Ninth Meeting in Turkey

From the 7th to 13^th May we were in Izmir for the ninth meeting of the project. The aim for this meeting was improving English language skills in which the students realized a role play activity.  

Before the meeting, teachers prepared videos about how to use the adjectives in a sentence

The first day of the meeting, the students made warm up activities at the school. We were very well received by the students of the Girne Secondary High School.

On Wednesday, the Multiplier Event took place in Izmir. Intellectual Output (O1) and Intellectual Output (O2) were introduced and information was given about the Flipped Learning and about how to Flipp English Classroom. All partners shared their experiences during the implementation of the project, which was very nice.

During workshop times, the international working groups worked with in the big enthusiasm on Drama Activities and Turkish Art of Ebru”&“Planting” activities.

We visited so many historical places The Agora, Ephesus, Selcuk Museum

Sirince, House of Virgin Mary and Kusadası. These cultural trips were so great experience for the students and very enriching. They learned so many things about Turkish culture and tradition.

On the last day, participants received certificates and there was a farewell party for students which was a very pleasant time for them.

I want to thanks the host students, host teachers, school board and Ayla Savasci for the outstanding organization. Everything was perfect.

Turkey! This country for many people frightens, and I can´tdeny that at first, when I was told that I had been chosen for this trip, for the last mobility of the Flipped Learning Project, it scared me a bit, , but even so I said YES to this challenge.

May 7th, 2017, this day I will never forget.. I saw all that fear disappear and that country would be a unique experience. And it was…it was unforgettable! Totally different from Portugal.

Completely affable population, always willing to help, I noticed it mainly in the way they received us,  5 * people.

Izmir, the most beautiful city I have ever seen, every fantastic monument, especially the Clock Tower, the house of the Virgin Mary and Ephesus, which I simply loved.

Without a doubt, having said YES to this challenge was the best yes of my life!

Thank you Erasmus +, thank you Epralima!      

Carolina Araújo

Turkey! When I was told that I had been chosen for the last mobility of students of this project, I was surprised. At first I wasn´t going to accept, due to the fear of being in a very different country, and because it is a country that constantly suffers attacks. But when they mentioned the city, I researched and was completely surprised by the beaches but mainly with the streets of this magnificent city. The culture is completely different from Portugal and the people are extremely friendly and very smiling. The reception was undoubtedly astounding, from the teachers and the students, always willing to help, the way the activities were prepared strictly. This project was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of my life. 

Patrícia Matos

                                                                Portuguese Team

France: The 8 th meeting in Lithuania

Multidisciplinary Flipped Learning with ICT : Project meeting Short-term exchange group of pupils.

The 8th project Meeting in Lithuania, which was part of the « Erasmus+ » program, took place in Velzys gymnasium from the 19th to the 25th February, 2017. It involved eight different countries: Turkey/Poland/Lithuania/Italy/Portugal/Spain/Latvia/France.

è Discovering a new country and its culture

The 8th meeting was held in Lithuania, and more precisely at Velzys Gymnasium located next to the city of Panevezys, approximately two hours north of Vilnius.

The opportunity to visit Lithuania was very exciting for all of us since we had never been there before. Thanks to Lithuania travel guides, we knew some of the must-see sites of this country and we were looking forward to landing in Vilnius!

The first contact with Lithuanian culture took place at school on the first morning of the meeting. Everything was done to offer us a very warm welcome : an orchestra was playing in the entrance, and students dressed in traditional costumes awaited for us.

Thanks to the Lithuanian team, we discovered many aspects of the Lithuanian Culture. On Tuesday, we went to a cultural visit in Anyksciai. We visited the horse Museum, and we went to the treetop walking path. During the week, we entered in the puppet theatre of Panevezys and walked down the streets, stopping in front of the statue of Alexander II who is considered as the founder of the city. On Thursday, we travelled to Trakai island centre, a beautiful medieval castle surrounded by five frozen lakes, which created a particular atmosphere. After crossing the bridge, we visited the castle, and learned by the way a part of the  Lithuanian history.

