June 2013
CC .EN A Cl uster Connecting Classrooms (CC)
Number 5 English version
TwinSpace >>>>>
© Photos - EJGFA
Connecting Classrooms Youth Assembly
11.March.2013 — Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School, Valadares
Contents:
The seven schools from ENA Cluster met for a Connecting Classrooms Youth Assembly
CC Assembly in Vala- 2 dares
where it
was time for the youngsters to give voice to their main worries and debate the several issues
which concerned them along the three–year project. With this as-
sembly, we intended to promote the sharing of ideas, the argumentative skills and the compilation of ideas
Valadares publish...
24
Celebrating Europe
25
Visit from Escola Básica Afonso III
26
Visit from Park High School & Bentley Wood
28
Reading in Cávado
32
Rethinking European Schools for the Future
34
Connecting is...
35
which might contribute to a better world. In the evening there was still time for a piece of a delicious cake which marked the three -year long Connecting Classrooms project. The report will be shown on the next pages
C C . ENA C lus te r
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"I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction.Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed." Dalai Lama
Each school from EnaCluster debated the following themes: volunteering; new technologies and security on the internet; environment and sustainability; mobility and multilingualism; inclusion; bullying; city and participatory budgeting. The best arguments of each school were presented and debated in a plenary session which took place on 1th March in High School ‌.. On the following pages there is the record of the plenary session and some initiatives from each school.
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people The opening of the session by the headmaster - Álvaro Almeida dos Santos - from Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School
"It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, The teacher Sónia Múrias, one of the teachers responsible for the coordination of this initiative in Valadares, explained
live peace, and live in peace." Shenandoah proverb
the procedures…
The JURY was very attentive to vote fairly. The photos of the CC assembly (marathon of debates) were handed over by Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School.
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Mobility and multilingualism… in SJGFA School The group Connecting Classrooms also planned a debates relay for the 9th, 10th and 11th graders with the theme of the project: “Mobility and multilingualism”. This relay had the aim firstly to initiate the students on the de-
bate of ideas, practiced in philosophy classes, then to select the students who will participate in the final event happening on 11th march in this school, where other students from all the schools intervening in the project will participate with their motions/ themes, which will result in a letter of intentions.
Mobility and multilingualism Problem-Questions: - Is emigration the only way out? - Does the opening of frontiers enable a just and equitable competition in the world of work? - Is globalization a risk for our cultural identity? - Is it possible to renew mobility in a way to promote the planetary co-responsibility?
Thesis - Basic Ed The world nowadays presents new challenges which create deep discussions and a new reflection. But the opening to the world (other people, other countries) doesn’t mean setting aside our culture and our cultural and historical heritage. Thesis- secondary ed Creativity is a tool which we should use to invest in our country and in the construction of our own future, being emigration a possibility but not the only way out. Maria Iglésias, Francisca Albuquerque, Francisco Santos, Catarina Velhote (10ºC)
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people The students responsible for the moderation of the debate played their role outstandingly!... Congratulations!
“We have the right to be equal when the difference The debate in pictures...
lessens us. We have the right to be different when equality mischaracterizes us .” Boaventura de Sousa Santos
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C C . ENA C lus te r A Multicultural School… Eugénio de Andrade [Paranhos]
Presenting their motion on Inclu-
sion 6th D insures the 2nd place on the final ranking for their school.
Congratu-
School Cluster Eugénio de Andrade is situated in Paranhos, in the eastern side of Oporto. It’s the third most highly populated parish in Portugal. Thirty years ago when
integration was an emerging concept this school already embraced a community of deaf students and many children with special needs. Nowadays this school and its cluster are a reference in the teaching of deaf as far as bilingual education is concerned.
A multicultural School
(speakers: Bárbara Laroze, Catarina Carvalho, Inês Afonso, Inês Costa, Inês Catou e José Santos - 6ºD) We’d like to propose the existence/inclusion of new areas of expressing freedom, creativity, the will of doing different things in 2nd and 3rd grades. The Thesis
lations!
