Monday 26 September 2016
Tuesday 17 May 2016
Introducing Leandro...
Introducing Leandro
from Escola Professor Mourão Filho...
How did you learn about this opportunity?
“I learned about the project from
Luciana, who is a teacher at E.M. Londres.”
Is English hard to teach in Brazil?
“I think so. Unfortunately education
is hardly seen as priority and most Brazilian students do not see any good
reason to learn English.”
What were your initial thoughts on this new
project?
“Honestly, my initial thought was
that it would not work out since most students do not really care about
learning English. However, as being a teacher involves believing and not giving
up easily, I have decided to give it a chance.”
How do you think having the opportunity to
interact with a school in Brazil and England help your school?
“I think that will help a lot, as
having this interaction will encourage all the staff to embrace the project.”
What are the children most looking forward too?
“I guess they are most looking
forward to chatting with and sending letters to the students in England.”
How will this project effect the children in
your school?
“I think that will open their minds
to the real importance of learning English.”
What is the impact of this project on other
teachers in your school?
“I hope this project will encourage
other teachers to take part and help the English teachers implement the project.”
What hope do you have for the future with this
project?
“I hope this project will be well
availed and that this be the first of many projects in my school.”
Tuesday 3 May 2016
Introducing Rio de Janeiro...
Introducing Wladilene from Escola Municipal
Ministro Gama Filho...
How did you learn about this opportunity?
“A friend of mine, Luciana Oliveira, told me about this project.”
Is English hard to teach in
Brazil?
“In public schools, it is hard to teach English because most of the
students are not aware about the importance of learning a second language.”
What were your initial
thoughts on this new project?
“I thought it would be a good way for them to be familiar with the
English language.”
How do you think having the
opportunity to interact with a school in Brazil and England help your school?
“In my opinion, the contact with others will encourage them to interact
in English because they will see other Brazilian students doing it from
Curitiba.”
What are the children most
looking forward too?
“When I told them about this project, they became interested in meeting
the people from England and they started to ask questions about the country.”
How will this project effect
the children in your school?
“I think it will spark student’s desire to explore a world that
they do not know that exists.”
What is the impact of this
project on other teachers in your school?
“I believe it will have a great impact on them. I have not had time to
talk to them yet as I have just talked to my directors and they are really excited
about it.”
What hope do you have for the
future with this project?
“Firstly, I hope the children become more interested in learning a
second language. Secondly, that they explore, investigate and understand their
world and the wider world.”
Wednesday 27 April 2016
Introducing...
Welcome to Escola Municipal Londres in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil...
We caught up with teacher Luciana as she discussed how her school came about to be involved in this opportunity and her hopes for the future...
How did
you learn about this opportunity?
“I received an email from Craig asking
if I would like to join Project Curitiba after he was given my details from the
British Council. I then spoke to my school and entered into the schools
partnership.”
Is
English hard to teach in Brazil?
“It is a little bit hard to teach
English because we do not always have the necessary equipment to teach. We have
a lot of students with around 35 in each class and they only have one hour per
week to study English. In better conditions it would be easier.”
What
were your initial thoughts on this new project?
“My initial thoughts were how they
opportunity would increase my student interest in the English language and in
one month I already have students who are joining the English courses because
of this project. They are motivated to speak English with new friends”
How do
you think having the opportunity to interact with a school in Brazil and
England help your school?
“I feel very excited to learn from
teachers and students from a different part of the world and another city from
our country. I believe that it will help my school to enlarge the children’s
vision of the world and to see that their life can be so much more than they
currently imagine.”
What
are the children most looking forward too?
“The children are most looking forward
to meeting the other children through Skype and show them a piece of their own
lives. They feel very important because someone from a place so far away wants
to know more about them and cares about their life.”
How
will this project effect the children in your school?
“It has already had an effect as
children are motivated to study English and more have enrolled in the English
courses at my school.”
What is
the impact of this project on other teachers in your school? “The
other teachers see the impact on their students, they feel the same excitement
and also motivation to learn English as well”
What
hope do you have for the future with this project?
“I hope that my students will realise
how English can change their lives and open their eyes and ideas about the
world. I truly believe that this project will provide a new perspective of life
to my students.”
Tuesday 26 April 2016
Project Rio - Graphic
Project Rio
We will be introducing the three new Rio de Janeiro schools who will form the international schools cluster over the next few weeks.