Then, we went to the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius. We walked through the beautiful streets of the old town, we entered amazing orthodox churches and the Catholic cathedral. By seeing these different churches, we noted that Vilnius is a crossroad of different religions : most Lithuanians are Roman Catholic, and the Second largest faith is the Russian Orthodoxy.

We can’t seriously speak about culture without mentioning culinary specialities. We tested potato dumplings with meat, various types of pancakes, hot-smoked hams and sausages, etc. Host families cooked some wonderful traditional Lithuanian food for the welcome party. During the week, we learned how to bake the Lituanian special bread and “Kibinai”, which are imports from Karaim cooking tradition.

   

èDiscussing about specificities of  the country's education systems.

As we spent time in the school during the week, it enabled us to understand how the Lithuanian school system works. In Velzys gymnasium, students wear a uniform. It gave us the opportunity to debate with our French students about the advantages and disadvantages of school uniform.

We visited the school and discovered many things : students attended lessons in ethics or in religion, they could take part in different activities such as “dance”, or “wood working”. School climate seems to be more serene than in France. Teenagers are actively involved in discussions about the proper functioning of the school through a “student parliament”. The corridors are decorated with several articles about student’s activities and successes.

As teachers, the first thing we did when we entered into a classroom was to count the number of students. There were between ten and twenty pupils. We were told that there is a law prohibiting a class of more than thirty students, we would like to have the same law in France ! The Lithuanian students were motivated and really involved in the project.

è Workshop and debate

Students and teachers were involved in activities that could improve their English skills. The first step was to submit their homework: Students showed videos to introduce themselves, to present their country, their school and their leisure activities. Then, they had to make a similar work in international groups. It was a good way of learning more about each others.

Wednesday morning, students had to create a short story with key words related to the project. It enabled them to express their creativity. Since they performed on Friday, they had to dare to express themselves in another language in front of the whole group. This experience allowed them to build self-confidence and to develop skills.

In my opinion, the most interesting workshop was the debate about the use of new technologies at school. Indeed, this debate involved students and teachers about a really interesting topic. We had to prepare a speech which was presented in front of the international group. The theme was completely linked to the project and to current issues both within the school and outside. The use of new technologies was said to have some advantages and drawbacks, which had been raised by each country. The time spared, the access to a lot of information, the ease and quality of communication were evocated. Disadvantages mentioned were the loss of real life contact, the problem of addiction, etc. After each speech, Lithuanian students summed up the various arguments. Students and teachers felt really concerned by this issue. The use of new technologies must be taught at school to help our students to use them properly.

Thanks a lot to the Lithuanian team for their warm welcome and kindness!

By Maité, Frédérique and Anais

SPAIN: The 8th meeting in Lithuania

For all of us it was our first time in Lithuania. Actually, we hadn't ever been so far north, so in our thoughts Lithuania appeared as an intriguing far off country .

 
Neither Lithuania nor our Lithuanian friends let us down. Not even the weather, which we were a little scared of, as coming from the South we are not used to very low temperatures. The weather was excellent for that time of the year, the temperature was never too low and as we wished, it snowed, so we could also have that delightful experience.

The organization of the meeting was simply perfect; We had time to work at the school- the performances and debate were most interesting – , enjoy the Lithuanian dances and share meals and ceremonies with all the participants. But we had also time to visit the capital city, Vilnius, to bake traditional dark bread and make and eat our our own delicious kibinai; We had a taste of traditional Lithuanian lifestyle.

The view of the old Trakai castle in the middle of a frozen lake was overwhelming and we loved to “walk on treetops” in Anysksciai. The way took us to the Puntukas stone, where we could admire the engraved portraits of two glorious Lithuanian pilots. 
Well, lots of very carefully designed activities; the exact mix of work and leisure time which took place at a precise steady pace. 

Warm congratulations dear teachers and students!. You did an excellent job.
Thanks, dear friends, for giving us the chance to enjoy such a lovely time with you in warm cold Lithuania.

