Teacher Training

Fifth LTTA partner visit in Norway

SNIPI – ERASMUS +

The implementation of the Erasmus + program “Seaways, Pathways of International Learning” is coming to an end. 12 teachers from schools in Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Poland met at the fifth and last project meeting at the Norwegian school in Kolltveit.

The hosts of the meeting, the head master Karin Haugen, coordinators Renate Edvardsen and Laila Bach, teachers from Kolltveit Skule and students took care of each day and made the stay of teachers from partner schools amazing, filling them with various workshops in classrooms and outside in the field.

The first day – a sightseeing trip to the river bank with 3rd grade supervised by Anne Haugro. Contact with nature is an indispensable element of education at school. Together with the student we could admire the beautiful landscapes near the school in Kolltveit, plants and animals typical of this area of Norway. We were fishing for trout by the river. The students, under the supervision of their tutors, were setting the fish themselves while learning their anatomy. Then everyone could try the grilled trout and it tasted delicious.

After returning to school, students from grades 5th, 6th and 7th presented their projects about the Vikings. We were able to find out where they lived, what they looked like, what they wore, what they ate and what they did. Students built beautiful models of Viking homes, as well as examples of jewelry and costumes. Everyday life, customs, history and conquests aroused the interest of all workshop participants.

Another element of the workshop was a lecture by Kenneth Bruvik entitled “Plastic in our oceans”. The lecture concerned the protection of coastal nature, fjords, rivers and oceans.

The next day of the partner visit began with an artistic performance of students prepared for the arrival of guests from other schools and on the occasion of the national holiday of Norway, which is celebrated on May 17th. The special guest was the mayor of Kolltveit, Tom Georg Indrevik. Then teachers from partner schools had the opportunity to participate in the lessons of the younger classes. These were art, music and IT classes, as well as presentations and games. Together, we learned marine vocabulary in the languages of the schools participating in the project.

After the lessons at school, we visited the museum “Kystgarden”, where we could learn interesting facts about the life, traditions and history of the population in coastal settlements. The day ended with a short trip to the island of Turøy, where we could admire the beautiful Norwegian landscapes.

The last day of the workshop was a visit to Finnegaarden, one of the historic Bryggen houses where the museum is located. The exhibition is devoted to the Hanseatic League and its influence on the development of Bergen. We could see there for example an original merchant hall and a trader’s office.

During the visit, a meeting of coordinators and teachers from all partner schools was held to summarize the activities which have been done so far. The teachers exchanged small gifts related to their regions. Information on the Mobility Tool platform has been supplemented. The teachers discussed the details of working on the E-Twinning platform and on the project website www.erasmussnipi.com. Details on the final report of the “SNIPI” project have been agreed.

LTTA meeting in Norway was the last in the “Seaways, Pathways of International Learning” project. Almost three years of working together, meetings, workshops, new acquaintances made the breakup not easy, because Erasmus + projects are not only activities. Above all, it is a great adventure, during which people from different European countries find friendships and common goals to achieve together. We hope that our project has encouraged others to act to protect the marine environment.

Fourth LTTA Erasmus + project meeting

“SEAWAYS, PATHWAYS OF INTERNATIONAL LEARNING”

in GRUNDARFJÖRÐUR, ICELAND

9/3/2022 – 12/3/2022

The Erasmus + project “SNIPI” has been realized since September 2019. The fourth project meeting took place in beautiful Iceland. The workshops led by teachers from the Grunnskoli Grundarfjardar school were perfectly organized, but it’s hard not to mention the beautiful landscapes of this remote and unusual country. The multimedia flight in the center of “Fly over Iceland” in Reykjavik, during which you can see the farthest corners of Iceland, is an unforgettable experience.

The hosts of the meeting, the head master Sigurður Gisli Guðjonsson, the school coordinator of the project Sigurrós Sandra Bergvinsdottir and the teacher Ingibjörg Eyrún Bergvinsdottir made sure that teachers from Poland, Spain, Ireland and Norway, together with students from the Icelandic school, spent each day of their stay actively participating in various workshops:

• the fish section, or what is it inside; using a scalpel, students and teachers cut open fish and learned the names of its organs

• a multimedia presentation about fish that live in the nearby sea areas

• ICT – Paint classes (a program for drawing and writing on a computer); the basics of Vinyl and Inkscape (designing stickers for gifts); Tinkercad program for creating 3d models; work with robots Sphero Bolt and Blue Bot, which can be used for the basics of coding and math for younger children; classes for teachers in groups with the application: GPS treasure hunt app – treasure hunt, a game in which teachers from partner countries had to solve puzzles on time using tablets and QR code readers

• practical classes – how to make sushi

• sports lesson

• technical classes in woodworking

• classes in the kindergarten group

• presentation of a music school

• the summary of the classes was an attempt by all teachers to sing the most difficult karaoke song in the world with elements of the Icelandic language

During the visit, the teachers also had the opportunity to visit several interesting places, parks and museums. History, traditions and culture are the elements that, apart from the exchange of good practices and perfecting language skills, we get to know thanks to the Erasmus + project.

• The most beautiful mountain of Kirkjufell and the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall are located near Grundarfjörður.

• A presentation on the Snæfellsnes Regional Park in Sögumiðstöð provided us with information about the town and surroundings of Grundarfjörður, education, transport, tourism, culture, festivals, sports and entertainment.

