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REPORTS AFTER LTT ACTIVITIES

  • The final report:

     https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kJIP4VMFo9wdgsVFeeGoKNJoBK_Eh-BH/view

    C-1 POLAND

    Report

    C-1 LTT activities in Poland 10-14/12  2018

    NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 56 (21 Poland, 7 Finland, 7 Portugal, 7 Spain, 9 Italy)

    It was the first chance for all the partner schools to meet. We made new friends and we did a lot of activities together. Our students had many opportunities to interact and to speak to each other. Poland as the main coordinator and the first hosting school had the biggest number of tasks and it also took five tasks from the Cyprus part, while the other partners took only one. That is why although all the tasks have been completed, we didn't manage to do all the planned tasks together in Poland (5 days appeared to be too short). Some of the tasks were done by all the partners beforehand, on eTwinning:


    1. The presentation of all participating schools' pupils '' My country, my hometown, my school'' - all the countries shared their presentations on eTwinning and fanpage of the project. The students from participating schools watched the presentations online. 

    2. Searching for healthy eating jobs and presenting them to each other. (Poland presented Healthy eating Jobs to all the participants during the Healthy Breakfast Festival) All the authors will present their presentations when hosting partner schools during the next mobilities.

    3. Project Logo Competition- Each school presented their Logo proposals on eTwinning , one was  chosen by voting before C-1 started

    3. Regional Chamber workshop (What is our culture preserved through? What do I like/dislike in my cultural heritage? Why is it important to me? - all the partner schools did this task before C-1 started and shared the results on eTwinning)

    4. Project Calendar  - each partner country shared photos and then received the project calendar as a gift in Poland.

    5. Exchange of traditional cooking recipes and creating a Cooking Book of international fruit and vegetable cuisine. We did it on eTwinning and distributed the Book among all partners and the public in Poland during the festival. 

    6. Introducing work and annual study plan of involved pupils with low basic skills studying with volunteer skillful students, Peer Education by all partners – eTwinning

    7. A seminar to public ''The Friendship, Empathy and Respect is Our Way to the Future World'' - it was posted on eTwinning and the project fanpage and will be presented to our parents during the next parents meeting at school.

    8. A seminar to public ''Harmful eating habits’' - it was presented on eTwinning and the project fan page. It will be presented to our parents during the next parents' meeting. 

     

    The tasks we did during C-1 LTT in Poland:

    1. Presentations of ''National education system and National volunteering associations of my country ,''Our regular voluntary service in a social service field'' "The history and values of my nation" by host school
    2. Polish language course by low-skilled pupils to all participants, Polish- English digital dictionary, (Kahoot.It quizz will be shared online on eTwinning to help revise the learnt words and expressions in January)
    3. Volunteering Activity in the Orphanage (modeling-clay workshops "My Favorite Pet")
    4.  Unity in Diversity Public Festival and Parade (each school presented regional costumes and songs of their region)
    5.  Give Me Your Paw (workshops by the workers of the local Animals Shelter)
    6. Adopt a Child (interactive session- encouraging all the countries to adopt an African child virtually and raise regular money for their education) - all the partners were encouraged to undertake this action, instructions how to do it were sent by mail and posted on eTwinning
    7. Regional Chamber workshop. In Poland, all participants learnt about old tools and costumes and then they decorated Polish gingerbread (experiencing Polish Christmas traditions and culture)
    8.  Portrait of my Guest, portrait of My Host (ceramics workshops)
    9.  Brochures to Public ''The Value of Friendship - My Attitude Matters'' - they were distributed among the parents during the Unity in Diversity Festival
    10. Healthy Breakfast Festival - all participants prepared healthy breakfast together (focus on eating fruit and vegetables)
    11.  School bazaar - Recycling old toys- each participant donated  one old toy/ and a gadget or a magnet  for school bazaar. The gifts were sold at a price of 5 PLN or higher and so far, we have collected over 200 PLN. The whole amount of the raised money will be donated to the Grand Orchestra of Christmas Help.
    12.  A musical play presented to students and parents about Healthy eating habits, written by Polish teachers and performed by the students and teachers from all participating schools, including acting, singing and dancing
    13. All the students and teachers took part in a seminar on GOOD NETWORK and learnt that we can help by talking.

    To learn and experience the Polish culture, Polish cultural heritage and the history of our region, all the teachers and students participated in the following LTT activities:

    1. A trip to the Silesian Museum 
    2. A trip to Wieliczka Salt Mine 
    3. a trip to Kraków and visited the Wawel Castle, the Dragon's cave, the Main Square and the Wedel Chocolate cafe to learn about the treasures of the Polish culture, architecture and history.
    4. A trip to Osikowa Dolina  (creating Christmas decorations according to one hundred -year -old Polish tradition, unique for this region of Europe)


    Teachers from Italy, Portugal and Spain took part in Educational visit to Auschwitz concentration camp.

    All our guests from abroad and Polish teachers participated in a classical concert in NOSPR Katowice, which is the most modern concert hall in Europe. It was a chance for all teachers from the hosting school to meet and integrate with the guests from abroad, a chance they have never had before. 


