Report
1st Transnational Workshop
“ Drama and ancient Greek theatre workshops with elements of music and art”
project code : 2016-1-PL01-KA219-026076_4
for the project
“Through artistic abilities to developed basic skills”
21.11.2016 - 28.11.2016
at 1st Primary School of Schimatari, Viotia, Greece
the participating schools:
Gimnazjum im. Ks. Jana Twardowskiego w Zespole Szkół w Rozogach, Poland
Osnovna škola Darda, Croatia
Osnovna šola Toma Brejca, Kamnik, Slovenia
The aim of the workshop was for pupils and teachers of the four participating schools to acquire knowledge of how the ancient Greek theatre was built, get in contact with the Greek drama, music and art relevant to it, get to know the Greek civilisation, our traditions and customs through their involvement to the presentation of Aristophanes’ comedy “The birds”. Pupils were going to work in teams of drama, music - dance , art and develop 21st century skills such as collaboration, decision making, responsibility of their learning, build their confidence and being able to present their final product in front of the local authorities, their teachers and schoolmates. An activity that was led according to the schedule of the project as one of the ways of achieving the project goals.
Day 1 (Monday, November 21st 2016)
- In the morning teachers and pupils from Poland, Slovenia and Croatia met with the Head Teacher of the hosting school and were introduced to the Greek teachers. Talking about the aims of the project and discussing the process of the workshop.
- The host school welcomed the guest by presenting folk dances and singing traditional songs.
- Meeting with the Major of Schimatari, talking about the project and how the municipality can and will be involved in the project. Exchanging gifts with the teachers of the European visiting schools. The Major offered the teachers and visiting pupils as well as four representatives from the hosting school a dinner at a nearby restaurant so that we all taste some local delights and local cuisine.
- After lunch the visiting pupils and teachers attended the video - presentation the pupils of the 6th grade of the hosting school had prepared and then all students got to know the play the were going to work on and took part in the integration games in the school theatre. After that we visited a Local Athletics Centre and spend some time learning traditional Greek dances under the guidance of the Athletics teacher Ms. Elen Alexaki.
Day 2 ( Tuesday , November 22nd 2016)
- In the morning the pupils were introduced to the terms of comedy and tragedy by the director Mr. Theodorou Dimitris. They all watched the performance of “The birds” by the National Theatre directed by Karolos Koun on 1976.
- The pupils were divided into their groups of art, theatre, dance-music and started working on some introductory themes. The art club got involved into creating cothurnus using reusable material and masks which would be used in the final performance of the play “The birds”. The music - dance club got introduced to some basic musical instruments so as to choose which ones they would use for the final performance. The theatre club started the reading of the play, decided on the part of the play they would work on and made the necessary changes.
- After lunch all pupils, Greek and visitors, along with their teachers and the coordinator, visited the Archaeological Museum of Thebes where the guide Mr. Nomikos walked them through the exhibits and introduced them to the local archaeological findings which exist there. The guidance was in both English and Greek.
- Once we returned to the school, the pupils and teachers of Croatia presented their country and taught us how to tie a cravat.
Day 3 (Wednesday, November 23rd 2016)
- Each group continued working on their part. The art club started creating the hats for the birds using different techniques and materials. The music - dance club worked on the moves for the chorus and the melodies the children would play on their simple instruments during the performance. The drama club decided on the casting of the play. Pupils from the visiting countries were picked for the most important characters of the play, while the Greek pupils took secondary roles due to their more limited knowledge of English. The cooperation of the students in clubs was amazing, it proved that it was a good idea to choose primary schools together with the lover secondary one. The energy, openness and vividness of the Greek pupils led to the unravelling of the talents and encouraged the older pupils to play together and cooperate with the younger ones to achieve their common goals
- In the afternoon the Slovenian pupils presented Slovenia, Kamnik and their school to other pupils and their teachers. They presented the national symbols, traditional food, the most interesting places, they danced a children's folk dance and offered potica. The pupils and teachers were willing to participate and encouraged our pupils. We were all introduced to their culture, traditions and found common ground in our music.
