Day 5- Meeting in Bucharest

The last day of our meeting when we tried to discover how to build  time management database was the day of ”Mihai Viteazul” National College. 

Day 4 - Meeting in Bucharest

What is time management? What is good for? It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve so much more with their time than others? The answer lies in good time management.

Day 3 - Meeting in Bucharest

We did leave busy Bucharest behind on a day trip that we won’t easily forget!  We went even further back in time to the late Middle Ages. Myths and legends swirl around the massive Bran Castle, a stone giant that has guarded the passage to Transylvania since the 14th century.Count Dracula vs. Prince Vlad the Impaler. Facts vs. fiction. We did e xplore the castle....  Then, we did go royal! Step into the shoes of kings and queens, and explore Peleș Palace – the private retreat of Romania’s royal family.

Day 2 - Meeting in Bucharest

 Second day motto: can history teach us a lesson? Historical and artistic time for all...Palace of the Parliament

Day 1 - Meeting in Bucharest

After an warm welcome, the student s presentations about types of time prove that time should be cherished like the most precious resource.

Day 5 - Meeting in Hagen

After some reflection on the previous day, students were guided by social worker Michel Sicks to give the teachers a special feeling.

 

Then students put together the results of the meeting under different aspects such as tips for job interviews, developing personal qualities or acquiring skills. They also created a painting about the week.

Students and teachers had a joint informal lunch and danced together - when suddenly it was time to say goodbye.

We are looking forward to our next meeting in Bucharest!

Day 4 - Meeting in Hagen

On the fourth day of the meeting the focus of the activities became more concrete. Students worked on two aspects. They looked at the personal qualities and skills they had collected the day before and categorised them further. Afterwards small groups developed ideas of how to acquire and improve personal qualities and skills.

 

The other other aspect was the importance of self-reflection and communication. Social worker Michael Sicks gave some theoretical input on the power of non-verbal communication. In roleplays we experienced different situations and analysed the video sequences taken. 

We agreed that the best moment for self-reflection is the evening before you go to sleep. It is also a good idea to write down your thoughts and feelings so that you can refer back to them later. The last activity for the day was a visit to the Hagener Berufsschultag hosted by the 5 vocational schools of Hagen presenting their courses and many companies presenting their apprenticeships.

 

Day 3 - Meeting in Hagen

Today the main topic was what employers expect from apprentices and other employees. Our guest speaker Marco Luciani, Human Ressources Department at C.D. Wälzholz GmbH & Co. KG, gave us an overview of the job opportunities in his company which sells custom-made steel coil worldwide. He explained the different apprenticeships in the technical and commercial departments of the company. Moreover he gave information about the application process. 

Then students brainstormed the different qualities they need for their dream job. Those qualities were diveded into personal qualities and skills. Today the students spent some time with host families.

 

Day 2 - Meeting in Hagen

The first topic today was comparing the situations regarding the employment and training for jobs in the four countries in international group work. Here you find the short summaries of their findings:

 

Concerning careers advice:

 "All of us have in our country extra curricular classes, clubs, which help us find our skills or develop new ones. We believe all the members in one club should have the same level. Also there are guidance activities that want to help us find out path, but these kind of actions are put in practice to early at an age students can't fully acknowledge their strengths yet."

About going to university or doing an apprenticeship:
"In Greece and Italy most of the students prefer to attend a university. In contrast with Germany where almost the majority want to be trainees. In Greece and Italy if you want to find a good job for yourself you should have a high degree from university. In Germany you could find a good job even if you are a trainee. There are more opportunities for a better life."
"There is only an apprenticeship in Germany where you can see an even split between going to university and doing an apprenticeship. Students need a theoretical background whereas apprentices need practical training."

 Popular jobs among young people:
"Every country has different needs and that's how young people choose their jobs. But there are still differences between men and women regarding preferences and payment."

 

Afterwards we met Rilind who is a student at Kaufmannsschule II but also a semi-professional football player for Borussia Dortmund.

