CULTURE SHARING

Mednarodni projekt | International Project

Projekt Culture Sharing se je začel s sodelovanjem dveh profesoric angleščine. Z Marijo iz Makedonije sva se spoznali na IATEFL konferenci, nato občasno bili v stiku v zvezi z različnimi področji poučevanja angleščine. Marija v Skopju vodi svojo zasebno jezikovno šolo in ko je predlagala sodelovanje najinih udeležencev na skupni jezikovni uri, sem bila takoj za. Izvedli sva nekaj ur z udeleženci različnih starosti na različnih jezikovnih nivojih in izid je bil izjemen. Učenci in dijaki so spoznavali značilnosti držav, imeli priložnost klepetati z vrstniki in si izmenjati različne informacije in izkušnje. Malo drugačne jezikovne ure angleščine so v teh časih, ko se ne smemo družiti in ne moremo potovati, še posebej dobrodošla popestritev in dodana vrednost za mlade udeležence jezikovnega izobraževanja.

Nato se je razvila ideja mrežo razširiti in k sodelovanju povabiti tudi profesorje angleščine iz drugih držav. S projektom Culture Sharing želiva povezati učence angleškega jezika na globalni ravni, jim ponuditi možnost spoznavanja različnih kultur in mednarodne komunikacije, izmenjavanja idej in možnost, da se povezujejo in sodelujejo.


Culture Sharing Project started with the cooperation of two English teachers. Marija and I met at the IATEFL conference and then occasionally kept in touch in connection with different fields of English teaching. Maria leads her own private language school Q Language School in Skopje and when she suggested the cooperation of our students in a joint language lesson, I was immediately for it. We carried out some joint lessons with our schools’ participants of different age and at different language levels and the outcome was extraordinary. Students talked about the characteristics of their countries, had a chance to chat with peers and exchange different information and experience. A bit different English language lessons are a welcome breath of fresh air, especially in these unprecedented times when we cannot socialize and travel, as well as an added value for young participants of language learning.

Then the idea to expand the net and invite teachers from other countries to cooperate was born. With the project we aim to connect English learners globally, offer them the opportunity to learn about different cultures and communicate internationally, to exchange ideas and initiate socializing and collaboration.

Sodelujejo lahko jezikovne šole, državne šole, zasebne šole, skratka šole, ki želijo svojim učencem pri angleškem jeziku ponuditi nekaj več. Bistvo projekta je mladim iz različnih držav dati možnost, da spoznajo kulturo drugih držav in izvedo kaj več o življenju vrstnikov v teh državah ‘iz prve roke’. Nataša in Marija vodiva seznam sodelujočih profesorjev iz različnih držav. Če se želite priključiti projektu, naju kontaktirate, izvedemo uvodno skupno uro, nato dodamo vašo šolo na seznam in vse je pripravljeno za nadaljnje povezovanje.


Schools, whether private language school or public schools, wishing to offer their English students something additional, are welcome to participate. The essence of the project is to give the young from different countries around the world a chance to get familiarized with the culture of foreign countries and to learn more about the life of their peers in these countries first hand. Nataša in Marija have a list of participating teachers from different countries. If you want to join the project, you contact either of us, we carry out an introductory joint lesson, add your school to the list and everything is set for further cooperation.

Skupne ure so zasnovane z namenom spoznati drugo državo in vrstnike. Učitelj pri priključitvi projektu prejme pripravljen Osnovni komplet za sodelujoče učitelje (Pack for the participating teachers), ki ga sestavljajo uvodno pismo (cover letter), priprava (lesson plan) in pravila vedenja pri skupni uri (Netiquette). Priprava služi le kot smernica, katere teme vključiti v uro, vendar je od obeh učiteljev odvisno, katere aktivnosti bosta izbrala in kako bosta izpeljala uro. Po izvedbi skupne ure nam pošljete povratne informacije in slikovni/video material, ki bo objavljen na spletni strani. Tako bo omogočen globlji vpogled v potek projekta in vzpodbuda za še več učiteljev, da se pridružijo.


The joint lessons are designed with the intention to learn more about the foreign country and meet with peers. When a teacher joins the project they receive a Pack for the participating teachers which includes a cover letter, a lesson plan and Netiquette. The lesson plan serves only as a guideline which topics to include in the lesson, however, it is up to both teachers which activities they choose and how they carry out the lesson. After the lesson, you send us feedback and some photos or videos of the lesson, which will be posted on the website. This will enable a deeper insight into the project and serve as an encouragement for more teachers to join.

Ustanoviteljici projekta Culture Sharing sva Nataša Merkaš iz Slovenije, lastnica jezikovne šole NANA in Marija Dzonova iz Makedonije, lastnica jezikovne šole Q Language School. Več informacij o naju lahko najdete na spodnjih povezavah.