“I GO TO SCHOOL… therefore I am happy!” How nice it would be if…
“We want
Between Maths, Portuguese, English and Sciences I could dance, sing, ride a horse or skate, play chess or paint freely.
an active school, not just a place where we sit (more than six hours a day)!”
We want an active school, not just a place where we sit (more than six hours a day)! We the students We don’t have to do sports just when we have to. We shouldn’t draw or paint just because it says so in the official curricula. We shouldn’t speak foreign languages just with our class mates but with students from every school in class or in the library. Everybody should learn Sign Language. Inclusion happens within two movements: the building of a school that understands our needs and embraces us and participation from all those who feel welcome. School should be open to the world to the enriching experiences our curricula offers. PLEASE ADAPT YOURSELVES TO US, TO SOCIETY AND TO THE PRACTICES THAT FREE YOU AND RENEW THE WAY WE WOULD WATCH SCHOOL Class of 6th D (work developed in Portuguese and Citizenship Classes; teachers involved: Alice Gonçalves andFátima Veiga]
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11.March.2013‌ the time and voice of young people VĂdeo in >>>>
Everybody should learn Sign Language. Inclusion happens within two movements: the building of a school that understands our needs and embraces us and participation from all those who feel welcome. School should be open to the world to the enriching experiences our curricula offers. EB2,3 de Paranhos
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Internet SAFETY vs Cyber DANGERS … in ESCA “Safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.”
Eleanor Everet
Cyberspace is changing young people’s self-perception as well as the reality surrounding them. As cyberspace expands, the issue of young people’s vulnerability to deal with this
“Demands schools to
new reality remains a matter of high priority: -How far are young people and children prepared to face the challenges of cyberspace? -What measures should be taken – by schools, civil society, governments and the EU to protect
play a major
them from cyberspace threats?
role in raising
Thus,
students’
Having in mind that internet provides free access to everybody regardless of their age,
awareness on
Being aware that we’re surrounded by hackers, predators, identity thieves, pornography, and other inappropriate contents, Knowing that minors and young children are easy targets for online predators,
cyber dan-
Considering that most adults don’t know what their kids are doing on the internet while
gers”
they are at work, Taking into account that most adults lack enough internet literacy and expertise to guide their children regarding internet safety, Recognizing that most young people aren’t fully aware of online dangers,
“Requests
Fully believing that online victims might experience long term traumas;
that internet
Further recalling that there is no internet privacy,
literacy
Affirming that the lack of internet safety affects all segments of population,
The Group,
should be giv-
Emphasizes the need for social networks to deliver security assurance to its users;
en more at-
Draws attention to the need of conceiving programs that filter malicious words /
tention in the
Recommends that the same program blocks the account and the internet IP;
school curric-
Demands schools to play a major role in raising students’ awareness on cyber dangers;
ulum, or even be part of it” ESCA
expressions;
Requests that internet literacy should be given more attention in the school curriculum, or even be part of it. Calls for media campaigns to alert and sensitize the public opinion on this issue, Reminds that unsolicited photos from strangers should be carefully searched on the internet, Considers the need of running the anti-virus on every received file, Supports the creation of harsher sanctions / penalties against cyber criminals such as fines and imprisonment for the most serious crimes like child pornography, cyber bullying, and identity theft. Calls for the creation of public list of websites that are marked as safe to visit. 10º F (Miguel Ângelo Gonçalves, Luís Miguel Carvalho, Ana Rita Alves, Ângelo Pereira, Ângela Coelho. Coordination: Cidália Costeira.
