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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