    Thanks to all the LTT activities we reached all the aims of this short term exchange of pupils. We  triggered the international cooperation, engaged learners in voluntary work,  integrated the participants and created a feeling that we are one team working for a common goal (ceramics workshop, performance on healthy eating, the festival), we created the awareness of cultural diversity of Europe, encouraged the participants to explore the Polish and other partners’  cultural heritage- Regional Chamber, Festival, trips), learned about foster care and street animals care in Poland (workshops in the orphanage and workshops by animals shelter workers), shared more information about partners' institutions, cities, countries to know our partners well, created a positive attitude towards the orphans and abandoned children, learned new languages (Polish – simple words and expressions). We developed participants' artistic skills (ceramics workshops, gingerbread and Christmas decorations), we set a warm dialogue between
    participants themselves and between families. We activated low-skilled pupils by engaging them in leading the Polish language course, we developed our peer education. We created an opportunity for Polish students from very small villages to make friends with people from different European countries, break the barriers, prejudices about other nations. Our students learned how to behave wisely with dogs. We evaluated the effects of the activities on teachers and students (Questionnaire) – the results are posted on eTwinning. 

     

    EVALUATION AFTER C-1 LTT ACTIVITIES IN POLAND

    THE ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONAIRES

     

    We have received 53 questionaires.

     

    16 questionaires from participating teachers.

     

    Results: All the teachers stated that the realization of the project brought measurable advantages to school. All the teachers valued highly the possibilities offered to students and teachers during the LTT Activities (“Great value because we all learned a lot in different areas”, “All activities were interesting and involved students and teachers”, “Very good, the students enjoyed the workshops best”). All the teachers stated that the participation in the mobility had a positive influence on students (They have developed their social skills and have practiced English”, “They met young people from different countries, they had contact with Polish culture and they had lots of fun”. All the teachers think that the activities and the results of the mobility will contribute to better work in school and school life (“We learnt other ways of organizing activities and cooperating with students and families” “The theme is very important and should be a working topic in all schools”) 11 teachers wouldn’t change anything to make the mobility more effective. 4 teachers would make the following changes: “ A schedule which is not quite too tight.”, “I would have given all the participating students the opportunity to show what they did regarding the project’s tasks”, “More activities where the students have to explain things and interact with each other” All the teachers stated that the expected results of the mobility were reached. Advantages (16 teachers): e.g. “The visits with all the students (hosts and foreign)”, “We have known wonderful people. Our students have learned a lot.”, “ Our pupils have been able to get connected internationally, and are more open towards “otherness” “Open-minded thinking, broadening views”. Disadvantages (1 teacher): “I would like to see the lessons in the Polish school and learn more about the system in Polish schools”

    All the teachers noticed a strong influenceof the project on the following elements:

    Personal development of participants, Increase in Key competences, social skills, learning to learn, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, digital competence, Absorbing the idea of helping others, Learning about help without benefits,

    Rise in awareness of cultural diversity and knowledge about cultural and historical heritage., Development of tolerance to different cultures, 

    Improvements on the sense of solidarity, cooperation, team spirit, communication skills.

    Breaking barriers, prejudices. Opening doors to different cultures and ideas, beliefs.

    Discovering the value of friendship

    Developing positive views on the EU and Erasmus+ project programmes, Involvement in an international work.

     

    We have received 17 questionaires from participating students

    Results: 

    For all the participating students the subject of the project is interesting. All the participating students were involved in the project activities and had fun doing the tasks. They liked best: gingerbread decorations, a trip to Kraków, Wieliczka Salt Mine. The majority said they liked all the activities. The project helped all the students to extend their knowledge about the partner countries and develop their language skills. The participation in the project helped the majority of the students to develop their ICT skills. All the students stated that the atmosphere during the mobility was funny, nice and friendly. One student wrote that Polish students sometimes whispered with each other, which, we think, could make that student feel uncomfortable (we are going to talk to our students about that). 12 students stated that the project integrated students from partner countries. 5 students stated “Sometimes they forgot Portugal” (the Portuguese coordinator explained the students felt sorry they couldn’t present their presentations/works in Poland – we decided to make it possible for all the project students to present their presentations when they will be the hosts). The majority of the students noticed benefits of helping others and engaged in altruistic activities to help people in need and nature (by bringing gifts for the Christmas market, making modeline clay pets with the orphans, visiting animals shelter – Polish students). The majority of students stated they got to like school more thanks to the project activities. Others stated they already liked school. All the students had a chance to explore cultural heritage of Poland thanks to this mobility. 

    Additional remarks: “I loved my hosting family”, “I have discovered my favourite country and the kind persons in Poland and the family was fantastic”, “I like my hosting family and my partner, the house, the snow, the cat, activities in the school, the teacher and the relationship between the teacher and the student. “ “I like my family and my partner, the house, the snow”, “This project, it was very special and beautiful. I do new relations and I love this adventure a lot.” “It was very good. The snow, the activities at school, the teachers”, “I like music studio with the family”, “This project is beautiful. From my partner I felt like home”, “The family is fantastic”, “Host families are nice. And I like the evening activities”, “Everything was great. I love Erasmus project”

     

     

    REPORT C-2 LTT IN ITALY

    C-2 LTT activities in Italy 11-15/02  2019

     

    It was the second time all the partner schools had the possibility to meet. It was a great pleasure welcoming our colleagues and their students here in Monreale. The students (and obviously their families) who were hosted in Poland were glad to meet again their friends and were eager to host them. All the other pupils were very excited by the arrival of their e-twinning friends. Doing the scheduled activities in the project, all the children made new friends and experiences. Moreover, it was remarkable to see how our families established relationships (through the use of mobile phones and computers) with the hosted students’ families. 

    Some of the tasks were done beforehand and posted on eTwinning; they were shown to all the other pupils during the exchange.