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11 time and voice of Valadares young people 30.March janeiro..2013… 2013…the na Secundária JGFA,
“Calls for the creation of public list of websites that are marked as safe to visit.” ESCA
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C C . ENA C lus te r Life in the city - join budget… EB2,3 de Mosteiro e Cávado CC Assembly and the Role of Young People in Society
“...the city can and should be built by its citizens, who should have
On March 11, my class went to Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves Secondary School, a fantastic school in Valadares, near Porto, to participate in a very special event in which students from all the seven schools involved in the Connecting Classrooms project had to state their ideas and stand for what they believe. The schools involved in the project presented differnet themes, for example, bullying, emigration, racism. In Mosteiro e Cávado School we discussed the role of citizens in a city and the citizens’ budget priorities. We considered that the Citizen Budget is a powerful tool to involve citizens in decision-making processes and to demonstrate a municipality’s commitment to citizen engagement. The discussions we had in our school were really great because we reflected on our role as citizens and individuals living in a society with both rights and duties, these meetings were definitely very useful Citizenship lessons. Our spokeswoman, Mariana Monteiro, spoke on behalf of the whole group and she was brilliant, she stated our arguments convincing the audience that all citizens have the right and even the duty to participate in their city budget, she cleverly explained that the Citizen Budget brings information and credibility to a city and it is a great public service. In the end both the audience and the public were convinced and applauded our work and our group was awarded the first prize for its participation. Thanks to Connecting Classrooms, students’ voice is heard and little by little our ideas are changing today’s society. … Eduarda Pinto, Sofia Coelho, Mariana Mota, Mariana Monteiro - 8ºA
an active voice in all the decisions that concern “life in the
“Being in the world and with the world ” Paulo Freire, the renowned Brazilian educator, taught us to be politically conscious. He defended that being in the world and with the world means not only learning to read the reality around us, but also to modify it, because in changing reality, we change ourselves and our weltanschauung. Paulo Freire believed that the world is in constant transformation.
city.” Agrupamento Esc. Mosteiro e Cávado
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Freedom
Our cities are home to a high percentage of inhabitants and generate most of a nation’s economic wealth. Cities are growing – how we deal with this growth is up to us. Our choices are clear. We can have more dumb growth which adds to stress on transport, jobs and families. Or we can have smart growth that creates more opportunities, higher productivity, better living standards and a healthier environment. The attitude of each citizen towards his/her city can and should be a positive contribution to change the city into a better and humanized place to live. Our thesis is that the city can and should be built by its citizens, who should have an active voice in all the decisions that concern “life in the city”. Problem-Questions: - Should citizens collaborate in the organization / management of their city? - How should the city council integrate citizens’ suggestions? - If citizens’ voice is heard, can the city become a better place for all?
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people
“...Our spokeswoman, Mariana Monteiro, spoke on behalf of the whole group and she was brilliant.” Eduarda Pinto
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C C . ENA C lus te r Volunteering… in Taipas Secondary School
“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Mother Teresa
“True charity is impalpable and invisible as light as perfume: it heats, it perfumes, but it cannot be touched nor seen .” Coelho Neto
In a world where we care less and less about others and are totally focused on our problems, often very tiny ones, and forget to look aside and see the degrading condition in which human beings like us live, it is necessary
“Better
to increase our sense of responsibility and fight for the wellbeing of children, teenagers, adults, animals and the environment.
than a thousand hollow
Problem-Questions:
words is
Egocentricity! How far? Until when?
one word
If we are constantly fighting for our rights why not do it for the animals?
that brings peace.” Buddha
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people On the second term last Monday, a session of the Connecting Classrooms Project was held in the Secondary School of Valadares, in Oporto. A group of enthusiastic students of the Secondary School of Caldas das Taipas went there to give support to their mates Rafaela Oliveira, Monique Silva, Ana Freitas and Célia Silva. When they arrived the atmosphere was so
amazing! There was a mixture of curiosity and excitement that caught both the teachers and the students. This project is thought to help students develop their communication and
“… they were ex-
argumentative skills. A debate about several social topics like the preservation of
tremely
the environment started. The groups of the different schools presented their ar-
happy
guments and discussed them. Caldas das Taipas school project was about volun-
above all
teering. The team was very convincing and persuasive in their presentation.