- While all this was going on, a small group of pupils were preparing the questionnaire for the pupils involved in the project, the parents and the teachers under the guidance of English teacher ms. Danai Soulioti and the Greek school’s coordinator Ms. Maria Theodoridou.
Day 4 (Thursday, November 24th 2016)
- All through the morning each group continued their work with great energy, commitment and cooperation. Mr Theodorou gave instructions to the pupils regarding their acting and the teachers helped them learn their words. The art club went on preparing the costumes for each character of the play based on the drawings and ideas the pupils from Greece and abroad had prepared beforehand. The music and dance club kept on working on their moves, the music which would be used and the words of the chair of the chorus.
- After lunch we visited the nearby city of Chalkida with its “crazy waters”. Firstly we visited the Castle of Karambamba which was built by the Turkish around 1680. There all of us had the chance to learn about the history of the place and its current use, enjoy the wonderful view of the Eboian Bay and take group photos. Then we walked down to the Chalkida seaside, crossed the historic bridge of Evripus and learned its history. Then we visited the famous “Red House”, saw the unique “Likion Ellinidon” building and bought souvenirs.
Day 5 (Friday, November 25th 2016)
- In the morning we visited the hill of Acropolis and were guided to the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the other buildings around the magnificent building of Parthenon. Each group - English and Greek - had their own guide and after the Parthenon, we visited the Theatre of Dionysus - Eleuthereus, then the Acropolis Museum and admired the exquisite exhibits which exist there while our guide pointed out some of the most important details about them. Then each group attended a workshop about the ancient Greek sculptures and their colouring called “Sculptures and colour”. The pupils became little archaeologists and were introduced to the secrets of the ancient art of sculpturing.
- Then we had a walk to the nearby area, bought some souvenirs and admired the Olympian Zeus Columns.
After we came back to Schimatari, we went for the dinner, offered by the Mayor of Schimatari to a local restaurant, where we tried almost all of the traditional seafood served there: grilled octopus, prawns, mussels and calamari. Some of the students have never tried the dishes before. The dinner was an offer from the Mayor and his family.
Day 6 (Saturday, November 26th 2016)
- In the morning the European teachers and pupils visited the archaeological sight of Tanagra with the company of the host school’s Head Teacher and Vice Mayor. The trip was paid by the Municipality Office of Schimatari. They were informed that a Slovenian Archaeologist participates in the excavations and the Slovenian Team has plans to invite him to their school for a lecture about the findings and the procedures of the excavations.
- Once the visiting pupils and teachers returned, the final rehearsal started. Each group finished their part of work and then the pupils and teachers collaborated in order to combine everything together. It was a magic moment when all the costumes the art club had designed dressed the characters of the play, decorated the stage, and the pupils of the dance - music club added their music, singing and dancing as the chorus of the play.
- In the afternoon the foreign students had a chance to spend some time with the Greek families and acquire the customs at their homes.
- In the evening the teachers from Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and some Greek teachers were invited to dinner at the Greek Coordinator’s home so as to eat as a big international family and taste original Greek tastes like giouvetsi lamb, frikase, tiganopsoma and taste Greek Wine. It was a wonderful evening which brought all of us even closer and our guests enjoyed the Greek hospitality.
Day 7 (Sunday , November 27th 2016)
- The whole morning was devoted to preparations and dress rehearsal before the final public performance.
- At eleven o’clock, the school community, together with the parents and the Municipal Office representatives, gathered in the school theatre to take part in the international presentation of the play “The Birds” by Aristophanes - an ancient Greek comedy writer. The whole performance was recorded by a professional photographer and a cameraman, and will be distributed to the participating schools on DVDs. The audience was amazed by how it all worked out. In only a few days students and teachers from four different countries prepared an excellent performance of the chosen play, giving their own ideas and cooperating together in harmony in the clubs under the guidance of the Director Mr Theodorou Dimitris. A creative solution was used after an idea of a pupil was developed and the text of the play was shown on a whiteboard, so the pupils could be helped as the actors did in the ancient Greek theatre with the instigator.
