Monday 22 May 2017

The digital survey on Science motivation has been created

The Erasmus students Pepe and Pedro have created the digital version of the survey on science motivation and there're already some answers. Ismael was in charge of translating the test into Catalan. Sergio and Paula P have added posters to the mural and soon there will be words regarding the mobility in La Llagosta on the branches. This is good team work :)


Saturday 20 May 2017

Evaluation form

Today, I published a survey to evaluate the mobility in La Llagosta.

 

Tuesday 9 May 2017

Phase 2 of the project: The research part :How to motivate our students

Instead of statistical presentations like the ones presented in Lithuania (and in Spain), students will present something simpler and instantly usable for dissemination.
They will produce lists of
(a) the 10 most commonly used teaching strategies & behaviours
(b) the 10 most common responses to the open question (final question on the questionnaires) and interviews (combined)
(c) the 5 most demotivating strategies & behaviours (data from the interviews).
They will then compare and contrast (and present as a summary in any way they like) the teachers’ perceived use of strategies & behaviours with student beliefs about which strategies & behaviours motivate them. Eg: The results may show that teachers never / rarely use humour as a strategy / behaviour in their lessons … but students feel this motivates them. OR Experiments are commonly conducted and these motivate. Based on, of course, YOUR population’s results.
The above mentioned summary can be used to make suggestions to teachers in our schools.
Below are a few practical notes which may help our students to understand better where to find the information they need for these tasks.
1) The questionnaire data for Science and EFL will be used to make the lists of:
  • The ten most commonly used strategies / behaviours by teachers (according to student perceptions) in Science / Mathematics lessons
  • The ten most commonly used strategies / behaviours by teachers (according to student perceptions) in EFL lessons.
1st = most used… 10th = 10th most used. *see example below
2) The open questions (Q. 24 in the EFL and Q. 21 in the Science questionnaires) will allow us to make a list of strategies and behaviours students find motivational.
3) We all already have the interview comments on motivation for both the Science and EFL settings. The students will be able to combine the interview comments with the students’ responses from the final question on the questionnaires to create one list for Science and one for EFL.
4) We already have the interview comments on Demotivation in the Science and EFL classrooms so nothing needs doing here.

VOLUNTARY EXTRA PART
I am only mentioning this because we have decided to do this at Lykeio Polemidion. No one else needs to do it if they do not want to. It was not a part of our project proposal. IF any of you DO want to do it, it might be interesting to compare our centralised school system with a more autonomous school system.
The students will conduct short interviews with volunteer teachers. The list of strategies which students find motivational will be shown to these teachers (see number 3 above). The aim is to learn from teachers how much the curriculum and syllabus affects their choice of strategies used in lessons. Is there sufficient time available to conscientiously try to include some of the possible strategies? Would the strategies be appropriate? If not, which are not (in general or for a particular age group / group of students).

* EXAMPLE: The rank order of perceived Motivational Strategies and Behaviours use
Show that they respect, accept and care about each of their students
Give clear instructions
Make sure grades reflect not only your achievement but also the effort you put into in the task.
Establish a good relationship with the students
Create a supportive and pleasant classroom climate where students are free from embarrassment and ridicule
Notice students’ contributions and progress, and provide them with positive feedback
Motivate you by increasing the amount of English they use in class.
Show their enthusiasm for teaching English by being committed.
Familiarize the learners with the cultural background of the English language
Try to be themselves in front of the class without putting on an artificial ‘mask’, and sharing with you their hobbies, likes and dislikes