They did such an excellent job that they won second place! When asked about how they felt about their performance, they stated
because they were
they were extremely happy above all because they were able to promote volun-
able to pro-
teering, an aspect they consider the key to a socially joyful world.
mote vol-
At the end of the session, all the participants had the opportunity
unteering,
to get to know each other better during a snack. The Connecting Classrooms Project was applauded as an initiative that stimulated a unique learning experience through schools’ cooperation. The students of the Connecting Classrooms Project
an aspect they consider the key to a socially joyful
Connecting classrooms is a project that was implemented in my school.
world.” Alunas da Sec. das
I had the privilege to participate in it. This project consists of evaluating various types of groups which had the main goal of defending a specific cause. This year my school (ESCT) defended the importance of volunteer work. The chosen group that had to defend and argument pro and against this cause was up to the challenge. The task that I was asked to do was not easy I was juror, because the groups that participated were very well prepared. Maria João Neves, 10ºA
Taipas
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C C . ENA C lus te r Bullying… in EB2,3 de Matosinhos “We think it is possible to give love and kindness to others in a place of cynicism and cruelty among young people.” “We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love.” Lady Gaga, in Born This Way Foundation
Thesis
Schools can play an important role in preventing and responding to bullying. They need to pay more attention to students’ conflicts, promote anti- bullying training for teachers and other school staff, provide
“… But to
psychological services to students who need help and offer a wide range
make schools safer, we need a true change in mentalities and behaviours, setting good examples to kids, because we are their role mod-
of extracurricular activities and projects where, both the
els”.
bullies and the victims can feel recognized and develop their competencies. But to make schools safer, we need a true change in mentalities and behaviours, setting good examples to kids, because we are their role models. So, if we show them that being nice and tolerant is the right thing, they will think so too.
Problem-Questions:
Do you think it’s possible make it cool to be kind and tolerant instead of cruel and cynical?
Why do bullies bully the others? Which strategies should be adopted to prevent and respond to bullying in schools?
EBMatosinhos
Videos from Matosinhos >>>>
Video in >>>>>
Pictures in >>>>>
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11.March.2013‌ the time and voice of young people
We think it is possible to give love and kindness to others in a place of cynicism and cruelty among young people. Lady Gaga
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C C . ENA C lus te r Preparatory debates in Póvoa de Lanhoso In the preparation of the Connecting Classrooms
Assembly on the 11th
March, the students of the Agru-
pamento de Escolas de Póvoa de Lanhoso organized in groups and produced documents on the topic “Environment and Sustainability”,
that
were
named motions, and were presented, on the 4th February 2013, in the presence of the Headmaster of the Agrupamento, José Ramos, the Vice –President and also Education Representative of Póvoa de Lanhoso Town Council, and the deputies in the Portuguese Republic Assembly, António Braga (PS) and Francisca Almeida (PSD), as well as the exdeputy Ricardo Gonçalves.
The session happened in the following way: Presentation of each motion by the students who proposed it; After the presentation of all the motions, the guests made an appreciation of them all and asked the questions they considered relevant concerning their practi-
cability; Logo created by class P17 for the subject in debate
In the end of the debate the students who were in the room voted the two motions that they considered more interesting.
The ballot papers were collected, the votes were counted and the results were publically shown.
The winners will defend their point of view in the Plenary Session in Valadares.
We would like to thank the following teachers that collaborated in this initiative and guided the students:
Ana Teixeira, Anabela Dalot,
Cristina Santos, Gabriel Ferreira, Margarida Corsino, Mário Moura, Sandra Mónica Pereira. A special “thank you” to teachVideo 1 >>>>>>
er António Teles, who made it possible for having in our CC
Video 2 >>>>>>
Assembly such important guests as the ones we had. See the
Video 3 >>>>>>
news in >>>>
CC Assembly in ...
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Environment and Sustainability... in P贸voa de Lanhoso
EACH CITIZEN INDIVIDUALLY CAN MAKE THE
漏 Photos taken by the students of class P16 of the AEPL
DIFFERENCE!