The founders of the Culture Sharing Project are Nataša Merkaš from Slovenia, the owner of NANA language school and Marija Dzonova from Macedonia, the owner of the Q Language School. You can find more information about us below.

Izberite državo iz spodnjega seznama, kontaktirajte Natašo na info@nana.si ali Marijo na q.language.school29@gmail.com, in že lahko začnete načrtovati svojo skupno uro.


Choose a country from the list below, contact either Nataša at info@nana.si or Marija at q.language.school29@gmail.com and you’re ready to start planning the joint lesson for your students.

🇸🇮 Slovenia

nana_logo

NANA Prevajanje in izobraževanje offers services in language teaching, translation and proofreading. At the opening in 2002, it started with individual language lessons in English and German, later on expanded the offer to Spanish, French and Italian. Today we are focused mainly on English language and the participants can choose from a range of activities: individual lessons, group courses, preparation for international exams Cambridge, Aptis, EILTS, preparation for school leaving exams, conversation classes, Business English, English for Special purposes and more.

The age and language level of our participants expand from pre-school to adult learners, from beginners to very advanced students. We work with every individual participant in mind and tend to tailor the lessons according to their needs, thus all lessons as well as curriculum for the group courses are individually prepared and adjusted.
NANA language school is a preparation center for Cambridge English Qualifications (link na official logo na strani) and a Test Center for Aptis with British Council.
NANA also offers services in translation and proofreading; the area extends from non-technical to business texts, proofreading of various texts, including university leaving papers, technical manuals, website texts and more. We are happy to see our clients returning.

More about NANA at the following links:

natasa_merkas

English teacher and translator with 25 years of work experience. Graduated in English language and literature and Sociology at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. Founder of NANA language school. Experience: translator for the European Commission, EU, DZTPS (The Association of Scientific and Technical Translators of Slovenia) and many corporate and individual clients, a primary school teacher, English language course teacher. Participates in numerous teacher training sessions (including American English E-Teacher Program teacher training courses), conferences, webinars, workshops. Reviewer of English language SB series, lesson plan writer, works in the field of dyslexia.

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

nana_logo

Q Language School has been educating and motivating learners of foreign languages for a decade now. It has been operating since 2010 and offers both language courses and translation services. Apart from English language courses, Q Language School has organized language courses of Spanish, German, Slovene and Macedonian language for foreigners. The dominant courses remain to be English ones, which are divided into all CEFR levels for various age groups. Thus, the school has groups of pre-school, primary and secondary education students, courses for adult learners, specialized courses like Business English and Business English for IT, Legal English, Conversation etc. Q has also been a partner of the British Council North Macedonia in preparation and promotion of the Cambridge ESOL exams. It has been a member of the Business Council of the University American College Skopje. It is also an associate of Pearson ELT North Macedonia/St. George Skopje, publishing company which distributes Pearson ELT course materials.

Q Language School has been actively engaging and motivating its students in numerous extra-curricular activities like charity campaigns, reading clubs, various workshops, projects, school trips and a great number of educational activities. Currently, it has been involved in the Culture Sharing Project with the NANA language school from Slovenska Bistrica from Slovenia.

More about Q Language School at the following links:

marija_dzonova

English teacher and translator with over 17 years of work experience. Founder of Q Language School, M.A. student at the University American College Skopje in North Macedonia. Graduated philologist in English language and literature – first major and Spanish language and literature – second major at the faculty of Philology, Blaze Koneski in Skopje, Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Macedonia. ELT Consultant for PEARSON ELT North Macedonia/ St. George DOOEL Skopje. Teacher trainer and executive board member of ELTAM MK (English Teachers’ Association of North Macedonia). Authorized court interpreter. Participated in numerous teacher training sessions, workshops, conferences both as participant and as presenter. Involved in humanitarian projects and campaigns in Skopje and Macedonia. Particularly interested in dyslexia in the ELT domain, which is the research field of her M.A. thesis.

🇵🇱 Poland

nana_logo

John Paul II Primary School is located in a small village of Krzyżowa in the south of Poland. It is a state school. There are 80 students attending our school. There are on average 10 students in each class and 15 teachers work here. Lessons start form 8.00 o’clock in the morning and finish at 2.30 p.m. Each lesson is 45 minutes long. You can visit our school’s website www.krzyzowa.edu.pl .

Our online lesson turned out to be a very interesting experience for both students and teachers. Students broadened their horizons about the culture, tradition and the present day of Poland and Slovenia. The lesson contained many elements of CLIL teaching and enriched the skills and methodology of the teachers. My students will be happy to take part in similar projects in the future.

– Darek


🇱🇹 Lithuania

ausros_logo

Vilkaviškio “Aušros” gimnazija is a grammar school located in a small town Vilkaviškis, which is in the south west of Lithuania. Our school provides education to 552 students at the age of 16-19. The students are taught in multi-class environment by the staff comprising of 60 teachers. Our students are offered a curriculum underpinned by the academic core of subjects (English, Maths, Science, Humanities and Languages), learning is enhanced by the study of Arts, computing, technology and physical education, offering our students a course of study which prepares them for further education.