    The tasks we did during C-2 LTT in Italy:

    1) presentation of “National Education System and National Volunteering Associations of my country”; 

    2) “our regular voluntary service in a social service field”; 

    3) “the History and values of my nation”; 

    4) Italian language course by low skilled pupils to all participants, Italian-English digital dictionary; 

    5) charity work – handcrafts market (raising money for immigrants’ children’s school supplies); all countries brought some handicraft objects realized in their countries. Each item was sold for 3 € and the money raised will be given to migrants families in order to buy school supplies;

    6) a seminar to Public “Cultural integration of immigrants and cultural gap” – thanks to the cooperation with the “Centro Astalli, we hosted in our school some volunteers and a migrant of the centre; they faced many issues about immigration and asylum request in Italy. He recounted his experiences and difficulties; 

    7) volunteering activity in Centro Astalli (students and migrants children cooperated in different workshops and didactic activities); 

    8) project toy design workshop using recycling materials - the students took part to four different workshops; they made toys using recycled materials through the help of our art teachers. The best voted toy was shown in our school meeting room; 

    9) writing and recording a song with lyrics about healthy eating (a task from Cyprus): the students changed the words of the famous song “happy” by Pharrel Williams; it became “healthy”, the pupils sang and recorded it; 

    10) culture box: each school brought a box prepared by their students with national symbols; each school presented the objects inside explaining their special meaning; 

    11) European Mind Map (National European Anthem sung by all the students);

    12) brochures to public “What I like in my partners’ cultures”; they were distributed to the families during the seminar;

    13) Looking for European traces in Palermo and Monreale: we took a lot of pictures while visiting the Cathedral of Monreale and its cloister, Palermo with its Arab-Norman cathedral, the Royal Palace and the Royal Chapel and Cefalù and its Cathedral (all these buildings are part of the Unesco list since 2015)

    To learn and experience Sicilian culture, heritage and history, we also visited:

    • Segesta and its Greek temple;
    • Erice and salines in Trapani;
    • Santa Rosalia Sanctuary;
    • Mondello (Palermo’s beach);

    Moreover, all the students and teachers participated to a puppet theatre show (typical of Sicilian culture).

    At the end of the exchange students and teachers answered our “Questionnaire of what I learnt”.

    Through the LLT activities, the aims of this short term exchange were reached: we reinforced our cultural dialogue, engaged learners in voluntary work, integrated the participants and created a feeling that we are one team working for a common goal,  created awareness of the cultural diversity of Europe; with the volunteering activity in Centro Astalli and the seminar, we set a warm dialogue among cultures, to provide cultural integration with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, to reduce the cultural conflicts, to learn about volunteering policy and cultural integration of immigrants in Italy in order to find out the similarities or differences about the cultures and break the barriers, prejudices, stereotypes about different cultures and lifestyles; with the project toy workshop, we developed participants' artistic skills and it encouraged the participants to take care of nature by promoting recycling; students learnt basic words and expressions in Italian (with the Italian language course created by low-skilled students) and, at the same time, our Italian students learnt new words in Portuguese, Polish, Spanish and Finnish. 

    Writing and recording a healthy song, we talked about healthy eating habits.

    We set a warm dialogue between participants themselves and between families thanks to the use of new technologies. With all the other activities (European mind map, looking for European traces, the culture box, and presentations of our history), we shared more information about partners' institutions, cities, countries to know our partners well, we created a positive attitude towards the homeless, the poor and the immigrants.

    We gave an opportunity for Italian students from small villages to make friends with people from different European countries and to open up to the world.

    We finally evaluated the effects of the activities on teachers and students through a questionnaire and the results were posted on eTwinning.

     

    C-3 LTT ACTIVITIES IN FINLAND


    In the Finnish city of Mäntsälä, 62 km from Helsinki, at Kirkonkylän koulu school, teachers and students from five countries met: Finland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Poland. 
    On this amazing journey to the far north of Europe, we set off on the 4th and 5th of May. We arrived in Lufthansa to sunny Helsinki, where Finnish teachers, students and their families welcomed us cheerfully. Passing meadows and forests, we arrived by car to the destination of our trip - the city of Mäntsälä, which has about 20,000 inhabitants, for approx. 600 km2. Most of the local families live in wooden, light-blue or light yellow houses with small gardens, close to the forest, where they collect berries every year. There is also a river and a lake, numerous bicycle paths, little asphalt, concrete, but a lot of greenery.

     

    The TASKS CARRIED OUT:

     

    a-Presentations of national education system - Finnish Inclusive Education, "National volunteering associations of my country," "Our regular voluntary
    service in a social service field'', "The history and values of my nation" by host pupils.
    a-Presentations of national education system - Finnish Inclusive Education, "National volunteering associations of my country," "Our regular voluntary
    service in a social service field'', "The history and values of my nation" by host pupils.
    b- "Voluntary celebirities lives and works in our culture" multi-media presentations by all partners
    c-Through Challenges To Success - a video presentation of one adult who finished a high school or university despite difficulties - a real life story
    d- Anti-bullying T-shirt with national, cultural or religious motives designed and created by each participant
    e-Finnish language course by low-skilled pupils to all participants, Finnish- English language video dictionary
    f-A seminar to public "Simple Steps to Prevent Early School Leaving"
    g- Brochures to Public "Inclusive Education in Practice"
    h - Volunteering - singing national songs for the elder people in the Senior House, offering hand-made paintings, creating cards
    i- My 10 Reasons to Love School - a pop-up book by each partner school - enriching the school library
    j-Project Memory Book
    k-Questionnaire of What we learnt
    l- Competiton of culinary art using fruit and vegetables, a Master Chef competition. The pupils worked in international teams of four and their task was to decorate a smail cake as beautifully as possible using fruit and berries. The winning teams  got a prize.
    The AIM of this mobility meeting was to see each pupil as an individual and secure their possible education, human growth and well-being in our
    society, to raise responsible, open-minded, balanced and respectful individuals, to fight against school bullying in every form, to promote inclusive
    education in which all students learn equally together, to learn about ways to help disadvantaged pupils with their learning, social or other problems,
    to increase the learning outcomes of the pupils with low basic skills, to prevent early school leaving and organise activities to keep the students at
    schools and make them love the schools, to provide a language course to participants given by low -skilled pupils to make them more social and
    increase their school achievements.
    Anti-bullying strategies and inclusive education are the elements if everyday life school reality in the Finnish school - all the partner schools are going
    to apply inclusive education and integrate newly observed and learned strategies with policies and procedures in their schools.
    The participants were from Finland ( 5 teachers, 19 students), Portugal (3 teachers, 5 students), Spain (2 teachers, 5 students), Italy (4 teachers, 5 students) and Poland (3 teachers, 4 students). In fact the whole school was involved in the project activities.

