European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

230 EUROPEAN IDENTITY. INDIVIDUAL, GROUP AND SOCIETYA school or several schools which know that there pedagogicalproject and their school plan is supported by members of the learningcommunity (composed of both the limited school community and thelarger local community) will be much more motivated to investthemselves in the activities of the school. Moreover, they will feel thattheir project and plan is part of the whole local community and of thelearning community. this will also strengthen the cohesion of theeducational and pedagogical teams.A coherent team is created starting from an open and criticaldiscussion on the pedagogical project and the school plan. During thisdiscussion each member of the educational community can adhere tothe project and plan taking into account his or her own means andpossibilities. The adhesion to the plan or project has to be seen asgradual and subject to evolution enabling members of the pedagogicaland local community to adhere progressively to the activities of thelearning community.A coherent team, showing and feeling solidarity, is developedthrough regular exchanges, through intense team co-operationthrough listening to one another and through availability for oneanother. The cohesion of an educational team linked to the stability ofan educational team over several years are the most importantelements to develop in the school a climate and pedagogical culturewhich contributes to quality education focusing on active citizenshipand employability which we mentioned earlier.A coherent and stable team is a major factor to implementpedagogical strategies to cope with certain challenges and certainproblems in the school. Thus such a team is vital to implementstrategies to set up active citizenship activities, to cope with violence inits diversity of forms, to work on racism and xenophobia and to enableevery member of the school community to develop his or her potentialfully.The constant and conscious search for quality: assessmentand self-assessmentAny school that wants to become a veritable learning communitywill insist on quality education: education that allows youths, on thebasis of their personal abilities and knowledge, to gain the necessarycompetences, skills and attitudes to become active citizens and criticalprofessionals in a local, regional, national, European or world-widecontext. The concern for quality through self-evaluation is at the heart