- After the performance we watched the presentation of the Polish students and teachers about their country. We were shown an animated history about Poland, watched the students dancing their regional dance. We learned about the Capital Cities, famous people, the region, famous food and music.
- Later in the afternoon our guests and the hosting school staff went to a Greek music taverna, where we ate typically grilled Greek food, listened to Greek folk songs and danced zeibekiko, syrtaki and kalamatiano, all together! It was a great evening which introduced our guest to one of our ways of entertainment.
Day 8 (Monday, November 28th 2016)
- In the morning all students and teachers watched a presentation of the Greek school, the culture traditions, some films about the dances and legends.
- Then the whole school departed to the Schimatari Indoor Sports Centre, where there was a ceremony of giving the certificates to the participants.
- After that we all watched the students of the First Primary School of Schimatari roleplaying the Greek Wedding. Then, we were amazed by the beautiful Greek dances performed by the members of the local culture centres: “Georgios Schimataris”, “Terpsichori”, “Petrilioton” .
- After that, we were all invited for lunch cooked by the Vice Mayor’s wife, it was so generous of them to have and serve us at the church’s cultural centre.
The main achievements in reference to the workshop aims and the main aims of the project:
- All participating students and teachers gained the knowledge on how the ancient Greek theatre was built - visited one in Acropolis the Theatre of Dionysus, the legendary Odeon Herodio. Learnt about the Greek culture and heritage in the visited museums in Thebes and Acropolis, Tanagra Excavations, Chalkida castle and “Crazy Water”. Learnt the differences and similarities between the ancient Greek tragedy and comedy by acting one of the ancient comedies - “The Birds” by Aristophanes, adapted to the school life, together, preparing the costumes, stage, music and dance.
- All participants acquired the knowledge of the Greek civilisation, traditions, customs, regional dances through the involvement in the planned activities.
- Students participating in the project, from the Greek, Polish, Slovenian and Croatian schools, worked and cooperated together in the drama, art, music and dance clubs on the same play to prepare one public performance, with the help of all the engaged teachers, and they succeeded.
- We could see how the participating students gained their self-confidence while working together, developed their cooperation and communication skills using not only English but also teaching themselves some words and sentences in their own languages.
- Both the students and teachers developed their language skills. Basic skills were also developed in reading, writing - the reading, practice and changes in the play, maths - measuring the stage, calculating while producing the costumes, etc.
- ICT skills were expanded by preparing the schools and countries’ presentations, while using PowerPoint and Movie Maker, YouTube, making own films with the phone cameras, taking pictures, Google Documents and Google Photos - for sharing.
- The students became more responsible, more open and confident while preparing the presentation of their final product and presenting it to the authorities, school community and parents.
- The public performance of the “The Birds”, prepared by the lower secondary students together with the primary school ones, proved that it does not matter how old the students are to achieve a common goal and make something magnificent together. Moreover, the energy, openness and vividness of the Greek students led to the unravelling of the talents and encouraged the older ones to play together and cooperate with them.
- The teachers and students made new friends, exchanged e-mails and made friends on Facebook. The hosting parents made friends with the students’ parents.
- The hosting parents were really kind, hospitable and generous, treated the foreign students as their own children, and were very proud to have them at their homes. They stated that their own children are becoming better thanks to the guests.
- The local authorities engaged themselves in the workshop activities offering their help, meals, a bus for the teachers to come to the school each day.
- The local restaurants, bars and cafes also offered breakfast, lunch and discount for the other meals. One of the local pasta producer offered the participants a souvenir pasta with the labels dedicated to the workshop.
- The culture centres organized a different regions dances show for the foreign teams.
- It could be stated that all Schimatari’s community was deeply involved in the workshop’s activities in the 1st Primary School of Schimatari.
- The representatives of the participating schools got also fully involved in the workshop programme.
Conclusions in reference to the project aims:
1. Pupils developed their basic skills through artistic abilities and satisfied their natural need for knowledge, interaction and fun.