 He told us everything about his two lives as a pupil and a football player. The students enjoyed a guided tour around the stadium and found out about the jobs you can do for a football club.

Day 1 - Meeting in Hagen

It's time to work an a new module for this project which is self-reflection. Teams from all schools gathered at Kaufmannsschule II today to work on getting the right mindset for being employable.

After a warm welcome by the headteacher followed by some songs performed by the KII school band consisting of Torsten Diesen, Stefan Koch, Michel Sicks and Tim Wortmann students started a tour around the school to get to know each other better.

Students were asked which kind of job they would like to do in the future and started reflecting why. After that students attending the classes of the dual system came to talk to the students about being an apprentice. Participants of the meeting then collected the information they found important.

Here is some feedback from the students:

"we are very glad because of this experience because we learned a lot of things about the others and we are more connected to the job opportunities for our future."

"Meeting people who told us about their apprenticeship was very interesting, but 20 minutes were too long. We liked the musicians at the beginning.

Being divided into six groups was really useful because we got in contact with different point of view about the job we want to do in the future, even if at the beginning was a bit awkward due to the fact that we didn’t know each other."

"We are very pleased by this experience, because we got to meet new kids from other countries and meet the kids that we already new. We spoke to some apprentices and talked about their experiences as apprentices, we had some ice breaking experience and got a tour of the school."

"It was very nice to meet the students from the other countries again. We learned new jobs in Germany and we learned each other better. We could thinking about jobs what we want to do in the future."

"Today was our First meeting. We got to work together in international Teams and Communicate with other pupils. It was an interesting day where we got to know each other better. We talked about our intrests and our Future jobs."

"It was a Great day.We met the students and we are so happy for this.We talked about future jobs and we helped to choose what do."

"We are happy about meeting each others. We thought about our future and we met People with the same interests. This helped us developing our communications skills and organising our ideas better. We gained experience from guys who are already working and we talked about advantages and disadvantages of the work."

"I am really happy that I met with all the pupils from the other countries. We worked together in international teams and I liked it a lot because I got to know them better. We have also met bigger pupils that had been talking about their future and careers. They gave us advices and shared their stories, which was fun, but also helpful!"

Η πρώτη παιδαγωγική συνάντηση στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος Empower for Employability στο ΓΕΛ Πεντάπολης

Emozione Erasmus Plus ‘Double EM Employ for Employability’

Visitare il  Geniko Lykeio Pentapolis Public High School, un Liceo situato nella provincia settentrionale della Grecia, un presidio di cultura sito nel villaggio di Pentapolis  a circa 20 chilometri da Serres, nella cuore della regione della Macedonia, pone una serie di riflessioni sul ruolo dell’insegnante e della cultura in un paese profondamente ferito dalla crisi. Pentapolis si presenta alla delegazione formata da  insegnanti e studenti del progetto Erasmus Plus ‘Double EM Employ for Employability’ , fra i quali una delegazione proveniente dal  IISS ‘Canudo-Marone-Galilei’, come un villaggio fantasma, l’ombra del ridente e laborioso borgo dedito all’agricoltura e alla lavorazione del tabacco che aveva attratto il secolo scorso anche multinazionali come la Philp Morris e Marlboro. Un borgo tanto attivo e dinamico che aveva voluto fortemente la costruzione di un grande istituto di Istruzione Superiore con la determinazione di offrire ai giovani dei villaggi limitrofi un’oasi di formazione e cultura per trasformare il territorio ed elevarne l’economia. Questa è la terra di Alessandro Magno, dei grandi filosofi ma anche crogiuolo di razze e influenze: nella cucina, nei tratti somatici, nelle rovine sparse vedi tracce ottomane, latine, greche.

La crisi ha spazzato via gli elementi di un passato di fatica e di lavoro, Pentapolis è un paese con poche tracce di vita, il  Geniko Lykeio contiene attualmente circa 60 studenti rispetto ai 200 frequentanti pochissimi anni fa. La crisi economica ha ferito non solo  il tessuto produttivo, le relazioni, ma anche la scuola in generale, dal numero del personale al sostanziale taglio degli stipendi.

