Building Bridges Between Cultures

SHORT-TERM JOINT STAFF TRAINING EVENT

27 – 29 NOVEMBER 2018

CEIP Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Day 1, Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Welcome speech.

Welcome speech.

Mrs. María Reyes San Martín Cruz, the school principal, CEIP Salamanca, Spain opened the meeting with the welcome speech. She talked about the main objectives of the Erasmus + project and the training sessions and invited the partners to upload the presentations for each training activity in Dropbox to allow other partners to access them.

She highlighted the importance of this education theme to promote the continuing professional development of educational staff and the inclusion of students at risk. It has also been stressed that it is necessary to create a teaching curriculum tailored to such situations, focusing on eliminating students' skills shortages in basic subjects. It is also necessary to prepare educators with competences in teaching and using modern pedagogical tools aimed at students at risk.

Introduction to the school

Attending to the classes

The host school assigned the participating teachers in different classes where there were a large number of children at risk to participate directly in observing working methods in one class for one hour.

Development of Teamwork

- The participants return to the training room and begin the present informative materials (Power Point, movies) about the educational systems in their countries.

- Discussions

Module 1: Workshop "Pedagogical methods of social inclusion of students in risk situation"

- Mrs. Emanuela Popescu presented the theoretical information related to concept of social inclusion in school:

1 - School Inclusion of disadvantaged students: students' perspective

2 - School Inclusion of disadvantaged students: from the teachers' point of view

Subsequently, the proposed problems were addressed and the participants shared their own experience as formal or informal educators. The theoretical approach to the subject ended with a brainstorming session on motivation regarding the concept of education for the social inclusion of students at risk.

- All the participants present 2 cases study of social inclusion situation that occurred at their schools and they have personally observed.

Spain – presented 2 cases: some siblings from Senegal and a student from South America

Denmark – presented 2 cases: one student from Sudan and one from Romania

Romania – presented 2 cases: a student belonging to the Gypsy community and one emigrant student from Asia.

Italy – presented 2 cases: one student from Ghana and one student from Romania

Turkey – presented 3 cases: one student from Siberia Russia, another student from Iraq and one from Azerbaijan.

In the end of the first day there were:

- Discussion and feedback from all partners

- Briefing on the results of the training event

The first day finished with the evaluation through questionnaires

Conclusions

- Teachers’ understanding of the concept of inclusion

- Thus, participant teachers lacked professional knowledge of inclusion and relied more on personal feelings and judgment.

Teachers’ practice in social inclusion

According to the data of this study the teacher that new more did more. Thus we can suppose than there is a link between teacher’s education and practice.

How teachers promote interaction between regular students and students with special needs?

DAY 2 | WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2018

The second day began with the Module 2: Seminar "Europe, spirit of solidarity"

- the Seminar regarding the knowledge of the rights and obligations of a European citizen by the pupils;

- parents’ presentations about partners’ school involvement in educating European values like tolerance, solidarity, respect for others, non-discrimination, xenophobia to the pupils

The participants at the seminar were the representative parent of the Spanish school, the teachers of the hosting school and also the representative of the school’s parents, Mr. Ricardo García, the member of the local authority José Carlos Acha (scholastic authorities) and local NGOs members “Pequeños valientes”.

There were discussions regarding:

- the knowledge of the rights and obligations of a European citizen by the pupils;

- discussions about partners’ school involvement in educating European values like tolerance, solidarity, respect for others, non-discrimination, xenophobia to the pupils.

- Brainstorming “How are teachers promoting social inclusion?”

The results of the Module 1 of the Short – Term Joint Training Event were the following:

A. The social inclusion is a multifactorial feeling that occurs in the 19% of the population of pupils during their academic life;

B. Although teachers understand certain aspects of social exclusion as stressors, like examination periods, different events, etc. there was observed some sort of lack of equal consideration to the social aspect of everyday school life, which seems to host the major stressors as identified by the pupils. We have talked about the conflict between school regulations that say that each student is equal and about the reality that makes teachers more tolerant towards students at risk is to be treated equally.

C. Teachers from certain countries, e.g. Spain or Italy, expressed that there is a significant number of immigrants and therefore, a great number of pupils in risk situation.

In the second part, the members of the NGOs and local authorities presented their activities and involvement in the collaboration with the school.

DAY 3 | THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2018

The participants on the third day were the school teachers and the representatives of the participating schools.

The program started with - Discussion about possible risks in rolling up of the project’s activities

- Development of Problem Solving

- Effective Communication

Every team expresses their conclusions making the Synopsis of the training.

The program finished with Discussion and feedback from all partners, briefing on the results of the training event and the Meeting evaluation through questionnaires.