You can see a simple infographic below which highlights this education project!
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Tuesday 3 November 2015
That time teachers from England visited Curitiba...
Its extremely repetitive, but have to say thanks to everyone that has supported the journey since 2013. It sounds quite far fetched to say that seven teachers from North Tyneside schools spent last week in Curitiba, Brazil with their partner schools but they actually did as part of a successful British Council funding bid that came about the beginning of this year. In 2013 they decided to do a Brazil Day for two lads hoping to get to Brazil and make a bit of difference, but also impacting the local community. I don't think we can not be proud of what has been achieved, however it is very much rolling with opportunities that came about and delivering outcomes with a passion to achieve.
I decided that I had to join the English teachers visiting Brazil and see them meeting their schools in person for the first time because I felt it was something I couldn't miss...and it would be nice to return and see what the schools are doing. The aim was to keep this trip to the other side of the world a secret from the Brazilians so as not to distract them from the English arrivals. I succeeded, although not without problems...at a local game in Curitiba the first impression for the teachers was a fan holding a hand gun as we ushered them through the gates!
The experience was unbelievable because you could literally see communities come together as they laughed, joked and discussed their schools in detail through broken English and Portuguese. Similarities and differences came up, but what overshadowed the trip was the awe in which everything was received. The Brazilian schools delivered welcome presentations that blew the English away with cultural dances, local music, fantastic displays and of course the national anthem. The children mobbed the English teachers as if they were celebrities and had a reel of questions they couldn't wait to ask them. The hope is this continued influence and communication keeps the English language 'real' and Brazilian children understand the need to learn and actually have the desire to pursue it. The other side of the project is the English children understand more about the world we live in and also the need to appreciate others.
The local government in Curitiba (Prefeitura de Curitiba) were fantastic and looked after the English teachers fantastically. I had to improve my Portuguese as there was a need to have a bit of translation, but sometimes words couldn't cover the emotions that filtered through the corridors. Two stand out moments include a Skype between Romario Martins and St. Cuthbert's where you could see how moved the English staff were, its hard not to get attached to the story or as started a project about happiness where Brazilian children and staff had to write what made them happy. It was a hard question to answer, but translating the responses was tougher - "gratitude for having the opportunity to meet new friends", "having a loving family" and "my children are the treasures in my life" just a small sample of responses.
The next year will see schools collaborate on various projects such as a joint diversity week, an eco friendly garden and introducing Children's Day to North Tyneside. Its almost a perfect pilot for the British Council to run with as more schools engage in the Newcastle to Brazil project in their own ways.
Three Brazilian teachers are coming to Newcastle in a couple of weeks and the nerves/excitement kicks in again. Whats the plan? the outcome? In all honesty it really is endless possibilities...
You can watch the TV report in Portuguese which covered the teachers arriving in Curitiba http://g1.globo.com/pr/parana/paranatv-2edicao/videos/t/edicoes/v/professores-ingleses-retornam-a-curitiba-para-conferir-resultados-de-projeto-feito-na-copa/4551971/
We used to joke about having 1000 nephews in Brazil, the reality is we've probably got about 3000-4000 across two continents!
For English staff thanks for being great sports and taking the moments for what they were...classic!
I decided that I had to join the English teachers visiting Brazil and see them meeting their schools in person for the first time because I felt it was something I couldn't miss...and it would be nice to return and see what the schools are doing. The aim was to keep this trip to the other side of the world a secret from the Brazilians so as not to distract them from the English arrivals. I succeeded, although not without problems...at a local game in Curitiba the first impression for the teachers was a fan holding a hand gun as we ushered them through the gates!
The experience was unbelievable because you could literally see communities come together as they laughed, joked and discussed their schools in detail through broken English and Portuguese. Similarities and differences came up, but what overshadowed the trip was the awe in which everything was received. The Brazilian schools delivered welcome presentations that blew the English away with cultural dances, local music, fantastic displays and of course the national anthem. The children mobbed the English teachers as if they were celebrities and had a reel of questions they couldn't wait to ask them. The hope is this continued influence and communication keeps the English language 'real' and Brazilian children understand the need to learn and actually have the desire to pursue it. The other side of the project is the English children understand more about the world we live in and also the need to appreciate others.