     

    THE BENEFITS:


    -Learning about a different educational system and curriculum - discussion with the head of education
    -Learning about inclusive education and anti-bullying procedures and strategies (Kiva school system), observing how they work in practice, ability to adapt some of them at one's own
    school
    -Breaking the barriers, prejudices, stereotypes about different nations, cultures, lifestyles, religions and setting a warm dialogue between them.
    -Openness and courage in communicating with people from the world, raising students’ self-esteem and developing the ability to participate in social
    interactions.
    -Learning to respect somebody who is different than me, who believes differently, who has a different origin than mine
    -Learning to respect and care for the elder people in our societies
    -Appreciating school and education
    -Awareness of other languages and the rise of awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity of the EU, improving social, language skills 
    -Improving key competences, creative, artistic intelligence, manual, artistic, vocal competences
    -Increasing the level of motivation to learn foreign languages and participate actively in the school life.
    -Strenghtening the sense of solidarity, increasing social skills, feeling part of the group
    -Learning about the Finnish cultural heritage and history-a workshop on traditional Finnish instruments organized by a famous Finnish singer Mikko Perkoila.
    -Sharing experiences, rise of communication, improvement of social, basic (reading, writing), language skills, improving lifelong friendship (Project
    Memory Book)
    -Improving design, language, digital, social skills, gaining team spirit (brochures handed out to public, digital dictionary)
    -Understanding the needs of disadvantaged people.
    -Teachers: practical ideas for providing support to help pupils complete the school syllabus, offering totally inclusive education in a form of an
    inclusive class, where pupils with learning disabilities learn together with non-disabled students.

     

    DESCRIPTION
    On Monday morning, our pupils and their Finnish friends went to school. First surprise - a huge parking lot for bicycles at the school. It turned out that most of the local children throughout the school year commute to school by bicycle, regardless of the weather. The second surprise - immediately after entering school, on a large doormat, you need to take off your shoes. We are in the "Sock School". Both students and teachers (including the head teacher) move here in socks. Strangely, we all got used to it quickly and thanks to this custom, we felt at home in a Finnish school. Another surprise - on the school corridor, there were bookshelves with books for reading, tables with coloring books and crayons, there was also a table with jigsaw puzzles - it attracted children, and every day more and more concrete picture emerged from the puzzles. In one of the rooms, a self-service dining room - all Finnish school-age children get lunch for free.
    We have been officially welcomed by the director of the Finnish school, Mrs Taina Ahonen and project coordinator Ms. Tujia Palmunen. Then, everyone in the international environment learned basic phrases in Finnish. We watched presentations and theatrical art prepared by Finnish pupils. In the afternoon we visited older people in the nearby Atendo Onni Senior Home. Each student brought with themselves and offered a hand-made picture with elements of the culture or nature of their country. Representatives of each school sang and danced the song in their own national language. The audience was large and there were also people in wheelchairs and lying, the oldest lady was 108 years old! Everyone liked the performances and paintings. The daughter of one elder lady thanked us a lot - her lying, rarely responsive mom, opened her eyes and applauded us. These were special moments for us all. We are very happy that we could bring a breath of joy and youth there.
    On the same day, at 5:00 pm, all teachers and students along with their Finnish friends and their families set out on Haukankierros. We walked through a beautiful Finnish forest, passing smaller and larger white boulders along the way, colorful mosses and a lake. At the end of the route a bonfire with sausages awaited us. The weather was beautiful - the sun was shining and it was warm. The path through the forest was conducive to conversations and establishing new or deepening old international friendships.
    On Tuesday, in the Finnish host school, our students took part in the mathematics workshop of Varga and presented their  "Pop Up Books" under the title "10 reasons why I love school." Teachers at that time visited a secondary school and saw a detailed presentation about the Finnish education system.
     In the afternoon we went to Helsinki. We visited the Helsinki zoo, located on one of the islands. Along the way, we saw at the sea powerful ships - ice breakers, used in the winter when the Baltic Sea is frozen. We ate ice cream at Senate Square, watched the Lutheran cathedral, the University buildings and the monument to Tsar Alexander II. We took pictures at the Sibelius monument - a sculpture in the shape of steel organs, listening to the pipes of the sounds of nature and the city. We visited a museum that had a section for children - we saw how a school in Finland once looked.
    On Wednesday, students designed and made T-shirts against harassment using paints and markers - the effect was great.
    At that time, teachers were admitted to the education department of the City of Mäntsälä by local authorities - they learned about many details about the city, the educational  system.

