project-based learning and “flipped classroom”.
3. Theory and Practice of CLIL–2 mobilities (Alpha College of English). The aim of the course is our teachers to acquire knowledge how to teach subjects in English in our Foreign language classes and Professional classes.
4. Structured Educational Visit to Schools/Institutes and Training Seminar in Sweden–2 mobilities (English Matters). The aim of the course is our headmistress and psychologist to visit organizations and see how the successful methods of the Swedish educational system are applied in practice and to adapt them to our reality.
Expected project results:
1. 8 completed training mobilities and 8 certificates received.
2. 8 portfolios and 8 follow-up reports submitted.
3. Brochures and “Open lessons” pointing out the main benefits from the courses and their practical application.
4. Promoting the project in a seminar and in front of the Public Council.
5. Filming a movie about the project, both in Bulgarian and English, and uploading it to youtube.
6. Sharing the gained experience at teachers’ meetings organized by the foreign language expert at the Regional Inspectorate of Education–Montana with colleagues from the whole region.
7. Making a presentation about the project and uploading it to the school’s website.
8. Publication in the local newspaper “Varshets” about the significance and benefits of the project.
9. Information boards with accents and results from the participation in the courses will be hung in the two buildings of the school and the foyer of the City Hall.
Methodology of project implementation:
1. Analysis of the needs of the school and the teachers’ professional development plan.
2. Implementation and supervision of the mobility.
3. Dissemination and analysis of the achieved results.
Impact:
Influence on the teachers – professional and personal elevation, enhancing their English skills, increasing their professional motivation and confidence, improving their ability to work with new technologies, soft skills and competences, project-based learning, flipped classroom; receiving a qualification for teaching subjects in English; getting acquainted with the Swedish educational system.
Influence on the organisation- increasing the quality of education, modernization of the teaching methods, application of new information technologies and using new platforms in the classroom; applying the project-based and interdisciplinary methods of education which will help us develop as an Innovative school.
Influence on the students- the new audiovisuals, mobile applications and modern educational methods will motivate students to learn effectively. The increase of their personal motivation will build their tolerance in the existing multi-ethnic environment and thus form their active citizen position.
The mobility implementation will raise the teachers’ level of key competencies, broaden their contacts, modernise the teaching methods, widen the application of ICT, new educational platforms and methods of teaching.
The potential long-term effects of our participation in the “Erasmus+” program are: promoting the school’s prestige, increase in the quality of education, initiating a long-term international cooperation. This program will meet the evolving needs of social, cultural and linguistic diversity of learning environments.
Erasmus + 