Literary Heroes

This project was conceived in the context of a recognition by the participating schools of a need to boost literacy and strengthen its status in their curricula. The EU journal (2012) states that “1.1 million 15-year-olds (i.e. one-in-five) have inadequate literacy levels” and identifies literacy as “the gateway to all further learning”. Taking this as our rationale, the participants developed the project under four literacy pillars with the following aims in mind: to boost literacy and creative writing; to consider different forms of literacy (literal, visual, digital, audio-visual) and incorporate them into the project; to gain an insight and understanding of their own local and international literary figures; to transfer skills and knowledge gained to peer groups; and to enhance teachers' competences through workshops and training.Five institutions took part in the project: Herzog-Christian-August-Gymnasium, Germany; Zespół Szkół Miejskich nr 1, Poland; IES Ramón Giraldo, Spain; Borrisokane Community College, Ireland and Sel kommune - Otta ungdomsskole, Norway. All schools are based in rural areas within their countries and all have a diverse range of students, some from economically disadvantaged families.During the various mobilities participating students took part in workshops as follows: Pillar 1 Literal Literacy: Norway: Into the storytelling mood; Creating a story; Polishing the writingPillar 2 Digital Literacy: Poland: Creative Writing; Web two Zero applicationsPillar 3 Visual Literacy: Spain: Creative Art and Drawing workshopsPillar 4 Audio-Visual Literacy: Ireland: Drama and Film Editing workshopsFurther details regarding the above workshops were included in the accompanying Teacher’s Manual.The aim of these workshops was to enable students to write a story about their local literary hero which also incorporated the literary heroes from all the other countries. At the final mobility in Germany, participating schools then presented parts of their story using elements of the different media skills acquired during the previous four pillars. These presentations were performed in various locations throughout the town of Sulzbach-Rosenburg, Germany thus ensuring local support for and involvement in the project.The results of the project include a number of different products which reflect the work carried out during the project and the newly acquired skills of the students. A teacher’s training manual was produced which documents the activities conducted during the various workshops outlined above. This manual combines the hands-on experience of teachers involved in the workshop with theoretical ideas about literacy teaching. The manual’s effectiveness is enhanced by the input of teachers from diverse cultural and pedagogical backgrounds and its dissemination among teachers within each school will ensure that the legacy of the project in terms of its promotion of literacy will continue long after the project has finished.A booklet of Glossary was also produced. The booklet was useful when travelling on the different mobilities and contained words and day-to-day phrases for each country. The glossary was distributed to participating students as a paper copy and also published online.Another product of the project was the common logo. It was our belief that a common logo would strengthen the sense of community of all participants and would symbolise cooperation and a sense of identification. The art departments of each school presented the requirements of the common logo to all members of their schools. In this way each student had the chance to contribute to the project. Students voted for their favourite logo which was used throughout the project for a huge variety of purposes (e.g. as letterhead, posters, website, t-shirts, final book etc.). The stories from each school were made visible throughout the project visits. Readings were organised which presented the latest version of each story. The final stories were then published in a paper book which was given to each participating student and school. The e-book to accompany the paper version of the book has not been completed in time for this report but is ongoing and will be completed in the current school year.A website was created which details all the activities, workshops and stories: https://elainelinehan.wixsite.com/literaryheroesThe impact of this project has been felt at many levels. Firstly, for the countries involved, participation in the project has been vital in developing new literacy strategies at a school level. Secondly, the participating schools' reputations have improved, through the establishment and strengthening of ties with other Europeans institutions. Finally, the local communities have benefited from students' researching their local traditions, re-imagining and re-vitalizing them through creative writing and learning about the importance of self-identity and place while at the same time being European.