Forensic tournaments are not only limited to high school and college students. Primary school students can also benefit greatly from participating in these events, particularly in Oral Interpretation of Literature. In this blog post, we will delve into our recent experience at a Forensics Tournament, highlighting the significance of Oral Interpretation for primary school students and the invaluable skills they can gain from this enriching activity.
The Power of Oral Interpretation:
Oral Interpretation of Literature is a competitive event where students bring written works to life by delivering them aloud with passion, expression, and understanding. It allows young learners to explore different genres of literature and develop critical thinking, creativity, public speaking, and communication skills.
Choosing the Right Literature:
Selecting suitable literature for primary school students is crucial. The texts should be engaging, age-appropriate, and allow for varied interpretations. Fairy tales, fables, and short stories are popular choices, as they provide a diverse range of characters, emotions, and themes. It’s important to strike a balance between challenging the students and ensuring they can comprehend and connect with the material.
Preparing for the Tournament:
Preparing for a Forensics Tournament requires dedication, practice, and guidance. Teachers and coaches play a vital role in helping students understand the text, develop characterization, and refine their delivery. They encourage students to explore different tones, gestures, and vocal variations to bring the literature to life effectively. Rehearsals, feedback sessions, and mock performances provide valuable opportunities for improvement.
Building Confidence and Communication Skills:
Participating in Oral Interpretation can significantly boost a primary school student’s confidence. Standing before an audience teaches them to overcome stage fright, speak clearly and audibly, and maintain eye contact. These skills are essential for effective communication and will serve them well in various aspects of their lives, both academically and personally.
Cultivating Creativity and Critical Thinking:
Oral Interpretation allows students to explore their creativity by analyzing characters, themes, and emotions in literature. It encourages them to think critically about the underlying messages and values conveyed in the text. Through this process, they develop a deeper appreciation for literature and strengthen their analytical skills.
Promoting Empathy and Emotional Intelligence:
Interpreting different characters and their emotions cultivates empathy in primary school students. It enables them to put themselves in others’ shoes, understand diverse perspectives, and appreciate the complexity of human experiences. These qualities contribute to the development of emotional intelligence, fostering kindness, compassion, and respect for others.
The Tournament Experience:
Our recent Forensics Tournament was a testament to the growth and achievements of our primary school students. Witnessing them take the stage with confidence, deliver captivating performances, and receive recognition for their efforts was truly inspiring. The event provided a supportive and encouraging environment for students to showcase their talents and celebrate their hard work.
Conclusion
Forensics Tournament Oral Interpretation of Literature offers a remarkable platform for primary school students to develop essential skills and discover the transformative power of literature. Through engaging with texts, honing public speaking abilities, and embracing creativity, these young learners embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. As educators and parents, let us continue to foster a love for literature and empower our children through participation in such enriching activities.
“Renata’s Legacy – Advocacy, Education, and Environmental Justice”
Project Summary:
Our 2022-23 e-twinning project “e-Twinners behind the scenes” aimed to honor the inspiring life and legacy of Renata, a devoted mother, passionate teacher, and advocate for women’s rights and environmental justice. The project sought to engage students in exploring and reflecting upon her story, her commitment, and her unwavering pursuit of justice. Through various activities, students developed a deeper understanding of the importance of activism, education, and the preservation of natural resources while aligning with the goals of Agenda 2030.
By focusing on Renata’s incredible journey, we also aimed to align our project with the goals outlined in the eTwinning Agenda 2030. These goals include promoting sustainable development, gender equality, quality education, and strong institutions. Renata’s commitment to her community, her fight for women’s and children’s rights, and her unwavering dedication to preserving the natural beauty of Porto Selvaggio perfectly embody these shared values and aspirations.
DISSEMINATION 1
We decided to look for Renata’s daughters. We managed to find them. One of the has become a teacher! We wrote them about our project which had been inspired by their mother and we got a touching reply letter back!
HERE’S THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Dear students.
You are the fruit of Renata’s sowing, of her fight for the common good, of a dream that comes true.
With your commitment, you, young people, looking to the future, enthusiastic and full of life and dreams, will be able to feed the consciences of adults and fight for a future of Truth and Justice, in the name of those who can no longer do so, like our mother.
We thank you, the men and women of tomorrow, the young supporters of those who fought and sacrificed themselves, a long list of names, stories, lives, a thousand innocent victims, the living memory of the fighters for a better life for all of us, who deserve recognition and honor.
We thank you, in the name of our mother, an educator, a woman who loved her land and fought to see it free, at all costs.
We embrace you as brothers: in the wild beauty of the Park of PORTO SALVAGIO, you too will walk forever, hand in hand, with Renata.
HERE’S THE GREEK TRANSLATION
Αγαπητοί e-twinners.
Είστε ο καρπός της σποράς της Ρενάτας, του αγώνα της για το κοινό καλό, ενός ονείρου που γίνεται πραγματικότητα.
Με τη δέσμευσή σας , εσείς οι νέοι, ατενίζοντας το μέλλον, ενθουσιώδεις και γεμάτοι ζωή και όνειρα,, θα μπορέσετε να τροφοδοτήσετε τις συνειδήσεις των ενηλίκων και να αγωνιστείτε για ένα μέλλον Αλήθειας και Δικαιοσύνης, στο όνομα εκείνων που δεν μπορούν πλέον να το κάνουν, όπως η μητέρα μας.
Σας ευχαριστούμε, εσάς , τους άνδρες και γυναίκες του αύριο, τους νεαρούς υποστηρικτές εκείνων που αγωνίστηκαν και θυσιάστηκαν, ένα αρμολόι ονομάτων, ιστοριών, ζωών ,χιλίων αθώων θυμάτων,τη ζωντανή μνήμη των αγωνιστών για μια καλύτερη ζωή για όλους μας, που αξίζουν αναγνώρισης και τιμής.
Σας ευχαριστούμε ακόμη στο όνομα της μητέρας μας, μιας μητέρας, μιας εκπαιδευτικού μιας γυναίκας που αγάπησε τη γη της και αγωνίστηκε να τη δει ελεύθερη, ακέραια,με κάθε κόστος.
Σας αγκαλιάζουμε αδερφικά: στην άγρια ομορφιά του Πάρκου του PORTO SALVAGIO θα περπατάτε πια για πάντα κι εσείς , χέρι με χέρι, με τη Ρενάτα.
DISSEMINATION 2
We also managed to finish our collaborative work on our major final product which is our play script e-book!
Erasmus+ is the EU’s program to support education, training, youth, and sport in Europe.
It has an estimated budget of €26.2 billion.
The program places a strong focus on social inclusion, green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.
It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action Plan, and the European Skills Agenda.
Organizations wanting to participate in Erasmus+ may engage in a number of development and networking activities, including strategic improvement of the professional skills of their staff, organizational capacity building, and creating transnational cooperative partnerships with organizations from other countries in order to produce innovative outputs or exchange best practices.
In addition, organizations facilitate learning mobility opportunities for students, education staff, trainees, apprentices, volunteers, youth workers, and young people.
The benefits for involved organizations include an increased capacity to operate at an international level, improved management methods, access to more funding opportunities and projects, increased ability to prepare, manage, and follow-up projects, as well as a more attractive portfolio of opportunities for learners and staff at participating organizations.
In a nutshell, the Erasmus+ program offers the opportunity to send or receive teachers, trainers, headmasters, and any other school, university, and adult education staff who are all eligible to receive an Erasmus plus grant, covering all the training course costs including travel, board and lodging and course fee, for teaching or professional development purposes. They can take part in a training course in another country if your organization gets the Erasmus+ grant. More information is on the official Erasmus website.
But, what is the importance of the ETALarissa teacher training courses?
For ETALarissa Teacher Training Programs help improve teachers in adult education, time management, technical knowledge, motivating the educational and local community, in general, and teaching skills. Thus resulting in the overall improvement of the institution.
The benefits for the organization include an increased capacity to operate at an international level, improved management skills, access to more funding opportunities and projects, increased ability to prepare, manage, and follow-up projects, a more attractive portfolio of opportunities, and the opportunity to develop innovative projects with partners from around the world.
“The organization is an association of teachers of English which according to its statute aims at: – providing its members with professional development through training courses, conferences, and educational events so that they can be better teachers at their schools – ensuring their moral and emotional development in order that they can better serve the local community as active citizens.
In cooperation with these bodies, we have organized various events addressed not only to our members but also to the wider community.
Moreover, the association has become an active member of the “Larissa Learning City” network, which is responsible for creating training opportunities for disadvantaged social groups and individuals. Our members are already active contributors to this network’s actions to build a thriving inclusive learning environment in the city in the wake of the financial crisis Our association can manage and implement the project efficiently as the Board Members have previous experience in similar projects.”