In questo contesto, si penserebbe superficialmente che si sia smarrito il senso della grandezza di una civiltà che ha portato il pensiero, la cultura, la filosofia al mondo intero. Tuttavia il Geniko Lykeio Pentapolis Public High School  sorprende per la vivacità intellettuale e la preparazione culturale degli studenti superstiti. Si percepisce che la Scuola qui, con la ‘s’ maiuscola,  non viene bistrattata e umiliata,  così come sta avvenendo a casa nostra, ma è sentita e vissuta come presidio di cultura, luogo di resistenza, tenace lavoro di barriera alla avanzata del disfattismo e pessimismo. La preparazione e le competenze del corpo docente, una moderna falange con esperienze multiculturali, vivaci e propositive, confermano la consapevolezza che l’unico elemento per fronteggiare la crisi è una cultura solida e ampia. I temi dominanti del lavoro svolto con gli insegnanti e studenti del progetto Erasmus Plus ‘Double EM Employ for Employability’ si sono basati sulla riflessione dell’importanza e sulla motivazione  del Life Long Learning e dell’apprendimento insieme alla consapevolezza di ciò che si è e di cosa si vuole raggiungere.

Importanti l’analisi  su come l’uomo apprende dal primo all’ultimo momento di vita attraverso le parole del vecchio saggio ‘Fino a quando avevo 15 anni ho giocato,  fino a 25 ho amato,  fino a 35 ho combattuto, fino a 50 ho accumulato ricchezza, adesso sto iniziando ad apprendere’. Dunque la proposizione della necessità del Life Long Learning ovvero l’apprendimento durante il corso della vita, il quale  si configura come un processo di auto miglioramento.

Gli studenti, i giovani europei provenienti dalla Germania, Romania, Italia, si sono confrontati con gli amici greci sul come attraverso l’apprendimento ogni essere vivente raggiunge due obiettivi: in primis mette in azione  e dirige le sue forze  per trasformare se stesso, per quanto gli sia possibile,  sia in base all’ambiente in cui vive sia al momento storico. In seguito acquisisce l’abilità e gli strumenti per cambiare questo ambiente e perfino trasformarlo. Gli studenti attraverso role play e workshop hanno condiviso la teoria che questi due elementi sono interconnessi e si rinforzano reciprocamente. Uno completa e rende sicuro l’altro, per questo motivo  si possono unire fornendo una definizione nuova di apprendimento. Apprendere significa non solo mettere insieme dati e fatti ma anche comprenderli. Non bisogna mai dare nulla per certo, ma mettere insieme, creare correlazioni, analizzare attraverso l’applicazione del pensiero critico.

Dunque il grande messaggio che l’incontro di partenariato sta fornendo ai giovani europei ed alle comunità che rappresentano risiede nella responsabilità di ‘dire a se stessi chi vogliono essere’, cosa vogliono diventare affinché possano intraprendere tutte quelle azioni che consentano loro tale raggiungimento. Perché l’apprendimento, la conoscenza è corpo,anima, intelligenza, non è solo studio ma sviluppo di pensiero critico. L’apprendimento è esperienza dello stare insieme, del portare la vita a scuola attraverso esperienza extra curriculari, per rendere più ricchi gli studenti per prepararli alla vita. Fortunatamente su tutti i segni lasciati della politica fallimentare, in questa terra ferita, si sente l’eco delle parole di Menandro, Solone, Platone, Euripide, Aristotele, si respirano le parole di quei grandi uomini che hanno elaborato il Pensiero propulsore della civiltà, uomini che hanno  declinato la centralità dell’Uomo e la  cogenza del Sapere. Una terra che sta iniziando un nuovo percorso senza piagnistei, leccandosi le ferite in silenzio, ponendo al centro di tutto la Cultura come unico elemento garante della Libertà.

