The ’To-Gather’ project is about the design of an own identity by young people in Europe. It is a cross-european education project, which aims to make it possible for young people to organize informational overload and thus understand reality better, while gathering, playing and exchanging knowledge at the same time.
The project is a reaction on the changing present times and a ‘preflection’ or a pre-action on the future. By offering multilevel and creative learning styles, it enables young people to learn in »their« own way and thus creatively develop their own knowledge-based, problem-solving, communicative, active and reflective identity in multicultural Europe. Equipped with interdisciplinary knowledge, interactive technologies and insights into the identity characteristics of other people, young people are better prepared and feel co-responsible for dynamic changes of the future. Each learner may learn in his own way, focusing on himself and the other.
The “To-Gather” project is based on knowledge from different disciplines and multi-perspectivistic information. Since 2005 it develops five diverse learning routes, and created particularly for pupils’ and students’ needs and capabilities in various age groups from 3 to 25 years. Learning routes combine theoretical and practical, interactive individual and cooperative learning. They are constructed around various themes that are meaningful to various age groups.
The project also offers introduction courses into “To-Gather” concepts, interdisciplinary knowledge and didactic methods for teachers and after February 2009 an international minor ‘Your identity in Europe’ for students from all over the world. .
The ‘To-Gather’ project uses aesthetical ways of learning and identity building. The main didactical tools are music, drama, poetry, film, photography, painting and design. Especially music as a sense opener, a source of knowledge, a problem-solver or a way of communication. Also creation, presentation and reflection of music plays a central part in the project. The project follows five learning routes or themes:
The choice of the themes is inspired by the book ‘Atlas of European values’ of the University of Tilburg (Netherlands) and experiences in several European projects..
Each thematic route is designed using 7 steps to stimulate system-thinking, because all the steps are linked. Each step is a step through the ‘multiple society’ and also a phase in the learning process. In each step there is enough space for the learner and the teacher to be flexible and creative. Therefore didactics are synchronised with network society and young people.
From November 1st 2005 until July 2009 the project “To-Gather” is designed and tested at primary, secondary and higher education in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Riga (Latvia), Haslev (Denmark), Porto, Lisbon and Coimbra (Portugal), Eindhoven, Den Bosch and Groningen (Netherlands) under the Comenius 2.1 program. Other partners of the project are: Amnesty International, the Humanistic League and professors such as Howard Gardner, Fred Korthagen and musicians such as Scanner from England, Katalena and The Stroj from Slovenia, Loreena McKennitt, the rapper André Accord, the rock-band VanderLinde and The Gathering and many others to join. With the help of Amnesty International we hope to get permission to use music of U2, REM and Greenday.
The ‘To-Gather’ project was officially set up by the School of Education, Hanze University Groningen.
A European conference will be organised at the closure of the first phase of the project on 9-11- 2009 at School for the Future in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.
For further information on the “To-Gather” project or if you are interested in possibilities for educational improvements and innovations in your own class, school or institution, please send the booking form to:
School of Education
Tel. to 0031-(0)50-5953557
Fax to 0031-(0)50) 5710634
or e-mail directly to: g.h.de.vries@pl.hanze.nl