    In the afternoon we went to Helsinki. We visited the Helsinki zoo, located on one of the islands. Along the way, we saw at the sea powerful ships - ice breakers, used in the winter when the Baltic Sea is frozen. We ate ice cream at Senate Square, watched the Lutheran cathedral, the University buildings and the monument to Tsar Alexander II. We took pictures at the Sibelius monument - a sculpture in the shape of steel organs, listening to the pipes of the sounds of nature and the city. We visited a museum that had space for children - we saw how a school in Finland once looked.

    On Wednesday, students designed and made anti bullying T-shirts using paints and markers - the effect was great.

    At that time, teachers were admitted to the education department of the City of Mäntsälä by local authorities - they learned about many details of the city, education system, school organization, care for students with special educational needs. The amount allocated to the budget for education in the city of Mäntsälä (20,000 inhabitants) - 47.5 million euros per year, has stunned us!

    In the afternoon, the teachers and all students went to the Heureka Finnish Science Center in Tikkurila, near Helsinki. The interactive museum has provided an amazing experience to all of us. Among other things, we could experiment with wind, optics, balance and perspective. There was also a part with moving dinosaurs. After wearing 3D glasses, we discovered the world from the perspective of a dinosaur, hatching from an egg and getting to know his mother. The planetarium made the biggest impression on us. Lying on comfortable armchairs, we set off on a journey into space with great speed, to see meteor trails on Earth from a proper perspective, and to see planets, stars and various constellations from close up. There were times that we were afraid that we would fall into the abyss, everything was very real.

    On Thursday, teachers had the chance to observe lessons, facilities  and equipment at the latest Riihenmäki school in Mäntsälä.Before the school was built, there was a broad discussion about the needs with teachers, pupils and parents. Only then a project was created, taking into account the space with playgrounds at the school and many specially designated rooms for students and teachers at school. A huge, spacious dining room was planned, and a stage, a spacious music room next to the gymnasium, small glazed houses in the corridors for students seeking peace and round couches for students looking for others. Classroom benches that can be combined freely, enabling work in groups.

    A group of Polish teachers watched the first class lesson - all students in socks, without shoes, felt comfortable in the classroom, raised their feet with their feet that dropped them. When the teacher began to practice reading with them, the assistant took in the corridor to the prepared for this purpose a colorful table with comfortable benches, all students who read at a slower pace. There were students in the class who were able to read, so they quickly went through the whole read, no one was bored. After a while, the other students returned, who were practicing reading with the assistant and the lesson continued.

    While we were getting to know the secrets of Finnish education from the inside, our students took part in the  Europe Day - there was a solemn appeal, international team racing, puzzle game, guessing European languages, card workshops for residents of the Attendo Senior House and a concert by Finnish singer Mikko Perkoil , combined with the creation of traditional Finnish instruments.

    On Friday, we all felt sad about the upcoming farewells. The teachers took part in a seminar run by a school psychologist and a school social worker on the steps that Finnish schools have taken to prevent early school leaving. The students, on the other hand, had a great time at Master Chef cooking art workshops with the use of fruits and vegetables - they created beautiful compositions that they later ate with joy.

    After the certificate ceremony, we went to Porvoo, one of the oldest cities in Finland with characteristic wooden architecture and a medieval cathedral. It is a city that everyone would love.

    It was difficult for us to part with new friends. We did not tell them "Goodbye!" But "See you!"

    EVALUATION AFTER C- 3 LTT ACTIVITIES IN FINLAND

    THE ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES

    We received 54 questionnaires

     

    12 questionnaires from the participating teachers

     

    Results:

    The realization of the project has brought measurable advantages to all the participating schools. The possibilities offered to students and teachers during the LTT activities were valued positively: They were ”fine”, ”very positive”, ”very good”, ”the best”, ”stimulating”, ”fantastic”, ”the approach was children centered”,  it was also said that ”we are going to adopt many things to our school”. The influence on students was regarded as very positive: the English skills were improved, the students became more tolerant with each other, they learned to take more responsibility, their educational, cultural, linquistic and emotional competences were improved.  All the teachers think that the activities and the results of the mobility contribute to better work in school and school life. Some teachers mentioned e.g. that they are going to implement a few things in their school reality (especially the children centered activities), seven  teachers wrote that the week had been very inspiring and given them new ideas how to do their work as a teacher back home.

    The mobility opened external possibilities because all the teachers learnt about the Finnish educational system and modern didactic materials and approach. It also gave a chance to meet people to be able to continue participating in and applying for other Erasmus+ projects. Most teachers wouldn’t change anything to make the mobility more effective.  Three teachers would have liked to spend more time with the students and also with other teachers (outside the school).

    The expected results of the mobility were reached: ”it enhanced personal development of the participants”, ”social and linquistic skills were improved”, ”the sense of solidarity and tolerance was enhanced” ”the importance of volunteering was on spotlight”

    Ten of the teachers noticed only advantages during realization of the mobility: ”friendly atmosphere”, ”great school”, ”different activities every day to meet with the different needs”, ”students and teachers had different activities”, ”new ideas and culture”, ”new educational system”, ”very effective agenda”, ”good communication”, ”wonderful people”. Two teachers would like to have had more activities where the students and teachers would have been together.