Piera De Giorgi


Η επίσκεψη στο Γενικό Λύκειο Πεντάπολης, ένα λύκειο που βρίσκεται στη βόρεια Ελλάδα, ένα ίδρυμα πολιτισμού στο χωριό Πεντάπολη, περίπου 20 χιλιόμετρα από τις Σέρρες, στην καρδιά της περιοχής της Μακεδονίας, θέτει μια σειρά από σκέψεις σχετικά με το ρόλο του εκπαιδευτικού και του πολιτισμού σε μια χώρα βαθιά τραυματισμένη από την κρίση.

Το χωριό της Πεντάπολης παρουσιάζεται - μέσω μιας αντιπροσωπείας καθηγητών και μαθητών του προγράμματος Erasmus Plus «Double EM: Employ for Employability», ανάμεσα στους οποίους και η αντιπροσωπία από το IISS «Canudo-Marone-Galilei» - σαν ένα χωριό-φάντασμα, η σκιά μιας κεφάτης και σκληρά εργαζόμενης περιοχής, αφιερωμένης στη γεωργία και την επεξεργασία του καπνού, που είχε προσελκύσει τον περασμένο αιώνα και πολυεθνικές εταιρείες, όπως την Philp Morris και την Marlboro. Μια περιοχή τόσο δραστήρια και δυναμική, που είχε υποστηρίξει σθεναρά την εγκαθίδρυση ενός μεγάλου ιδρύματος εκπαίδευσης, αποφασισμένη να προσφέρει στους νέους και από τα γειτονικά χωριά μια όαση εκπαίδευσης και του πολιτισμού, για να μετατρέψει την περιοχή και να ενισχύσει την οικονομία της.

Αυτή είναι η γη του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου, των μεγάλων φιλοσόφων, αλλά και ένα χωνευτήρι φυλών και επιρροών: στην κουζίνα, στη σωματική διάπλαση, στα διάσπαρτα ερείπια από ίχνη Οθωμανικά, λατινικά, ελληνικά.

Η κρίση έχει εξαφανίσει τα στοιχεία ενός παρελθόντος αγώνα και εργασίας. Η Πεντάπολη είναι ένα χωριό με ελάχιστα ίχνη ζωής. Το Γενικό Λύκειο φιλοξενεί προς το παρόν 60 μαθητές, έναντι 200 που φοιτούσαν πριν από κάποια χρόνια. Η οικονομική κρίση έχει πλήξει όχι μόνο τον παραγωγικό ιστό, τις κοινωνικές σχέσεις, αλλά και το σχολείο εν γένει, από τον αριθμό των υπαλλήλων ως τη σημαντική μείωση των μισθών τους.

Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, θα νόμιζε επιπόλαια κάποιος ότι έχει χαθεί η αίσθηση του μεγαλείου ενός πολιτισμού, που έφερε τη σκέψη, τον πολιτισμό, τη φιλοσοφία στον κόσμο ολόκληρο. Ωστόσο, το Γενικό Λύκειο Πεντάπολης εκπλήσσει με την πνευματική ζωντάνια και την πολιτισμική προετοιμασία των υπαρχόντων μαθητών. Φαίνεται ότι το Σχολείο αυτό, με κεφαλαίο το «Σ», δεν γίνεται αντικείμενο κακομεταχείρισης και ταπείνωσης, όπως συμβαίνει στην Ιταλία, αλλά υπάρχει η ζωντανή αίσθηση μιας πολιτισμικής φρουράς, ενός χώρου αντίστασης, μιας επίμονης πολεμικής στην προχωρημένη ηττοπάθεια και στην απαισιοδοξία. Η κατάρτιση και τα προσόντα του διδακτικού προσωπικού, μιας σύγχρονης «φάλαγγας» με εμπειρία πολυπολιτισμική, ζωντανή και καινοτόμα,  επιβεβαιώνουν την αντίληψη ότι το μόνο στοιχείο για την αντιμετώπιση της κρίσης είναι μια ισχυρή και ευρεία κουλτούρα.

