Through the EUCLASS Alliance project, students from Estonia, Spain, and Finland are discovering that learning about the European Union isn’t just about facts and figures—it’s about finding their voice and values.
pictures taken from Taavi Tuisk during the piloting activites at Kuressaare Ametikool
At Kuressaare Ametikool in Estonia, students engaged in interactive lessons combining Kahoot quizzes, Erasmus+ videos, and moving debates about European values. Students physically position themselves along an imaginary line representing a spectrum from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” in response to provocative questions: “Do you feel European?” or ” do you believe the voting age should start at 16?” “o you think the EU is democratic?”. The physical movement combined with the expectation to articulate and defend positions created genuine engagement.
Meanwhile, at Centro San Viator in Spain, a different kind of breakthrough happened. The vet center participated in an online exchange with Luovi Vocational School in Finland. Many of the Spanish students had internalized negative narratives about their abilities, particularly regarding English language skills. They had grown up hearing they were “not good at school” and especially that they “don’t know English.”
pictures taken from Ane Ruiloba during the piloting activites at Centro San Viator
During the meeting somenthig change. The students were excited, they spoke in English. They stopped seeing themselves as “students who can’t” and started seeing themselves as young people who can communicate, who can connect, who have voices that reach beyond their classroom walls.
This pedagogical approaches are also very transferable. The Estonian lesson plan can be adapted to different contexts, languages, and topics. The Spanish experience demonstrates that even simple online exchanges, when thoughtfully facilitated, can create profound shifts in student self-perception. Both interventions required relatively modest resources but produced significant impact on student engagement and confidence.
Authors:
- Taavi Tuisk – Public Relations Manager at Kuressaare Ametikool for the infos from Kuressaare Ametikool
- Ane Ruiloba – Teacher and member of International Department at Centro San Viator for the infos from Centro San Viator
- Beatrice Dusi – Communication manager at ENAC Ente Nazionale Canossiano ets for infos Euclass alliance project
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