     

    Most teachers noticed a strong influence of the project on the following elements: personal development, increase in key competences (social skills, learning to learn, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, digital competence), absorbing the idea of helping others, learning about help without benefits, improvement in language and ICT skills, rise in awareness of cultural diversity and knowledge about cultural and historical heritage, development of tolerance to different cultures, improvements of the sense of solidarity cooperation, team spirit, communication skills, breaking barriers, prejudices, opening doors to different ideas and cultures, discovering to value of friendship, gaining volunteering work spirit, enhancing the achievements of low-skilled pupils, developing positive views on the EU and Erasmus+ project programmes, involvement in an international work, understanding EU policies on different fields, raising awareness on global issues.

    One teacher was in the opinion that the achievements of low-skilled pupils were poorly enhanced. Two teachers valued the influence on ”opening doors to different cultures, ideas and beliefs” as poor. Three teachers wrote that the influence of the project on the element ”breaking barriers and prejudices” was poor.  

     

    As for additional remarks many teachers wrote very positive comments like ”Finnish people are very warm and friendly”, ”I’m very grateful to have been able to compare different school systems”, ”all the people were generous, helpful, kind, thoughtful and available”, ” the week was amazing”, ”very kind and friendly head teacher”, ”amazing host families”, ”fantastic team of teachers”. Three teachers would have liked to have more opportunities for all the teachers to spend time outside school to change ideas and have good time together.

     

    42 questionnaires from the participating students

    For all the students the subject of the project was interesting. Everybody was involved in the project and everybody had fun. The students liked especially  the workshop for antibullying T-shirts and the competition of culinary art. The project helped to extend the knowledge about partner countries and it has helped to develop the language skills of the majority of the students. Most students also think, that the project helped to develop their ICT skills. The students stated that the atmosphere was friendly, cool and “funny” and that the project integrated students from partner countries. Everybody noticed benefits of helping others and the mobility made it possible to cooperate with young people from different countries. All the students noticed differences between the school system in Finland and their home country. All the students were engaged in altruistic activities the help people in need (Visit at the senior house Attendo). The majority stated they like school more after the mobility, some students wrote their opinion on going to school hasn’t changed.

    All the students stated they had a chance to explore the cultural heritage of Finland. As examples they gave the sauna, Helsinki, visit in the Porvoo old town, hiking in Haukankierros, workshop on traditional Finnish instruments. Most students have tried other persons to take interest in the project.

    As for additional remarks relating to project three students stated they would have liked to spend more time with their teachers and one student mentioned that he would have liked to see also other sights in Helsinki than just the zoo.

     

     

    C-4 LTT ACTIVITIES IN OLHAO, PORTUGAL 

    The C-4 Learning Teaching and Training Activities took place in Olhao, Portugal from 23th to 27thSeptember 2019 and were focused on VOLUNTEERING ON ENVIRONMENT.

    We were all welcomed very warmly by the hosting school Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Paula. The teachers, students and their families took a wonderful care of us throughout our stay and provided many external possibilities for meeting together and exploring the region. 

     

    On the first day we were officially welcomed by the local authorities. We could also meet the participants from another Erasmus+ project realized by the school. The local authorities, who are pro-European, thanked us for our participation and our work on the project, which helps to build stronger Europe. Then the participants took part in a city tour with the app Actionbound, which they enjoyed a lot. After the lunch at school, we did the tour of the school with hosting students as leaders. We liked a lot of things at the school. For example, there was a big canteen and a buffet. The students cleaned after themselves, putting the rests, cutlery and plates in the right places. Before entering the canteen, the students and teachers could wash their hands in washbasins located in the corridor just in front of the entrance to the canteen. We also liked the art classroom with a lot of students’ works exhibited on the walls and shelves. The teachers had a long discussion regarding the teacher’s work, and especially duties, in each partner country. We all felt very jealous of Portuguese teachers, who are responsible only for the teaching process, whereas the teachers from Finland, Poland and Spain have to look after the kids during the breaks, be the school’s psychologist, councellor, nurse and everything that a kid needs. The main coordinator of the project, Katarzyna Baca, shared with us what she learned during her KA1 Erasmus+ Learning To Learn training in Bournemouth – the English teacher also do the teaching only. They don’t watch the kids during the breaks, they don’t make the materials for lessons. There are special people employed by schools who make the copies and prepare handouts, check the attendance, watch the kids during the breaks, practise material with the weaker students, communicate with parents. It seems like a paradise to all of us, teachers. 

     

    In the afternoon on the first day, the hosting students did their presentations: Presentation of national education system, "National volunteering associations of my country," "Our regular voluntary service in a social service field'', "The history and values of my nation". We all liked the presentations and we learned a lot of new things about volunteering and history of Portugal. 

     

    On the second day the participants worked hard in international teams, volunteering in the Algarve Food Bank and their Biological Farm in Faro. We packed the food and planted lettuce. It was very impressive to see at the end of the day the whole field of lettuce planted by our small group! We all liked that experience because it made sense for us. 

     

    On the third day in the morning, the participants visited the fishermen in the markets in Olhao. The markets are famous for their wild fish, seafood, organic vegetables and fruit. Then, we went on a boat cruise to Armona and Culatra Islands to enjoy the time with the nature, but also to work as volunteers in international teams – this time we cleaned 5 km of the beach from Culatra beach to Farol. There was a lot of rubbish, mainly plastic, and we were really sorry to see how much harm a man can do to nature by producing and using too much plastic and not using the rubbish bins. We can spoil even the most beautiful landscape. The participants climbed up the lighthouse in Farol, swam in the ocean, played with their peers, talked and enjoyed the ocean breeze , the sun and stunning views. They collected shells and other natural materials for the collage. 

