"Bringing Europe Closer”: KA1 - Staff training in the Czech Republic

André Fonseca, one of our teachers of ICT, attended, from 11th to 15th july, the  course “ICT In Education Course” at ITC International TEFL certificate s.r.o., in Prague, Czech Republic.

André Fonseca attended lessons on the following modules:

Module 01 – Trends in ICT in education, situation in different european countries

Module 02 – Methodology of use of ICT in the classroom

Module 03 – Plagiarims

Module 04 – Safety issues (health, cyber bullying, cyber stalking)

Module 05 – Work with smartboards

Module 06 – Weebly/WebQuests

Module 07 – Using mobile devices to support learning

Module 08 – Finding resources for lessons

Module 09 – Efficient presentations

Module 10 – Creation of posters

Module 11 – ICT in different subjects

Module 12 – Workshop,

and made a “very positive assessment of this course because I improved my level of expertise and skills in ICT and also language skills because the course was held in English. I bring new ideas and skills that will be able to share with the school community and that will certainly reflect on the success of learning.”

"Bringing Europe Closer”: KA1 - Staff training in the UK

Manuela Guimarães, FORAVE`s Pedagogical Director and teacher of English, attended, from 25^th to 29^th June, the course “Creative Methodology” at Oxford House College Training Limited in London. Manuela Guimarães considered that the “course was very enriching and helped to increase my knowledge and improve my teaching skills. My expectations were completed achieved and I am highly motivated to test creative methodology in my classes.”

The course was also very positive as Manuela Guimarães had the chance to build up new contacts, expand her professional network and gained practical skills relevant to her current job and professional development.

On her return to FORAVE, Manuela Guimarães shared the new, or improved, skills and competences with her colleagues.

"The Effect of Children on Consumption and Sustainable Consumption Training“ - Meeting in Partinico, Italy

From 29th May to 4th June 2016, “IIS ORSO MARIO CORBINO” a vocational High School in Partinico, Italy, welcomed and gave hospitality to colleagues and students from partner schools of Portugal, Romania, Turkey and Croatia.
As the Headmaster of the Italian school said in his welcoming speech “ the project comes from a strong desire to create a partnership with other European schools, but also from the need of many teachers to develop the European dimension in our school and to strengthen the sense of belonging to a larger reality… Europe is a great opportunity for the younger generation, in a genuine process of renewal. Giving the opportunity to the teachers and students of the European schools to meet, work together, know each other is a great contribution for the consolidation of the basis of a great Europe”.
Italy was the second mobility after Croatia. During this meeting all the participants were invited to watch the videos about “sustainable consumption” which had been created and filmed by the students of each school partner. The topics of the drama activities had been decided in the previous meeting in Croatia: Turkey – Shopping Madness, Portugal – Food, Italy – Saving Money and Energy, Romania – Recycling and Reutilization, Croatia –Budget Planning.
The next meeting will be in Romania in March 2017 where the work done by the school partners will be shared: the curriculum for the following school year 2016/17, the survey about consumption and the questionnaire on European consciousness.

"Bringing Europe Closer”: KA1 - Staff training in Spain

Madalena Souto, our teacher of Spanish, attended, from 15 to 21 May, an Intensive Spanish and Methodology Course at Malaca Instituto, in Malaga (Spain).
Here is her opinion on the course and some photos...

"Hice un curso muy interesante, pues era muy diverso en su organización. En primer lugar, tenía seis horas diarias consecutivas, lo que presupone una actividad metal, de concentración y atención bastante elevada. Así, los profesores que nos suministraban las clases, cambian de, al menos, dos en dos horas, tratando cada uno de un tema específico, sea de gramática, sea de cultura, sea de conversación, todas las destrezas necesarias para el desarrollo total del aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera. En mi caso, también tuve clases de metodología de la enseñanza del español. Todos los días teníamos deberes de casa para una mejor asimilación de contenidos. Y la escuela tenía igualmente un programa cultural y de ocio muy diversificado para que viviéramos y absorbiéramos totalmente lo que la ciudad nos ofrecía y lo que los españoles tienen de bueno en su vida diaria.

El día de llegada, nos recibió la directora de la escuela, explicándonos como sería la semana, y ahí hubo ya un primer contacto con los demás estudiantes. Había un variedad de nacionalidades, lo que permitía un intercambio cultural muy bueno.

A pesar de que no he podido estar en un curso de mi nivel de lengua, habiendo solo averiguado que mis conocimiento estaban todavía muy presente y activos, solo he beneficiado con este curso. Estuve en contacto con personas de diversos países que me han enseñado que estudiar lenguas es todavía algo muy importante, sea personalmente, sea a nivel profesional, aunque se considera el inglés un idioma universal que nos conecta a todos. Compartimos ideas, conceptos de vida distintos, todo en España, siendo el español nuestra fuente de unión. He beneficiado también de una organización de escuela muy buena, por el espíritu abierto, de equipo, de organización de los cursos y dinamismo."

"Bringing Europe Closer”: KA1 - Job shadowing in Spain

André Fonseca, one of our teachers, was in Fundació Eduard Soler, in Ripoll (Spain), for a one-week job shadowing period (11th to 15^th April).

This is André Fonseca´s opinion on this experience…

“I had the opportunity to meet the school, attending classes and participating in the realization of projects of students. I also visited companies in the region and an institute that is also dedicated to training and even had the opportunity to meet the technological centre connected to the foundation. In the visit to the school I had the opportunity to meet the physical spaces with special focus on technical training rooms of the areas of technical design, mechanical and electrical / automation that are the same as I work. I've also met with the school principal and the director of marketing explained to me all the school run. During the week I attended several classes of different materials such as CNC classes, Pneumatics and programming APP's and software. Participation in these classes were important to meet new training areas and different teaching methods. I also participated in mechatronic projects that are practical lessons for the development of projects by students, like our PAP's. I was able to know the type of projects that perform as well as the technologies used and help in its realization. I was also provided visits to two companies in the region and an institute. The visit to the "Lacetània Institute" was made with a steering member of the "Fundació Eduard Soler" working the same areas of training, with the aim of sharing experiences and knowledge. The "Lacetània Institute" is a school dedicated to training in the areas of Automotive Mechanical, Industrial Maintenance, Automation and Robotics, Electricity and Electronics and Telecommunications. I also visited the Tesem company that is a world leader in the manufacture of metal luxury packaging. This company specializes in the production of plastic and aluminium components for markets such as perfumes and cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. I also visited the MATRIX company dedicated to the manufacture of high precision moulds for plastic injection machines. Finally, during this week of Job Shadowing I also met the technological centre Foundation Eduard Soler with the production manager and director of engineering. This centre is connected to the area of mechatronics and is dedicated to the construction of prototypes and projects for companies in the region. It offers companies a wide range of services ranging from the creation, design, development and improvement of products and also complementary services through innovation processes, technical support, prototyping, casting, calculations, advanced computing, manufacturing, installation and consulting innovation. This job shadowing period was a very enriching experience because I had the opportunity to get to know a different reality in vocational training and in the same areas that I teach in my school that will allow me to improve my teaching activity. Moreover, as I am the director of the Industrial Maintenance Technician Course, it   was  also important to get to know other forms of organization and to learn with them in order to improve the functioning of the course.”