"The ""Working Together"" project involved four schools which differed in size, location and technical equipment. Equally different were the teachers in terms of their skills and students and their families in terms of their social and socio-economic backgrounds. This diversity in the age of the digital revolution represents both, one of the greatest challenges and one of the greatest opportunities for teachers, students and their parents. That is why it was so important for us to develop, through intercultural exchange, a sense of European citizenship that leaves no room for intolerance and racism. We also understood the acquisition of 21st century skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication) and social competences (autonomy, responsibility, leadership, empathy, teamwork, self-confidence) as well as the acquisition of digital skills as a prerequisite for personal development and successful professional progress. In teaching these skills and competencies, we considered innovative teaching practices in a student-centered approach to be particularly effective. Within this project, cooperative learning, problem-based learning and project-based learning were applied. Students exchanged information on cultural and traditional aspects (e.g. national symbols, food, holidays/festivals, music and dance, games) in the activities carried out. The pupils created their own digital presentations and videos, digital games and eBooks about feelings, recipes and as a dictionary. During the Learning Teaching and Training Activities, workshops were held on various digital applications (e.g. www.bookcreator.com, www.thinglink.com, www.learningapps.org) and coding. New methods such as BreakoutEDU games and Geocaching were also tested. In the course of the project, the ""working together"" became a ""learning and developing together"", because the effect on the teachers, pupils, parents and institutions involved could be clearly observed. So all participants developed a greater understanding of other cultures, which was accompanied by a greater sense of belonging to Europe. In addition, both teachers and pupils improved their digital competences, which was reflected in an independent and fluent handling of digital applications. Students learned to work together creatively, cooperatively and communicatively, showing a high degree of autonomy and responsibility for their learning process and empathy for their fellow students. As the participating institutions also recognised the importance of such projects and integrated content aspects of the project into their school curriculum and plan to participate in further projects, the idea of collaborative work will continue after the project and teachers, students and their parents will benefit from it in the future."

In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has resulted in reduced access to the outdoors for children due to different factors, including technological advances leading to more sedentary activities. There is evidence that increased physical activity is associated with improved brain structure and function in children. Therefore, we believe outdoor education for everyone, in an inclusive environment, is fundamental for children’s learning.However, technology has a positive benefit as well, and we want to teach the students to incorporate it into their lives in a healthier way.In addition, cooperative learning should play a significant role in our schools, since it helps provide experiences that develop both good learning and social skills. It helps to build positive relationships among students, which is important for creating a learning community that values diversity.Our project LO-VE will promote inclusive education, counteract students’ sedentary lifestyle while promoting positive use of technology, and make a long term and more vivid impression on their learning through the use of international, outdoor education. Our main objectives are:-Foster social inclusion through innovative and cooperative methods. -Make learning outdoors an integral part of daily learning activities.-Share this experience with other countries in order to build international connections.-Teach the students how to use technologies wisely.-Train teachers in innovative methodologies.We are six schools from Spain, Finland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Portugal.The groups who will take part in this project are: 1650 pupils from 6 to 15 years old, with 92 students from 10 to 15 years old attending the short-term international exchanges; 100 teachers per school, including tutors, English, and ICT teachers; families; and local authorities.We will include the following activities:·Outdoor gymkhanas based on problem-solving learning. ·Workshops, including yoga and meditation in nature, gardening and photography.·Outdoor projects using Phenomenon and Project Based Learning (PBL): student will research their environment, process the information, and share it with project partners. Examples of products are touristic guides and video documentaries.·Performances, which will be carried out during the meetings.·Outdoor assemblies about project topics.·An international club (eTwinning) that will help build international connections.There will be transnational learning meetings, where we will develop many of the activities listed above. Host schools will also offer teachers teaching observing, good practices exchange and training about innovative methodologies.Teachers will design different materials for the project, the final product being the LO-VE book: a compilation of outdoor activities grouped by competencies carried out throughout the two-year project.By actively taking part in many of our activities, all families will be given the chance to be involved in their children's education.We will use many innovative methodologies and tools focused on inclusion, including PBL, cooperative learning, gamification, and ICT, so they can offer a high quality education that compensates for social inequalities.Students will use cooperative learning strategies and the project will share the same approach establishing norms and protocols that allows teachers to: contribute, help and encourage each other, share, solve problems and give and accept feedback.The results and impact envisaged are:-Students will: have learnt to use technologies wisely, be able to work in teams, spend more time outside, have built international connections, and have developed the key competencies, particularly the social competence. -Teachers will be more knowledgeable and satisfied with their jobs: they will be able to implement innovative methodologies thus provide a higher quality education.-Families will become more involved in school education. They will be aware of the sedentary lifestyle risks and the importance of spending time outdoors.This project will promote long-term benefits, since:-Both students and teachers will make life-long friends, develop deeper understanding of other cultures and school systems.-Teachers will be able to offer modern methodologies and thus influencing new student generations. -Our schools will become sharing environments where teachers, students and families regardless their social background will be able to work together towards a common goal: the welfare of children.Why LO-VE? Because we know that when children have time to play outside they develop all of the basic skills that people everywhere must acquire: physical, social, emotional, and constructive skills, creativity and logic. Why LO-VE? Because sharing experiences with people from all around the world makes the moment more intense and memorable and helps forge emotional connections that transcend all barriers.