     

    On the fourth day, we all went to Lagoa for a hiking activity in “Vales Suspensos”. We walked a 7 km path above a beautiful part of the Algarve coast. The views were amazing. The participants could exercise their legs, talk to each other face to face, appreciate the contact with nature, admire beautiful caves and rocks. Then we had lunch in a school in Albufeira. In the afternoon the students in international teams had Aborism activity in an adventure park in Albufeira. They had special equipment with which they could climb trees, cross suspended wooden bridges and do many other challenges in the open air eucalyptus and pine forest. They loved it!

     

    On the last day in the morning, the participants went to the local animal shelter in Moncarapacho, to do volunteering work with the street dogs. They have brought handmade toys and food for the dogs. The dogs were very excited and happy when they saw the kids. Each dog wanted to be touched and hugged. We were heartbroken to see sixty young and cute dogs longing for a human family. We walked some of the dogs and hugged and played with as many dogs as possible. The toys were a hit – all the dogs wanted to play with them. It was a very valuable experience for our students to see the dogs and feel their suffering. They got very sympathetic and emphatic with the dogs and wanted to adopt them all. 

     

    After saying good bye to the street dogs, we went back to school and made the project collages from natural elements collected during the walk on the islands. The students worked on the collages in 8 international groups and did a great job!

    Then we took part in a voting on the best photo representing Algarve nature using mentimeter app ( international photo competition) and did the What I have Learnt Questionnaire online.

     

    In the afternoon the students had activities with their hosting families and we met at 6 pm at the local cultural centre in Quelfes, Rancho Folcrorico, to watch shadow theatres prepared by all the countries. Each country presented their shadow theatre on protecting nature for the public. There was a big audience and we all enjoyed the performances. The Portuguese students presented the seminar “Let’s fight with pollution” and handed out the brochures they made about simple ways to save water.

     

    Then we had certificate ceremony and the prize for the winner of the international photo competition was awarded to Ilka from Finland.

    In the evening we all had a surprise dinner, which was a real Portuguese barbecue prepared by the Portuguese families and teachers. We all sat together, eating, talking and enjoying each other’s company. The boys from all the participated countries formed two international teams and played football together. It was very hard to say good bye to our new friends from five countries. 

     

    During the five days of the mobility, we did a lot of activities:

    a- Presentation of national education system, "National volunteering associations of my country," "Our regular voluntary service in a social service field'', "The history and values of my nation"by host pupils.

    b-Portuguese course to all participants by low-skilled pupils, Portuguese-English digital dictionary,

    c- A charity work for disadvantaged groups (preparing and performing a Shadow theatre on Protecting Nature ) by all partners

    d- A ferry cruise to a desert island/a beach walk by the ocean-observing wild nature, collecting shells and seaside plants, creating a Project Collage from natural products

    e-Volunteering activities for environment: cleaning the beach, working in the Algarve Food Bank (packing food) and on the Biological Farm (planting lettuce) in Faro, playing with the dogs in the shelter and walking them

    f- Donation- bringing handmade toys and food for the dogs in the local animal shelter (Moncarapacho) 

    g- Me and My Family photo exhibition- by all participants

    h-A seminar to public ''Let's fight with pollution“

    i- Brochures to Public "Simple Ways To Save Water and Care for the Ocean"

    j- Aborism - adventure tree climbing

    k- hiking activity - "Vales Suspensos"

    l- city tour - Actionbound

    m - a visit to the fishermen in the Markets in Olhao

    n- dinner with teachers, students and hosting families 

    o- Project Memory Book

    u-Questionnaire of What I Learnt

    p – international photo competition

    The participants were students and teachers from 5 countries (59) hosting families, teachers and students from the hosting school: about 150 people.

    We worked in international, mixed teams.

    THE RESULTS: 

    - we drew public attention to natural and environmental problems, encouraged people from all nations to be sensible, respectful and friendly and active for the nature

    - people developed love and respect for the street animals

    - we learned about Portuguese cultural values and history, Portuguese regional associations on volunteering, a different educational system

    -  we developed the sense of solidarity,  team spirit, engaged learners in voluntary work in the open air,  practised and improved creative artistic intelligence-collage-shadow theatre,  raised the awareness and respect to one's own identity and the identity of other participants,  developed the awareness that each of us is unique and has a unique life story, a place where they belong (Me and My family),  developed sensitivity towards the "different" and "others".

    The planned actions were related to the hosting school's project called Eco Schools which promotes actions that aim at sustainability on Earth and develops students' critical, collaborative and supportive spirituality. All the involved schools undertake similar actions in their local communities during the whole school year, involving contests and community actions like for example: raising bottles’ caps, cleaning the neighbourhood, helping in animals’ shelters, collecting medical boxes contest- the school that collects more boxes, wins.

     

    THE BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS:

    Appreciating the beauty of nature

    Understanding that an activity in the open air with friends is more enjoyable than playing on a tablet at home, Getting students to move and to talk face to face.

    Greater awareness of EU cultural diversity and learning respect to other cultures, values and beliefs

    Breaking prejudice, stereotypes about different cultures

    Learning about Portuguese culture and history

    Connecting to my and other partners' cultural heritage - providing a sense of unity and belonging within a group, understanding my and other partners' roots and where we come from (Me and My Family)

    Learning about a different educational system and curriculum, exchange of teaching and learning approaches, comparing them to our own

    Sharing good practices connected with volunteering and social inclusion, getting new ideas

    Increasing the level of motivation to learn foreign languages and participate actively in the school life

    Social inclusion and promoting intercultural and civic competences of learners

    Integration of the local community and International integration.

