The eighth graders at the DSO have the USA as the theme in their English textbook.  Thanksgiving Dinner is definitely an intrinsic part of American culture and something the students wanted to host for their parents.  Sixteen out of seventeen students’ families came to our potluck Thanksgiving Dinner at the very end of the month of November.  

This group is exceptionally talented at working together: they are able to analyze a situation, devise a plan of attack, delegate and execute tasks.  They are punctual, energetic, hard-working and open for new ideas.  The standard American sit-down dinner for one family was not an option when we were talking about over sixty guests, so the students suggested making the staple dishes of roasted bird (chicken, in our case), sweet potatoes, gravy, corn, baked potatoes and pumpkin pie.  The families were assigned the task of making and bringing the side dishes and desserts.

Because we’d set aside three hours for this séance, we knew we needed to have one program set up for the adults as well as one for the younger siblings.  The adult part was solely preformed in English.  The smaller siblings had a separate program of playtime and a movie that was to take place respectively before and after the meal.  Some recited poems, either others’ or their own, some performed Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first, what’s on second” dialogue and others performed a modern, computer take-off in Abbott and Costello style.  Everyone participated in a description of the background for the Thanksgiving that took place in 1621, helping to provide a more realistic depiction of the occasion between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.  There was also a humorous skit in English-Norwegian underlining the difficult task of translating.  In closing we brought the house down singing to a recording of The Rockabelles’ “We got the Mo”: our musical ode/rap to president elect Barack Obama.

Much of what happened on OUR first Thanksgiving reflected what happened in 1621: there were more guests than expected, the guests brought LOTS of food, the food we prepared we had learned from our guests, the entertainment was varied but most importantly: we were thankful for the gathering and voiced our thanks to those present.

Thank you, DSO 8th graders.  You make me proud to be your teacher.

Dagny K. Nystuen

For our second YCR-E-Project we, the students in the 9th and 10th grades at the DSO, documented our visit on the 7th of October, 2008, to the Holocaust Center.

Through the opportunity provided to us by “The Cultural School Backpack”, a Norwegian institution providing cultural projects for students in grades 1 through 13, we were able to spend an entire school day at the Holocaust Center here in Oslo. Our History teacher, Ms. Cherubini, as well as our Art teacher, Ms. Kulbe, were our chaperones.

The day started off with a presentation held by Harald Syse. His theme was Propaganda with specific regards to today’s Pop culture.

Next were short walks through the exhibits in the Center: the permanent exhibit as well as the German touring exhibition of Leni Riefenstahl’s. Previously in art class we had had a unit focusing on “Advertisement” with the idealizing of pictures of youth in art history and advertising. Leni Riefenstahl fit many aspects of this topic.

After walking around observing, the students worked in groups on various topics. We all presented our results to each other and were impressed with the creativity that was displayed despite the limitations that were set.

We documented the process and results by filming and photographing.

The visit had its linguistic merits as well – Norwegian, German and English were all used depending on the constellation of the group. We had the entire linguistic specter that our school has to offer: Norwegians with German-as-a-foreign language, Germans with Norwegian-as-a-foreign language, Polish with German- and Norwegian-as-a-foreign language… and as the common denominator for all – English.

The project day at the Holocaust Center resulted in another encounter with Leni Riefenstahl, in particular with the documentaries: “The power of pictures” by Ray Müller as well as excerpts from “Olympia” from 1936. Prior to this we had dealt with the idealizing of pictures of youth in art history and advertising.

We, the students and teachers, were made aware of the influence of propaganda then and now in the establishing of the terms “us” and “the others”. We were Argus-eyed while watching “Borat” and “24 hours”. Propaganda did not only exist during the Third Reich but is current even today.

The project was evaluated from two different aspects in Art class: on a test the students were required to define propaganda as well as answer questions regarding the content of Syse’s presentation and the exhibits. Without exception the students were capable of defining propaganda, and the other parts of the test were answered convincingly. In addition the students were to fill out a questionnaire in which they were to evaluate the project first in its entirety and secondly with regards to the individual aspects.

