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V. 2. Working with texts

2.1. Project types

Insert the following words into the text. There is one extra word: outcomes, complex, classroom, costly, management, classified,  scope, projects, simple.

In general projects can be (1)  by different characteristics. By project (2)  there are for example construction projects (a new library building), research projects  (developing new plant species, new curriculum), reengineering projects (new system of telephone numbering), procurement projects  (outsourcing cleaning services) and business implementation projects (e-commerce).  By project (3)  styles there are bottom-up projects, initiated and managed by the team members. There are top-down projects as well; they are usually (4)  projects and a project management team is responsible for the whole project. By project (5)  there are local, regional, national and international projects. By their complexity there are simple projects, complex projects and megaprojects with extremely large-scale and (6)  investments.

Projects in education are usually (7)  bottom-up projects.  Sometimes they can be related to a school-subject, but most often they are cross-curricular. There are  (8)  projects, and projects done at locations other than the school.

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2.2. Key agencies of the European Union. The ERASMUS +

Read the following text and answer the questions below it.

Key agencies of the European Union. The European project types

The European Parliament, The Council of the EU and the European Commission represent the EU’s three key institutions.  Sometimes they are called the ’institutional triangle’ of the EU. From the point of view of project work it is the European Commission that plays the most important role. EACEA is an abbreviation for The Education, Audo-Visual and Culture Executive Agency, an organization within the European Commission. This agency was founded in 2006 and it is located in Brussels, Belgium. The EACEA is responsible for programmes in the field of education, youth, culture, citizenship and audiovisual development.  Programmes managed by the Agency include

- ERASMUS + : The new Erasmus+ programme aims to support actions in the fields of Education, Training, Youth and Sport for the period 2014-2020. Parts of the ERASMUS + are as follows:  Key Action 1, Key Action 2, Key Action 3, Jean Monnet programme and Sports Programme. Key Action 1 aims to support individual mobility, while Key Action 2 promotes cooperation for innovation and good practices. Key Action 3 offers support to policy reforms. The Jean Monnet programme, named after a French economist and diplomat, is to support studies and research on European integration, while the new Sports programme promotes the European dimension in the area of sports.
- Creative Europe: it aims to support the European audiovisual, cultural and creative sector.
- Europe for Citizens: it aims to contribute to citizen’s understanding of the EU, its history and diversity. This project type is also to encourage citizens’ participation in democratic processes.
- EU Aid Volunteers: this project type will bring volunteers and organizations from different countries together to work in common projects.
- Eurydice network: It supports European cooperation in the field of lifelong learning by providing information, statistics and facts on European education systems and policies.

1. What institutions make up the ’institutional triangle’ of the EU?

2. Which institution and which agency are important for project work?

3. What do you know about EACEA? What is it responsible for?

4. What are the aims of the new ERASMUS+  programme?

5. What sub-programmes does it have?

6. What is the aim of the programme Creative Europe?

7. What is the aim of the programme Europe for Citizens?

8. Who can participate in the programme EU AID Volunteers?

9. What network helps to retrieve data on European education?

10. Which is the newest project type in Europe?

2.3. The Eurydice network

Its task is to help understand how Europe’s different education systems are organized and how they work. The education systems of 37 countries are explained. It has passages on national systems of education, offers a comparative study of specific topics and provides researchers with statistical figures.

Study the EURYDICE website. Choose one country and present your findings to your class.    

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Main_Page