-
Home
-
European Projects
-
TATAMI - Tanulva Taníts Mindig
TATAMI - Tanulva Taníts Mindig
Start date: Jun 1, 2015,
End date: May 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The title - Always Teach by Learning - summarises the objectives of the project in a few words: the basis of good education is always the teacher, who besides loving and respecting their subject, is able to learn continually, renew in his/her profession so as to stay enthusiastic and up-to-date. Only this kind of professional teacher can be authentic for students.
The areas where our institution has to ensure the academic development are the following: the teaching of English as a foreign language, the instruction of subjects in the bilingual program and the use of ICT tools in the teaching process. Expanding our international connections is also considered significant as we would like to offer valuable programs to our students. The aim is to encourage more and more teachers to participate in international projects thus the workload of teachers would be more balanced. All the four future participant teachers are dedicated, open-minded, acknowledged members of the school staff, who can set a good example to their colleagues with their enthusiasm.
The first round of our project was held in Prague from 20/07/2015 to 24/07/2015. This was a general methodological one-week course organised by a 20-year-old language school –the International Training Centre. Developing creative thinking was in the focus and we are convinced that in modern education this can be essential in every subject so our teachers have to be able to guide and train the students to reach this aim. A Physics-Chemistry-English teacher took part in this course.
The second round of our project took place between 03/08/2015 and 15/08/2015 in Dublin, Ireland. We organised a two-week intensive English language course for two of our teachers – a Biology-Chemistry and a Biology-Chemistry-Computer Studies teacher. The language school - Alpha College of English has lots of experience in the field of language teaching and they helped us to choose the best courses for our needs. After a placement test the students joined groups according to their level of English, one of our teachers got into a B1 level group, while the other in a B1+ level group. To help their preparation for the courses, two English teachers from our school were giving them one-to-one tuition, besides their own private lessons. These two teachers need a good command of English because they are among the most active organizers of international projects in our school, they regularly accompany students to meetings abroad and they are key figures of the international connections of our school and our town as well. In our bilingual program some teachers who teach their subject in English are going to retire in a couple of years. So the school has to prepare for this situation, that’s why we are planning to start to teach Biology in English, so the participation of these teachers in the language course was absolute relevant.
The very same language school in Dublin also offers in-service methodological courses for language teachers, so we have chosen one of their courses which develops ICT skills through making use of technology tools. This is fundamental and fits the profile of our grammar school, so it could contribute to the improvement of not only the participating teacher, but through the sharing of the newly acquired skills and knowledge, that of the other teachers too. An English teacher, who also teaches Civilization of the English-speaking world at our bilingual program took part in this course. The training was held in Dublin between 03/08/2015 and 15/08/2015. This course combined the use of ICT tools in education with exploring the Irish culture and the educational system of Ireland. We could reach a threefold aim with this course: improvement in computer skills, methodological development and language practice.
With the participation of four teachers in this project, our whole institution benefitted a lot as our students can get more modern education with the help of creative methodology, while our colleagues can gain experience and new teaching ideas indirectly, not to mention the enthusiasm and inspiration for their further work.
Making a distinction between the short and long-term effects of a project is not easy as the boundaries can be blurred. The reviving enthusiasm of the teachers and the renewal in their profession will bring immediate results in the teaching process of the school, which will probably last for long. The whole teaching staff will benefit from the project as we can refresh the common work by new methods and ideas. Obviously it will be the students who will first notice that positive change. The development is to serve their needs and motivation. In the long term, we hope to achieve positive results in the enrolment of new students at our school, making it more attractive to parents and pupils-to-be alike. We can benefit a lot from this project by extending our international connections through participating teachers.