The local government in Curitiba (Prefeitura de Curitiba) were fantastic and looked after the English teachers fantastically. I had to improve my Portuguese as there was a need to have a bit of translation, but sometimes words couldn't cover the emotions that filtered through the corridors. Two stand out moments include a Skype between Romario Martins and St. Cuthbert's where you could see how moved the English staff were, its hard not to get attached to the story or as started a project about happiness where Brazilian children and staff had to write what made them happy. It was a hard question to answer, but translating the responses was tougher - "gratitude for having the opportunity to meet new friends", "having a loving family" and "my children are the treasures in my life" just a small sample of responses.
The next year will see schools collaborate on various projects such as a joint diversity week, an eco friendly garden and introducing Children's Day to North Tyneside. Its almost a perfect pilot for the British Council to run with as more schools engage in the Newcastle to Brazil project in their own ways.
Three Brazilian teachers are coming to Newcastle in a couple of weeks and the nerves/excitement kicks in again. Whats the plan? the outcome? In all honesty it really is endless possibilities...
You can watch the TV report in Portuguese which covered the teachers arriving in Curitiba http://g1.globo.com/pr/parana/paranatv-2edicao/videos/t/edicoes/v/professores-ingleses-retornam-a-curitiba-para-conferir-resultados-de-projeto-feito-na-copa/4551971/
We used to joke about having 1000 nephews in Brazil, the reality is we've probably got about 3000-4000 across two continents!
For English staff thanks for being great sports and taking the moments for what they were...classic!
Sunday 16 August 2015
Road to Brazil II
It's been a while since the last post so might just do a wrap up on the last few months. To be honest the Brazil journey pretty much just continues in our mind as we are not living the experiences daily. Of course we keep in contact with friends in Curitiba/Brazil and Thad has a group of volunteers continuing the legacy in the city.
The teachers from England will travel to Curitiba on Saturday October 17th to stay for 10 days, 5 of which will be with their partner school. Its a really big opportunity for them to understand more of the culture and be able to share that with the children back in Newcastle. They already share information via email, but this real life interaction will bring the project to life.
We spoke to the Prefeitura and they are working on a plan for when they arrive. There is media interest both in Brazil and the UK about this exchange which should hopefully bring a bit of positivity about the World Cup legacy. We had the chance to meet with Gustavo Fruet last year and he remains interested in the project so the teachers will have the opportunity to meet him in a few months as well.
The teachers from Brazil will visit Newcastle on Saturday November 14th for 10 days where they will interact with the schools. They are extremely excited, for many of them its the first time out of Brazil, but they are interested to know more about education in the UK.
We got a message from an American lad who was visiting Curitiba recently and keen to volunteer. We put him in contact with Thad (a fellow American). He had a brilliant time with Thad in the communities and it does go to show the power of social media.
Good news as the Jogos da Amizade returns to Curitiba in November 2015 with the support of the Prefeitura de Curitiba. A video will be released closer to the time reflecting the event last year and a reminder of the World Cup mashed into one.
We had an idea back in March regarding August 2016, its a work in progress, but the next two weeks could put the wheels in motion.
The teachers from England will travel to Curitiba on Saturday October 17th to stay for 10 days, 5 of which will be with their partner school. Its a really big opportunity for them to understand more of the culture and be able to share that with the children back in Newcastle. They already share information via email, but this real life interaction will bring the project to life.
We spoke to the Prefeitura and they are working on a plan for when they arrive. There is media interest both in Brazil and the UK about this exchange which should hopefully bring a bit of positivity about the World Cup legacy. We had the chance to meet with Gustavo Fruet last year and he remains interested in the project so the teachers will have the opportunity to meet him in a few months as well.
The teachers from Brazil will visit Newcastle on Saturday November 14th for 10 days where they will interact with the schools. They are extremely excited, for many of them its the first time out of Brazil, but they are interested to know more about education in the UK.
We got a message from an American lad who was visiting Curitiba recently and keen to volunteer. We put him in contact with Thad (a fellow American). He had a brilliant time with Thad in the communities and it does go to show the power of social media.
Good news as the Jogos da Amizade returns to Curitiba in November 2015 with the support of the Prefeitura de Curitiba. A video will be released closer to the time reflecting the event last year and a reminder of the World Cup mashed into one.
We had an idea back in March regarding August 2016, its a work in progress, but the next two weeks could put the wheels in motion.
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