Winning ideas for Erasmus+ KA1 projects

Yesterday I received a question in my inbox: Blanka, thank you for your e-book. Do you have a winning idea for the next KA1 deadline?

The winning idea has roots in your school needs. Always! However, it is important to communicate your idea in the KA1 application form using Erasmus+ language. In the process of writing your application see:
1. Erasmus+ programme priorities and
2. national priorities of your national agency.

Then think, how can you present your idea through the lens of those priorities.

Here are the 2020 Erasmus+ priorities for school education (from 2020 annual work programme, p. 43):

• Reinforcing the development of key competences: cross-curricular collaboration, creativity and innovative learning approaches and environments, cooperating with stakeholders in local communities and abroad, supporting teachers in delivering competence based teaching and developing assessment and validation of key competences.
• Strengthening the profile of the teaching professions, including teachers, school leaders and teacher educators, for example by: making careers more attractive and diverse; strengthening selection, recruitment and evaluations (models of staff appraisal, assessment and feedback); enhancing teachers’ initial education and continuous professional development and linking its different phases; facilitating and significantly increasing teacher mobility, including by overcoming remaining obstacles; supporting teachers in developing innovative teaching and assessment methods, especially to promote competence-oriented teaching and learning; strengthening leadership in education, including distributed leadership and teacher leadership.
• Promoting a comprehensive approach to language teaching and learning, building on the increasing linguistic diversity in schools, for example by: encouraging early language learning and awareness; developing bilingual teaching options, especially for border regions and/or in areas where inhabitants use more than one language; mainstreaming the use of new technologies to support language learning; supporting the integration of the language dimension across the curricula; focusing on reaching adequate competence levels by the end of compulsory education; promoting the creation of language aware schools.
• Increasing the levels of achievement and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM): promoting effective and innovative pedagogies and assessment; promoting the STE(A)M approach to education through interdisciplinary teaching of STEM in cultural, environmental, economic, design and other contexts, with the involvement of all academic disciplines. 
• Tackling early school leaving and disadvantage, enabling success for all learners, including children with a migrant background: strengthening collaboration among all actors within schools, as well as with families, and other external stakeholders; improving transitions between different stages of education; fostering preventive and early intervention approaches; supporting networking of schools which promote collaborative and holistic approaches to teaching and learning; improving evaluation and quality assurance. 
• Developing high quality early childhood education and care systems: supporting initial and continuing professional development of all staff involved in organising, leading and providing early childhood education and care.
• Building capacity for promoting and facilitating recognition of learning periods abroad. 
• Developing strong quality assurance systems to achieve high-quality inclusive education.