Evaluation and Experiences

Erasmus+ (Greece) - Neha

On the 5th of May, we travelled to Xanthi, Greece. We had to meet up at the airport very early in the morning which was incredibly tiring. After clearing security, we sat down for breakfast and then made our way to the gate. The flight was quite short but when we landed we had long a coach journey to the town. Whilst on the coach we spoke about how we were quite nervous but incredibly excited to meet our partners. At this point I wasn’t worried as I felt as though I already knew my partner well. Once we reached Xanthi, our partners and their families were waiting for us. I introduced myself and I was feeling slightly scared but incredibly excited to spend the week in Greece. In the evening we all met up in the town and had some dinner followed by ice cream. It was so good! The town was incredibly small so we ended up bumping in Miss Clegg and Mr & Mrs Boyle. We spent the evening getting to know other students on the project which was great as we knew what to expect the following day.

The next day we went to the school for a tour of the building. We were greeted with a Greek dance performance which was amazing as we got to experience their culture. The school was a lot bigger compared to ours and the classrooms were really different as well. I felt as though they didn’t have the same technology and equipment we have on offer in England. After this, we were split up into our groups that we would work in for the rest of the week. Firstly, we played some games to get to know each other and did some drama activities. This really took me out of my comfort zone but I enjoyed it. It made me feel a lot more confident about our performance to come. After school, Bethany, myself and my partner we walked through the town to get a famous Greek frappe. My partner was extremely lovely as she was happy to take me around so I could get a real feel for the Greek culture. In the evening, we all went to the town again and met more people on the project. We all sat in this area away from the central square whilst they played music and sang songs. This was the day we introduced our selves to the Danish kids and made good friends with them.

On the Saturday, we went to Nestos River for a day of kayaking. Before going to get our equipment, we stopped on the top of one of the hills to take some photos. There were two people per kayak, one in the front and one in the back. At first I and Bethany were together. It was really hard to control the kayak but it was such a brilliant experience. Luckily, the weather was really good for most of the day, so much so that I got a tan line from my kayak shoes. After taking a break for lunch, me and Leanne went together and kayaked to the end. It was so much fun as we ended up singing and really have a good time. Towards the end of our 15 mile journey, it started to thunder storm so by the time we reached the end, we were really cold and wet. I really loved this day, as we got to spend time with the people from Manchester Metropolitan University. This made the following days a lot easier as we had already got to know them. Due to the rain, we didn’t go out in the evening, but we went to one of the Greek girl’s house. We played just dance and chatted for most of the night. For dinner, I tried my first gyros which is like a Greek kebab, it was so good!

The next day, I was incredibly sore from the kayaking; we still proceeded with the activities for the day. We went to school and carried on with our group activities. In the evening, they had set up an event at the ‘Factory Club’ for both the students and teachers. This was really fun as we got to dance and listen to music requested by all of the different countries. After, we went to the square for some food before going back to our houses. Throughout this evening, I felt quite out of place, so I knew I had to make more of an effort to speak to more people. So, I went and made really good friends with another Greek host. This was one of the best decisions I made because I made some amazing and lovely friends.

On Tuesday, we spent the day at Thassos Island. To get there, we had to go on a coach and ferry which was different as I never really go on ferries and boats often when I’m at home. When we got there, we had to walk up a huge hill in the heat to see an amphitheatre. I didn’t really enjoy this because I don’t find historic sites interesting. However after this, we went for an iced coffee on the beach which was incredibly relaxing. For the remainder of the day, me and Leanne walked around the town and bought souvenirs like magnets for our families. When I got back, I relaxed for a while and then got ready for the evening. Instead of meeting up with everyone me, Leanne, Lucy and Bethany went for a meal. This was really nice as we got to spend some quality time with just the four of us. The next we just carried on with our drama performances and again met up with everyone in the evening. This day I ate dinner with my family and they made a traditional Greek meal of chicken and potatoes. I really liked it.

The next day was our last day. After finishing and practising our performances for the final time. We practised an opening and ending for the show and then had a small break. Next, the audience arrived and we started our performance. My group was the first to perform which was nerve racking but in the end it all went incredibly well. I absolutely loved performing as it was something new and I had never experienced anything like it before. This made me excited for the performance in November. Our performance focused on the theme of family feuds so we showed a few examples of things that can lead to feuds: love, intelligence, power and jealousy. My favourite part of the performance was the part where I got to do Greek dancing as it was so different to the styles I normally do. Once we had finished, I went back and got ready for the evening. We did a similar thing to Saturday with all of the people on the project. I spent a lot of time with the Greek friends I made which made saying good bye really hard.

Overall I absolutely loved the whole experience despite finding it hard to adjust in the beginning. The hospitality overwhelmed me so much as my family were so lovely and I genuinely felt like part of their family. They welcomed me so much and made sure I was ok. I have learnt that I can be very independent and if I put my mind to something I can achieve a lot. I was apprehensive about meeting so many new people as I don’t really like having to make new friends but it was in fact one of the things I loved the most about the trip. In conclusion, it was one of the best things I have ever done and I can’t wait until November!

