Gauting, the third mobility

In this mobility participated two teachers from Portugal, two from Germany and three from Slovakia. Five students from each of these countries also took part. Schools from Denmark, Norway and Slovenia were unable to participate as a result of the mobility restrictions imposed in Europe due to the context of the pandemic containment measures. Even so, the respective Coordinators were present by videoconference at some relevant moments, such as the final presentation of the work.

The aim of this work meeting in Gauting was to work around the comparison between real news and fake news. Identifying different types of fake news based on the analysis of some indicators for this purpose, and also using some tools available, and understanding the risks associated with the propagation of this type of news, were the tasks to which the working groups were dedicated during the week.

The work began with the presentation of the news (some fake and some real) previously collected by the students from each country, so that everyone tried to identify which ones were real and which were fake. In this way, everyone came to understand that it is not always easy to distinguish them and that, on the contrary, it is often easy to be deceived by the apparently credible way in which they are presented.

During the week, the project coordinator at Paul hey school organized several workshops for students and teachers on the topic addressed, as well as on the use of the digital tool “Book Creator” to be used to prepare the final product. In the end, each working group, composed of elements from the countries present, produced an e-book containing all the information collected. These e-books can be an important tool, made available to everyone, to identify fake news and ways to combat them. For this purpose, they were shared and disseminated on the project’s web page. The students present at this work meeting will also have the task of disseminating the conclusions and products of the work carried out, in their schools of origin.

During the week, all students and teachers also had the opportunity to carry out a series of other activities that allowed them to get to know Gauting and Munich (German students prepared guided tours for this purpose), the way of life of their German colleagues (including in their family context, since the students stayed with host families), enjoy the local gastronomy, and practice sports and/or leisure activities such as Völkerball or ice skating.

Everyone had the opportunity to attend some classes, to get in touch with other Paul Hey students from different age groups and thus, to realize the differences and similarities between this school and their own schools.

The warm way in which everyone was welcomed at the school by students, teachers and management was the dominant note. The presence of the students and teachers involved in the project was very well accepted by all, who were willing to share common spaces at the school and also share their personal and professional experiences, thus facilitating the work during the week. The host families were also extremely friendly, welcoming the Slovak and Portuguese students in a warm way, facilitating their adaptation to a situation that for many was completely new, as they had never been outside their own families, or even outside their country of origin.

The pupils learned to work with pupils from other nations. They had to discuss, solve tasks, write and present in English, a foreign language for all of them. This was a challenge that they successfully overcame throughout the week. It also allowed them to realize the importance of knowing, mastering and being able to communicate in a foreign language.

Everyone left enriched with this experience, which proved to be extraordinary in strengthening their confidence and self-esteem, fostering a spirit of cooperation, tolerance and acceptance of differences and similarities among all, and so, helping to build a true sense of European citizenship.

Bratislava, the fifth mobility

After two years, we finally managed to meet in Bratislava. Firstly, covid stopped us, and secondly, the war was close to stopping us, but most of us decided to go. Luckily we had changed the order of the Portugese and the Slovakian mobility. If not, nobody would have dared to go. Germany did not go, as some of the parents found it too risky, and from Slovenia, only two teachers were present.  Thus, we had four pupils from Portugal, six from Norway and many from the host school. This worked well even though we missed the rest of the group. The goal of this activity was to work on how to make your own voice heard in democratic societies. The pupils worked in four international groups, where they had to decide on which topic they would like to post their ideas and thoughts. As they worked in mixed groups, they had to choose topics that were relevant for all of them. They worked on their topics and posted them by the end of the week. They also posted supporting messages for the young people in Ukraina.

During the week a police officer came to the school to talk about the dangers of using the internet, she talked about how we all can be fooled, and encouraged us to cautious about what we find, what we believe and what we post. She also went through the rules for what is allowed to do and what is not. In addition to this, we all learnt what is legal and not, and the fines and punishment for breaking the law. Basically,we learned about good internet behaviour.

One of Slovakia’s most famous influencers visited us and talked about how social media influences us, and how addicted we get to it. He focused a lot the impact it has on our brains, and how we all should be very careful, especially young children. This was a great experience and a real eye-opener for many of our participants.

We learned about European history by being on sightseeing in Bratislava, having a very professional guide. Being on historic spots, seeing for ourselves made a huge impact. We visited the Slavin memorial, where 7000 Russian and Ukrainian solders were buried in mass graves after WW2. This  was quite special in times of a new war in a neighbouring country.

As we work on media, we visited the Ruzinov TV station. This was really a good experience, as this was small and very welcoming. We were all allowed to try the equipment and see how it all worked. The pupils found this very good, as it was not just listening, but also trying it out themselves. Then we visited the TA3, state TV, where we got to know more of TV production on a bigger scale.

Finally, we travelled out of Bratislava to visit the Danubiana art gallery. This was amazing, seeing how art, location and the building itself melts into a higher degree of artwork. The pupils were impressed and took many pictures of things they found interested.  Travelling into the countryside gave us an impression of the landscape surrounding the city.