To give you a broader idea, I am sharing two of the mobilities I have personally taken part in, representing ETALarissa, during the last two years.
All the information below comes from our collaborative mobility diaries.
Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for teachers and education staff
This structured intense course aims to enable participants to improve their soft skills such as team working, working in a multicultural environment, managing a team, leadership, crisis and conflicts management, public speaking, communication, and meeting management. The general aim of this course is to foster excellence in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters, and other education staff to improve their soft skills together with other participants and trainers throughout all of Europe gaining as well a broader understanding of education in Europe, and exchanging best practices and experiences.
Thanks to this course the participants:
– Acquire knowledge and tools about teamwork and team management, conflict management, meeting management, public speaking, and communication through specific practical learning sessions; – Improve their practical soft skills through group exercises and tools’ simulations;
– Cooperate and learn in an international context improving their capacity to communicate in English and teamwork in a multicultural environment;
– Improve their Curriculum Vitae competencies and their employability perspectives;
– Exchange best practices and share experiences with participants and staff coming throughout Europe; – Make contacts with individuals and organizations working in the education field in Europe through everyday cooperation and networking and team-building activities;
The first day was the introduction to the course and the trainer provided us with useful information concerning our stay. The team building activities were successful in letting us mingle and meet each other and refer to our expectations of the program.
There was a PowerPoint presentation and five different activities took place, each helping us visualize what was presented. The most important points covered were:
The kind of soft skills we are going to explore, mentioning as a very basic one, is the N.L.P skill and its presuppositions. Based on that a teacher should break up his students’ beliefs in order to motivate them.
Furthermore, unless you try, fail, and try again you will not learn and eventually succeed in your visions.
Another point was the quote by Alfred Korzibsky “the map is not the territory”, which reminded us that each person perceives things and learns in a different manner. This quote was actually used by us during lunch and dinner.
Culturally we walked around the town, sightseeing and tasting local delicacies on our own.
Day 2
We started off the day with a wrap-up activity to see what we remembered from the previous day and made a mind map of everything.
Afterward, we focused on leadership styles and had a group activity on that. Next, there was a ninja move from our trainer when he asked us to prepare a 2-minute speech ( in 10 seconds) and deliver it. During this activity, there were some revealing moments for most of us. We are waiting for the feedback.
Then we went on to communication styles, how to achieve assertiveness, and how to use it as an effective way of communication. Through an activity, we practiced saying no and how recognizing different learning styles.
In the afternoon we spent a beautiful evening in the historic city of Palermo guided by Guilia Zambou. The day ended under the lit streets of via Marquesa.
Day 3
Morning wrap-up. We were divided into two groups to discuss leadership styles and communication types which were the topics of the previous day while commenting on each other’s public speech attempts and presenting it in the front.
Next, our trainer presented us with an activity we could try with our colleagues/ students, so as to raise awareness concerning the different types of communication we use and how to make the best of it.
Our main topic of the day was non-verbal communication and learning to speak body language. We focused on: eye contact, posture, and tone of voice, important elements when delivering a speech. All this was supported by discussing extensive examples of different body positions and the signal they convey.
Yet the day finished early so as to have a guided tour in Cefalu which included swimming in the Mediterranean waters under the hot sun.
Day 4
After the morning wrap-up, where we elaborated on body language and the significance of non-verbal communication, we focused on public speech. After defining what a public speech is, we were shown the main principles of one. Today’s training involved a lot of theory on how to prepare a speech and the ways we can use to highlight what’s important. “The audience is always on our side” is a presupposition. There were some more activities in between and towards the end we were shown videos of our first attempts at public speaking. We all commented and our trainer provided us with his feedback.
In the afternoon we enjoyed a guided tour in Monreale where we saw the famous cathedral, which is part of the Unesco heritage list of monuments.
Another day passed, knowledge was acquired, and connections were made. Erasmus has so much to offer!
Day 5
A week has passed and we haven’t even realized it. We summed up everything on public speech and moved on to emotional intelligence. It was a day full of activities starting with the 5 pillars of emotional quotient and an empathy bingo. We all won because it was a win/win situation. This is not the case with conflict as we learned afterward. Although it can be positive, one may choose when, how, and where to engage. So we’ve put on our thinking hats and tried to reach a resolution. Not always easy.
But all good things come to an end. So we took our certificates and pictures and.. headed off to the beach. We said goodbye to Sicily and our new friends with a lot of pizza, some wine, and some dancing.
Teaching tolerance, diversity, and active citizenship in the 21st-century classroom
Training session: 20.06 – 26.06.2022
Venue: Escola Superior de Educação, Santarém , Portugal
Training introduction
Our training was based on the “My Europe – Your Europe – Your Say”(ME-YOU-US) project resulted from the joint expertise and experience of like-minded organizations from different sectors of education who believe that every individual is unique, equally worthy, and has the right to live according to their beliefs, customs, practices and established behavior rules. Europe is quite different compared to what it used to be a few years ago. Globalization and migration have brought together people from different ethnic origins, religious backgrounds, beliefs, traditions, and languages. However, sharing a common space does not automatically result in overcoming the boundaries of historically constituted communities; it does not necessarily involve opening yourself to otherness. It even resulted in the opposite: nationalistic and xenophobic political parties have been emerging and gaining public support in many EU countries, with the six partner countries included.
Considering the latest events and development trends in Europe the idea of launching a project that will provide support to educators in their mission to teach students to live with the new realities in Europe, not only to accept the diversity of people and concepts but to value it as an opportunity through which we can learn from one another in order to build stronger, more dynamic societies, seemed crucial.
Day 1
We have realized our fears and expectations about the course and not only.
Also, we understood that we have to learn to be more tolerant and value diversity to learn from each other and build stronger and more dynamic societies. To do so, teachers and students need tools and training.
Globalization and migration have brought together people from different ethnic origins, religions, backgrounds, beliefs, traditions, and languages.
We have considered our students` objectives: to believe in and respect human rights, value every member of society as a human being, to be actively involved in the community, which are just a few of them.
All in all, our course modules include diversity, human rights, and active citizenship.
Positive aspects of the first day ;
The networking activities, the warm-up ice breakers, and the team-building games we played working in teams, both indoors and outdoors.
Day 2
Today, we worked on formal, non-formal, and informal education: characteristics, similarities, and differences.
We agreed that formal education is usually less creative, teacher-oriented, rather monotonous, exams oriented, and less effective, with a well-planned syllabus and limited teaching of life skills. We also agreed that nonformal education is usually based on satisfaction, fun, intrinsic motivation, freedom of choice, and observation. On the other hand, informal education involves caring teachers and an informal curriculum, and it is usually spontaneous, highly motivating, and essential to life-long learning.
We also practiced several non-formal highly interesting evaluation techniques.
We were introduced to the human rights module and experienced a few relevant team-building activities and games.
Finally, we stepped in the shoes of students and participated in a training session from the human rights module followed by the course daily evaluation.
Positive aspects of the first day ;
The networking activities and the human rights team building activities and games, both indoors and outdoors.
Negative aspects of the first day:
The lack of networking and cultural activities and leisure time spent with the course partners, in the afternoons.
Day 3
Today, we were sent the digital teacher’s manual and were introduced to its content, in detail.
We were also introduced to the “Diversity and Social Inclusion” module, its energizers, and its objectives.
We learned how to recognize the manifestation of social exclusion behavior.
We also learned how to create a culture of zero tolerance for social exclusion as a form of bullying in the school environment.
Finally, we discussed one`s responsibility in fighting social exclusion.
We stepped in the shoes of students and participated in a training session from the FSI module, in which we were asked to participate in sketches, concerning either social inclusion or social exclusion.
Additionally, we learned how to teach our students how to reflect, using Bonno`s 6 thinking hats and we were introduced to several relaxation techniques which are related to diversity.
All in all, we understood that thinking about past and future events and decisions can be frustrating and that life is complex, therefore we should always distinguish between the different aspects of a decision, in order to see the real picture before we take action.
The group social interaction and bonding were today`s highlights.
First, we participated in inspiring group activities, which had to do with the Theatre of the Oppressed and later we visited the Municipality House of Santarem and were offered a tour of the town by a professional guide.
The only negative comment concerns the lack of practical support and quidance by the course organizers when it comes to our evening cultural activities and day trips.
Day 4
Today, we went on an educational day trip to an inclusive public Portuguese School: Agrupamento de Escolas Cidade do EntroncamentoAECE (in the town of Entroncamento) where there we were welcomed by the school principal of AECE or Escolá Básica da Zona Verde.
We discussed practical activities making use of the training resources in the Teachers’ Toolkit for teaching Human rights, Diversity, and Active Citizenship by the teachers from the school.