    Increasing creative, manual skills

    Learning about healthy nutrition and healthy lifestyle.

    Feeling of being useful and discovering a potential to help others and change the world, a sense of purpose in life

    Becoming a friend to animals, improving creative artistic intelligence, strenghtening the sense of solidarity, increasing social and entrepreneurial skills

    Contribution to compensate for disparities in educational attainment of pupils, especially those having learning difficulties or at risk of premature falling out of the education system. All participating students, including socio-ecomomic-educational disadvantaged pupils - gaining social ,language,creative,ICT skills and Key competencies which are conceptualized as contribution to a successful life and a well-functioning society.

     

    The EVALUATION REPORT AFTER C-4 IS UPLOADED IN THE FILES 

    Evaluation Report.docx

     

     

    C-6 LTT ACTIVITIES IN ORIHUELA, SPAIN

     

     

     

    EVALUATION AFTER C-6 LTT ACTIVITIES IN SPAIN

     

    THE ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRES

     

     

     

    We have received16 questionnaires.

     

    7 questionnaires from participating teachers.

     

     

    Results:

     

    1. All the teachers stated that the realization of the project brought measurable advantages to school.

     

    2. They talk about their role in the mobility.

     

    3. All the teachers valued highly the possibilities offered to students and teachers during the LTT Activities (“Excellent possibilities for all of us”, “Very interesting and well prepared”, “The Spanish school is very professional in taking care of the Project activities, the students had a lot of opportunities to practice their language skills”).

     

    4. All the teachers stated that the participation in the mobility had a positive influence on students (“They had opportunities to meet, to play, to exchange experiences and to practice English”, “They developed their linguistic, cultural and social competences. They made new friends after a long time of the lockdown”).

     

    5. All the teachers think that the activities and the results of the mobility will contribute to better work in school and school life (“Travel and compare with other people help to open their minds” “We learned a lot from the innovative Spanish school”).

     

    6. The teachers gave their opinion about the external possibilities has the mobility opened during its realisation (“It opened to future cooperation in other projects” “We learned a lot about the culture of the region and we made international friends” “Meeting volunteering organizations”).

     

    7. 6 teachers wouldn’t change anything to make the mobility more effective, they think it was perfect. 1 teacher would make the following change: “More LTT activities”.

     

    8. All the teachers stated that the expected results of the mobility were reached.

     

    9. Advantages: Most of the teachers find only advantages like “The cooperation between teachers and students” “The Spanish teachers were involved and professional” “Students and teachers were very opened to us”. Disadvantages: 3 teachers mentioned that the students couldn’t be hosted by Spanish families due to the Coronavirus, but it wasn’t impossible to do the mobility in other way”.

     

    10. All the teachers noticed a strong influence of the project on the following elements:

     

    Personal development of participants. Increase in Key competences, social skills, learning to learn, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, digital competence. Absorbing the idea of helping others, Learning about help without benefits. Improvement in Language and ICT skills.

     

    Rise in awareness of cultural diversity and knowledge about cultural and historical heritage. Development of tolerance to different cultures. Improvements on the sense of solidarity, cooperation, team spirit, communication skills.

     

    Breaking barriers, prejudices. Opening doors to different cultures and ideas, beliefs. Discovering the value of friendship. Gaining volunteering work spirit and taking initiative. Enhancing the achievements of low-skilled pupils.

     

    Developing positive views on the EU and Erasmus+ project programmes. Involvement in an international work. Understanding EU policies on different fields. Raising awareness on global issues.

     

    11. All the teachers valued the student’s tasks as “Very good”. They were the following; Making a poster “The world can change with us”, Preparing games for the poster, Decorating the activity boxes, Preparing the song, Preparing the local legend and Playing in the sport tournament.

     

    12. All the teachers valued the different visits as “Loved it”. They were the following; Visit to Orihuela, Torrevieja, Elche, The school.

     

    13. Elche was the favourite visit for 3 teachers, Orihuela was the favourite place for 2 teachers and the school was the favourite place for the other 2 teachers.

     

    14. None of the teachers considered any additional remarks related to the project.

     

    We have received 9 questionnaires from participating students

     

    Results:

     

    1. For all the participating students the subject of the project is “Very interesting”.

    2. All the participating students were involved in the project activities and had fun doing the tasks. They liked best: preparing games for the boxes, decorating the activity boxes and playing the sport tournament.

     

    3. Most of them said they liked decorating the activity boxes the best.

     

    4.The project helped all the students to extend their knowledge about the partner countries.

     

    5.  The project helped all the students to develop their language skills.

     

    6. The participation in the project helped the majority of the students to develop their ICT skills.

     

    7. All the students stated that the atmosphere during the mobility was funny, nice and friendly.

     

    8. All the students noticed benefits of helping others.

     

    9. All the students learned more about the situation and policies in Spain.

     

    10. All the students stated they got to like school more thanks to the project activities.

     

    11. All the students valued the different visits as “Liked it” or “Loved it”. They were; Visit to Orihuela, Torrevieja, Elche and School.

     

    12. The school was the favourite visit for 4 students because they could meet new friends, play, dance and it was very funny, Eche was the favourite place for 3 students and Torrevieja was the favourite place for the other 2 students.

     

    13. All the students said yes to try other persons to take interest in the project.

     

    14. Additional remarks: “Living with a family would be more suitable to socializing”, “It was great to meet people from other countries”, “I would like to stay here in Spain more time”