Debate Format & Soft transferable Skills Workshops- Slovenia, Maribor, 15 May 2022 – 20 May 2022
Our second CRIMSON Mobility in Maribor
DEBATE FORMATS & SOFT TRANSFERABLE SKILLS WORKSHOPS
The First Day: The delegations from Serbia and Turkey arrived on 15th May to Maribor. Our activities started on Monday with our arrival to the host school. Greeks joined online.
The students participated in a workshop held by Ivan Koruza from The ZIP Institute. They discussed elements of public speech, and the way the elements intertwine, and affect one’s speech. In the second part of the workshop, students were explained how to structure arguments and apply them in examples through group work. In the third part, they talked about philosophical principles of induction and deduction.
In the meantime, the teachers exchanged their experiences from the project and joint cooperation during the pandemic. We also planned the activities in Maribor. The school from Greece participated in the talks online.
In the afternoon we had a guided tour around Maribor. We visited The NOB Museum where we could see how people lived in Maribor in the previous century.
The Second Day: The delegations from Serbia, Turkey and host school were joined by four Slovenian school representatives from Ribnica, Kranj and Črenšovci. The four schools together with the host school from Maribor share the same name of the Slovenian poet France Prešern. All schools presented themselves. The Project participating schools talked about the CRIMSON Project and how it affected their lives during the pandemic. Erasmus students shared their thoughts on the subject. The project helped them express their thoughts easier and better. It helped them be calm while they talk and feel more confident when speaking in front of the public.
We had a walk through the school. The central yard and a beautiful library made quite an impression on the guests.
In the afternoon we spent couple of hours in Betnava Amusement Park. There we learned how to safely walk through different paths made in the trees. It was a great adventure for all the participants. In the evening we relaxed by the river Drava.
The Third Day: Students joined English language classes with teachers Andreja Vracko and Marjetka Bunford Selinšek. In one class they discussed if digital technology is making children’s lives better. All the Erasmus students needed to write essays on the subject as their homework. In the meantime, Erasmus teachers needed to write Lesson Plans for the classes they participated in both their mother tongues and English. Representatives from the Greek school joined the classes online.
In the afternoon we visited Pohorje. It was a beautiful day in the nature. We shared ideas, talked about different teaching practices and we finished the day walking in the streets of Maribor.
The Fourth Day: Students and teachers participated in English language classes with teachers Marjetka Bunford Selinšek and Nataša Želježič. The classes including debate strategies were about holidays, books and TV, and vegetarian food. Erasmus students had a task to finish their essays – Is digital technology making children’s lives better?, Books are better than TV and Holidays should be shorter.
Teachers made lesson plans, wrote their reports and made plans for our future meetings and mobilities.
Our first live mobility finished this evening in a Maribor restaurant. It was a moment to reflect on the new friendships and activities that we had done together for more than a year and a half. Having a chance to meet everybody in person was the best reward we could have dreamed of. We are all looking forward to our next mobility in Serbia.
By Biljana Višnjić