the project

Within this asociation we are going to think about the basis that motivate the last changes in education in whole Europe, and how we could take the best advantages of it. Behind these changes we believe there is a reflection about how intelligence is built up along our lives. Although there are several cientific studies about this issue we will focus on just two theories.

We want to relate different aspects of cognoscitive development taking into account the theory of multiple intelligences by Howard Gardner (Pennsylvania, 1943) and the key competences (Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 18 December 2006).

About the key competences:

The key competences are those skills, combined with attitudes and knowledge that allow us to learn along our lives and gives us the chance for a fulfilled life.

The European Union differentiates eight:

1. Communication in mother tongue.

2. Communication in foreign languages.

3. Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology.

4. Digital competence.

5. Learning to learn.

6. Social and civic competences.

7. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.

8. Cultural awareness and expression.

In the Region of Castilla La-Mancha (Spain) there is one more, the ninth: Emotional

competence.

Working with key competences in mind means that the challenge is how to put students and all people into a way of permanent learning, because this is the base of a competitive Europe for a world in an everlasting change.

About Howard Gardnerʼs approach to intelligence development:

Howard Gardner works for the University of Harvard with the Project Zero since 1967 (http://www.pz.harvard.edu/index.cfm). His ideas about intelligence as a collection of potentialities that completes each other are so up to date that we felt they are a path with green ideas to refresh our concept of education. At least, this proposal is a good basis for a fruitful debate. The eight intelligences he proposes are:

1. Linguistic.

2. Logical-mathematical.

3. Musical.

4. Spatial.

5. Bodily-kinesthetic.

6. Interpersonal.

7. Intrapersonal.

8. Naturalist.

 And the 9th (or as he says: the 8 ½): existential.

The question here is how to prepare minds for the future. He suggests five aspects:

1. The disciplined mind masters bodies of knowledge and skill.

2. The synthesizing mind decides what is most important and puts knowledge together in powerful ways.

3. The creative mind ventures regularly into new, unexplored territory.

4. The respectful mind prizes diversity and tries to work effectively with individuals of all background.

5. The ethical mind proceeds from principles. It seeks to act in ways that serve the wider society.

The connection:

As teachers we see that both ways of understanding education are complementary and focus on similar aspects. We want to enrich the possibilities of our day by day by reflecting on the possibilities we get creating a strong connection through activities, tasks and cooperation.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY

1. To find a social purpose of the educative tasks.
2. To connect schools with foreign associations or educative institutions.
3. To intensify the developments of key competences with a wider view. This means to get the big picture of educative structures and possibilities of development.
4. To give a European dimension to activities that are already running in all schools involved in the project.
5. To use ICTs with the web 2.0 (Social nets and press media –TV. Radio and newspaper-).

Subjects and problems:
This is a multidisciplinar project. It means that to reach the expected goals we need to involve all kind of subjects.
Schools must find social problems connected to the subject we are working in and propose/dynamize solutions to it. This connects necessarily the project with the whole community (not only the school).

Strategy:
We intend to work throughout the school year with several activities. Each school will adapt the proposed ones to its own situation. We will use the twin-space (in e-twinning) to share the materials and to follow up the timetable clearly and efficiently. The students will have the chance to contact there and to upload their own works.

Evaluation:
Progressive evaluation will help us to improve and solve problems. It will attend to two important aspects: how the project is going on and the European dimension the community is achieving.
Visits will help us to go deeply into each aspect of intelligence, and to share the previous experience alive.
Facebook will help us for the social purposes, encouraging people to join us and to participate (not only educative community).
Scholar TV/radio or newspaper will be carried out to compile, evaluate and share the experiences by students for students and others.
Multiconference (using Skype) will help us to keep on with the needed motivation (specially for students) and to match better the students for the visits (specially for families).