C O N T E N T S

Training

experiences

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Training

experiences

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Picture from

event

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Picture from

event

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About

training

event

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What’s next? 7

FCS:3 Values

NEWSLETTER 3

Joint-Staff Training

Event

(9-13 March 2015)

P A G E 2

The Historical Library of

Coimbra Universty

Family, Community and School: the Troika of my Values

Short-term joint staff training event; 9 – 13 March 2015

It started with »Would you like to go to Portugal?«, a quick question on the staircase

in the labyrinth we call »Gimnazija Šentvid«, a secondary school on the outskirts of

Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Which person in their right mind would say no?

Little did I know what I was getting into – formulating a questionnaire on values for

seven different countries, with seven different cultures and traditions, all done by

teachers of various subjects with different levels of English knowledge – a task that

was challenging, to say the least. Was it worthwhile, travelling almost 2,500 km to

Coimbra, sitting in a classroom for hours, cracking our heads with ideas, concepts,

vocabulary difficulties, dealing with technology that sometimes fails you in crucial

moments?

The answer is absolutely and unequivocally YES!

Firstly, on a late Sunday evening we were warmly welcomed at the train station by

Luis, the project coordinator. This warmth, genuine friendliness and willingness to

help were extended to us by all the teachers and other staff at the Ferrer Correia

School, where our training took place, whether they were involved in the project or

not. You could see teaching is truly their vocation, not simply a job.

On Monday morning, a minibus took us up the winding roads to the top of a hill,

where the Ferrer Correia School is situated. I was a bit surprised by the location, in

Slovenia such big schools are situated in the valley, not on a hill but it turned out to

be a great advantage – when Coimbra was shrouded in fog, we were able to bask in

the sun. We were warmly welcomed by the youngest students, who prepared some

songs and showed us their classrooms; this year they are learning about light, they

have planets, spaceships in order to better learn about their topic. .

Student with tradational dress at

Coimbra Universty

F C S : 3 V A L U E S

Project’s teachers at

Coimbra Üniversity

P A G E 3

During the day we saw some other schools which are also part of the cluster of schools in Miranda

da Corvo, I was impressed by the creativity of students and teachers, which makes the rooms and

hallways warm and spending all day at school less of a chore. In the evening, we also had the op-

portunity to meet the mayor before going to dinner at a museum.

On Tuesday, the whole day was spent in workshops on how to compose a questionnaire about fam-

ily values. I think we would all have been completely lost without the help of Dr Vieira professor at

the psychology department at the University of Coimbra. Previously, my only experience with re-

search and questionnaires was in the role of subjects, not examiners. During the week I gained a lot

of respect for people who do this regularly. Cultural differences between different countries partici-

pating in the project and a foreign language presented an additional challenge for most teachers.

After the whole day of working together and in groups, we had a very rough version of the ques-

tionnaire. Fortunately, the energy fuel came in the form of pleasant breaks with local delicacies and

Roza’s coffee, without which it would be even more taxing.

On Wednesday, the pace changed again as we stayed in Coimbra to visit the famous University, one

of the oldest universities in Europe. The guide, who spoke very good English, took us to the amazing

library, lecture rooms, the chapel and other fascinating parts of the campus. After a lovely lunch at

the cafeteria we had the afternoon and evening free for sightseeing, shopping or simply relaxing in

the warm sun.

The next day was spent on the questionnaire again, we polished the questions and became ac-

quainted with the programme SPSS, which to me, an English teacher who has practically no experi-

ence with such programmes, was not the easiest thing. However, Christina’s endless patience and

encouragement made things almost pleasant. For dinner, we had chanfana, typical dish which is

actually goat stew – it tastes better than it sounds, but you have to order it at the right place as

Christos, one of the teachers from Greece, can tell you.

Our last day was spent on the questionnaire again, planning the coming exchanges and evaluating

the training, with a lovely interlude by the first graders’ performance of a few songs. They were so

adorable I wanted to take one home with me.

Farewell dinner took place at a restaurant in Coimbra and some of us stayed on until it was time for

Matija and I to leave. The journey back to Slovenia was an adventure, it started with the bus ride to

Lisbon at 2:15 in the morning and arrival in Ljubljana almost 15 hours later.

I came back home exhausted but full of new energy and anticipation of the coming exchanges, new

ideas for my work at home and with quite a few new friends. We had the chance to see how long

the working hours of teachers in Portugal are, how many challenges they face each day and yet,

they still manage to keep a smile on their faces and are truly dedicated to their students.

Another important benefit of such an exchange or training is the opportunity to informally share

our experiences, difficulties and achievements with teachers from other countries, all the coffee

breaks were just as valuable as the time spent in the classroom. As for that, it was strange to be on

the other side of the school desks again and now I can better understand my students, who find it

difficult to sit still for hours.

I am grateful I had the opportunity to go to Portugal and am looking forward to the next exchange.

by Jana Mlakar, Slovenia

F C S : 3 V A L U E S

Coimbra from night

view

Coimbra , Portugal

Coimbra , Portugal

Scientific research about issues related to school environment

and SPSS data analyses

P A G E 4

F C S : 3 V A L U E S

Joint-staff training

event

P A G E 6

international training guided

Professor Dr. Cristina Vieira İs from

psychology and education sciences

in Coimbra University. Professor was

training to staff about survey

development during joint-short

training event in Coimbra, Portugal.

At the end of training we developed

a survey about values. The survey

will be used next year to parents and

pupils to get some datas about

values.

PROFESSOR DR.

CRISTINA VIEIRA

F C S : 3 V A L U E S

JOINT-SHORT TRAINING EVENT

Scientific research about issues related to school environment and SPSS

Bu, kısa ancak etkili bir şekilde ürününüzü veya hizmetlerinizi

tanımlamak için iyi bir yerdir.

YAZI ALT BAŞLIĞI METNİ

EBI / JI PROF. DR FERRER CORREIA

Project Number:

2014-1-PT01-KA201-

001041

3rd Project Meeting:

Kitzbuehel, Austria,

20-24 April 2015

F C S : 3 V A L U E S

P A G E 7