All the motions of the Agrupamento de Escolas da P贸voa de Lanhoso can be consulted in >>>>>>>
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Environment and Sustainability... by Póvoa de Lanhoso The population, in general, and young people, in particular, devalue and disrespect the environ-
I really do
ment
inhabit a
the following problems:
1.
words are
the entire structure
Thus,
school context, we testified
which
shaking
them.
through our daily observation, in
system in
capable of
around
The absence of a socially
aware environmental behaviour among students (a problem that we consider of utmost importance in terms of intervention);
2. An inadequate use of energy and water in school context. Regarding the problems above, we consider that the main solution
of govern-
for them involves behaviour changes…we need to instill
ment,
in young people a sustainable and respectful mentality in
where words can
relation to what surrounds them and, for that, we have to indicate the most suitable way for the planet’s benefit and, consequently, for the future generations.
prove mightier than ten military divisions.
In conclusion, through small gestures like turning the water tap while washing the teeth, we make the difference. Like the Chinese proverb says… “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”, that is, we cannot wait for someone or something to remedy a problem that we inherited and we are aggravating.
Vaclav Havel
The solution has been shown to us; we just have to put it into practice.
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Chinese proverb
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11.March.2013… OPINIONS... Our participation in “Maratona de Debates”
Our participation in this interdisciplinary project which comprised almost all subjects, without us having conscious of it, offered us more than we
“… we consider that the school should keep on with pro-
expected. It offered us autonomy skills as well as time manage-
ment capacity (once we had to conciliate the school projects and evaluation moments with the preparation for the debate). And it obviously de-
veloped our critical thinking without mentioning our own cognitive development. This was offered to our team and all those who participated in in this debate and worked hard, all those who had the goal to
jects like the-
participate in an active and solid way aiming the increase on their own intellectu-
se because
al and sentimental level. For receiving such a reward, there was of course hard
they allow us
work, intense search, team meetings to develop the best argument and counterargument strategies. We believe that our victory secret was not only connected
to broad ca-
to our preparation but also to the fact that we were not anxious about the win-
pacities and
ning. We worked, first of all, to the enlargement of our au-
parameters which we don’t work so much in classes.”
tonomy capacities, of our critical thinking and even our synthesis skills. And that’s the best prize that we could have had. Our biggest difficulty was, perhaps, exactly having the synthesis skills we were asked for since we only had seven minutes to present our thesis. This debate proportionated us an exchange of ideas among all the participating teams as well as the perception of different points of view. It taught us to cooperate and work in team with the goal of understanding the multiplicity of ideas and perspectives about the contemporary world. To conclude we consider that the school should keep on with projects like these because they allow us to broad capacities and parameters which we don’t work so much in classes. Maria Manuel Iglésias, Francisca Albuquerque, Catarina Velhote, Francisco Santos (turma 10º C, ESJGFA, Valadares)
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11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people
“This debate proportionated us an exchange of ideas among all the participating teams as well as the perception of different points of view.”
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C C . ENA C lus te r 11.March.2013… the time and voice of young people
“We find freedom inside, nowhere else, in the heart of every human being is that one space which is free, which is filled wih harmony and which is full of love and respect.” Gonçalo Neves
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11.March.2013‌ the time and voice of young people
We ended the CC Plenary in the best way...
... with cake, juice, joy, responsibility and sense of "mission accomplished."
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C C . ENA C lus te r
CC always in action… in ESJGFA “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Throughout the current school year, the students from…. made a compilation of well-known sentences and poems about PEACE. The books are published on the Web and they also have sentences and texts made by the students themselves!
This school year a new contest of films/ photos production will also take place and the theme will be: “Responsibili ty facing the future. How can science change Man?”
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Celebrating Europe On 9th May, the English Group celebrated the day of Europe,
in
Escola
Secund谩ria da P贸voa de which
Lanhoso, the
for
classes
from the 7th grade, 7th D, E, F were selected to be present. Two
sessions
oc-
curred, one in the morning and the other one in the afternoon. The students wore personalized t-shirts, with drawings related to Europe and messages written in English.