• A visit to G.Run, in one of the most modern fish processing company in Iceland, is another point of the visit.

• We visited the Icelandic Eider Center – a modern museum and knowledge center that invites you to get to know the Eider Duck, interesting methods of its breeding in the past and present. The center is located in the town of Stykkishólmur on Breiðafjörður Bay, home to the large breeding grounds of Eider Ducks and their most extensive farming in the world.

• The teachers’ sea expedition following the footsteps of the first Vikings, which ended with tasting Icelandic scallops, provided unforgettable impressions.

One of the points of the visit was a meeting of coordinators and teachers from all partner schools, during which all activities we were summarized. The teachers exchanged small gifts related to their regions. The school in Iceland prepared for each workshop participant models of boats printed in a 3D printer and pictures of a puffin prepared by children. The main coordinator Shane Mc Donagh brought a beautiful handcrafted model of a lantern for each school. Information on the Mobility Tool platform has been supplemented. The teachers discussed the details of working on the E-Twinning platform and on the project website www.erasmussnipi.com. A visit to Norway has been planned, which will be the last “SNIPI” project meeting.

On the wave of ecological activities under the ERASMUS + project

Third LTTA meeting in Poland

From 17 to 20 November 2021, as a part of the Erasmus + project “SNIPI”, Primary School No. 1 in Ustka hosted teachers from partner schools from Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Norway. For the seventh time, Polish school participates in a European project, this time under the name “Seaways, Pathways of International Learnig”, although the name “SNIPI” is used more often, which was created from the first letters of the partner countries and it is the name of the project’s mascot, also found in its logo, octopus.

The tasks undertaken by teachers from partner schools focus on the protection of seas and oceans, developing among students a sense of responsibility for our marine environment and water safety. An important task of the project is to view the sea as our heritage that needs to be protected, but also that we should learn about. The project has been implemented since 2019 and has been extended until August 2022 due to the pandemic period. So far, working meetings have been held in Ireland and Spain. The partners are led by the Principal Coordinator, Kinvara School Principal in Ireland, Mr. Shane McDonagh.

Teachers take part in a variety of workshop activities, while improving their language skills. The main purpose of all meetings is to exchange good practices, learn and share knowledge with others. This time it was Ustka’s turn. The visit to SP1 was prepared by Ms Ewelina Pietrzyk – the project coordinator in cooperation with teachers of English, IT, geography, chemistry, biology, art, early childhood education, physical education, music and the school common room.

All the classes focused on the maritime theme, but each was unique and creative. With the sounds of shanties, in the circle of legends about the Mermaid and the Ustka lighthouse, students and teachers built ships and lighthouses, transferred their ideas about the sea world to paintings and water origami. At the school, you could admire an exhibition of over 60 models of lighthouses and models of the sea in 3D, which delight with their creativity and precision. The project participants learned about the Baltic countries, sea pollution and the chemical composition of water during lessons with children. There were also sea rescue shows. School activities were supplemented by visits to the Harbour Office in Ustka, the lighthouses in Ustka and Czołpino, the Amber Museum and the Słowiński National Park Museum. The visit was concluded with a performance prepared by the students and teachers of Polish school on the occasion of Independence Day and the 101st anniversary of Poland’s wedding to the sea, which made a great impression on the guests from the partner schools.

All partner countries of the “SNIPI” project are surrounded by the seas and the Atlantic Ocean. Together, we must take care of our future and must not ignore the threat to our environment. The next workshop will take place in Iceland.

We are planning a workshop meeting in Ustka

Finally, after almost a year and a half break caused by a pandemic, we are planning an Erasmus + workshop “Seaways, Pathways of International Learning”. During the online meeting, the teachers discussed the details of the visit planned for mid-November. This time teachers from partner schools in Ireland, Iceland, Spain and Norway are going to visit our school in Ustka. Interesting lessons full of experiments, workshops, a sea rescue show and visits to local museums were planned for their arrival. We look forward to seeing guests from the Erasmus + program.

Erasmus+. It is really a great project.

You meet new people who become your friends, you can visit new countries, you can learn about history, culture and traditions from different nations. You learn about different educational systems. It is such a wonderful adventure. Nowadays we can’t meet in reality but we are still in contact and work online.

I really hope we will meet soon. Take care!!!

Training Module based on local environments (Northampton NS)

This video shows……

Visiting “Albaola”, building a whaler

We learnt about the hunting of the whales and the basque navigators.

16th century

Built in Pasaia, the San Juan whaling ship is an example of the first transoceanic ships that set sail from the Basque Country to Newfoundland. It reflects the splender and worldwide domination of the Basque maritime industry. It sank off the coast of Canada in Red Bay in 1565.

Year 1978

Over 400 years later the Canadian archaeological team from Parks Canada found the wreck and investigated it in an underwater excavation that was exemplary for the maritime archaeological world. After studying it for more than thirty years, this is the best known 16th century ship and has become an icon symbolising UNESCO Underwater Cultural Heritage.

Year 2013

The Nao San Juan was rebuilt in Pasaia within the Donostia/San Sebastián European Capital of Culture 2016 and backed by the Canadian Government. Just as it joined Europe with North America in the 16th century, the Nao San Juan will allow these two countries to sail into the future together working from their joint past.

Pamplona riverside park

We visited the riverside and learnt about the birds that live there. Cliking into the first picture there is more information.