The first short-term student mobility of our project took place in Madeira, Portugal, between 8-12 of March 2022, hosted by Basic Education and Secondary Dr. Ângelo Augusto da Silva. Teachers and students from all schools of our partnership participated in the activities and meetings:

This first short-term student group mobility of our project concentrated mainly on building relationships between the students of our schools, taking advantage of outdoor game-based activities that the host school has developed and is using with their local students. Our main goal was to help students and teachers acquire communication and cooperation skills in a multicultural context, empowering participants with self-confidence to express themselves. After a year of online activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this mobility was a refreshing change for all participants. Due to the travel restrictions and rules that were in place for the prevention of spreading COVID-19, we decided not to send the students to hosting families but to have them at the hotel along with their teachers. We also chose to implement mainly outdoor activities with cultural interests that promote sustainability in everyday life: 

  • Nautical activities as a part of a school program. Students and teachers visited the harbour at Funchal and participated in paddling and canoeing lessons organized by the host teachers and students.
  • A guided tour and workshop on sea rescue, organized by the local school in cooperation with the Rescue Volunteer Corps of Funchal.
  • Tree planting activities at the Parque Ecológico do Funchal.
  • Traditional games of Madeira in the Santa Luzia Park in Funchal in mixed groups
  • A guided tour of the Monte Palace in Funchal, where participants attended an exhibition with sculptures from Africa and a minerals exhibition from Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, Zambia, Peru, Argentina, and North America.
  • A guided boat trip for dolphins spotting and other sea creatures in the area around the island of Madeira.

The implemented activities are closely related to the local school’s teaching methodologies. They plan and implement many outdoor activities throughout the school year in cooperation with various local organizations (environmental, cultural, etc.). 

All visiting students (20) and teachers (11) participated in all the activities alongside students (500) and teachers (20) from our school. 

The main joint staff meeting took place at the school, where various aspects of the project and cooperation were discussed among the partners. Every partner presented the activities they had done so far, how many teachers and students were involved in them, the challenges they faced, and which activities they did not manage to complete. We discussed the forthcoming activities, rescheduling, and reordering where appropriate.

Tuesday – 8th of March

  • All the teams arrived at the school (Basic Education and Secondary Dr. Ângelo Augusto da Silva), where they attended a welcoming reception and a concert. Afterwards, each team presented their work since the last meeting in Venice in October 2021. 
  • All teams visited the Monte Palace at Funchal by taking the cable car, where they attended the exposition entitled ‘African Passion’ (part of a collection of contemporary Zimbabwean sculpture from the period 1966 to 1969 with more than 1000 sculptures that capture the environment in which these talented men and women work in order to create and display their sculptures to the world). They also visited the exhibition “Mother Nature’s Secrets, one of the finest private collections of minerals, predominately from Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, Zambia, Peru, Argentina, and North America.
  • In the evening, the hosts prepared a welcoming dinner for all the teams in the city of Funchal.

Wednesday – 9th of March

  • All teams visited the port of Funchal, where they participated in nautical activities that were prepared by the hosts (Basic Education and Secondary Dr.  Angelo Augusto da Silva). Students and teachers from all teams had a chance to enhance their skills in paddling, canoeing, etc.
  • The local sea rescue volunteer corps briefed all teams about the procedures and equipment they use on their missions.
  • In the afternoon, all teams had free time to walk around Funchal.

Thursday – 10th of March

  • All teams visited Parque Ecológico do Funchal and participated in tree-planting activities on the mountain. They also visited Pico do Arieiro, Madeira Island’s third-highest peak, and walked through mountain paths in the area.
  • In the afternoon, the hosts had prepared a visit to Levada dos Balcões, Ponta de S.Lourenço.

Friday – 11th of March

  • The hosts had prepared activities with traditional games in the Santa Luzia Park in Funchal for students and teachers from all the teams and students from the local school Basic Education and Secondary Dr.  Angelo Augusto da Silva.
  • The closing ceremony and assessment meeting took place at the school at noon.
  • The hosts organized a farewell dinner for all the teams.

Saturday – 12th of March

  • Teachers and students from all the visiting teams, along with teachers and students from the local school Basic Education and Secondary Dr.  Angelo Augusto da Silva, went for a short boat trip, spotting dolphins and other sea creatures in the area around the island.

Results

All the activities involved local and visiting students and allowed them to feel included and important in the project. We noticed that the students were enthusiastic about participating in the activities and even wanted to go further. Linguistic and social skills have been developed as a result of the interaction between the groups. Environmental awareness and the importance of protecting nature were something we could see that the students apprehended and discussed after the end of the activities. Our students improved their communication skills, and their level of English.

The job-related skills acquired by the participants during this LTT are:

  • Acquire new skills in a CLIL environment and by working in international teams.
  • Problem-solving by doing research assignments and talking to other people about how they solved the problems they faced.
  • Active listening, social perceptiveness, critical/creative thinking, time management, and motor coordination.

The participants showed a good level of communication skills, including listening and speaking in English, by making oral presentations, getting involved in international teams, and solving the tasks planned. Communication skills were exhibited in daily contact with the European teachers and students involved. The participants respected the ideas and opinions of the other European partners and their friendliness by using a friendly tone when communicating. 

This experience helped the students understand the cultural differences and similarities of the countries involved in the project. By participating in the different activities, they were able to raise awareness of the preservation of the forest, the sea, and the entire environment.

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Categories: Mobilities

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