We realized that for Portugal, inclusive education is for all students. This means that there is no distinction between student groups and no labeling of students. Instead, students’ individual needs are considered and supported by various measures in schools.
Portugal has had in place laws envisioning the provision of education for all students, without exception, in their local mainstream schools.
Special schools are being transformed into resource centers for inclusion, supporting their former students, now placed in mainstream schools.
Instead of categorizing students, Portugal supports the idea that all students can achieve a profile of competencies and skills.
It emphasizes flexible curricular models, systematic monitoring of the effectiveness of interventions, and collaboration with parents.
A key feature is an emphasis on collaboration, with a well-established pattern of schools working in local clusters.
As the Portuguese education system moved forward in relation to inclusion over the last two decades, the country has also seen impressive developments in terms of equity.
It is one of the few countries with improvement in all of the subjects assessed by OECD’s PISA.
The rate of early leavers from education has reduced significantly.
All in all, we were impressed by both the quality of education and the hospitality and friendliness of the whole school community, in the typical local school we visited.
The group social interaction and further bonding were today`s highlights, once again, during both the educational day trip to Educamento and the recreational afternoon trips, in the area.
After-class bonding and networking are not actually enhanced among the course partners, by the organizers. It fully depends on us.
Day 5
Today has been a highly busy training course day.
It kicked off by visiting the Escola Superior de Educacao STEAM Labs and experiencing STEAM, in practice.
We were first presented with and next practiced creative STEM activities, for students.
We were then presented with the Science and Math creative lab targets: interdisciplinary teaching practices, innovative learning environments and collaboration, problem and project-based learning, robotics, and programming.
We were also shown the lab’s digital resources, research outcomes, and sustainability activities.
A presentation of the spaces which are related to the lab projects, along with practice with a variety of interactive space STEM activities, followed.
We were later introduced to the ” Identity and Active Citizenship” module.
Afterward, we stepped in the shoes of students and participated in three training sessions, from that module.
We put special emphasis on European values, a few of which we agreed should be: respect for human dignity, freedom, peace, tolerance, solidarity, equality, democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights and minorities.
We also discussed life values that should be taught at home and tried several group bonding activities and activities about people in need.
A group discussion followed related to the
” Identity and Active Citizenship ” module.
We were finally asked to share ideas and practical solutions about suggested social problems of people in need.
The group social interaction and further bonding were today`s highlights, once again, mainly during the educational day trip to the town of Tomar, together with the majority of partners.
Day 6
The day started with a reference to the need to make use of the training and NFE tools in the everyday teaching and learning process- discussion, and sharing ideas.
Then, the participants were presented with the eTwinning platform and the opportunities for schools.
A practical session followed about registering on the platform and planning collaborative projects. There was a focus on networking and future collaboration. We continued with a discussion about prospective partnerships and an Erasmus+, KA1, and KA2 projects fair ended the first part of the day.
Later, we went to Sintra and Quinta da Regaleira on a cultural visit, getting to know Portugal and the roots of the tolerance and open-mindedness of Portuguese people.
Finally, we received our Certificates and shared our final evaluation of the project.
The day ended with a short trip to Lisbon.
The group social interaction and further bonding were today`s highlights, once again, mainly during the educational day trip in order to get to know the Portuguese cultural heritage and each other more.
Dissemination
HERE ARE THE LINKS TO MY PRESENTATIONS, CONCERNING THE TWO ERASMUS+ MOBILITIES AND TRAINING COURSES I HAVE ATTENDED, REPRESENTING ETALarissa.
CLICK HERE FOR THE Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for teachers and education staff ONE
CLICK HERE FOR THE Teaching tolerance, diversity, and active citizenship in the 21st-century classroom ONE
When the pandemic began, teachers all over the World were given little notice to shift very quickly to distance learning or e-learning, sometimes with no training. In many cases, we had 48 hours or a weekend to reinvent lessons for an already planned curriculum, learn new technologies, find non-technology solutions to student learning, and figure out how to keep students engaged. But all of us eTwinning teachers, also had to balance home and work and how to do our life’s work from afar while simultaneously caring for students, grieving losses, and so many more challenges and obstacles!
By the way, for all those -mainly non-European -teachers who keep asking me about what eTwinning is about: eTwinning is the community for schools in Europe.
Since then I personally realized that there is only ONE thing that is still here for both me and my students, during these hard times: eTwinning!
eTwinning offers a platform for staff (teachers, head teachers, librarians, etc.), working in a school in one of the European countries involved, to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting learning community in Europe. eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+, the European program for Education, Training, Youth, and Sport. eTwinning promotes school collaboration in Europe through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by providing support, tools, and services for schools. eTwinning also offers opportunities for free and continuing online Professional Development for educators. Launched in 2005 as the main action of the European Commission’s eLearning Programme, eTwinning is co-funded by Erasmus+, the European program for Education, Training, Youth, and Sport, since 2014. Its Central Support Service is operated by European Schoolnet, an international partnership of 34 European Ministries of Education developing learning for schools, teachers, and pupils across Europe. eTwinning is further supported at the national level by 38 National Support Services.
TwinSpace
The place where eTwinning magic really happens is the TwinSpace; a safe platform visible only to the teachers participating in a project. Students can also be invited to the TwinSpace to meet and collaborate with peers from their partner schools.
One of the most important elements of eTwinning is a collaboration among teachers, students, schools, parents, and local authorities. In eTwinning teachers work together and organize activities for their students. They have an active role, interact, investigate, make decisions, respect each other and learn 21st-century skills. eTwinning projects involve the contribution of each member of the team. Take inspiration and explore these awarded projects.
Finally, in eTwinning, our work is important and deserves to be shared and recognized locally, nationally, and Europe-wide. eTwinning recognizes the work carried out by teachers, students, and schools through National and European Quality Labels, eTwinning Awards, eTwinning Schools, and the eTwinning Portfolio.
Οur school inspiring eTwinning project, this year, was a project about the environment!
ABC: there is NO planet B is an eTwinning project that has partners from Turkey, Italy, and Greece. It is a collaborative, creative project on climate change and environmental challenges.
ABC stands for Awareness, Belief, Communication.
Pupils become aware of and are educated on environmental issues, they express their thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways, believe in their strengths, and suggest ways to make small changes towards this big challenge. The activities proposed in this project aim to help students realize how global warming resulting from climate change impacts Earth. They encourage them to take action to make the world a better place.
Throughout the project, students raise awareness and spread knowledge about the issue of Climate Change in their schools and local communities.
AIMS
PSHE aim: To help schools to fulfill their statutory responsibility to support their cultural development and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of life. To participate in a collaborative project with different countries in Europe, to exchange ideas and reflections, to communicate thoughts using creative ways.
COMPUTING aim: To use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create content that accomplishes given goals, including collecting, analyzing, evaluating, and presenting data and information.
SCIENCE aim: To explore the causes and effects of climate change and raise awareness of the environmental challenges.
WORK PROCESS
Presentation of the project to our schools and the other partners. Some activities include: Design of a logo, collaborative murals and artwork, posters and PPT presentations, collaborative Ebooks, formal letters to local MPs to raise awareness, Covid-19 and its impact, etc
The tasks have been discussed in a messenger or what’s app group with the other teachers and set by the leading schools; the activities and work produced have been shared in twinspace by all schools and the work process has been communicated using the journal. eTwinning Ambassadors clubs have been created to support the project as well as distant learning arrangements.
Depending on the activity, pupils have the opportunity to work independently, with talk partners, or in small groups and some have twinspace membership to share their work, enjoy and comment on the other schools’ work, and communicate their thoughts and feelings by joining in forums, work collaboratively.
EXPECTED RESULTS
The end products are collaborative ebooks filled with their creative work. Some activities include: Design of a logo, collaborative murals, and artwork, posters and PPT presentations, collaborative e-books, formal letters to local MPs to raise awareness, wars and their impact on the environment, etc
All in all, our project, helps us to widen our horizons, reconsider our perspectives, improve self-esteem, increase our understanding of different environmental issues, enhance our awareness of the environment and prove that “communication is the basis of understanding others and the world”.
The process is always constantly about learning to learn collaboratively, building an inclusive and equitable environment for all. The pupils have been inspired and motivated and participated equally in the shaping of our project.
The flipped classroom is just one of the latest e-learning models which has made its way into classrooms around the world. The pedagogical model sets out to reverse the role of teaching with homework, whereby students would typically digest new educational content outside of their classroom. Teachers would then use their classroom sessions to allow students to apply the information learned, through a series of practical assignments.
What is blended learning?
Blended learning, on the other hand, involves both online learning as well as in a brick-and-mortar location. In a blended learning classroom, both online and traditional teaching methods are utilized to provide a more effective learning experience for the students. Teachers would typically employ online learning components such as educational videos, games, online learning material and podcasts.”
What is a flipped classroom approach?
The Flipped Classroom is a blended learning model in which traditional ideas about classroom activities and homework are reversed, or “flipped.” In this model, instructors have students interact with new material for homework first.
Flipped classroom
Like many educators, I leapt into the world of virtual learning last spring due to COVID-19 school closures. While some teachers have spent years immersed in the world of technologyI was adjusting to sitting behind a screen and figuring out how to best translate the benefits of in-person learning to the virtual world and how to use technology-supported instruction to enhance student learning.
However, as we shifted to distance learning last spring, we had to take the best of blended learning and adjust it to exist in a completely virtual world.
As we transitioned to remote learning, we worked to capture the benefits of “traditional” in-person learning through live, virtual smaller-group classes. I found that this was ideal for our quieter students (who loved using the chat feature to share ideas) and also allowed teachers to connect with students in even deeper, more authentic ways despite the distance.
The flipped-classroom model, whether virtual or in person, has been a gift for many of my students, most notably those with learning differences or more introverted kids. I have realised that the flipped model places a greater emphasis on the student putting in more of their own intellectual effort, leading to greater retention of the material and a significant increase in confidence.
Blended learning also incorporates online learning tools, whether it is in class or at home, that can offer more personalized learning experiences for students. Furthermore, blended learning can incorporate gamification to keep students engaged and motivated.
I firmly believe that, as educators ,we will have to continue to examine and evaluate how to maximize teacher-student interactions as well as online learning tools to support instruction and student development. While this year is sure to bring more challenges, it is equally likely that there will be incredible growth and development along the way.
Why flipped classrooms work for distance learning
Distance learning provides the ideal opportunity for trying out the flipped classroom, as students are doing so much learning from home anyway. It will build on and improve our relationship with our students, as the teacher-student dynamic shifts from a less instructional model to a more collaborative one. And this can help with motivation, too. When our class time is all about practical application of ideas, supporting student understanding and peer-to-peer collaboration, it makes for a more dynamic and engaging online class.
Blended Learning
I have long been interested in ‘Blended Learning’ . It remains a ‘buzz’ term in language teaching, although it means different things to different people.
Generation Z – that is young people born between 1995 and the mid-2000s – has grown up with the internet, Google, and social networking. A world without the web and related technology is almost unimaginable for them; it brings them freedom, autonomy and their online identities are an important part of their lives.
Blended learning creates opportunities for students to engage with English outside of the classroom, through games and practice that they can access on mobile devices or computers at home or on the go.
Why blend?
There are many reasons for transitioning to blended learning.
One common reason is to combine the well-known positives of classroom teaching with the advantages of online learning, considered to be studying at the students’ own pace, at a place of their choice; and differentiation – using the online platform as a way of delivering personalized, individual learning-when possible.
Time is another reason. There is simply not enough time for language learners to cover everything within the constraints of the class timetable. Indeed, some language areas are best suited to self-study, such as extensive reading and practising difficult phonemes.
We can incorporate digital technology into our classroom lessons along with traditional methods of instruction. I have realized that switching between computer-based or gamifiedlearningand face-to-face instruction keeps my students engaged in their learning and strengthen lessons.
Possible challenges
-The students who enjoy the class may not contribute to the knowledge building occurring in the online environment, while those who enjoy working online may dislike the time restrictions etc
-Learners ( and some parents…) may not see the link between their lessons and online work. They sometimes perceive the online components to be of lesser value and fail to do the online work.
– Technical problems can prove de-motivating.
A FEW FINAL NOTES
A.
Which online platforms/tools are MY most favourite and can be used for blended learning?
Quizizz: A game-based learning tool that can be used for instruction, both in and out of class, or for students to create their own games as more authentic practice. Quizizz has thousands of games available in the library and recently added a student log-in that enables students to track their progress and gives them access to prior games played so they can always go back and review. Having this available to students makes it more personalized because students can get extra practice whenever they need it.
Kahoot!: An engaging and popular game-based site that provides opportunities for students to take control of their learning and us ,educators to track student development.
Challenges with Kahoot have become quite popular, among teachers and students. Teachers can “challenge” students to participate in a game as a way to practice the content or review for an assessment. Students can even challenge each other by sharing games and codes, which makes it good for peer collaboration and building social-emotional learning skills.
Padlet is an Internet-based application that can be used like a virtual pinboard, making it ideal for collaborating and sharing ideas and resources. While there are numerous online tools that can be used for similar purposes, I think that Padlet is ideal for anyone considering blended learning.
B.
Digital learning web tools I have tried, and I recommend
Ι assume,all teachers recognize that children learn best through direct experience ,simply by providing them abundant opportunities for experiential learning—experiential learning is the process of learning by doing. By engaging students in hands-on experiences and reflection, they are better able to connect theories and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations.
To me, the way we learn is the way we approach life in general. It is also the way we solve problems, make decisions, and meet life’s challenges. Learning occurs in any setting and continues throughout our life.
“There are two goals in the experiential learning process. One is to learn the specifics of a particular subject, and the other is to learn about one’s own learning process.” — David A. Kolb
At the core of my classes, self-directed play and exploration of materials allow for cooperative social interaction and support my students’ construction of knowledge about the world around them and this is crucial!
SOME THEORY
THE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CYCLE
According to research, learners retain 75% of what they do compared to 5% of what they hear or 10% of what they read (study). In a world where there are many distractions amongst the learning environment (think cell phones and other forms of technology), experiential learning keeps students engaged and attentive to the learning goal .
David Kolb’s work on the experiential learning cycle is among the most influential approaches to learning I have read about.
The experiential learning cycle is a four-step learning process: Experience – Reflect – Think – Act.
While verb drills and memorisation may have their places in language acquisition, taking a more interactive approach can offer students a wide range of important benefits when learning English.
All in all, by practicing their language skills through fun activities like cooking, photography, arts and crafts, music, drama, and sports, students can develop their skills much more quickly than they would through less active teaching methods.
“Learning by doing” can also boost students’ motivation and desire to learn, help them develop practical language skills that can be applied in their daily lives, and boost their confidence in their own English language abilities.
When students are learning a new language, it’s important not only to equip them with the basic grammar and vocabulary they’ll need to progress, but also to spark their interest and keep them motivated.
Therefore, learning English through fun activities makes second language acquisition an engaging, joyful, and interactive experience, building students’ motivation and ensuring they’re always looking forward to their next English lesson.
Benefits of Experiential Learning
There are many benefits to experiential learning.For example, students are able to receive a deeper understanding of the content being taught. Experiential learning also increases engagement and participation.
By incorporating experiential learning into our curricular learning, we can result in a real mindset change, through learning skills such as leadership, empathy, collaboration, and communication through meaningful opportunities to practice.
If these benefits have not convinced you on this teaching and learning method, below there are a few experiential learning activities that have worked in my classes and you can use in your class to help solidify the use of more hands-on activities in your classroom.
A growth mindset embraces learning by doing.
In my experience, students respond better when being engaged in practical activities, rather than reading from textbooks.
So, getting the children involved in practical activities that teach them English, among other subjects, is a highly effective way of engaging them in their learning.
Gone are the days when I was a student and where we were seated in rows and listened, for what seemed like hours, to the teacher on a particular topic. It was as if the students were considered empty vessels to fill up. There was no time for trial and error for us to ‘play’ with various concepts or to learn a particular concept further.
Course material would be taught in a predetermined way . With little ‘play’, one approach to learning and a fixed way of looking at the learning process, this could only lead to a very limited mindset to what each individual student could achieve.
Contrary to this view and at the heart of what makes the “growth mindset” ( please, click on the link to read all about it in an older blog post of mine) so winsome, Dweck found, is that it creates a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval.
Experiential Learning Activities to try ,that have worked in my class
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great experiential learning activities that get students moving and thinking. These hunts often involve having students solve riddles and clues, and students must work together to get to the next stop. Make the hunt lead to a reveal of the class field trip, incentive party, or as a study guide before the next test. The options are limitless and sure to excite our learners!
Put on a Play
What better way for our students to work on their cooperation, leadership, and creativity skills than by practicing and presenting a play. Maybe our students have just learned a new topic.. Use a pre-found script (a simple Google search is sure to provide many), or have older students create their own. You can also use the course book dialogues or a picture book as a starting point for a play. Theater is a great hands-on experience, and my students do love showing off their acting skills!
Engineering and ELT?
Giving students the opportunity to build is appealing for so many. These sorts of experiential learning activities can be used as part of the curriculum, for brain breaks, for projects or as fun school-wide competitions. You can have students use straws and other recyclable materials to build practically anything related to any topic! The competitive atmosphere of these sorts of building competitions creates excitement and fosters class unity.
Games students play
Games or gamification of courses can be a way of keeping students engaged and motivated while achieving the learning goals in a way that is fun and low risk. Points ,stickers or badges can be awarded for satisfactory participation or completion of the game or goals in the game. Allowing repeat play of games also enables students to see failure as indication that more work is needed to master the skill or knowledge at hand.
As educators, we can incorporate gaming elements (gamification) into other components of our course, include gaming activities or even structure the entire course like a game!
Games or gaming elements can be designed to be competitive or non-competitive. A competitive element, such as an individual-based or team-based point system, can facilitate friendly competition to make activities or the course fun and active. Games can also be non-competitive and have students work towards achievements and badges in class that signify proficiency with a learning outcome or goal. I have tried both, I can recommend both.
Ask students to bring in their own realia
If you want to get to know students better you can ask them to bring in several items from home that they feel represent them. If you’re teaching online, students can hold objects up to their camera instead. Have them present these items to the class and explain why they chose each object. For a variation of this activity, have classmates guess how the objects represent their fellow students. Students love to share things about themselves and are usually excited about activities that involve getting to talk about their own lives.
Incorporate realia into a writing prompt
To make writing assignments come to life, I often bring in random objects and place them at the front of the classroom. I have students write a short story (usually with a prompt) incorporating all or a certain number of the objects. This activity gets students to think outside of the box and reflect on how we use the vocabulary they’ve learned in everyday life. It’s a great one for both the physical and virtual classroom as well, as you can simply hold the objects up to the screen if you’re teaching online.
Memory
I in a virtual classroom, quickly pass objects by the screen, one after the other. See if students can recall which objects they saw and whether they can name them in the correct order. If you’re in a physical classroom, you can set the items out on a desk and hide each object under a cloth ,in a box or in a paper bag. Then, lift the bag/cloth/box for a few seconds to reveal the object. You could also play “Memory” with hand-made vocabulary cards or use any items available such as cups, maps, toys, to help students boost their memory .
To me, if you’re wondering how to teach/revise vocabulary, this is a great activity, as you can choose items from a specific theme/category (ABC,food, sports, objects that are different shapes or colors, etc.).
What is it?
I suggest that you fill a bag/box with realia and have students take turns trying to guess what one of the objects is by putting their hand in the bag/box and feeling it. They can use vocabulary to describe the object to their classmates as they guess. This game can be adapted to the virtual classroom by hiding an object in a bag or under a cloth. Students can have a look at the shape and listen to you describe the object (e.g., it’s heavy, it’s round, etc.) while they try to guess what it is.
CONCLUSION
We all know that,every child learns in a way that is unique to themselves. Experiential learning activities help to take all students’ learning styles and make the activity suitable for a diverse group of learners. The benefits make experiential teaching worth a try. So do a scavenger hunt, put on a play, plant some seeds, rot an apple, or build a tower. Students are sure to walk away with powerful and memorable learning experiences.
Here is a link to visit and find out a lot more about experiential learning activities and useful tables such as this one, below.
Traditional learning activities
Experiential learning activities
Teacher-centered/focused
Student-centered/focused
Learning outcomes are prescribed to a fixed rubric or scoring system
Learning outcomes are flexible and open
Aim to explain knowledge and/or skills by transferring information
Aim to develop knowledge and skills through experience
When this pandemic began, teachers all over the World were given little notice to shift very quickly to distance learning or e-learning, sometimes with no training. In many cases, we had 48 hours or a weekend to reinvent lessons for an already planned curriculum, learn new technologies, find non-technology solutions to student learning, and figure out how to keep students engaged. But all us etwinning teachers ,also had to balance home and work and how to do our life’s work from afar while simultaneously caring for students, grieving losses, and so many more challenges and obstacles!
For all those -mainly non-European -teachers who keep asking me about what etwinning is about: eTwinning is the community for schools in Europe.
I personally realised that there was only ONE thing that was still there for both me and my students, during the lockdown: etwinning!
eTwinning offers a platform for staff (teachers, head teachers, librarians, etc.), working in a school in one of the European countries involved, to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting learning community in Europe. eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+, the European programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.
eTwinning promotes school collaboration in Europe through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by providing support, tools and services for schools. eTwinning also offers opportunities for free and continuing online Professional Development for educators.
Launched in 2005 as the main action of the European Commission’s eLearning Programme, eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+, the European programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport, since 2014.
Its Central Support Service is operated by European Schoolnet, an international partnership of 34 European Ministries of Education developing learning for schools, teachers and pupils across Europe. eTwinning is further supported at national level by 38 National Support Services.
TwinSpace
The place where eTwinning magic really happens is the TwinSpace; a safe platform visible only to the teachers participating in a project. Students can also be invited in the TwinSpace to meet and collaborate with peers from their partner schools.
One of the most important elements of eTwinning is collaboration among teachers, students, schools, parents, and local authorities. In eTwinning teachers work together and organise activities for their students. They have an active role, interact, investigate, make decisions, respect each other and learn 21st century skills. eTwinning projects involve the contribution of each member of the team. Take inspiration and explore these awarded projects.
Finally, in eTwinning, our work is important and deserves to be shared and recognised locally, nationally and Europe-wide. eTwinning recognises the work carried out by teachers, students, and schools through National and European Quality Labels, eTwinning Awards, eTwinning Schools and the eTwinning Portfolio.
One of our school inspiring etwinning projects, this year, was a project about DEMOCRATIC VALUES.
About the project
This #eTw4Democracy project, provides an opportunity for students to make connections with students of other European partner schools, sharing and enhancing democratic values, at the same time. Our schools are microcosms of the communities in which they exist. They are the perfect environment for students not only to learn about civics and democratic values, but also to experience democracy in all aspects of school life cultivating the way the students become citizens. In a democratic school students and teachers should participate equally in the shaping of school life, thus realising their right to have a say on matters that affect them. The activities in this project aim to support students in promoting democratic values within their school communities ensuring that students understand their rights and responsibilities and have strategies for building an inclusive and equitable school environment for all.
AIMS
The overall aim is to share school democratic values, with others! Children will recognize that their actions affect themselves but also others. Our “HanDS” project, provides the opportunity to break down classroom walls, too. It gives our students a chance to see a world outside of their walls and teach about Democracy, at the same time. Additionally, our aim is that, the concept of Europe will be understood and our students will become fully aware of the other European partner schools. Therefore, citizenship should become a practical ,rather than theoretical, part of the curriculum. All in all,our aims are: To prepare students for their future role as citizens To provide students with opportunities for learning in a democratic environment To promote active participation and responsibility in the school environment To improve students’ communication, collaboration, decision- making and problem- solving skills
WORK PROCESS
The tasks, will be set by all partner schools; the activities and work produced will be shared on twinspace by the schools, on a monthly basis and the work process will be communicated using the journal, on a weekly basis. Depending on the activity, pupils will have the opportunity to work independently or with talk partners and will have membership / access to twinspace to share and see the other school’s work and join in forums. Children will also have the opportunity to work in mixed ability groups in each school or in teams of pupils in different schools, sharing responsibilities. They will also have to work in teams, to think of ideas about collaborative projects and about the hand-print crafts, to fill the parcels that will be sent to the other schools, on different topics. Those parcels will have themes, such as:school life in the past, school life at present ,a day in a democratic school etc The project, works on two levels: sharing on twinspace and parcel exchanges, by post.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Children will learn about civics and democratic values, but also experience democracy in all aspects of school life, through their dialogue, written work and the parcels that they will send and receive! Children will also practice writing and communicating in English and children in all countries will familiarize themselves with aspects of each other’s school life, promoting democratic values within their school communities.
Our project, helps us to widen our horizons, reconsider our perspectives, improve self-esteem, increase understanding of different cultures and values , enhance democracy in the school environment and prove that “communication is at the basis of understanding others”.The process is always constantly about learning to learn collaboratively, building an inclusive and equitable school environment for all. The pupils are expected to be inspired and motivated and participate equally in the shaping of school life .
It all started with…. a mask, the day the schools reopened, after the lockdown!
You see, in the beginning of the school year, I always give my class helpers, a simple badge that can be laminated or put in a badge holder so that children can take it in turns to be a classroom helper. A great resource that the children love and show great pride in being picked as a classroom helper.
But, this is a different school year! Therefore, my helpers had to wear helpers’ masks, instead of …badges!
And this is when I ran into this article and this video, got inspired and instantly decided to create a new project for my students, titled :
“ME, Behind My Mask”.
The project ,in a nutshell
When my students came back to school ,in September,they were asked to mask-up. We always seem to start out school year with a selfie and a class photo, so I was bummed when I thought of the idea of my students drawing themselves with their best facial feature hidden…I was really puzzled, till the moment I read the article, mentioned above, where the idea of this surprise drawing came from.
We simply used paper, permanent marker, coloring markers and crayons.
First, I posted the video and simple instructions ,in our asynchronous class platform and I asked the students to create their Me-behind-the-mask selfies, at home and bring them back to class !
Thanks to a handful of educators who care more about their students and their success than keeping the school’s general status quo, the flipped classroom model is no longer a theory, and keeps spreading across more and more educational institutions.
What does a flipped classroom look like? Well, physically, the same as a normal classroom.
But instead of paying attention to lectures while in class and applying the new knowledge in their homework after school, students will watch or listen to the lectures at home, before the class starts, and use the time in the classroom to do their homework. Instead of telling students what to learn, how to learn, when to learn and how to prove that they learned, teachers support them in becoming self-directed learners. I personally, love this!
In our case, my students could submit assessments using online tools, I could send assessments to students via our e-me asynchronous platform. Other online assessment tools, we used included Google Forms, Kahoot, and Quizlet.
Additionally, your students could be encouraged to submit video recordings of themselves using applications like Flipgrid. Sadly, our parents were reluctant to allow me use any video recordings.
Last, but not least, I made sure that I provided timely, specific, and instructionally focused feedback.
All in all, no one is excited about wearing a mask but…it’s for our safety! And the best thing we can do for our students is to put a positive spin on it, right?
The project, step-by-step
The first thing I decided to do was to teach them the adjectives they would use on their selfies, in order to be able to describe themselves.
I used one of my most favourite online tools: Quizlet.
I used Quizlet to introduce them to adjectives to describe CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY , asynchronously.
I also used youtube videos, such as this one, to teach them about the vocabulary they would need, to describe their APPEARANCE.
Additionaly, I used more youtube videos, such as this , to help them learn how to describe their personalities, asynchronously.
On top of that, I used another of my favourite online tools : edpuzzle. A great tool to create amazing video lessons ,in a minute! Edpuzzle is the missing piece for remote learning! We can also track students’ progress with Edpuzzle’s hassle-free analytics as we flip our classroom!
“The ABC’s of YOU” is probably, my most favourite Alphabet kids song, of all! Please, visit to see for yourselves.
The next step, was to ask them to write a paragraph ,presenting themselves to their classmates. After they had done so in their notebooks , I decided to create a PADLET WALL to have them share their paragraphs, in our asynchronous e-me hive, as well.
My amazing students’ self-portraits BEHIND THE MASK, have been displayed, in a book creator tool, for sometime now! My students, were regularly encouraged to visit it , from home, as well.
Finally, I decided to add all the links we had used both synchronously and asynchronously, in one presentation tool ,which I truly love: Microsoft SWAY ! Highly recommended!
Games we played
To be able to practice all the new words and put theory into practice in class, we have tried several games, in the school classroom.
The games listed below may require some modification to meet the social distancing restrictions but should give any big class a great starting point for coming up with fun games to play.
1.Name Game
Every member of the class chooses an adjective that starts with the same letter as the first letter of their first name. They put that adjective in front of their first name, and they have their new name. So for example: Joyful Jill. For an added challenge, you can see if people can remember everyone’s names throughout the conversation.
2.Guess who
The Guess Who ESL game is a fun way to practise describing people adjectives with young students, in-class or as a warmer. I encouraged my students to use the adjectives which describe personality more than the ones which describe appearance.
Specifically, it’s great for question formation and practising the different auxiliary verbs that may be used (e.g. Is she old? Does she have brown hair? Is she wearing glasses?).
A similar game for large kids classes (that doesn’t require any special resources) is Classroom Guess Who.
3.Two Truths and a Lie
This is a fun, classic game that allows students to share some little known facts about themselves while trying to stump their classmates too. Each student will write down two true statements and one lie about themselves. In my class, they were asked to include personality and appearance adjectives in all their statements.
We let them know that they can put these statements in any order as the goal is for the class to try to figure out which one is the lie. Although this can be done without writing it down, I have found that with elementary-aged students it is very beneficial to give students thinking time first. Otherwise, you end up with students who try to think when it is their turn and it makes the truths and lie very obvious.
After everyone is done writing down their sentences, then I go around the room having students read their 3 statements. The class will then vote on which they think is the lie. After the vote, the student will reveal the lie and can explain the truths if there is time.
4. Quiz Time
As soon as they mastered the target vocabulary, I made my first pop quiz of the year ,about the class. At the end of the first week, I created a pop quiz asking questions about what they learned. My students loved being the stars of the questions!
You can make it a paper and pencil quiz or use an app like Kahoot, Quizziz or Google Forms to make a digital pop quiz. This is a great way to introduce a new type of digital activity that you will use during the year too!
5. 20 Questions
Play a game of 20 questions (or use the number that is the same as the number of students you have so that each person can ask 1 question). Choose 1 person to pick a secret word(personality adjectives, in our case ) and have them write it down or tell the teacher. Then challenge the class to work together to figure out what the person is. This will require students to listen to each other’s questions, the answers and think about related follow-up questions that might help to narrow down the secret word.
After everyone has asked a question, then let each student take one guess.
6. Bucket List
Each student, comes up with 5 top adjectives from their selfie, on their bucket list. Then they share and see what they have in common, with other class members. They could even take those similarities and use them to connect in the real world .
7.Pictionary
Students , brought their selfie ” Me, behind the mask” in class.
Then, they had to describe that picture while the rest have to draw it.
When time was up, or when the person describing decided to stop, they showed their pictures to the rest of the class and the describer chose the winner.
8. True or False?
A great way to reinforce what has just been taught.
Instead of the traditional pop-quiz to see how much the kids retained from the personality adjectives list, I tried something a bit different…
I asked the students to find paper and instructed them to make a collection of scrunched up paper balls. I put two pictures on two different classroom walls , one with a true sign, one with a false one.
I asked a series of true/false questions, using as many personality and appearance adjectives as possible, about different students. If the kids thought it was true, they ditched a paper ball at the true sign, and false if they thought it was false.
While this can be quite messy ,it can be a light hearted way to review what has been learnt.
My conclusions
a.When we reinforce self-esteem and resilience in our students, we equip them with critical skills they need to succeed socially and academically.
When we communicate genuine, realistic appreciation and encouragement to our students, it’s a powerful way to nurture self-esteem and resilience.
b.I have to admit, that for kindergarten and primary teachers, teaching younger children while masked ,also presents challenges — specifically related to students’ social-emotional learning.
c.Furthermore, the mouth and eyes are even more important than other facial features when interpreting expression. In contrast to adults who get most non-verbal social information from speakers’ eyes, young children pay most attention to speakers’ mouths. This elevates the challenge of clearly communicating emotions to children while wearing a mask.
d.What is more, vocal strain is a significant occupational hazard in teaching, and the increased volume necessary to be understood when wearing a mask may contribute to this risk.
I really hope, the project idea presented here can enhance the learning experiences of young students in the new world of COVID-19 aware classrooms.
Over the last few months, the pandemic has created many challenges for teachers, students, and parents as they transitioned into home-based learning.
It is true that, in the age of Covid-19 ,as an educator ,especially in a State Greek Primary School,you have two options: to do… nothing and to let the situation overwhelm you or to continue working hard during the day and worrying at night. Concentrating on research on creative, experiential and student-centered teaching that you have been doing for so many years, BUT, when the system around you is collapsing this doesn’t seem so easy to do. You don’t have much room left, you want to keep in touch with others. You dedicate yourself, SOUL AND BODY, to doing your homework, keeping in touch with your students, feeling alive, moving forward into life.
During the lockdown,on any given day, in schools across the World, many students exchanged warm greetings with a smiling teacher, then perhaps moved on to a morning check-in, followed by a quick mindfulness exercise to start the day grounded and mentally focused. Surrounded by peers they’d known for months, or perhaps even years—and a teacher they saw regularly—kids felt connected.
In spite of some critics who downplayed the importance of social and emotional learning and the value of belonging, to me it is clear and has been for some time: When students spend their daytime hours in safe, supportive schools where their teachers work every day to build strong relationships with every student, they are simply better, more engaged learners.
I personally believe that, yes, it is mainly about the technology—the mechanics of how to teach remotely. But it’s also about how we are going to hold our students’ hearts!
“School ditches tablets”. Catchy titles like this one, banishing technology from the classroom, seem to be out of date after school closure and the need of thousands of teachers and educators to keep education alive in the midst of a pandemic. Whether you are a tech-enthusiast or you were forced to use technology, this crisis has brought to the surface the potential of learning technology, which has been tried and tested under extreme conditions.
To me, the good news is that , as teachers, we have overcome our greatest fears and biases against using technology so now we can make the most of it to facilitate learning, during the lockdown !
My own first shock concerned online classes & COVID-19:
How will the pandemic affect me as a teacher and my teaching?
I have always thought that, teachers are leaders, guides, facilitators, and mentors. We encourage students when they struggle, and inspire them to set and reach for their goals. We ARE role models, leading by example and giving direction when necessary.
A computer can give information, but a teacher can lend a hand, or an ear, and discern what’s necessary for a student to succeed, and to want to succeed.
So yes, technology is going to play a critical role in the future of education. But not as big a role as that of a teacher.
My next step was to create our online, asynchronous learning classes!
The creation of those classes was mainly aimed at maintaining the contact of our students with the English language course and allowed me to quickly carry out my work, communicate between different computers and exchange data, sharing useful links.
That service allowed me to organize, present, store, and retrieve the material, which students are asked to use without time constraints, as is usually the case in the classroom. Our e-classroom platform was basically designed to enhance the educational process as it takes place in the classroom and operation in a secure environment and I admit that I was really excited about learning how to use it properly .
Overall, the benefits of the #e-me platform we have been using all these months, are many. It was relatively easy to use, allowed the use of useful educational material, promoted communication and interaction between teachers and learners and served the needs of maintaining contact with the lessons and repetition.
The ‘key’ to the success of such a platform, however, lies in the frequency of visits of the students to the platform! I personally, found it really challenging to be able convince my students to visit it ,as often as possible, during the lockdown!
Of course, parents and teachers, we were invited to dedicate some time and accompany the children’s first steps in that new environment, to suggest that they regularly connected with the electronic classes of the courses they attended and gradually helped them to become independent in their use.
My initial thought was to find the way to encourage my students to express their thoughts and feelings, while staying at home.
Obviously, when we can share our sensations, thoughts, and feelings, we feel a sense of relief, safety, and calm, and I believe that sharing our feelings and learning about them is one of the most powerful ways to regulate our nervous systems during stressful periods of time.
Many of my own students reported feeling isolated, depressed, and overwhelmed. The lack of a support system had definitely been the hardest part about not physically attending school.
I decided to launch the “FEELINGS project” on e-me inspired by Growth Mindset.
Last year, I was introduced to Growth Mindset by Jennifer Schmidt of The Cogent Construct based in Spain.
Jennifer, had partnered with Pilgrim’s based in the UK to offer a new and innovative online teacher coaching / mentorship program and I was asked to contribute to it!
About growth mindset
This is a term introduced by Prof Carol Dweck and a concept that many schools are now introducing as a way to support a positive learning mindset. Those with a growth mindset (as opposed to a fixed mindset) believe they can improve with hard work and perseverance and that their intelligence isn’t fixed. They display better self-esteem and increased resilience. The journal encourages a growth mindset through checklist prompts and use of daily quotes to remind children about the importance of not giving up when faced with challenges.
I realised that during the lockdown , we were all developing empathy.
Empathy is the act of meeting someone in their pain and helping them feel like they’re not alone.
In order to inspire students to take that journey, we as teachers should not pretend that human feelings were something to which we were immune.
Therefore, I had to feel with students, which required both an acknowledgment that my own feelings existed and a desire to understand the feelings of my students. If I could create a fertile space for empathy to grow, I could also provide the opportunity for meaningful connections with my students.
I also used some writing opportunities for my students to get their thoughts, feelings, fears, and questions down in a creative format. I gave them an option to share with their e-class.This did not only allow them to share out their feelings but also gave me a place to check on them and follow up when I saw any of them expressing sadness, fear, etc.
Most importantly , I was honest and as understanding as possible to let students know we were all in that together and would likely all need a little grace.
After the first shock, I decided to FOCUS my teaching ON SUPPORTING MY STUDENTS EMOTIONALLY.
The very first inspiring idea which I used in our webex meetings during the lockdown, belonged to my dear colleague and friend Effie Kyrikakis.
It was mainly about sharing our wishes and sharing positive messages within our families and the local community and about committing small acts of kindness.
The message to my students was:You can always fly with your imagination! Spread your positivity! #PlanesofHope
Th idea was that each adult in their lives -teacher or parent- focuses on helping them bolster their strengths, discover their affinities, and realize their personal visions for the future.
I always have to remind myself that, especially under the circumstances, each teacher should be a role model of calm reflection within their class. We should avoid exhibiting our own frustrations, especially in emergencies.
Within those two months in lockdown ,they became more likely to think of setbacks as temporary. They recognized that by using more effective personal strategies ,they could overcome obstacles and turn setbacks into triumphs.
Rather than jumping in to fix the problem when my students were bored or unmotivated to do online work, during self-isoalation,I let them feel their feelings as they faced those challenges. The key was to listen to and encourage them so that they felt comfortable taking control.
In a nutshell
Let’s let our students discover their own ways to cope. This is phenomenal emotional growth and skill-building for the future.
To me, it was highly important that I should encourage my students to talk about their feelings but express gratitude, too.
To be able to do so, I decided to incorporate another inspiring idea to our webex online meetings during the lockdown, which belonged to our amazing colleague Theodora Bogiou.
It was mainly about sharing and spreading positive messages, in the local communities.
Practising gratitude not only helped my students to see the goodness in their lives but also to realise that it can come from a number of sources, even inside their homes .
All in all, it was highly important to enhance our practical optimism, through focusing on gratitude, small acts of kindness, emotional mindfulness, brain exercise, and positive surroundings, especially in those difficult times of self-isolation.
THE MAIN #I_love_ME_project IDEA, IN BRIEF
We hang some messages on a tree in our backyards and balconies.
The first messages was on a red heart and they started by saying I love…
The second message was on green leaves and they started by saying I’m grateful for..
The third message was on suns and it was a message to somebody they loved, like advice or a love message. It started by saying My message to you is…
To sum up, thanks to Theodora Bogiou‘s idea, I managed to promote emotional growth by encouraging my children to talk about their feelings, helping them identify those feelings and validating them. That kind of communication also fostered a stronger class connection.
In addition to practical steps to prevent illness (like washing hands and keeping a safe distance from others in the grocery store), I wanted to stress to my students that there were many other areas of pandemic life that they could control: how they spent their time at home, what they did to manage tough emotions, which self-care tools they utilized to reduce stress, etc. Me and my students discussed those coping methods and even made a list of them together.
Consequently, the next idea for our webex online meeting, came from Effie Kyriakakis’ #re-bloom project
They actually wrote about their inner strengths ,on their artwork, on flower petals and shared them with the class both synchronously and asynchronously.
We also talked about resilience! Talking about resilience and the positive things that can come out of a crisis was not an attempt to paint a happy picture of those times, but to create real, measurable factors that can be gained by coming through a difficult time.
I believe that teachers can demonstrate how they face challenges and frustration head-on and use different coping tactics like meditation, talking to loved ones, making art or playing music, and actually, that is exactly what I did!
I often give my students’ brain and body a positive workout, in the school classroom . I decided to do the same , during the lockdown.
Why?
-I believe that finding ways of calming the body can help some children, too – for example, using breathing or meditation techniques. Many of my students told me that being very active and ‘keeping busy’ stopped negative feelings and reduced stress levels to them.
Routines that foster connection are a core part of classroom life, and finding ways for students to experience these at home ,too went a long way toward easing my students’ transition to home-based learning.
-For almost everyone, physical movement and exercise are very important. Scheduling time for that ,especially during the lockdown, helped my students to make sure they remembered to do it. I decided to ask them to use physical movement, at the beginning of each online class meeting.
– I also encouraged them to find an activity which they enjoyed that was completely separate from any homework tasks – it was cooking, art, a new sport indoors, catching up with friends on a regular video call, etc.
-My suggestion to them about doing things for others had also been found to help my students manage their own stress. ie helping around the house.
Being mindful of our emotional state, matters.
We came to understand that challenges were opportunities for growth. Because, it is through life’s challenges that we find its greatest gifts, but we need to know how to look for them, and, more importantly, appreciate them.
A few weeks later, I decided to teach them about true and authentic confidence.
I taught them that, that’s how we survive when our confidence takes a hit, and how we can actually enhance our self-assurance when we struggle.
Believe it or not, even my youngest learners, got the message!
The following closing ideascome from my dear friend and colleague Dimitris Primalis in his recent article ,in ELT NEWS.
I couldn’t agree more, that’s why I am sharing part of his post, here!
*Dimitris Primalis, is a frontline teacher and teacher trainer, currently working in Doukas Schools, Athens.