Our joined class was something out of the ordinary. The students participating in it had a great opportunity for using their English for the real purpose communicating and conveying their message across. Not only that, they also expanded their understanding of the world outside them and were able to listen how their peers in another country use English to describe their own country. I only hope, regardless long distances, these young people will maintain their connection and maybe forge long lasting friendships.

– Andžela


🇷🇴 Romania

petre_ispirescu

“Petre Ispirescu” Secondary School of Bucharest is a public educational institution where students learn according to Romanian National Curriculum. The school is placed in Sector 1 of Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. It is an institution with tradition, its beginnings being related to the activity of the First Queen of Great Romania, Queen Mary, who put the foundation stone of the school on 15th of May 1928.

Since 1958, the school has been named after the great Romanian folklorist, Petre Ispirescu, who gathered and published very important folk tales that are used nowadays within didactic activities.
Quoting one of Petre Ispirescu’s tales, we may say that the school is “Land of Everlasting Youth”.

On 11th of November 2021, eight students from “Petre Ispirescu” Secondary School of Bucharest (Romania) attended a joint lesson with students from NANA Language School of Slovenska Bistrica (Slovenia) within the Culture Sharing Project. Before the lesson, Romanian students worked as a team, shared tasks, and prepared presentations related to Romanian culture. On the day of the joint lesson, the students from the two partner schools met online, presented their projects and talked about similarities they found between Romanian and Slovenian cultures. We believe that this project proposes important activities that stimulate our students to work in small groups for a well-defined objective, use English language for a clear communicative purpose, make new friends and enhance their knowledge in terms of different cultures. We are eager to meet other nice students and teachers who take part in this project and to discover other interesting cultures.


cngl

Gheorghe Lazăr National College is a public school in Sibiu, Romania. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1692 as a Catholic gymnasium, and Latin was the language of instruction. At present, our organisation has more than 900 students (grades 5-12) and the educational process is provided by 71 teachers. CNGL is committed to developing confident, motivated, self-disciplined learners who can realise their full potential and make a responsible contribution to the world.

For the past fifteen years, I have been working to better the lives of my students and improve my school and community through cross-cultural interactions. In my optinion, this project represents a successful learning experience as students interact with each other and communicate their feelings, ideas, and knowledge. A successful learning experience occurs in a stress-free environment, in a relaxed atmosphere, thus leading to the consolidation of children’s knowledge on a particular area related to any school subject. I am proud and honoured to be part of this international community, where we can all improve our skills and learn from each other.

– Alexandra Bega, Teacher of English as a Foreign Language


🇦🇱 Albania

koto_hoxhi

Koto Hoxhi Primary School is located in Gjirokastra town, which is in the south of Albania. Our school is the oldest and the largest school in the town. This school was opened for the first time in 1963 and it was named after Koto Hoxhi, a teacher and an advocate of the Albanian language. It is a public school and the educational process is provided by 60 teachers. Primary education is compulsory from grades 1-9. Our school provides education to more than 900 students at the age of 5-15.

I really appreciate the opportunity that you gave us. I find the joint lesson very useful especially for my students to try something new, something different. I want to thank you because this project motivates my students to study more, as they have extra opportunities to learn and practice English language out of the classroom. This was a unique experience for them to share opinions and start meaningful communication in English with their peers from Slovenia. During the joint lesson, students not only speak English and improve their communication skills, but also get to know each other and learn to respect and embrace diversity. THANK YOU!

– Manjola, English teacher


🇺🇦 Ukraine

flight_academy_ukraine

The Flight Academy of the National Aviation University is the educational establishment in the centre of Ukraine (Kropyvnytskyi). It has been preparing aviation specialists since 1951. More than 118 thousand specialists from 81 countries have been trained here. We are proud that our graduates work in all the continents of the Earth (except Australia). They are pilots, air traffic controllers, heads of aviation services, members of flight crews, flight attendants, flight dispatchers, aviation managers, search and rescue officers, and so on.

On March 1, 2023 the students of the Flight Academy of the National Aviation University took part in a joint online class with the students from Slovenia. The students had a unique opportunity to practice their English and exchange ideas about various topics. They presented the facts about their countries, landmarks, and typical food. Students received a lot of positive impressions and emotions, met new people, and most importantly, gained practical experience in international communication. It was a valuable experience for both the teachers and the students of the Flight Academy. English is of paramount importance in aviation, so the students take every possibility to practice it. This interactive event was a place of rest for our students in these hard times. It allowed travelling to another country which is not possible for many of our students nowadays’. We really appreciate this chance and hope for further fruitful cooperation.

– Liudmyla Herasymenko, Associate Professor, PhD in Pedagogy, the Flight Academy of the National Aviation University