They would have liked to have had more time with the exhibit and a shorter presentation. The difficulty in understanding Norwegian speeches, which during guided exhibits normally is no problem because students whisper translations to each other, is greater when conducted in plenum. The majority of the students were pleased with the group work as well as with their own and the others’ results. 

You will find a short report about our meeting and the outcomes soon in our weblog on the German page (see link on the right side).

Who speaks really German? Germans, Austrians, Swiss and some else? This
answer is not completely correct.

Who speaks really German? Not many in Germany. The country is characterised
by regional dialects. To learn German does not mean to understand, what
Germans say.

By the example of the lower-Bavarian-dialect, language learners and
interested people can find out, what they would really understand.
“Lower-Bavarian-dialect for beginners” offers a little introduction to this
language in a humorous way. The typical German gender articles for male or
female are handled completely different in the lower-Bavarian language ­ but
logical and with consistency. Even prepositions of place follow their own
rules. This is also an interesting phenomenon for teachers of German. In
some schools in the region of lower-Bavaria, even the use of the dialect in
class is no longer a reason for an objection.

The often-heard legend, that people only use the present time and simple
past while speaking, and that it is not necessary to learn other grammatical
forms, will be wiped out easily. Because a question like “Du hättest keine
Tasse Kaffee nicht für mich?” (You would not have no cup of coffee for me?),
should give a good host the impulse to fetch the pot.

“Lower-Bavarian-dialect for beginners” offers a possibility to get an
entertaining view to the dialect, the culture and it puts one question to
the spectator: “Regarding travellers in Bavaria, is it really important to
learn perfect German, if in the end nobody will understand me?”

The subproject will start in spring 2009 in the region of lower-Bavaria. This
is the trailer, to introduce you to our film . The trailer is in German and Lower-Bavarian-dialect only.

Actors: Anna Achatz (trailer and film), Betina Zauhar (film), u.v.m.

Director: Peter Sterl, arthefact e.V.

In order to understand the background and overall goal of this subproject you need to know some facts about the region where SEC is located and about its students:

Who knows Hargitha?

Hargita county is a rural area with the highest percentage of Hungarian minority living in Romania. The economy of the county is based more on agriculture. Tourism could be also one of its future key sectors.

People here are not in close contact with other cultures outside Romania. Many of them have information about Western Europe and the rest of the world only through the media, due to the communist period when traveling to non-communist countries was forbidden. Even if this situation has significantly changed after 1989 and after Romania had joined the EU, traveling is still a luxury for a significant part of the population in the country.

For this reason these people might have strong stereotypes formed about different cultures and aspects of being an active citizen.

Therefore, this YCR subproject is offering them a great opportunity to gain an insight into different cultures/lifestyles, to experience other mentalities, to learn about tolerance, diversity and avoiding stereotypes.

This subproject is in line with the brain compatible learning approach and focuses on 2 areas basically:

- diversity, tolerance, intercultural education, avoiding stereotypes, prejudice, etc.

- language learning

Target group:

- young adults (over 25)

In order to reach this aim the followings were done:

• during English lessons students have been prepared in the topic of diversity, tolerance, intercultural dialogue, stereotypes, etc. (using teaching methods based on the brain compatible learning approach, similar to those presented by teachers of Europaschule in the 1^st international meeting of YCR-E)
• students had to build up their own interview-questions based on their own understanding of the topics mentioned above
• during an English lesson the students (people aged 25-35 years)  had interviewed 2 foreigners living in Romania – the discussions between the students and the persons interviewed were filmed
• students had a writing assessment in order to reflect on their learning process (new things learned, opinions formed, aspects in practicing a foreign language during the intercultural communication)

Issues discussed during the interviews:

• doing business in Romania – a challenging experience / business culture
• stereotypes
• foreigners living in Romania
• languages and cultures
• funny situations while practicing a language
• minority languages
• civic education (“Respect the human being, respect the opinion, respect the free expression…”)
• learning from others
• cultures and traditions
• how foreigners see Hungarians in Transylvania

Outputs:

• the documentation about the learning process of students
• the video film with the intercultural discussions
• audio material – (for podcast)
• conclusions

The video material is going to be processed and will include:

• short texts in different languages: English, German, Hungarian, Romanian
• keywords of issues discussed

Students and teachers participated in the activities of the subproject are going to be involved in the video material processing phase.