Erasmus+ 2017 Greece - Bethany

This year as part of the Erasmus+ 2017 exchange project I visited Greece. This experience was amazing for me and benefitted me a lot, I learnt so much about myself, other people and many different cultures as they were other counties such as: Turkey, Romania and Denmark involved in this project.

I think going to Greece really educated me on how other countries outside of the UK work and what they believe. I think the experience really opened my eyes up on how the world works and how other people live their lives compared to me and my friends and family back home.

The first few days of the trip were really hard for me, as it was such a big lifestyle change, as they do things very differently compared to what I am used to and they have different routines to their day.

I also struggled to get on with my partner as she was very different to me and we didn't have the same interests. I had spoken to her before I went to Greece and I felt quite nervous because she seemed very different to me. But unlike the other girls I wasn't worried about staying in a different city, let alone be in another country without my parents. None of that made me nervous, I felt quite excited and ready for the challenge.

The only point where it hit me in the process of the trip where I realised that I was actually staying awayfrom my home was when we arrived in Xanthi. Through the coach window I could see my partner and her mum. I started to realise that this trip was actually real and I was about to go and stay in a Greek town, for the next 7 days.

Although this trip was really nerve racking for me, I really enjoyed it and met so many amazing people and made so many new friends from all over Europe. I really enjoyed all the day trips and the night times with all my friends were amazing, and now I look back and really miss my life there and all my friends.

Day 1: the travelling day: time to go to Greece!!!!!!

Early 2am start! I had to be at the airport for 4am, I met Mr Boyle, his wife, Miss Clegg and the three other girls, Lucy, Neha and Leanne in Terminal 2. We checked our luggage and went straight through into duty free. We were taken to a restaurant for breakfast where kindly Mr Boyle paid for our food and drinks. We sat chatting and discussing what we were excited for and what we hoped to get out of the trip, and then me and Neha went to Mac and bought lipstick!

We boarded the plane at 6am and the plane journey took nearly 4 hours. But I didn't mind that as I love flying. When we arrived at Thessaloniki airport I was hit with the gorgeous heat and then we went through security and collected our bags and then met with the staff from Manchester Metropolitan University and then boarded the coach for another 3 hour journey, where we again sat discussing the trip.

Then we finally arrived in Xanthi, I stepped off the coach and was met by my Greek partner and family, they were so nice and very welcoming.

Later that night we went to meet all the other Greek people and the other girls, we went for a walk in the town and we were given the chance to go shopping and get ice creams. It was so fun being able to go out like that without adults as it’s not something I do on a daily basis at home. I felt really happy and really enjoyed this as it was something new that I hadn't really experienced before.

Later on we then decided to go home and because it was late I went straight to bed and called my mum, dad and little sister. And then I went to sleep as I was so tired and wanted to be ready for the next day.

The food in Greece was very nice and so was the food that my Greek parents gave me, it was all very traditional but it was tasty. I loved the kebabs and the traditional Greek breakfasts, with freshly squeezed orange juice. And if anyone else I know was to go on this trip I would tell them to not be worried about the food as there is something for everyone! And the Greeks make sure that you never go hungry!! Like ever!

Every night we were given the chance to go out and meet everyone which was amazing and to get food and socialise with everyone from the different countries.

I really enjoyed the day trips, to Thassos and to go kayaking. I really enjoyed kayaking as it was very fun and it was also very sunny which made the experience even better. And Thassos was gorgeous, while we were there we were given the opportunity to go shopping and to get some dinner which was nice and we also went to see an old Greek amphitheatre which was interesting although the walk to see it wasn't so fun as it was very hot! I really enjoyed this and just having time to experience Greece on our own and I liked that we had a lot a free time to do whatever we wished.

School was also quite fun as we got to create a theatre performance that we had to perform on one of the last days, we had to incorporate Romeo and Juliet into our performance. We all did very different things in our performance such as dancing, acting, singing and playing instruments. I really enjoyed performing our play as it was fun and we hadn't been put under a lot of pressure for it to be absolutely perfect, which made it a lot less stressful for us all. After the show we all went on stage and we were dancing and having fun with all the teachers from Manchester Metropolitan University and all the people from other countries. I thought this was so nice as it gave us chance to say goodbye to some of the people and just to have a final bit of fun before we had to leave the next day.

Although I had an amazing time in Greece not all of it went as good as I could have hoped for because I did have a hard time at the beginning on the trip as I was missing home but all the staff from England and Greece did everything they could to make sure I was okay, and I'm really thankful for that. They moved me to Lucy's house where I felt a lot more comfortable and relaxed and from then on I started really enjoying the life they lived and everyone there. Now I look back and realise how amazing it was and that I would definitely love to go back again one day just to see everyone. One of my favourite things about going on the trip was meeting new people and I also really enjoyed going out at night time as it was very fun and made me feel very independent.