Monday 8 May 2017

Tasks to be done after the mobility in La Llagosta


  • Surveys on motivation. Interviews on motivation (before the course ends).
  • Post-meeting videos of the visit to be made and posted on the webpage
  • Our Italian partners will organize and plan all activities related to Activity C3. Webinar organized by the Italian school related to their plans and expectations for C2 (the mobility in Sicily)
  • Each school prepares a presentation based on the results of the interviews regarding the teaching strategies which students perceive as increasing their motivation in the Science classroom, in preparation for the mobility to Italy
  • Posters to be designed by students as a way of discussing findings from C2 and disseminating their results with fellow students in their school. Theme: anxiety reducing teaching strategies  in the EFL classroomPhotographs of the posters will be uploaded onto the webpage and produced to go into science / mathematics classrooms within their schools and local schools. (Dissemination). Photographs of the posters will be uploaded onto the webpage and produced to go into science / mathematics classrooms within their schools and local schools. (Dissemination)
  • Dissemination by all schools of the results of activity C2 as described in the section on dissemination. Each partner school must document on our web page how they have done this. Each school informs the project webpages (school, main etc) on how they have disseminated the results and to whom
  • Students are split into mixed groups and given a   subtheme/branch for the “Tree of learning” that will be constructed during C3. They then work through on line cooperation in order to share and develop ideas.
  • Webinar on how to reduce student anxiety in the Science & EFL classrooms. Perhaps a joint venture by our Spanish and Lithuanian partners, who hosted mobilities centred on this strand of the project.
  • Articles in schools magazine on the Erasmus project, activities and experiences during the first year of the project with a focus on classroom anxiety.

Friday 5 May 2017

FAREWELL DINNER.

ERASMUS PARENTS, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WERE ALL INVITED TO THE LAST DINNER TOGETHER. THE FAMILIES BROUGHT THE FOOD AND THE SCHOOL PROVIDED THE DRINKS.


Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el

BARCELONA'S SCAVENGER HUNT

THE TEACHER OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND NATI ORGANIZED A SCAVENGER HUNT WHICH STARTED IN EL CLOT AND FINISHED IN THE BARCELONETA.

Both teachers and students think that this activity should have been done on the first or second day.


Thursday 4 May 2017

Workshop on Mindfulness in the school and Montjuïc in Barcelona

The teacehrs of the Department of Educational Physchology organised a workshop on Mindfulness. Marta and Mercedes did a great job :) Thanks for helping!











After school, the mayor of La Llagosta received us and made the group and guided tour in La Llagosta


Students and teachers took the train to go to Barcelona, but we went separate ways, since young people prefer to go on their own, and there're good guides among them. They sent me a "Boomerang" picture to prove they'd been up the mountain.


Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el
The teachers visited the Musuem of Catalan Art and the Miró Museum. Later on, many of them maet at the free Magic Show with colours and music of the Magic Fountain in PLaça d'Espanya.

Wednesday 3 May 2017

Workshop on teachers and students' anxiety run by Mireia Cabero

Mireia Cabero run this morning workshop to both teachers and students. She is a psychotherapist, coach, and expert in emotional well-being training sessions, with formation in the University of Barcelona and Pennsylvania. She had a very positive feedback from teachers. Students think it should have been shorter.



Some groups (of teachers and students) had to make human sculptures to give solutions to anxiety


Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el


Another group made a collage to find things that helped them get rid of anxiety.

Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el
After school, all of us took the train and got off at Passeig de Gràcia to see the main modernist's buildings.

Tuesday 2 May 2017

Welcome Dance

2 ESO LEVEL STUDENTS PLAYED THE DRUMS and MAX PEDROLA made an amazing jump.

 
Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el


3 ESO LEVEL STUDENTS PREPARED A DANCE ON THEIR OWN




TO FINISH, ERASMUS SPANISH STUDENTS TAUGHT THEIR PARTNERS SOME FUN SONGS

Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el

Photographs of the students' presentation on anxiety in the English class.

Anxiety in the English class

Welcome Day

All the groups arrive at school at 8 am. After visiting the school, the headmistress greeted them, and we went on to the school yard to do an activity to get to know each other. It was "Find someone who"

Later on, we proceed with the presentantions on anxiety, and after the break, we had the drums and the dances. In the evening, we went to Barcelona for a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. Mariela and Nati were the two Catalan teachers who accompanied the ghroup to the famous cathedral.
















Monday 1 May 2017

Park Güell and Turó de la Rovira - beautiful sights

All of us met at the train station of La Llagosta to go to Park Güell. Our plan was to have our packed lunch there. Unfortunately, the Llagotel's cook overslept, and the packed lunches weren't ready. However, they brought the teachers' food to the Park Güell. Nice of them! After the park, we took a bus and went to a hill to eat there and see the sights.

Una publicación compartida de Nati Castillo (@nati6757) el




Una publicación compartida de ♐| PAULA MARTINEZ (@paaula_martinez) el


The teachers went to the modernist Catalan Palace of Music to see the building and show too, which they loved.