Checklist

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1) Better think twice

Are you sure you want to set up a school oriented project (SOP)? Be aware of the fact that pupils do not play an important role in this kind of projects. SOPs are merely focused on the level of teachers and heads, and thus more abstract.

2) Define your central theme

In a school oriented project, you always work on a pedagogical or management theme. Choose the central theme of your project very carefully. Make sure it offers you and your school a surplus value.

3) How to find partners?

Search for highly motivated partners and take into account the following tips.

• Your partners must be willing to deal with exactly the same topics as you. Be sure you are on the same wavelength.
• You should be ‘equals’. Everyone should be on the same level. If one school has already a great knowledge about the theme, but for the others it’s completely new, that will cause frustration. It’s all a matter of giving and taking.
• Every partner should have a firm knowledge of the common language you will use. Because of the constant exchange of information, language skills are necessary.
• On top of that, every partner must have the willingness to gather on a regular basis.

Make use of the funds provided by the Comenius preparatory visits, to get to know each other before you set up a project together.

4) Write down the project

Clear goals make good projects. Define your subject in a very concrete way and think of what must be the outcome of the project at the end of the first and the second year. What exactly do you want to investigate, discuss, compare, test,…?
List the milestones of your project. Do this in a detailed way for the first project year. What do you want to achieve? How are you going to do that (method)? In what way will you communicate? And very important: what will be the timing? Be realistic in your planning and opt for quality.

5) The project

A school oriented project exists out of five phases:

1. Diagnosis-phase
Describe the problem or challenge you work on. Every school makes an overview of the challenge you work on and of the ways in which you try to tackle it. So: ‘what is the problem?’ and ‘how do we deal with it?’ are the main questions during this phase.
This way, all partners get a clear view on the challenge in every school. And it gives the opportunity to define and demarcate the theme.

The pupils are not directly involved in a SOP. Though, try to use them as your ‘guinea pigs’.


2. Examination-phase
Once you know exactly what you will examine, you can look for internal and external expertise.

- Internal expertise
An exchange of data and experiences between the partner schools is crucial for a Comenius SOP. Partner schools working next to each other, instead of with each other, can't realise a common project. Regular communication is the magic word for every SDP. ICT is important, but even more effective are the live project meetings. Three during one school year is not exaggerated.

- External expertise
As mentioned above, a SOP is an ideal moment to search for external expertise. Do not stick to education, but also search in companies (human resources department) and all kinds of organisations (cultural, social, environmental, etc.). Try to make them associated partners in your project. Use the expertise in every country for the benefit of all project partners.


3. Development-phase
With the internal and external expertise you search for or create instruments, materials or methods to face the challenge or problem you work on.


4. Implementation-phase
During this phase, you test and evaluate the instruments, materials or methods you created or found during the development-phase.
Here, the partners exchange their experiences. They compare, analyse, adjust and work towards a final product. The process of the project is as important as the product. But: do not forget the product. Every Comenius SOP should end up with a concrete, practical result. This can be a material or immaterial ‘product’. Some examples are a handbook, a brochure, a website or didactical material but also a more democratic decision making process at school, a better communication with parents or an improved school management. No matter what the subject is, the result should always be some kind of improvement.


5. Dissemination / valorisation-phase
Make sure that the results of your project are useful for other schools and disseminate them.