In a time that Europe seems to be experiencing a kind of downfall, the celebration of this day was used for showing what has been done in order to make Europe a more cohesive and inclusive political project. The participants showed what was done in the E-Twinning, Connecting Classrooms and Comenius projects. Several students and teachers gave their testimonies about their experiences. This celebration was complemented with the participation of our Comenius assistant, Mihai Lupu, which showed a little of his beautiful country, Romania. Some
students sang and played some well known songs and one student from the 7 th grade read a poem in English. In most of the interventions, it was emphasized the importance of the English language as a fundamental tool to make possible the communication between those who integrate these projects. Isabel Friande, English Group from Agrupamento de Escolas da P贸voa de Lanhoso
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"If you your-
C C . ENA C lus te r Students from Afonso III EugĂŠnio de Andrade School visit Paranhos School...
self are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world." Thomas Merton
Last Friday, May 10th our school hosted the visit of ten students
from the 9th grade from Afonso III school (Faro).
life we can
Fifteen students from 6th grade, classes A and B were eager to welcome their older colleagues. After gathering for a while, it was time for sharing meaningful expe-
smile, if we
riences. Proving that age dif-
"If in our daily
can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it.This is the most basic kind of peace work." Thich Naht Hanh
ference was no kind of obstacle, Connecting Classrooms revealed its full potencial as a project of Inclusion. Though short, this was another striking moment of this project in which hosts and visitors exposed global citizens.
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… Afonso III School also visits Matosinhos School... On the May 10th a group of students and two teachers from Afonso III school in Faro visited our school. First we made a guided tour around the school and then we all went to the library and
shared some connecting activities of both schools. It was a great exchange of experiences and the interest generated was fantastic. Then we all had tea together and had the opportunity of getting to know each other and socialize for a while. Finally we gave our guests some souvenirs, like a Leixões
Sport Club scarf signed by all students. The initiative was rewarding and empowering, for both teachers and students and I will certainly repeat the experience. Maybe I will organize a school trip to the Algarve next time… Paula Moreira (Coordenadora CC em Matosinhos)
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C C . ENA C lus te r
Fotos - © Miranda, AEPL
Connecting Classrooms brought an English team to Portugal
A group of students and teachers from Bentley Wood and Park High Schools, London, stayed in Portugal from 22nd to 25th May. This group took part in different activities, which were organized by our school and Carlos Amarante School, in Braga. This time, the main hosts were the students from classes 10th A and P 20, who had an excellent behaviour and a great sense of responsibility. On 24th May many interesting activities were developed all day long and, at the same time, the students had the opportunity to practise the English language with native speakers. Miranda, a student from the class P 16, made the video and produced a photographic record of the event, which will be available on the Internet, as soon as possible. Thanks are due to all those who worked so hard, such as the teachers Rosa Carvalho, Ricardo Rodrigues, Manuela Lourenço and Rui Picas as well as the School Direction. They all provided the efforts to make this day so special for everyone involved. Finally, a special thanks to the Culture Department of the Town Hall, particularly to Dr. Mariana Pereira and Dr. Pedro Esteves, for their precious help in the presentations about the local Castle and also for the organization of the peddy-paper, which helped the students to find out interesting issues about the beautiful town of Póvoa de Lanhoso. Teresa Lacerda, ENA Cluster Coordinator
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Afternoon sports in CC Europe project On May 24th, the students from P20 and from 10th Form, A, coordinated by the teacher, Ricardo Rodrigues, organized and promoted an afternoon dedicated to sport for the students of London Bentley Wood and Park High
There were two activities. “Score 100” and “Water Rocket” consisted of 100 traditional games, bag game, a traditional game similar to quoits, flour game, blowpipe game, blanket game, ping pong, formula 1 game, music activities in the library, science activities in the biology lab and an activity of general culture in the study room.
This activity was a good idea, because we could give the English students the opportunity to know our school and its different spaces. The English students were divided in groups of 2 and were given a school map to be guided within the school. The maximum points given for each activity was 10, and the minimum was 5. The second activity, “Water Rockets”, was organized and coordinated by teacher, Rui Picas, and consisted of water rockets built with bottles of water with silicone. Half of the bottle was filled with water and the rest was injected with compressed air (about 6 bar) with a bike pump. The rockets were launched and can reach an altitude of approximately 700m.
