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European Innovative Teaching Award
Project

MLO - Moving and Learning Outside

School: Município de Torres Vedras

MLO - Moving and Learning Outside - Portugal

Topic(s) addressed

  • Inspiring play culture to help the development
  • In harmony with nature and the environment
  • Inclusive and encouraging dialogue across cultures

Target groups

  • 7 partners
  • 5 countries
  • 5 kindergartens

Methodologies

MLO project approached a methodological framework constituted by four approaches:

  • Conceptual- related to the conceptualization of data collection materials and subsequent training activities.
  • Descriptive- related to portraying children’s perceptions and behaviour in the socio-physical environment.
  • Participant- related to the active involvement of teachers and children as active co-researchers in the project.

Environments

  • Making contact and attracting interest outside the project circle, from schools and local universities.
  • Extending activities into a broader local community (e.g. repairing a playground in one of the schools, invitations to conduct training in the other)
  • Endorsing outdoor learning activities while playing NGO in Greece

Teachers

Preschool teachers:

  • emphasised the importance of physical and outdoor activities (despite different weather conditions)
  • applied new methods and tools for outdoor activities
  • increased ability to contribute to the child’s physical and motor, social, emotional and cognitive development
  • raised awareness of the right atmosphere inside and outside the classroom leading to new ways of organizing the school year
  • improved schools curricula
  • developed good rapport with parents and encourage them to be more involved in the school life
  • raised awareness of teamwork developed in a multicultural and multidisciplinary context

Impact

  • Empowering teachers, caretakers and educators to transform their daily practice with children 
  • Providing the preschool and its staff with the necessary tools and skills to improve and Promote playing outdoors 
  • Promoting a better and healthier lifestyle for the children 
  • Contributing to preventing early school leaving and improving children’s future academic results
Project category
Early childhood education and care
Project year
2022

Stakeholders

Coordinators

Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (University of Lisbon), Lisbon

Address
Portugal

AE Madeira Torres – JI/EB Conquinha, Torres Vedras

Address
Portugal

NGO Playing, Athens

Address
Greece

Queen Maud University, Trondheim

Address
Norway

Kindergarden Naba, Tallinn

Address
Estonia

Kindergarden Matije Gupka, Zagreb

Address
Croatia