Project achievements
According to student feedback the project went either well or very well and the feedback was mostly positive in general. Our aims were to get to know immigration and emigration as phenomena, create contacts with immigrants and wider the knowledge about the participating countries, school systems and towns, improving language and cross-cultural communication skills as well as skills to presenting and performing and improving ICT skills.
The phenomena of immigration and emigration were studied on different lessons during the academic year and in workshops during the visits to Lithuania and Finland. The students for example gathered factual knowledge, visited a minority school, visited an immigration counseling office and had visitors that they could interview on the subject.
Contacts with immigrants were not only created during the above visits but also during the visits to the Christian Institute and the art project. The Finnish students visited the immigrant students to get to know them better and help with the immigrant students studies of Finnish. During the art project the immigrant students were in groups with Lithuanian and Finnish students and they also took part in the setting up the exhibition and the visits to local attractions.
According to the student feedback they got a lot of knowledge of the participating countries during the project.They have gathered them into an online portfolio. They made presentations about their country, town and school and they were presented during the visits. These have also improved the students’ ICT skills and skills in performing and presenting. They got to know the school systems when they visited schools and e.g. participated in some lessons. There also were visits to local attractions in both countries and some of the host families also arranged some visits and activities during free time.
Learning English and learning how to work with other people came high in the student feedback. English was the main language used in the project along with Finnish with the immigrant students. Especially the courage to speak and use a foreign language improved and some written works were also done. The students had many tasks that they had to do in cross-cultural groups and they also had the experience of staying in host families where they had to accommodate themselves to a different way of living. During the visits the students also voluntarily arranged some activities together on their free time.
The teachers in both schools got new experiences as they got to to plan and organize activities that they in their everyday teaching couldn’t. Especially the art part of the project broadened views and made the teachers take new, but fun risks as only one art teacher took part in the project. The students were also involved in the planning especially for the visits. The teachers’ role was to be more of a mentor and an idea-giver than a traditional teacher with all the knowledge. This part of the project was also very successful and inspired new projects in the future and the use of different kinds of approaches in the classroom for instance to do with immigrant students.
During the project the students practiced many skills including theoretical, language, ICT and social skills. They for instance searched for factual knowledge and had to apply it in their papers and presentations. The phenomena of immigration and emigration were studied on different lessons during the academic year and in workshops during the visits to Lithuania and Finland.
English was the main language used in the project along with Finnish with the immigrant students. In the communication between the students also Swedish, Russian and other common languages among them such as Arabic and Farsi were used to help the communication. Learning English and learning how to work with other people came high in the student feedback.
Social and cross-cultural communication skills improved especially during the visits to Savonlinna Christian Institute and the art project that was done together with the immigrant students. The students had many tasks that they had to do in cross-cultural groups and they also had the experience of staying in host families where they had to accommodate themselves to a different way of living. Vocational skills were practiced in the art project as the students tried new techniques and learned also about setting up an art exhibition.
In Savonlinna Christian Institute the students of Finnish language (14) were extremely excited and enthusiastic about the project and about working with finnish and foreign students. The students in Institute come from many different countries which was also a challenge in this project. They concentrated very well into the project and participated very intensively on setting the art exhibition to the library.
According to the student feedback they got a lot of knowledge of the participating countries during the project. They have gathered them into an online portfolio. They made presentations about their country, town and school and they were presented during the visits. The students performed at the opening ceremony of the art exhibition by presenting their works to the general public. In that sense the project has improved the students’ ICT skills and skills in performing and presenting. They improved the students’ self-confidence in general and especially in speaking a foreign language.
In Šiauliai a valuable partnership was formed with Santarvė Gymnasium for children of ethnic minorities where local community prepared the performance introducing us to their national songs and dances. Students had a chance to communicate closer during the workshop in the library of Santarvė Gymnasium. The teachers were glad that the project is helping to spread awareness about immigrants and stop prejudice and stereotyping.
Integration of Immigrants in Finland and Lithuania. How to Reduce Emigration from Lithuania?Elokuu 201831.5.2018