Τα κυρίαρχα θέματα της εργασίας που έγινε με τους καθηγητές και τους μαθητές στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος Erasmus Plus, «Double EM: Employ for Employability»,  βασίζονται στην αντανάκλαση της σημασίας και στο κίνητρο της Δια Βίου Μάθησης, στη μάθηση μέσω της επίγνωσης του ποιοι και τι είμαστε και τι θέλουμε να επιτύχουμε.

Σημαντική ανάλυση για το πώς ο άνθρωπος μαθαίνει από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία στιγμή της ζωής του προκύπτει μέσα από τα λόγια του σοφού γέροντα «Μέχρι τα 15 έπαιξα, μέχρι 25 ερωτεύτηκα, μέχρι τα 35 πάλεψα, μέχρι 50 μάζεψα πλούτη, τώρα αρχίζω να μαθαίνω ». Έτσι προκύπτει η πρόταση της ανάγκης για δια βίου μάθηση ή της μάθησης κατά τη διάρκεια της ζωής, η οποία διαμορφώνεται σε μια διαδικασία αυτοβελτίωσης.

Οι φοιτητές, νέοι Ευρωπαίοι από τη Γερμανία, τη Ρουμανία, την Ιταλία, συνεργάστηκαν με τους Έλληνες φίλους μας πάνω στο πώς μέσα από τη μάθηση κάθε ζωντανή ύπαρξη επιτυγχάνει δύο στόχους: πρώτον, τίθεται σε δράση και κατευθύνει τις δυνάμεις της για να μετασχηματιστεί, όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερο, με βάση το περιβάλλον στο οποίο ζει και την ιστορική στιγμή. Στη συνέχεια, αποκτά την ικανότητα και τα εργαλεία για να αλλάξει αυτό το περιβάλλον και να το μετασχηματίσει. Οι μαθητές μέσω παιχνιδιών ρόλων και εργαστηρίων μοιράστηκαν τη θεωρία: ότι αυτά τα δύο στοιχεία συνδέονται και ενισχύει το ένα το άλλο. Το ένα συμπληρώνει και εξασφαλίζει το άλλο, γι 'αυτό το λόγο μπορούν να ενωθούν με την παροχή ενός νέου ορισμού της μάθησης: μάθηση σημαίνει όχι μόνο συγκέντρωση δεδομένων και γεγονότων αλλά και κατανόησή τους. Δεν πρέπει ποτέ να θεωρούμε κάτι δεδομένο αλλά να συνθέσουμε, να δημιουργούμε συσχετισμούς, να αναλύουμε μέσω της εφαρμογής της κριτικής σκέψης.

Έτσι προκύπτει το μεγάλο μήνυμα: ότι η συνάντηση συμμετεχόντων προσφέρει στους νέους Ευρωπαίους και στις κοινότητες που εκπροσωπούν την ανάληψη της ευθύνης να πουν οι ίδιοι ποιοι θέλουν να είναι, τι θέλουν να γίνει, έτσι ώστε να μπορούν να αναλάβουν όλες εκείνες τις δράσεις που θα τους επιτρέψουν να επιτευχθεί αυτό. Επειδή η μάθηση, η γνώση είναι σώμα, ψυχή, νοημοσύνη, δεν είναι μόνο μελέτη, αλλά ανάπτυξη της κριτικής σκέψης. Η μάθηση είναι η εμπειρία του να είμαστε μαζί, να φέρνεις τη ζωή στο σχολείο μέσω εξωσχολικής εμπειρίας, να κάνεις τους μαθητές πλουσιότερους να τους προετοιμάζεις για τη ζωή.

Ευτυχώς για όλους, σημάδια που ξέφυγαν από την αποτυχημένη πολιτική, σε αυτή την πληγωμένη γη, είναι η ηχώ των λόγων του Μενάνδρου, του Σόλωνα, του Πλάτωνα.

Μετάφραση από τα Ιταλικά με τη συμβολή της κ. Θεοδώρας Μπαγανά

Piera De Giorgi 

Καθηγήτρια