Biró László (student at Soros Educational Center Foundation, intermediate level)

“Thank you for giving me the possibility to write about the Young Civic Radio conversation. First of all it was a totally new experience for me and, I think, for all of us. Holding a conversation with foreigners in English is completely different from the one which we are holding among us. Therefore even asking a simple “How do you do?” could generate another feelings inside of us. So the main advantage was the fact that I have realized this for the first time. As far as the two guests are concerned, I was impressed by their view of life and dedication for what they are doing. Furthermore, it was interesting to hear how simply are their secrets to be successfull, usefull and helpfull for a whole community. Of course, I’m sure, there is a lot more there, but I have figured out, that the bases are
simple principles which they are always clinging to.

To close this short writing, I have to say, that this few hours definitely opened my eyes. For this reason I believe, that inviting such people to the classes can be the key for the students to take serious learning English.”

Márton Tünde - student at Soros Educational Center, pre-intermediate level

“We were very lucky when we met with a business man and a voluntary who work in our town and who lives other life like our all day life. (…) I think the character of this people was interesting, telling about their life experience and their not usually life. In the other side talking with this people we got a lot of new information about foreign society and their habits.

For us were useful because we spoke the English direct with English people and we taught a lot of topics what we use in our everyday life.”

Kovács Arpád – student at Soros Educational Center, elementary level

“Az interjú fantasztikus volt. Anyanyelvi szinten angolul beszélő híres emberekkel találkoztunk. Meglepő volt ahogyan az interjúalanyok hozzánk viszonyultak, kulturáltak, kedvesek, közvetlenek voltak és igyekeztek arra figyelni hogy mi kezdők vagyunk. Ötleteket, bátorítást adtak nemcsak idegen nyelvek tanulásához, hanem azon túlmenően is. Voltak olyan gesztusok, ötletek, amelyeket úgy érzem érdemes eltanulni, alkalmazni hasonló helyzetekben.” (the original feedback in Hungarian)

„The interview was fantastic. We met some famous English native speakers. Their attitude was really surprising, they were friendly, highbrow and they took into consideration that we were beginners. They provided us with useful ideas not only for language learning but also for life in general. I think the discussion was really instructive and worthwhile leraning from it.” (translation of the original feedback in Hungarian)

Kovács Kata – student at Soros Educational Center, elementary level)

“Nagy élmény volt angolul beszélni és hallgatni az interjúalanyokat. Úgy éreztem, mintha tudnék (értenék) angolul… végül is értek, nem? Megragadó volt, amennyire az interjúalanyok ránk figyeltek, úgymond “leereszkedtek a mi szintünkre” és hogy mennyire közvetlenek voltak. Hát ez “rank”, itteniekre igazán nem jellemző’ (the original feedback in Hungarian)

“Communicating in English and listening to the interviewees was really exciting. I felt as if I was able to speak (understand) English …but I understand, right? The way they communicated with us on “our level” was fascinating. This informal way of interaction is not characteristic for “us”, people from our region.” (translation of the original feedback in Hungarian)

Note: The learners’ quotations are original, not corrected by teachers. Photos taken during the intercultural discussions (interviews)

