Some Staff Thoughts…………………….
Taking part in the Comenius project was a positive and worthwhile experience, both for what it taught me personally and also the impact that I feel it had on our students. Being involved in both the European visit to Denmark, as well as the home leg of the project, I feel that Comenius has had a lasting impact on not only the students and staff involved, but also on the wider community within each host school.
Comenius provided an opportunity for me, and my colleagues, to fully immerse ourselves in another’s culture; sharing experiences and learning throughout the process. The project itself offers an opportunity to see another’s culture and traditions through their eyes; allowing each country the opportunity to promote their culture, evaluate on what is important to them, and share these personal traditions with each other- experiences that I do not think would be possible to achieve during a holiday or even language exchange. From the onset of Comenius, I was conscious of considering the similarities and differences between each culture, creating an awareness that I feel made each individual taking part more open to trying new things and learning to appreciate the differences and also benefits of different outlooks and attitudes.
One of the most interesting things, for me, throughout Comenius, was during the home visit of the project. Prior to starting Comenius, I had not previously thought about and considered my own traditions and values in any depth. The home visit allowed the opportunity for staff and students to not only teach others about our culture, but also learn ourselves- seeing our culture through other people’s eyes and appreciating what we do well, what we should be proud of but also how we could benefit from learning from others. This was not limited to individuals involved in Comenius, but also extended to wider members of staff and students who learnt from our experiences; sparking a curiosity and interest in them. Comenius to me, in this aspect, is therefore vitally importance for its wider impact that lasts much longer than the single visit to another country.
Aside from the benefits for staff members, one of the most important benefits of Comenius is the impact on the students involved. For many of our students, Comenius provided an opportunity for them to experience another culture and for some even another country, for the first time. Spending time in their host family’s homes and taking part in their daily lives allowed them to become fully immersed in another culture; learning first-hand about their traditions and values. These experiences allowed them to appreciate the similarities between cultures but more importantly the differences, teaching them to be accepting of others. Many pupils came away from the experience with lifelong friends. They developed a strong appreciation for each other’s culture and many commented on how these differences made them feel, allowing them to re-evaluate what they valued themselves. Again, this extended further to the school community, with pupils being keen to share their experiences with others and encourage them to take part also.
Overall, taking part in the Comenius project gave both staff and students an invaluable opportunity to learn about themselves, learn about each other and develop an appreciation and sense of acceptance for both. The Comenius experience, I feel, is a very unique opportunity to educate young people in a way that they are able to learn and discover for themselves in a fully immersive way; something that I feel could not be learnt within a classroom setting.
JH
Taking part in the Comenius project was a positive and worthwhile experience, both for what it taught me personally and also the impact that I feel it had on our students. Being involved in both the European visit to Denmark, as well as the home leg of the project, I feel that Comenius has had a lasting impact on not only the students and staff involved, but also on the wider community within each host school.
Comenius provided an opportunity for me, and my colleagues, to fully immerse ourselves in another’s culture; sharing experiences and learning throughout the process. The project itself offers an opportunity to see another’s culture and traditions through their eyes; allowing each country the opportunity to promote their culture, evaluate on what is important to them, and share these personal traditions with each other- experiences that I do not think would be possible to achieve during a holiday or even language exchange. From the onset of Comenius, I was conscious of considering the similarities and differences between each culture, creating an awareness that I feel made each individual taking part more open to trying new things and learning to appreciate the differences and also benefits of different outlooks and attitudes.
One of the most interesting things, for me, throughout Comenius, was during the home visit of the project. Prior to starting Comenius, I had not previously thought about and considered my own traditions and values in any depth. The home visit allowed the opportunity for staff and students to not only teach others about our culture, but also learn ourselves- seeing our culture through other people’s eyes and appreciating what we do well, what we should be proud of but also how we could benefit from learning from others. This was not limited to individuals involved in Comenius, but also extended to wider members of staff and students who learnt from our experiences; sparking a curiosity and interest in them. Comenius to me, in this aspect, is therefore vitally importance for its wider impact that lasts much longer than the single visit to another country.
Aside from the benefits for staff members, one of the most important benefits of Comenius is the impact on the students involved. For many of our students, Comenius provided an opportunity for them to experience another culture and for some even another country, for the first time. Spending time in their host family’s homes and taking part in their daily lives allowed them to become fully immersed in another culture; learning first-hand about their traditions and values. These experiences allowed them to appreciate the similarities between cultures but more importantly the differences, teaching them to be accepting of others. Many pupils came away from the experience with lifelong friends. They developed a strong appreciation for each other’s culture and many commented on how these differences made them feel, allowing them to re-evaluate what they valued themselves. Again, this extended further to the school community, with pupils being keen to share their experiences with others and encourage them to take part also.
Overall, taking part in the Comenius project gave both staff and students an invaluable opportunity to learn about themselves, learn about each other and develop an appreciation and sense of acceptance for both. The Comenius experience, I feel, is a very unique opportunity to educate young people in a way that they are able to learn and discover for themselves in a fully immersive way; something that I feel could not be learnt within a classroom setting.
JH