3rd Transnational Project Meeting, 2nd Joint Staff Training Event and 1st Exchange of Pupils

The English partner of the project, the Hillview School for Girls, in Tonbridge, was the host of the third transnational project meeting,the second staff training event and the first pupils' exchange, which took place simultaneously between 18th and 24th April.

 

The 7 national coordinators of the project were present at the third transnational project meeting, 20 teachers of different subjects participated in the second staff training event and 22 students were hosted for the whole week by the English pupils and their families.

The Hillview School for Girls is 40 km south from London, in the county of Kent. It is a school mainly for girls, specialising in the teaching of arts, namely visual arts, music, theatre, dance and fashion design.

The first morning, as usual, was dedicated to a guided tour of the school. Each group/ delegation was hosted by a group of students, who were proudly holding a badge with a word "Ambassador". We could witness a very important aspect of the school organisation, when students are divided into groups, each one with specific tasks to be performed. The "Ambassadors" represent their school and always guide visits whenever there are interested guests. They showed the whole school efficiently and patiently, answering all the questions. The visitors were particularly impressed by the great variety and quality of the specific art classrooms.

Everyone had lunch at the school canteen, together with the students: the visitors, participating in the exchange programme and their English buddies, present all the time. The English pupils were excellent hostesses not only at school, but also in their own homes along with their families.

The school organised a wide range of activities accordingly to the project. A workshop in Shakespeare's Globe theatre was one of the highlights, as well as a choreography performance, rehearsed during the week, with the older students' support,which was presented in the public event at the end of the week, introducing the project to the school community. There was also time for filming a students' video, in which they express their opinion on the best and worst things at school and share their idea about the perfect school.  

As a whole, it was a memorable week for the pupils,who "grew up" with this amazing experience, helping them to face the world as one. 

The participants of the staff training event, once more, focused their attention on the teaching process and different methods, used in this school. They attended several job shadowing sessions and various lectures, based on the Hillview School for Girls teaching projects: Student Leadership, Teaching and Learning, A Performing Arts College. The project coordinator, Monica Melloni organised a workshop on thinking styles.

At the same time, national coordinators were working together on the project development. An important step was taken towards the definition of the reference system of competencies, which will be fundamental to all the project activities in the next two years. 

A cultural programme of the meeting included a visit to Tonbridge and Tonbridge Wells, a short tour to London, and a walk in Brighton on the last day, allowing the visitors to know a bit more of Kent.

This meeting was a close up of one more chapter of the Metaminds project, a moment of sharing and learning for everyone. 

Written by Joao Pereira Santos