As a conclusion we can say these projects of Connecting Classroom Europe are important for the students, because they can know other people, other cultures and they allow them to interact with students from other countries and practice the English language. All the students were happy and pleased to have welcomed the English students. Students from Class P20, coordination - Ricardo Rodrigues
Fotos - © Ana Silva, AEPL
School.
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C C . ENA C lus te r Park High School & Bentley Wood in ESCA [Braga] On May 23rd Carlos Amarante High school (ESCA) received on its premises their partners in the project Connecting Classrooms from Park High School and Bentley Wood school. The visitors were received in the Auditorium at 9:30 am with a welcoming speech by the students from class 7 B. Then each British student was
awarded a band CC by the students from vocational courses and all played a few games in order to break the ice and foster closer interaction between students from both countries. Then the students from class 7A recited in Portuguese and English the “fado” Rain, by Mariza, and involved all the students to pay tribute to “fado” and the languages of the two partner countries. This was followed by a contest
- quiz - on the history of fado and to end this part everyone sang the song What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong. At about 11:50 am the British students learned some traditional dances in the gym, with the help and enthusiasm of the students from class 7C. At about 12:45 lunch was served in the school canteen, and students from
class 8A had lunch with them and then organised a guided tour so that the visitors could be informed about the studying conditions in their school. After that they went on at City Walking Tour, which also included a visit to the Museum Nogueira da Silva. As the event Braga Romana was held in the city that week, every street was lively and busy and therefore the city tour was spent mingling with the locals
along the streets of the Roman market. We believe that this contact between the two partner schools was a cultural moment which will add value to the participants’ journey. It was a moment of personal enrichment, facilitator of real communication between different cultures. It was a funny, challenging and exciting activity, a gain you get with the project Connecting Classrooms. Adelina Moura, Coordinator from ESCA
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Park High School & Bentley Wood in ESCA [Braga]
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C C . ENA C lus te r Reading the world in our School Library… in Mosteiro e Cávado “The dear people do not know how long it takes to learn to read. I have been at it all my life and I cannot yet say I have reached the goal.” Goethe
Reading is a very important issue which is not only about enjoyment but a necessity; the basic tool of education, it makes way for a better understanding of one’s own experiences and it can be an exciting voyage to self discovery. It is the art of interpreting and reasoning printed and written words, as Choudhung (1990) put it “the reading
habit is best formed at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed, it can last one’s life.” The Connecting Classrooms project has made it possible to create a section of very interesting books in our Library. It was officially inaugurated on January 30, School Day of Non-Violence and Peace. It has a lot of interesting books related to inclusion, multiculturalism and social issues that tell and teach us about other cultures, traditions and beliefs.
Number 5 English ver sion
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CC always in action… in Mosteiro e Cávado Students stated they were delighted to have new books. The new section has already proved very successful with the current pupils and is a significant resource for students and teachers of our school. From 2010 to 2013, Connecting Classrooms project has used new
technologies as a means of communication, in spite of this, it has been considered that acquiring new books related to Multiculturalism, Multilinguism and Social Inclusion is an ad-
"If you scramble about in
vantage to our students because they not only enhance their cultural back-
search of in-
ground, but also they remind them of the fact that reading is knowledge, and,
ner peace, you
according to a sentence commonly
will lose your
attributed to
Sir Francis Bacon:
“knowledge is Power”.
inner peace."
Thank you Connecting Classrooms! Together we are bridging the differences through culture. Cristina Gonçalves, AEMC
Lao Tzu
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C C . ENA C lus te r Rethinking European Schools for the Future Lisbon - Portugal 18 - 19 March 2013 “Rethinking European Schools for the Future” - CONNECTING CLASSROOMS EUROPE - was an important event that put together several people in Lisbon related to educational politics of the countries engaged in the CC Europe. It was a meeting which
Álvaro Almeida Santos
put an end to the CC Europe that was developed in 20 countries during 3 years. In this event it has participated the director of Escola Secundária Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves – Álvaro Almeida Santos – from Valadares and a delegation from Agrupamento de Escolas de Póvoa de Lanhoso made by its director (José Ramos Magalhães), the coordinator of the ENA Cluster (Teresa Lacerda) and a young leader (Mário Peixoto).
