Cooperation among schools Part four – Best practises from schools (at international level) Realized by MIHAI MADALINA – TEACHER AT SCHOOL NO.4 – RM. VALCEA MARANDICI TATIANA – TEACHER AT “C.N. MIRCEA CEL BATRAN”-RM. VALCEA

SCHOOL NR.4 RM. VALCEA COLLEGE “JOSEPH DELTEIL” ROMANIA LIMOUX - FRANCE SOCRATES – COMENIUS 1 “WATER-THE GOLD OF TOMORROW” THIS PROJECT WAS REALISED WITH THE HELP OF A.N.P.C.D.E.F.P. - BUCHAREST

PARTICIPANTS 22 FRENCH STUDENTS FROM 13 TO 14 YEARS OLD; 22 ROMANIAN STUDENTS FROM 13 TO 14 YEARS OLD; 16 TEACHERS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL FROM ROMANIA AND FRANCE - GEOGRAPHY, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHISICS, ENGLISH, FRENCH, MATHEMATICS AREAS; THE LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS; PARENTS; LANGUAGES USED – FRENCH AND ENGLISH.

OBJECTIVES TO INCREASE THE MOTIVATION OF THE TARGET GROUP CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER RESOURCES IN OUR LIFE AND FOR FUTURE; TO EDUCATE THE STUDENTS AND THE COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO MANAGE AND TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT; TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ AND TEACHERS’ COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND CAPACITY TO WORK IN A TEAM; TO DEVELOP STUDENTS’ CAPACITY TO USE IT – TOOLS AND TO SYNTHETIZE THE INFORMATION; TO MAKE CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS BETWEEN OTHER SUBJECTS (BIOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, CHEMISTRY, PHISICS, MATHEMATICS); TO IMPROVE TEACHERS’ CAPACITY TO LEARN AND TO USE MODERN PEDAGOGICAL METHODS; TO PROMOTE FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE TO PROMOTE THE CIVIC ATTITUDE IN EUROPEAN CONTEXT.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT PUPILS HAD TO DO A COMPARISON BETWEEN TWO RIVERS: THE OLT RIVER (ROMANIA) AND THE AUDE RIVER (FRANCE). THESE RIVERS ARE USED DIFFERENTTLY THE AUDE RIVER - FOR SPORT ACTIVITIES, FOR HYDROELECTRICITY AND TOURIST ACTIVITIES; THE OLT RIVER - FOR HYDROELECTRICITY AND HYDROTHERAPY; THERE WERE 7 WORK TEAMS AND THEY HAD 7 THEMS FOR RESEARCH: –1. THE CYCLE OF WATER; –2. SUBSOIL WATERS; –3. WATER TREATMENT WORN; –4.USE OF WATER AND CONSUMPTION; –5. POLLUTION; –6. THE EUROPEAN LEGISLATION; –7. A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE AUDE AND THE OLT.

THE FINAL PRODUCTS WEB-SITE – 2 EXHIBITIONS WITH POSTERS REALISED BY THE ROMANIAN AND FRENCH STUDENTS; BROCHURES IN ROMANIAN,ENGLISH AND FRENCH WHICH WERE DISTRIBUTED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL; A MODEL WITH THE CYCLE OF WATER (THE FRENCH STUDENTS); A MODEL WITH THE HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATIONS WHICH ARE IN VALCEA DISTRICT (THE ROMANIAN STUDENTS); QUESTIONNAIRES ABOUT WATER CONSUMPTION.

CROSS-CURRICULAR APPROCH EXAMPLES OF THE TASKS THE PRESENTATION OF THE CYCLE OF WATER AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR LIFE (GEOGRAPHY, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY); THE PRESENTATION OF THE EXHIBITION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL( GEOGRAPHY, BIOLOGY, DRAWING); THE PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL (THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY SYMPOSIUM IN BUCHAREST – 2007, DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUMS); DIFFERENT ARTICLES WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPERS OR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY MAGAZINES; THE QUESTIONAIRE WAS DISTRIBUTED AT 100 STUDENTS (MATHEMATICS);

COMMUNICATION WE HAD 2 VISITS OF DOCUMENTATION – THE FIRST WAS IN 2005 IN FRANCE AND THE SECOND VISIT WAS IN 2006 IN ROMANIA; DURING THE FIRST VISIT THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS DISCUSSED OVER THE MAIN POINTS OF THE PROJECT; AT THE END OF THE SECOND VISIT, THE BOTH PARTENERS WERE INVOLVED IN ORGANISING THE EXHIBITION IN ROMANIA; BETWEEN THESE VISITS THE COMMUNICATION WAS MADE VIA , OR USING THE TELEPHONE.

HOW ACHIEVED THE EXHIBITION THE POSTERS WERE REALISED BY EACH WORK TEAM ; THEY HAD TO COLLECT THEIR MATERIALS – PHOTOS, TEXTS, DRAWINGS, PICTURES AND PUT THEM ON BIG CARDBOARDS; EACH TEAM HAD TO REALISE 2 POSTERS – THEIR POSTER AND THEIR CORRESPONDENTS TEAM POSTER; THE MATERIALS WERE SENT BY POST AND THEY WROTE THEIR INSTRUCTIONS ( HOW TO STICK THEM ) ON PAPERS..

STRENGTH POINTS BOTH ROMANIAN AND FRENCH TEACHERS HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE 1991; UNTIL 2004 THEY HAD DEVELOPPED 5 CULTURAL EXCHANGES AND 1 SOCRATES - COMENIUS PROJECT – “EUROPAMI” – ; THE TEACHERS HAD THE SUPPORT OF THEIR MANAGERS, PARENTS, COMMUNITIES; STUDENTS HAD ABBILITIES IN USING FRENCH AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES AND THEY COULD USE THE IT – TOOLS; THEIR DESIRE TO DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT WATER;

WEAKNESS POINTS THE ROMANIAN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAD TO WORK DURING THEIR SPARE TIME, EVEN IN WEEK-ENDS AND HOLIDAYS; THE COMMUNICATION WAS MADE BY AND THE STUDENTS DIDN’T ANSWER ALWAYS IN TIME;

THE OLT RIVER CALIMANESTI – THE HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION

THE PURIFY STATION THE STAN VALLEY

THE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

THE LOTRU VALLEY CIUNGET POWER STATION

INSIDE THE HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION- CIUNGET

THE AUDE RIVER

THE AUDE LOCK

THE LOCK FILL WITH WATER

THE PARK OF LIMOUX

“SEARCHING FOR THE BEASTS”

PREPARING THE EXHIBITION

THE BROCHURE

ROMANIA-FRANCE

THE DANCING EVENING

“ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL”