BROKEN BARRIERS - ONLINE COLLABORATION

Romanian  and Greece succeed to break the space barriers between them. Our students were sitting in the same classroom , even this classroom was a virtual one.

SUBJECT: HISTORY ONLINE LESSON
TOPIC: “ROMANIA INTO THE GREEK BOOKS”
Target of the lesson: 40 students
Age: 16-17 years old
Time: 50 minutes

Aims of the lesson:

• To learn about the Romanians' history
• To share new knowledge to Greek partners
• To apply a new kind of teaching through ICT
• To encourage students to present their opinions in English
• To practice different learning approaches (storytelling, learning through drama, outdoor education, learning using ICT tools/technique)
• To work in a group
• To socialize in a group
• To make students more responsible for their actions

Draft of the lesson:

1-5 min : Saying hello and names of the participants-showing with the camera the place around
6-8 min : About idea why those lessons through ICT technology are needed in our program
9-10 min : Explain the choice of history as a work case
11-25 min : The Romanian National Day
26-35 min : Romania (land and people) in Greek history books(last 3 grades)
36-40 min : Questions and answers
41-42 min : Greek conclusion
43-44 min : Romanian conclusion
45 min : Appointment for April after the Greek national day with the Romanian presentation of Greece in your history books.
46-50 min : Saying Goodbye

Technique:

(right click on image --> open link in new window)

Final Products:

• Discussions
• PowerPoint presentation
• Joy :)

Romania-Greece, December 10th 2009

Romanians'Presentation





Greeks' Presentation





How it really was?

Part I





Part II






Part III





Part IV





Dedication

written by Camyk and Zaharias

LESSON PLAN OF THE EXAMPLE OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION

SUBJECT: LESSON OF ART IN LODZ

TOPIC: “MANUFACTURE IN ART THROUGH THE EYES OF STUDENTS”

Target of the lesson: 20 students

Age: 15-16 years old

Time: 4 hours

Aims of the lesson:

- To encourage students to draw
- To learn different drawing and painting techniques
- To practice different art techniques
- To learn the architecture of the hometown
- To work in a group
- To socialize in a group
- To make students more responsible for their actions

Draft of the lesson:

• Introductory lesson explaining different art techniques and explain what the techniques are characteristic for:




a) Computer

b) Crayon

c) Pencil

d) Paint

e) Watercolour

f) Coal

g) Collage

h) Pastel pencil

• Division of the students into 7 groups and share the task. Each group is responsible for drawing a chosen fragment of architecture using different techniques.
• Prepare and collect all the materials: papers, pencil, paint, coal, crayon, collage.
• Students visit the shopping centre in Lodz – “Manufactura” which is known for its architecture. They are shown with a chosen aspect of the architecture, which should be presented on paper using different techniques.
• All pictures are joined to make a panoramic view of Manufactura Centre.

Final Products:

• Discussions
• Posters
• PowerPoint presentation

EXAMPLES OF STUDENTS' WORK:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FIELD TRIP : "HOW TO MAKE A GREEN TRIP?" (I)

~GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLE~

ARGUMENT

The main challenge of our world today is to learn living together and in harmony with our environment on a planet where resources and space are limited. To meet this challenge it is important to discuss a global vision of the “world” in which we want to live thinking in the long-term and acting responsibly. A teaching method that could be described as a “big experience” or “big simulation” is the field trip. A nature walk with a treasure hunt or a visit to a factory is an experience; a trip to a museum that depicts historical events and artifacts is a simulation - one is not actually going back in history.

Field trips have some value simply because they provide variety in the learning environment. Sometimes the teacher and students need to get out of the classroom just to get a broader perspective of education. For example, one of the best ways to stimulate writing in children is to go for a walk and then ask the students to write a description of the surroundings.

The activity “ How to make a green trip” had two aims:

• to promote the local identity of the town through the benefit of a life experience, through cooperation , and cultural dialogue about the local values.
• to practice the pedagogical approaches which were studied along the first year of the project.

The activity took place in our school during the European Day of Modern Languages. This gave us the opportunity to integrate this activity into an international and intercultural context. This outdoor educational activity called “ How to make a green trip?” is a natural following of the work session “ How green are you?” that took place in Poland. In this activity students were stimulated to look into the ecological problems of the area they live in. They also had to present a legend, a myth or a story which emphasizes the cooperation between man and nature . During the trip, one of the aims was the creation of a story which combined both fantastic elements and real ecological problems of the area.

The activities held on the course of the day followed the pattern of a “learning trip” which had the following route: Pecica – Bezdin - Pecica. The activities had to fulfill the four main aims of the Comenius project which has the following theme: “European Journey through Legends”:

• O1. Understanding cultural diversity from schools and living life;
• O2. Developing the natural gifted/skills of pupils
• O3. Improving teaching methods and evaluation methods through ICT
• O4. Improving the pupils’ ability to preserve or enhance the natural environment.

To reach the first objective O1 the organization and accomplishment of some of the socialization activities had as a purpose the development of tolerance for :

• age diversity - mixed teams were created from students of different ages( 6th grade and 11th grade)
• language, ethnical diversity - specific activities had a contribution to strengthen the relationships through students of different ethnics: Romanians, Hungarians, Romany, Germans, Slovakians
• historical diversity - at the two sessions from the Cultural House and Momac fountain different aspects of the local history have been presented
• religious diversity - during the trip different religious sights from the town of Pecica were presented.

The first objective O1 also had the aim to make students aware of the importance of the local cultural and historical legacy. Thus a series of work sessions presented customs and traditions connected to the Momac fountain, the former bathing-establishment, the traditional local gate and the Romanian folk costumes and dancing. Romanian legends, myths and stories were emphasized through the three plays which had the following themes: ”the Water spirit, the Forest spirit and the Faith spirit”.

The second objective O2 was fulfilled through the discussion topics regarding

• the atractivity of school enhancement- by organizing this trip as an interdisciplinary activity, which is part of the curriculum as a new format of the counseling hour.
• the involvement of parents in the life of the school by preparing food for the students who were going to cook traditional Romania food; and that of the local communities such as the director of the Cultural House, news staff, clerical staff, town hall staff, during the activities students were involved in
• students’ creativity was encouraged through drawing expositions, posters in the nature.

To accomplish the third objective O3 it was used an interactive approach; the necessary material support were prepared ahead, by using IT&C materials. The dynamic of the lesson was given by the combination of the three pedagogical approaches studied along the first year of the project: learning through drama, the usage of ICT tools and materials and outdoor education.

These activities led to a better communication both horizontally (student-student; teacher- teacher) and vertically (student-teacher; student- local community) between all the participants to the learning trip. The activities related to the 4th objective O4 developed the students and teachers’ conservation and environmental protection skills. Outdoor exercises led to the acknowledgement of some cleanliness and environmental esthetics problems. The beauty of the places they have visited that day made all of the participants desire to play an active part in the conservation of the natural environment.

THE EVALUATION OF THE LEARNING TRIP:

If we take into account what Schaub and Zenke’s “Pedagogy Dictionary” is saying about evaluation, its definition would be: “the collecting, good use and learning of the information resulting from the learning process”. Both the learning process and the revision takes place in nature.

The revision is considered a way through which the teacher checks the student’s level of knowledge and the development of skills tested through the usage of different methods suitable to the “target goal”. The evaluation methods can be classified in :

• Traditional evaluation methods ( classic)
• Alternative evaluation methods (modern)

Due to the fact that the learning process used alternative learning techniques such as outdoor education, dramatization, and IT&C skills, it is obvious that the evaluation also has to use alternative methods. Thus the following evaluation methods were used:

• Small rewards ( candies, biscuits, pens, chestnuts, leaves) are given as prizes to students who answer correctly at the frontal evaluation: if a member of a team gives the wrong answer or if he doesn’t know the correct one , the team has to give back one of the prizes they have previously won. A1& A2 are evaluated this way.
• The working sheet: which evaluates the cooperation, investigation and examination, spatial orientation skills
• The map: through it one can verify the discovery of the marked spot on the map, fact which assumes the existence of some orientation skills and a good knowledge of the town
• Outdoor exposition: which seeks the development of artistic, practical and linguistic skills
• Telling/acting a story: which as an aim the development of acting skills and also the good cooperation among the members of the community
• Expectation sheet - it is also an evaluation method , both for the beginning and ending of the activities which take place during the entire day. At the end of the day each student is asked to read a note with expectations which was written in the morning. Thus the pupils understand that their expectations were outshined by reality, which tells the teachers that the trip was a success.
• The special copy-book - aims to revise individually the whole activity unfolded through this learning trip.
• The portfolio of the trip: it’s a tool which evaluates the teachers involved in this activity. This portfolio contains:

the plan of the trip

essays about the learning methods applied along the trip

expectations sheet

photos, posters, collages made by children

an interview

the special copy-book

the maps

the sheet for the outdoor activity

the booklet of the activity

other materials

It must be emphasized that if we take each activity as a single unit as we did in the previous presentations, we no longer have a coherent, homogeneous and consensual process. At this moment the role of the teacher steps in- who is above all a modeler, and then an evaluator – one who chooses the proper evaluation methods for each didactic situation and one who makes everything possible to create a coherent, homogeneous and consensual evaluation system.

(~The End of part I~)

written by Camy, Simo and Ioana

FIELD TRIP : "HOW TO MAKE A GREEN TRIP?" (II)

~GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLE~

THE PLAN OF THE LEARNING TRIP PECICA- BEZDIN-PECICA ROUTE

1. The theme of the learning trip: “ How to make a green trip?”
2. The timetable of the learning trip:

9: 00 – Meeting if front of the school
9: 30 – The departure from the school
10:00 – Meeting with the representatives of the Culture House of Pecica
11:00 – Meeting with the representatives of the local community at the Momac fountain
11:30 – Outdoor exercise- “observe and note!”
12:00 – Outdoor exposition
13:30 – “A cruise with the raft on the Mures river”
15:00 – Outdoor Workshop
16:15 – Interview at Bezdin Monastery
18:00 – Leaving Bezdin Monastery
19:30 – Cooking outdoor Dinner
21:00 – The end of the learning trip

3. The unfolding of the activities

A1- “ICE BREAKING”

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

• At 9:00 o’clock in the morning the two classes meet in front of the school (6 and 11 grade): teachers check the attendance and give the students the briefing regarding the behavior and safety norms which they need to follow during the entire learning trip. (click here)
• The organizer teachers present the students the aim of the trip.
• Students receive badges and ICE BREAKING GAMES unfold
• Students write their expectations on the Expectation Sheet.
• The students were distributed in three groups: "DOGS", "CATS" and "CHICKEN". Each team has to find their flag, choose a leader (an 11 grade pupil) and a mascot (a 6 grade pupil).
• Each team receives its task: until they reach the park they have to compose the hymn of the team.

OBJECTIVES

• To develop their socialization skills within an uneven group( students of different age)
• To develop the organization ability of the group they are part of.

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils ,decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, prizes ( candies, biscuits, pens, shell nuts, leaves, pebbles )

TARGET GROUP : The students and the teachers

TIMING: 30 minutes

RESULTS AND FEED-BACK : The formation and organization of the 3 groups

EVALUATION

• Frontal
• Expectations sheet

A2- “ THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL HORIZON AND ITS IMPORTANCE”

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY:

By the time the group reaches the first destination they have received in Activity 1 such as the “Children’s Park”, several local sights are presented and visited : The Catholic Church, The Baptist Church, “Dragos” School, The Basket Factory, The Cultural Centre, “Ghiutoaie” School, “ At Mimi’s” Sweet-shop, The Serbian Church, “Momac” fountain. Every correct answer was rewarded.

OBJECTIVES

The students have :

• To develop their knowledge about different institutions and representative monuments of Pecica
• To develop their interest to discover traditions and customs of the area ( folk dancing, folk costumes, trades, going to collect water, weaving baskets, going to church)
• To respect the believes and opinions of the people around them
• To be aware of their position within the group and the community
• To be aware of the importance of conserving the local, national and European cultural legacy.

MEANS

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils, decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, prizes ( candies, biscuits, pens, shell nuts, leaves, pebbles )

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers

TIMING: 2 hours

RESULTS AND FEED-BACK

In the next days the students will:

• Write essays, articles about the town of Pecica
• Make a photo album containing pictures from Pecica
• Make a power point presentation of the town

EVALUATION: Frontal

A3- “ OBSERVE AND WRITE”- OUTDOOR ACTIVITY

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

Each team shall sing/acting/mime their anthem/hymn. In 10 minutes, each team will solve the quiz from the sheet. Teachers will asses all teams’ sheets. They will establish the winners after another quiz regarding students’ knowledge about the regional words and regional types of food. After that there will be formed 2 new teams. Each team will have new tasks: each team must find a marked places, based by a map reading.

OBJECTIVES

Students will have to:

• To discover and emphasize their artistic skills in order to develop their personal creativity
• To develop their collaboration skills and also the distribution of tasks
• To develop their investigation skills
• To improve their ability to read a map
• To develop their spatial orientation skills by using a map
• To improve their foreign language skills
• Students , teachers, parents and the local community will have to become more open to outdoor education

MEANS

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils, decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, prizes ( candies, biscuits, pens, shell nuts, leaves, pebbles )

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers

TIMING: 30 minutes

RESULTS AND FEED-BACK

• The hymn of every team
• In the next days the students will make a map with all the objectives they have encountered during the learning trip

EVALUATION

• Frontal
• Expectations sheet
• The special copy-book (click here)

A4- OUTDOOR EXPOSITION

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY:

Groups of 2-3 children present their posters and promotional materials they have made in the previous days. The aim of this presentation is to promote the Bezdin monastery.

OBJECTIVES: Students have to develop their artistic and linguistic skills

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils ,decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, prizes ( candies, biscuits, pens, shell nuts, leaves, pebbles )

TARGET GROUP : The students and the teachers

TIMING: 1 hour and 30 minutes

RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP: Students have an outdoor exposition before their journey on the raft

OBSERVATIONS: Weak points: the poor hygiene of the area

A5- “ ADVENTURES ON THE MURES RIVER”- A cruise with the raft on the Mures river

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

The students are going to look for different flora and fauna species on the other side of the river

OBJECTIVES

• To identify flora and fauna species
• To understand the importance and the necessity of the environmental conservation

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils , decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, prizes (candies, biscuits, pens, shell nuts, leaves, pebbles )

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers

TIMING: 2 hours

RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP: Students will pick up different natural items which will be put in the treasure-box

EVALUATION

• Frontal
• Special copy-book
• Posters, photo albums, collages and advertisements

A6- “GREEN PECICA, GREEN ROMANIA, GREEN EUROPE” - OUTDOOR WORKSHOP

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY:

The students are organized in three teams (new teams) : The spirit of the forest”, “The spirit of the water”, “ The spirit of faith”. Each team receives an envelope which has as a task to create a story with a specific theme. To emphasize their affiliation to a certain team, the students received a sticker on their cheek.

A dissemination session of the activities unfolded during the Comenius project ( Comenius- Sweden , Comenius multilateral partnership) takes place. Activities with ecological thematic which were part of the projects previously mentioned are presented and shared along with the personal experiences of the participants at the meeting in Poland. This meeting is part of the multinational partnership “ European Journey through Legends”

OBJECTIVES:

• Students have to create and interpret the stories
• Students are active participants at every activity
• Students have to revise the environmental problems and identify active measures to solve those problems.

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Materials: carton, coloured pencils ,decorative stamps, decorative staples, decorative scissors, laminating foil, laminator, markers, coloured paper, sticks, block notes, glue, pens, clipboard, A4 sheets of paper, copier, flags with European countries

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers

TIMING: 1 hour

RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP

• The Story- its interpretation will be done at school the next day
• The students will manufacture an advertisement presenting “ The green trip” theme which will be exposed on the school’s hallway.

A7 - OUTDOOR INTERVIEW

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY:

The students take an interview to the nun from Bezdin monastery. They gather historical, spiritual and cultural data using authentic written and unwritten sources.

OBJECTIVES:

• To emphasize the importance of discovering and conserving the local, national and European cultural legacy.
• To develop their ability to dialogize with a personality.

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students, monastic personal
• Material Resources : camera, video camera, block notes, pens

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers, local community, local authorities.

TIMING: 1 hour

RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP: The interview- written and filmed

A8 - “LIVING ROMANIAN’S TRADITIONS”

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

The students are going to cook an outdoor traditional Romanian meal

OBJECTIVES:

• Students have to inform themselves in the matters of outdoor traditional cooking
• Students learn how to survive in a natural habitat
• Students learn about personal, group security and how to protect the environment
• Students become aware of the fulfillment of the objectives discussed at the beginning of the trip.

MEANS:

• Human Resources: the organizing teaching staff, students
• Material Resources: garbage bags, barbecue sticks, knives, forks , bacon, onion, cheese, bread, apple, water, napkins, matches.

TARGET GROUP: The students and the teachers, local community, local authorities.

TIMING: 2 hour

RESULTS AND FOLLOW-UP:

• Cooked food
• Fun :-)

CONCLUSION

This experience illustrates some valuable lessons from outdoor education. It demonstrates that good education is holistic; it is concerned with mind, body and spirit. motivation and enthusiasm are essential ingredients of effective learning. Adventure is a great motivator. Time spent alone or in small groups in natural areas also motivates. Young people who under-achieve in the classroom may suddenly come alive and show a range of skills that have remained hidden in formal teaching.

We think Outdoor Education could play a vital role in educating tomorrow's citizens. We are working in a field where we constantly experience success. Many young people who fail in school, fail at home and sometimes fail amongst their friends will succeed in the outdoors. There is an opportunity to inspire, to break a mould, to offer alternative views and begin to change attitudes.

written by Camy, Simo and Ioana

IT'S TIME FOR A LITTLE PEDAGOGY REFLECTION

We decided to make a brochure about :

1. Traditional vs. modern teaching methods
2. New technology- new pedagogy
3. Enhance learning with technology
4. Learning through drama; storytelling
5. Outdoor education

You could download it from here .

MOBILE LEARNING

Mobile Learning Cultures Across Education, Work & Leisure

LESSON PLAN OF THE EXAMPLE OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

SUBCJECT: LESSON OF ART IN LODZ

TOPIC: “MANUFACTURE IN ART THROUGH THE EYES OF STUDENTS”

Target of the lesson: 20 students

Age: 15-16 years old

Time: 4 hours

Aims of the lesson:
- To encourage students to draw
- To learn different drawing and painting techniques
- To practice different art techniques
- To learn the architecture of the hometown
- To work in a group
- To socialize in a group
- To make students more responsible for their actions

Draft of the lesson:
- Introductory lesson explaining different art techniques and explain what the techniques are characteristic for:
a) Computer
b) Crayon
c) Pencil
d) Paint
e) Watercolour
f) Coal
g) Collage
h) Pastel pencil
- division of the students into 7 groups and share the task. Each group is responsible for drawing a chosen fragment of architecture using different techniques.
- Prepare and collect all the materials: papers, pencil, paint, coal, crayon, collage.
- Students visit the shopping centre in Lodz – “Manufactura” which is known for its architecture. They are shown with a chosen aspect of the architecture, which should be presented on paper using different techniques.
- All pictures are joined to make a panoramic view of Manufactura Centre.

Final Products:
- Discussions,
- posters,
- power point presentation


EXAMPLES OF STUDENTS' WORK:

Around The World in Thirty Minutes

I think this lesson  could be easily adapted to the study of different legends and customs  of a country. There can be also a variation that addresses history over time. The lesson uses pantomime skills, research skills, and information sharing, as well as knowledge of the subject matter. This is a basic teacher-in-role exercise. This plan has been written  in the form of a narrative-a description of the class-rather than giving you step-by-step instructions, because it makes better sense. Every teacher has her or his own style.

Preparation

I told my students the name of the lesson--"Around The World in Thirty Minutes." I explained that we would shortly be enacting a worldwide tour of the world. I asked each student to choose his favorite country or continent. I told them that they would be pretending to be someone or something in that country. I, and a friend, would be making the tour of the world, and in each country we visited, the students in that country would pretend to be animals, people, or things that a visitor in that country would be likely to see.

Many of the students chose countries about which they knew little. Some chose countries they have learnt about through the Comenius Project. Some chose places that just sounded exciting. But the long and short of it was that some of them didn't know what a tourist would be likely to find in the country of their choice. That was exactly what I had hoped would happen. We had a class discussion about the problem. Each student in turn told the group what country or continent he had chosen, and I asked if anyone knew what kinds of things might be found there. In many cases, the student's classmates had great suggestions. But some of them had chosen countries nobody knew much about. So I brought out some reference books and we also used internet resources. (I have an excellent children's atlas, which includes maps with pictures of animals, landmarks, industries, etc that the students loved looking at.) The group researched the countries enthusiastically, and after about ten or fifteen minutes, every student had decided what or who he/she was going to pretend to be.

The Trip

I arranged the students around the classroom. Some countries were represented by more than one student (especially the ones from The Comenius Group), but that was fine. Each country or continent had its own place in the room. I explained that it would be impossible to travel to all the countries in thirty minutes, if it were not for my Supersonic Transport. (I used a wheeled swivel chair.) I brought out a Muppet-style puppet which I use in other lessons. I explained that "Oliver" and I would be making the trip together. (Obviously one could do this lesson without the puppet.)

I sat in my chair and wheeled myself and Oliver to the first country. The puppet and I Ooohed and Aaahed at the sights we saw there. Usually I was able to correctly guess what the students were pretending to be, but when I wasn't, they were not offended, and were quick to give me hints until I did. After I had finished in the first country, I asked the students which other country was the closest. They had to think about this one, but we always came to a decision. In this way they learned and used their knowledge of geography. Sometimes I had to help. Once we decided which country was closest, I moved on to that country and continued in this way until I had visited everybody. Then I "came home."

Discussion( feed-back)

After the trip was over, we sat in a circle, and I asked each student to mention one thing he learned that he hadn't known before. Every one was able to come up with something.
This lesson worked extremely well.

Time-Travel Variation

I haven't tried this, but I think it would work: Instead of traveling from country to country, we would travel from time period to time period or travel from legend to legend in different countries. The people in each period could interact with the travelers--who could be students, rather than the instructor--as much or as little as time and the sophistication of the students allowed.

written by Ioana