Magdalena Velázquez Moreno

ITALY: The 8th Meeting In Lithuania (19th – 25th February 2017)

Alice Tucci

The week I spent in Panėvežys, in Lithuania, was probably the best week in my life!

I had a lot of fun, and everything was so beautiful and perfect! Everybody was so kind and friendly, and I loved that!

First of all I need to thank my host family. They were incredibly kind, friendly, and they treated me like I was part of the family… and I felt part of the family, indeed! I miss them really much, and I do hope to see  them again. 

Secondly I have to say something about the school and the people there: everything was just perfect! The students and the teachers were really,  really friendly, and if you needed something, there was always somebody there to help you. Even the cooks at the canteen!

And, least but not last, I loved Lithuania! Certainly, in my opinion it was too cold, but I loved seeing and playing with the snow and I really had fun in every place we’ve been: Vilnius, Trakkai, Anykscai : I especially loved the visit to Anykscai  because of the horse riding, the traditional loom, the metalworking and the bread baking!

During this meeting I met a lot of interesting and beautiful people, and it was really sad to say them goodbye!

Emma Luppi

First of all I want to say that the 8th meeting in Lithuania was fantastic. Everything was well arranged and  I think it was very difficult to organize all that. In my opinion Lithuania is a beautiful country and I loved it even if  it was too cold.

 The school was cosy because all the students were very friendly and helpful. I think it is a good place for  students to stay. The workshops  we did were  funny and instructive.

At the school canteen  the food  was  good but I only liked some of it. The most surprising thing was that students are allowed to bring  their  mobile  in class. It’s a good idea that could be introduced in our school too. Jovita’s family were very kind and lovely, they always made sure I had everything I needed . I love them because they accepted me like one of their children and I thank them for this. Jovita’s mum was so funny and generous and Jovita’s dad too. The last evening I met Jovita’s brother: he studies at  university so he spends all the week away from home and I found him kind and friendly.

The food at home was so good and tasty.

 I slept all the night fine. I miss Jovita’s family, I miss Jovita, I miss Jovita’s friend and the other students, I miss the school in Lithuania and obviously I miss Lithuania. Finally I want to say thanks at my teacher for this opportunity, I really like Erasmus.

Greta Gialdini

I really had a lot of fun during my 8^th meeting in Lithuania!

 We spent the week doing a lot of exciting things such as leading a debate, baking bread ( we experienced it TWICE), and even going horse riding!

The best day so far was Thursday: in the morning we went to Trakkai’s castle (unexpectedly the lake around  was completely frozen!) and in the afternoon we visited Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. I really loved Lithuania, as well. It was a little too cold for me, but people were very kind and friendly.  Especially my family! They were always there for me when I needed something.

And furthermore, this Erasmus experience made me meet a lot of amazing people, from all over Europe. I was really sad when I had to say goodbye!

At the end, I really want to say thanks to my Italian friends Alice, Emma and Alessandro. They have really made this week so funny and hilarious!

Alessandro Bottardi

It was an amazing meeting! The only thing I can say about it is WOW!!!!!!

I loved the activities the Lithuanian team has arranged!

My favourite activity was the DEBATE. It’s an incredible method of speaking English and expressing your opinion!

Another activity  I liked was the short story competition.

It’s very funny because you have to act with students coming from different countries, and in 2-3 hours you have to create a short show about an imaginative story. We had a lot of fun!

The trips were well organized. The buildings we visited, such as castles or cathedrals, were not so famous, we enjoyed them anyway, they were interesting!

The family which hosted Greta and I were very nice and cosy, and I’m very grateful to Jokubas and Gerda for everything  they have done.

I thought the food was not very good instead Lithuanian cuisine is good maybe too much heavy!

Talking in  English is a fantastic way to  make friendships and break languages walls.

THANK YOU to all Lithuanian team, teachers, students, school collaborators for this unforgettable meeting…

AND THANK YOU FOR THIS PROJECT!!!!!!!!!