Erasmus+ mobility programs are known for their holistic impact on students, offering them the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills. Through traveling and living in a new environment, students learn to become more independent, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions.
Participating in activities with students from other countries enhances their intercultural communication skills and tolerance towards diversity. These students learn how to relate more easily and collaborate with peers, regardless of linguistic or cultural barriers. By interacting with people from different backgrounds, students develop their ability to understand and accept others’ perspectives and needs, thereby improving their empathy and flexibility in thinking.
Erasmus+ activities encourage students to face new and unexpected challenges, allowing them to develop analytical and creative problem-solving skills. Educational exchanges provide the opportunity to learn in a different educational system, helping students understand and adapt to new methodologies and learning contexts. The adaptation process to a new environment stimulates students to manage their emotions and develop self-regulation, a crucial skill for long-term learning.
The Erasmus+ program frequently integrates technology, providing students with special needs access to digital devices and resources that assist them in communication and learning. During mobility programs, students learn to use technology for daily activities and to adapt more easily to new contexts and requirements.
Erasmus+ often includes language training, helping students acquire new foreign language skills, which facilitates their integration into various educational and social settings. By immersing themselves in a different culture, students with special needs learn to respect and understand cultural differences, developing their intercultural skills. Interaction with students from different countries helps enhance dialogue and cooperation skills, essential aspects in today’s globalized society.
Last school year marked the third year of implementation for the accredited ERASMUS+ project, „Connecting, we grow,” contract number 2023-1-RO01-KA121-SCH-000133580, carried out between 01.06.2023 and 31.08.2024.
Between April 22, 2024 – April 26, 2024, a group mobility with students took place at the „Special Elementary School Poděbrady” in Poděbrady, Czech Republic. Eight students with severe and associated intellectual disabilities from our primary school participated, accompanied by eight accompanying teachers.
During this week, we engaged in various activities organized by the host school under the theme „Earth – Our Common Home.” On the first day, we familiarized ourselves with the school and its facilities, met some of the teachers, and were welcomed in a room specially prepared for our Romanian team. Here, we were greeted with artworks depicting our country—drawings of traditional food, Romanian attire, landmarks, and important buildings. On the same day, we took part in a multicultural dance activity, where we experienced both Czech and Romanian traditional dances together.
The second day of our experience began with a game celebrating „Earth Day.” Our students and some students from the host school received balloons on which they wrote their names for an introductory game, followed by an activity where they used strategically chosen bottle caps in colors representing water, mountains, and hills to create a globe. The activities continued outside the school at an agricultural farm, where students learned about the essential elements sustaining life on our planet: water, air, sunlight, and food. The day concluded with a treasure hunt in Poděbrady Park.
On the third day, we attended an instructive and educational activity where students digitally illustrated the Earth. We then participated in a therapeutic activity—a sensory story session—where students created a world map using various tactile materials. The day ended with a sports activity in the schoolyard, together with Czech students.
The next day began with therapeutic activities, including music therapy, dog therapy, and trampoline therapy. All students from our school participated alongside some students from the host school. Following these activities, we visited a technical high school in Poděbrady, where students were fascinated by the variety of bird, mammal, reptile, and invertebrate models on display.
On the final day of our experience, we engaged in a therapeutic tactile storytelling activity, followed by an event in the host school’s courtyard showcasing a traditional Czech custom marking the end of winter. This event featured traditional Czech and Romanian costumes and dances.
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Authors:
Blăgoi Andreea, profesor psihopedagog
Mănescu Valentina, profesor psihopedagogie specială
Școala Profesională Specială „Sf. Nicolae”, sector 4, București