Pupils got to know each other on the first day through fun games that included a song, movement and simple sentences in Greek and English.
With the help of the teachers, pupils were divided into three groups: music and dance club, drama club and art club. Firstly, they learnt something about comedy written by Aristophanes (by watching a performance from year 1975), followed by meeting the actor and director of the play, Dimitris Theodorou, who divided the roles with the help of the teachers (mentors) from individual countries and performed the first reading of the play. In the following days the pupils involved in the drama club learnt how to pronounce the words, move around in space, as well as consider their volume and speed of speech in a fun way under Dimitris’ supervision. In the second part of the week, music and dance club joined the drama club and tried to get as coordinated as possible with the drama club, since pupils in the music and dance club rehearsed their music and dance elements individually. During the rehearsal pupils in the art club were making masks, hats for birds, clothes and other accessories for the scene. On Saturday, a day before the theatre performance, the pupils in the art club could admire for the first time how their costumes and scene looked like on the stage.
This workshop was a good indicator of how students are happy to express themselves through art, regardless of if it is art, drama or music. In this way, sometimes unconsciously, they learn and acquire new skills.
2. Developing pupils' creativity and responsibility through being involved in the whole process of planning, organizing and presenting their achievements.
Pupils planned their course of work independently with their club leaders and the help of their teachers. They also divided their work and responsibilities independently and helped each other, as well as took other people's opinions into consideration, asked for advice. They contributed to the overall success of the play by encouraging each other, giving ideas, positive energy and great communication with each other. Their ideas were developed by their teachers and an autocue was used for the first time in the hosting school.
All workshop participants have equally participated in the preparation and organization of the workshops and, therefore, they all have the same responsibility for its achievement.
3. Exploring the influence of local and national cultures on the development of the theatre.
Pupils learnt a lot of new things about the development of the ancient Greek theatre. During our visit to acropolis in Athens and remainders of the ancient city Tanagra, the pupils could see the remainders of the ancient Greek theatres and get a better picture of where everything started. They have also learnt a lot during our visit to Thebes and its new archaeological museum, where we got to know a lot about the history of this area and imagined how its history influenced the development of Greek art.
Students could see the very beginnings of our civilization and the remains of the ancient Greek theatre through a detailed display and could connect the seen images with today's situation.
4. Encouraging our own culture and heritage by participating in the international workshop and public events.
During the workshop each school presented their country to the other pupils and teachers. Through the participation to each country’s national dances, sweets, customs and traditions, we realized that the similarities amongst us are great. At the same time each of the country's presentation brought something new to the audience. Furthermore, pupils presenting their countries had bright sparks in their eyes because they were proud of themselves and their country. They were aware of the great honour to be ambassadors of their own country and they served this part gracefully while talking about their country, culture, traditions, history and people.
5. Motivating pupils for learning their own and a foreign language.
The participants have learnt some basic Greek phrases, mostly because of interacting with their Greek families. It's always nice to learn some words from the language of the other participants, so we all greeted in Greek, and such knowledge remains forever. Pupils have also learnt phrases in Croatian, Slovenian and Polish, since they had been working together for quite some time. The biggest progress, however, can be seen in their knowledge of English because they had to use it to communicate with their club mentors and mates. Foreign pupils participating in the drama club performed the comedy in English. After these workshops, there is a desire for the better knowledge of a foreign language so that communication could be even more successful. The amazing thing was that even pupils from smaller classes wanted to communicate in English with the guests and were eager to learn some new phrases.
6. Encouraging the exchange of experience, methods, innovations and good practice to improve pupils' basic skills.
Pupils and teachers could observe the daily routine of Greek pupils and teachers at school. We have noticed a lot of examples of good practice, such as pupils playing outside during the breaks. Whenever the teachers find themselves together, they always talk about school and teaching. That was the case this time as well, but now we got the ideas and the experience of teachers from for different countries: Greece, Poland, Croatia and Slovenia. We compared our own experiences and methods while working together on one play and we will use these methods to work with students, and thus improve our work. When it comes to drama techniques, the director showed us different approaches that proved to be very creative, effective , new for us – we’ll definitely use them to work on our own plays at schools.