Mário Peixoto
Mário Peixoto was part of the group of young leaders since the 1st year of the project. In this european event, Mario had as mission to report some of the work developed and to talk about the importance of this kind of initiative to the youngsters . I´m
very proud to say that Mario represented the ENA cluster, the portuguese public school and the teaching of English in public school very well. Mario’s presentation and the work he did in the Teresa Lacerda
group he made part of in this event had to be done in English. One more CC challenge overcome with great success. Congratulations to Mário and the colleagues that have worked with him and to the teachers that have directed the students so well along these 3 years. The congratulations are also for the teachers and students of the other portuguese schools with whom we have worked with closely: Secundária Carlos Amarante (coordinator: Adelina Moura), Secundária de Caldas das Taipas (coordinators: Ângela Pereira, Ana Guedes, Isabel Bessa Machado), Secundária Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves (coordinator: Helena Reis), EB 2,3 de Paranhos (coordinator: Fátima Veiga), EB 2,3 de Mosteiro e Cávado (coordinator: Cristina Gonçalves) e EB2,3 de Matosinhos (coordinator: Andreia Mendes, Ana Paula Moreira). In our thanks we can´t forget the British Council that made possible this project in our schools, in particular Goreti Coutinho that performed an excellent coordination. In Portugal, this project has been possible due to a cooperation between the british council and Ministério da Educação through the Direção-Geral de Educação (DGE). One more thank you to Madalena Guedes from DGE that contributed a lot so that these 3 years could have been so well succeeded.
Presentation by portuguese team >>>>
Teresa Lacerda (ENA Cluster coordinator)
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Connecting Classrooms is...
… In the students, teachers, coordinators and directors opinion of ENA Cluster ! Note: This arrangement resulted in 864 words collected in ENA Cluster 7 schools: Secondary – Póvoa de Lanhoso, Carlos Amarante (Braga), Caldas das Taipas e Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves (Valadares) & Basic – Mosteiro e Cávado (Braga), Paranhos (Porto) e Matosinhos.
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Connecting Classrooms - Three years of Inclusion... Connecting Classrooms Project was a part of my day during three years; I was there for its launch, I watch it gaining strength and Newsletter CC - Eugénio reaching its goals. de Andrade (Paranhos) The messages
for Peace
from well-known people of our world history resulted from the compilation made by students of Escola
Secundária
Dr. Joaquim Gomes Ferreira Alves (ESJGFA) in Valadares.
Over the last three years I followed the project’s impact on the 14 schools involved, the way it joined teachers, students and the school community around the chosen theme "Inclusion". It was with great personal and professional satisfaction that I watched and participated in numerous activities, events, actions and interactions the schools organized and carried to fruition. In the future and given the excellent results achieved, I would like to see the schools
Connecting Classrooms ENA Cluster
involved maintaining, as part of their school culture, debates about inclusion, joint commemoration of key dates, opening to the school community or so many other activities that resulted directly or indirectly from this project.
Edited by Agrupamento de Escolas de Póvoa de Lanhoso
With sorrow the see the project reaching its end, but with the certainty that we will
Rua da Misericórdia
meet in other new projects, I congratulate everyone involved for their persistence,
4830-503 Póvoa de Lanhoso espl.connecting@gmail.com Telef: +351 253 633 338
British Council - Porto Rua do Breiner, 155 4050-126 Porto Telef: +351 222 073 060 DGE - Ministério da Educação e Ciência Av. 24 de Julho, 140 1399-025 Lisboa Telef: +351 21 393 45 00
ingenuity, patience and support shown during these three years. Until next time. Madalena Guedes, Direção-Geral da Educação Acknowledgements: Ana Paula Moreira, Ana Teixeira, Cristina Gonçalves, Conceição Ribas, Dulce Ventura, Fátima Veiga, Helena Reis, Isabel Bessa, Isabel Friande, Isabel Monteiro, Madalena Guedes, Manuela Lourenço & Rosa Carvalho. (Thanks for helping in translation)