Didaktische Anweisungen Evaluierungen der Beteiligten Neurophysiologischer/Neurodidaktischer Befund Zavaszki Annamaria – English teacher at Soros Educational Center Márton Tünde – student at Soros Educational Center (pre-intermediate level) – economist discussions between our students and the foreigners living in Romania Joseph H. Sawaya – ide egesz pontosan megmondom majd mit irjal – mert nem tudom h tulajdonos a Noradanal vagy csak diri – living in Udvarhely since 1994 Bíró László – student at Soros Educational Center (pre-intermediate level)  – construction engineer Kovács Kata – student at Soros Educational Center (elementary level) – nurse Kovács Arpád – student at Soros Educational Center (elementary level) – art historian Christopher Worman – Peace Corps volunteer – spent 8 weeks in Ploiesti, living  in Udvarhely for 2 years Osváth Levente – student at Soros Educational Center (elementary level) – storekeeper

The motto of the subproject is:

‘Our own culture causes the most difficulties when it comes to communication with people from other cultures.’ (BBC Podcasts/Talk About English: Who on Earth Are We?)

Objectives

· to draw attention to the fact that learning means leaving the routine behind and trying new things and ideas;

· to demonstrate that a problem/an issue can be seen from more than one point of view. The subproject also aims to train the students to discover their ability to change points of view deliberately;

· to develop communication skills;

· to develop the ability to emphatise;

· to teach autonomy (mainly in taking decisions in such a way to respect the other person);

· to teach criticism – to raise awareness that the social environment is diverse and no action or person is positive

Target group: 15 and above

Materials used:

• The tale entitled Little Red-Cap – to draw attention to the fact that in many situations we adopt no criticism and take schematic values as normal
• Bil Keane’s caricature entitled ’The Family Circus’ (1979) – which, like a mirror, shows us one of our weakest points, namely that people often are locked in their own world, what makes them ridiculous. That’s why we chose as motto: ’Our own culture causes the most difficulties…’

The learning process is active and student-centered. The pair- and groupdiscussions give the possibility to both personal involvment and co-operative learning.

In this subproject learning is based on three steps/phases:

1. Presentation, lead-in to the topic: e.g. put the pictures in the correct order, discuss the classic values in the tale (positive/negative protagonists).
2. Stimulation, a thought-provoking activity. While students read the tale from the wolf’s point of view they try to find a reason why the wolf is innocent and not Little Red-Cap.
3. Use of the new skill/ability acquired (adopt criticism and change the point of view): students, in small groups, write a known story from the point of view of the negative protagonist.

Outcomes:

• The ’pleading’ of some negative protagonists written by the students (e.g. Stendhal’s character Julien Sorel, the ambitious young man who attempts to rise above his plebeian birth through a combination of talent, hard work, deception and hypocrisy, only to find himself betrayed by his own passions. Sorel is described by one of his aquiantances as ’nothing but a cad and a social climber who preys on vulnerable women.’ )
• An every-day life story with two endings a) when students were not able to ’step out’ of the vicious circle of their own experience, b) when they were aware of the other person involved in the situation.

Theatre is capable to join different artforms and to be present with it’s audience, in the moment of creation. ‘Kongla’, a play combining movenment and dance elements with live music, voice, text and interactive components. Aim and content of the play is promoting live long language learning.

Performing, we promote:

– joy in speaking and playing with language (motivation).

– ways to create, link, associate, involve images with language (holistic brain usage).

– awareness of social limitations through language in it’s levels (civic education).

– empahty, ambiguity, role distance: the performers change characters on stage.

Starting with more than two decades of experience with interactive theatre for young audiences, thevo – theatre by humans for humans – creates a play in cooperation with Arthefact e.V. and Young Civic Radio – Europe as part of the ‘European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008′ and the ‘European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009′.

The piece targets on young people from ten years up, who spend time on learning German. Including young migrants and young europeans learning German as a foreign language at school.

Products will be:

– a live performance by artists (60 minutes).

– a written version of the play to be staged by young people themselves.

 Artists involved:

Uwe Weber: acting and music

Alexandra Bauer: song and acting

Klaus Maier M.A.: conduction and text

The play is accompanied by a concept for drama in education and teaching material. The première will be in April 2009.