7. Cooperating with local communities and authorities.
In this workshop cooperation with the local community and the local authorities was visible. We were kindly greeted in Schimatari on Monday by the Mayor with his team of coworkers. We discussed the project together and he also invited us to see excavations in Tanagra, as well as giving us gifts.
Furthermore the Mayor offered a dinner based on fish cuisine for all the guests and so did the vice- Mayor with typically Greek dishes cooked by his wife.
The municipality office made sure that the transportation of the teachers was made by the municipality’s bus every morning of the workshop, saving a lot of money from the budget of the visiting schools, which now can be used for more pupils to attend the next workshop in Croatia.
On the last day during the final event, we could admire dance performances of many local folklore groups and met a few more representatives of local community.
We believe that the cooperation between schools and local institutions is very important for a successful workshop and it can also lead to for even stronger connections.
8. Cooperation with local stores and help of the local economy.
One of the goals of the project was to help the local economy and this was realized by holding the 1rst Transnational Workshop in our school since we bought a lot of the materials used in the workshop from local stores and we employed several professionals for e.g. to film the performance, create boards for project, fix the sound system etc.
Furthermore there were local factories which provided the meals and branch for the guests, supplied us with local products – pasta with the workshop label, to give as gifts to the guests and offered free refreshments to the participants of the workshop. It also helped to save some money.
9. Better cooperating skills among teachers and pupils involved.
There is no doubt that the teachers have formed a bond with the pupils. The pupils adhered to our agreements that we discussed on a daily basis. The precise boundaries between teachers and students were lost, because we were all equal in the clubs , teachers suggested the mode of work, but they also respected the suggestions of the students. The trust among us has deepened and the pupils came to us in their time of need. It was interesting to observe the interaction among other teachers and students as well, since they were very patient and obedient.
The relationship between teachers and students in these workshops came to a higher level. By the end of the workshop we all felt like a family to each other.
10. Acquiring and improving existing social skills and making new friends.
Pupils stayed in a foreign country, with a foreign families for the first time, far away from home. The fact itself, was monumental to each person, but thanks to the warm welcome and the great hospitality from the Greek families, who treated the pupils with a genuine display of hospitality, the students felt at home and have made friends for life. The parents tried hard to make sure that the pupils were not hungry, satisfied and felt comfortable. In the evenings they took them sightseeing to other cities, sweet shops, restaurants and did different fun activities. Saying goodbye was difficult, so we can say that deep and lasting friendship bonds have been formed. Thanks to social media, we will be able to stay in touch with our Greek families and friends.
The teachers have mutually connected as well made friendships that they will nurture for years.
Thoughts of the participating schools from Poland, Croatia, Slovenia and Greece.
The first transnational workshop in Greece was very well prepared, leaving some space for adjustment. Cooperation among so many pupils and teachers from different countries, each having different needs and wishes, is not an easy job. Greek teachers, families and local authorities did their best to make us feel welcome and showed us more than we could have ever imagined! We had the privilege to get to know the Greek culture, thinking, hospitality and flexibility by various activities carried out with good energy and patience. At the end of the play we were all very emotional because we could feel the greatness of the project, all its benefits and all the memories we have created together. Performing such a play with people who before that had not known each other, who came from different cultures and yet gave their all without hidden agenda, is something amazing. This experience has without a doubt changed us for the better and gave us hope in this not so kind world that we can make a change because there are still genuine people, who you can rely on, and are prepared to invest their free time to do something great together. Keep up the good work!
We have awaited the first transnational workshop in Greece eagerly because it was supposed to be an indicator of whether we have planned and anticipated all well in the project. After the workshop, we can only conclude that the workshop was better than what we have imagined and predicted. Particularly, we would emphasize the cooperation between the Greek students and the visiting students. The Greek students are younger than the students from Poland, Slovenia and Croatia, and there was a concern about the possibility of their cooperation (which was criticized on submission - in the assessment of the project as a drawback). However, the concern was unfounded because the cooperation was exceptional. No one ever noticed the age difference, they equally participated in all the clubs, and spent their leisure time mutually playing on the sports field. We believe that this cooperation is one of the greatest achievements of this project. The entire workshop was excellently conceived and carried out, and all the objectives have been achieved.