“Let’s take a minute to reflect on what we have done so far with our (online) classes that we can keep doing in the post Covid19 era. We:
-Flipped the classroom
We assigned time consuming activities such as watching video or reading at home
-Differentiated learning
You were given the opportunity to send easier tasks to weaker students and more challenging ones to stronger learners, who are usually utterly bored in class, when we assigned revision tasks asynchronously (offline). We also had the chance to give personalized feedback in a discreet way through emails .
-Introduced gamification
We introduced web 2.0 tools that promote gamification like Kahoot in class .
-Used material outside the coursebook
In the first two weeks of lockdown, when everybody hoped that this would not last for a long time, we assigned revision exercises and then we became more resourceful.
-Promoted learner autonomy
Having guided them to the resources mentioned above, we have guided them to become more autonomous as learners. This time parents were more open to using the internet and less worried about the potential dangers.
-Applied formative assessment
We have discovered numerous new tools that allow our students to share reflective writing.
-More benefits
Because of the pandemic, more and more students realize that education should not be taken for granted. The majority missed their teachers and classmates, their routine which offers security .
-Beware of oversimplifications
I know that some teachers mistake the emergency online lessons during Covid19 for online education. Building a raft to survive a shipwreck cannot be compared to an ocean liner.
-A lesson taught for educators
I firmly believe that learning technology is a medium that can boost learning and student engagement.“
Summarising my own thoughts
-We learn everywhere and always, we learn by all means.
– The desire to change or improve the learning process is paramount in the use of technology.
– Teachers need to learn and evolve constantly.
– In the years 2020, technophobia holds up well in Greek school reality.
– We use technology as a tool for exploration and learning.
– The issue is not more or less technology, but its effective use.
– We choose those digital tools that enhance students’ engagement and interest.
– It’s not technology. It’s what you do with it.
– It takes effort and time.
-Technology is not what makes it possible. It’s what makes learning easy.
– Pay attention to the developments in learning, not to the developments in technology.
– The cutting-edge technology in a school is the good teacher.
CONCLUSION
Much like developing the skills and knowledge that we need to advance as a teacher, becoming more optimistic , especially in emergencies, entails deliberate effort!
And as with maintaining other competencies, sustaining a positive outlook may require a practical maintenance routine of being mindful about the good things in life, in us, in our work, and in our students
*THE BLOG POST TITLE has been inspired by this site:
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the first global fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises.
For all those -mainly non-European -teachers who keep asking me about what etwinning is about:
eTwinning is the community for schools in Europe.
eTwinning offers a platform for staff (teachers, head teachers, librarians, etc.), working in a school in one of the European countries involved, to communicate, collaborate, develop projects, share and, in short, feel and be part of the most exciting learning community in Europe. eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+, the European programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.
eTwinning promotes school collaboration in Europe through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by providing support, tools and services for schools. eTwinning also offers opportunities for free and continuing online Professional Development for educators.
Launched in 2005 as the main action of the European Commission’s eLearning Programme, eTwinning is co-funded by the Erasmus+, the European programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport, since 2014.
Its Central Support Service is operated by European Schoolnet, an international partnership of 34 European Ministries of Education developing learning for schools, teachers and pupils across Europe. eTwinning is further supported at national level by 38 National Support Services.
TwinSpace
The place where eTwinning magic really happens is the TwinSpace; a safe platform visible only to the teachers participating in a project. Students can also be invited in the TwinSpace to meet and collaborate with peers from their partner schools.
One of the most important elements of eTwinning is collaboration among teachers, students, schools, parents, and local authorities. In eTwinning teachers work together and organise activities for their students. They have an active role, interact, investigate, make decisions, respect each other and learn 21st century skills. eTwinning projects involve the contribution of each member of the team. Take inspiration and explore these awarded projects.
Finally, in eTwinning, our work is important and deserves to be shared and recognised locally, nationally and Europe-wide. eTwinning recognises the work carried out by teachers, students, and schools through National and European Quality Labels, eTwinning Awards, eTwinning Schools and the eTwinning Portfolio.
One of our school inspiring etwinning projects, this year, was a project about… wishing trees!
In “Our Tree of Wishes”project, teachers and students of about…200 European Schools,worked together ! What an unforgetable experience ,for all partners !
Our “Our Tree of Wishes” project, in a nutshell
Students 7 to 15 created a collaborative Tree of Wishes.
We decorated a real or drawn tree using wishes cards written by our students.
They wrote their wishes ,for a festivity of their choice and hanged the cards on the tree. Then each school prepared a wishes card,to be shared with all partners. The cards from the other countries were printed and they decorated our collaborative Tree of Wishes. Finally we held a ” Best Tree of Wishes Contest”.
Our pedagogical objectives
– The students improve their language skills
– They learn to express their feelings and wishes
– They develop positive thoughts and create positive wishes and send them to Europe and the world
-They develop their creativity
– They get to know other cultures and broaden their horizons
– They create collaborative Wishing Trees
Our project detailed plan
AUGUST
1) We wrote our addresses on the page “Our e-mail addresses” and joined the Whatsapp group of the project .
2) We added a marker for our school on the page ” Our schools on the map”
3) We wrote a brief presentation of ourselves in the project FORUM.
4) On the page ” Organizing the project together” we added our name, school address, number and age of our students.
5) We uploaded our students’ posters, introducing the project to the school community and the Twinboard, in the Pages.
6) We added our expectations ,as teachers, at the beginning of the project, in the page “Survey on the project”.
SEPTEMBER
1) We presented the project and the TwinSpace, to our students. We also informed them about the netiquette of the project and the e-safety rules by playing the “kahoot” game.
We uploaded photos and/or videos of our students playing the ķahoot game and learning about the e-safety rules, to the sub-page “We learn e-safety in the classroom”.
We invited our pupils, as members of the TwinSpace.
2) Students introduced themselves, in the page “Students introduce themselves”, through a video, a text, or avatars.
3) We joined the project Logo contest: we uploaded our logo suggestions on “Tricider”.
4) We selected 4-5 drawings, which our students had drawn, for the logo contest. We uploaded those drawings to anArt Gallery, made with “emaze”.
We presented our countries, to our project partners.We created trasnational groups ,to do so .
We created a “Thinglink” account for the project.
When our work was ready,we logged into “Thinglink” and uploaded it to the right country link.
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER
Our students wrote their wishing cards and a wishing letter, and shared them with all project partners.
In particular:
1) Each student wrote a simple wishing card in his/her own language. We helped the students translate the cards ,into English. Students , added a drawing to their cards.
We made a video /slideshow, to present our wishing cards.
We uploaded the video on Youtube or Vimeo first. Then ,we posted the link to the Youtube video, in the twinspace.
2) Students wrote a wishing letter, in English for the project partners, helped by their teacher.
The letter was uploaded ,as a pdf file ,to “Materials”, in the TwinSpace. Then we visited the subpage “Our letters to our partners”,and we uploaded our students’ letters.
3) We printed our students’ wishing cards and all the letters from our partners.We decorated our Trees of Wishes, with them.
4) Finally, we took a photo of our own Tree of Wishes and we posted it, in the twinspace Pages.
JANUARY
1) We posted all the photos of our beautiful “Trees of Wishes” ,in a collaborative e-book,made with “Book Creator”.
The Book was uploaded to the page “Best Tree of Wishes Contest”. We used the numbers on the pages of the Book, in order to vote for our favourite trees.
2) We posted the wishing letters , written by all partners, in a collaborative e-book made with “Flipsnack”, divided into three volumes: the books were uploaded to an interactive image created with “Genially”.
3) Our students wrote their wishes for all our partners, in the Forum “Our wishes for the New Year”.
4) We completed a survey, in the page ” A survey on the project “
5) Teachers created a common Domino Game using New Year words and pictures, as a nice Holiday gift ,for all student-partners .
6) Project Evaluation
We filled in three easy and quick forms: one for the teachers, one for the students and one for the parents.
7) We applied for the etwinning Quality Label.
Our own school wishing tree idea,in brief
” Our Tree of Wishes “, our inspiring etwinning project wishing tree ,is a Greek olive tree decorated with origami paper boats !
The idea behind it: during the Festive Season, all around Greece ,you will find Christmas boats (karavakia) decorated with lights and ornaments, which are very traditional and symbolic.
The Karavaki symbolises sailing towards the new life!
According to the Greek Christmas traditions, especially in the islands, kids prepare their own boats with paper and chips of wood, and on Christmas Eve, they use these little boats to collect the treats they receive, when singing the carols (kalanda) from house to house.
and they started by saying I love…
and they started by saying I’m grateful for..
and it was a message to somebody they loved, like advice or a love message. It started by saying My message to you is…
ELT inspired 