Concluding, we would like to say that we are all really grateful for the Schimatari community’s kindness, hospitality and generosity. We would like to say thank you the Mayor and Vice Mayor of Schimatari, to the parents hosting our students, to the teachers working together with us, to the Greek coordinator Ms Maria Theodoridou and the Head Teacher, Ms Evgenia Strati, for the organization of the workshop and all help. We would really like to say thank you to the wonderful Greek students, so eager to work with us as well as all the participants for the engagement. Special thanks to Mr Dimitris Theodorou for his kindness, patience and professionalism.
Photos, PowerPoint presentations and sharing our experiences and impressions can be followed on:
The project website:
https://developedbasicskills.wordpress.com/international-workshops/greece/,
on our Facebook group profile:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130309967060277/?ref=bookmarks ,
and the schools’ websites:
Polish:
http://www.zsrozogi.pl/index.php/dzialania-projektowe,
Greek:
http://1dimschim.weebly.com/1omicron-deltaiotaalphakapparhoalphatauiotakappa972-epsilonrhogammaalphasigmatau942rhoiota.html,
Croatian:
http://www.os-darda.skole.hr/erasmus/doga_anja,
Slovenian:
www.ostb.si.
Evaluation of the 1st Transnational Workshop.
While the workshop was evolving and pupils from the theatre, art, music and dance clubs were working on their parts, there were 4 Greek pupils who got involved into creating the questionnaires for the participating pupils and teachers as well as the parents and the members of the local society.
The evaluation form was made on Google Forms.
Here are some of the responses which indicate that the workshop was a success in its goals and will be an experience for everybody to remember.
“That was one of the most interesting, fascinating and exciting experiences in my life.” - pupil
“It was amazing. We met new people and friends, we visited all beautiful places, we ate their food, we lived their lives....” - pupil
“I think, the family liked to having me in its home. That was a chance for them to get to know more about my country and our everyday life” - pupil
“I think nothing could be handled to make my stay better. That was already awesome.” - pupil
What do you think were the benefits for both you and the family during your stay?
“Learning from each other, communicating in English”
“Get to know the other culture, traditions, few words of new language and amazing experience.”
“We made new friendships and we learned new things.”
“We could practice our English, get to know more about our different everyday lives and have a great time.”
“Great experience”
“We got to know each other, practised English, learnt Polish and Greek - simple everyday words.”
Name briefly what you liked best in the workshop
“I liked that we lived in their families, i like that we met all great people and i liked visiting all places.”
“Integration with other pupils.”
“Hanging out with new friends”
“I liked best that I could meet people from other countries and make friends with them.”
“Working together with students from other countries”
What were the benefits from participating to the workshop?
Using the English language, getting better in speaking in that language, making new friends, learning through the theatre.
I learned more about that countries. We improved our language skills and made friends with the students and families that we could visit sometimes.
Getting to know, meeting with other pupils and purchasing some abilities.
We learn English better and we meet other people.
Developing skills
Meeting new people
I learnt to communicate better in English, I made friends with the participating students
Describe briefly the strong points of the workshop.
Learning through traveling and experiencing new things.
Free teamwork and cooperation with other pupils.
Make friends, learn, have fun.
Good organization
Learning English
The strong points are integration and the possibility to see wonderful places.
Learning through play, cooperation, cultural experience
Describe briefly some of the weaknesses of the workshop.
There are no weaknesses.
I think there's not weaknesses.
Everything was perfect
Only some meals weren't tasty.
There were no weaknesses
The printed report of the evaluation is available in the coordinating school – the coordinator of the project, as well as in 1st Primary school of Schimatari
This is the link to the evaluation form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sJzVOcbmUvlcbyvnr4A9cuP7vH9HDwOUbq5HpMRWmaE/edit#responses