We also were invited to a party at The Factory Club one night which was really fun as we were all there, including the teachers and other staff that were there on the trip. We were all up dancing and having a really good time! Then later on, as usual we all went out into the town and had a sing and dance.

On the last night we all went out into the square and met up, we then went out for Greek kebabs and ice cream and we also went to a place that was a bit like a bar where we sat round chatting and discussing the trip and other places in the world that we would like to go. Then later on we went back out and we were all stood round saying our goodbyes and giving everyone hugs. It was very emotional and I ended up crying because I knew I was going to really miss all the amazing people I had spent my time with that week. I had made some amazing friends who I will never forget.

Overall, this trip was amazing and I really appreciate that I had the opportunity to go. This experience was life changing and definitely made me realise a lot. I wish I could go back! I look back at all the pictures and realise how much of an amazing time I had. I wouldn't have changed this experience in any way, as I have learnt so many lessons and I had such a good time.

Evaluation Greece visit, danish team

Using drama is a fantastic tool to break the ice, and get people together. The trainees were fantastic at getting all of us to laugh and feel good. We quickly made friendships - all of us together. Working with Romeo and Juliet were a really good experience. The themes were very much like the issues for young people today. It was something all countries could relate to, and created quickly a common european language on being young today. Our english skills really improved, and it was a very learning, and meaningfull experience to stay in the families. Our hosts were incredible - so amazing.......Thank you very much. We made so many friends for life........Love Eramus+ - an experience for life.

Parent "You could just feel was a enormous impact it had on my daughters personal growth, being away for a week with this project..."

Maria Zoumpara ( Greek student)

My Erasmus + Experience

Xanthi-Greece 2017

Erasmus was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. It is a program that promotes the communication between students from all over Europe and the same time provides the opportunity of improving every student’s talents and skills. From my personal experience I have to say that it helped me to be more communicative and open-minded with people from other countries. People that have special interests, different religion or a strange appearance, one that differs from that people I know have, became my new friends. In addition I learned a lot about the culture and the traditions other countries have. The foreign students did the same through a series of activities that took place while they were at Greece. Furthermore, the aim of the program helped us to improve the team working spirit as well as creating our acting presentations based on Shakespeare’s masterpiece “Romeo and Juliet”. The modern point of view we had, as young students, offered us the chance to understand better the issues of hate, love, prearranged weddings and many other in the modern society. Besides this, what we finally managed to do could not have been done without the precious help of the teachers and the students of Metropolitan Manchester University. Their talent and their helpfulness inspired me and the whole team, I participated in, to express ourselves and do not be afraid of presenting our ideas. As a result the final performance turned out to be a great success. Finally I would like to thank all the teachers and the students from the university and from all the countries that participated in the program due to the fact that without them I would not have lived such a great experience!

Erasmus+ My experience

Athanasia Afentouli (Greek student)

Xanthi-Greece 2017

I am extremely glad about my decision to take part in this programme.It was a great educational experience that taught me many new things. I got to know many people in my age from other countries and I learned a lot about their lifes and cultures. I also made friends from all over the Europe and had a great time during the "Erasmus week" when we all worked together upon Shakespeare's plays. Morever, all the greek students, as hosts, had the chance to show the greek lifestyle to all the foreign students. In general ,I believe that Iearned a lot from this and If I could I would do it again !

Staff Views

Alex's Tale

What impact, if any, has the Erasmus experience had on classroom practice?

The project reminded me how important it is to model work for pupils and model the energy and enthusiasm that you want from the pupils. Throughout the project I tried to remain energetic and enthusiastic at all times around the pupils to encourage the same behaviour from them. This strategy worked well and I have continued to work in this way at school. The project made me realise that you are on show the entire time and pupils look to you for inspiration, so you must be on your ‘A game’ at all times.

Identifying moments of progression or transformation in any particular child?

One particular student from England showed significant progress during the project. She began the week feeling very self-conscious and was reluctant to join in with whole group dancing on the first day at school. The pupils from the other countries were clearly more comfortable with this as it is built into their culture. The two Danish girls also struggled but soon got into it. On the second day at school the English student had a small breakdown where she left the workshop for 10 minutes to discuss how she felt with her teacher. On the third day in school she seemed to come to life, she was joining in with others and really contributing to the whole process. She helped write the opening dialogue and was eager to let me know that she would be saying the opening lines. On the last day she performed with such confidence and conviction… it was like a different child! She was suggesting dances to the group and really starting to lead others. She spoke to me during the day and said it was the only place she had ever felt like she could really be herself without being judged. I think that says a lot about the culture of British children. They seem afraid to be themselves in case others judge or criticise them for it. Drama, dancing, singing or just generally ‘playing about’ are not cool for our children. In countries like Greece and Turkey I feel the pupils were much more accepting and embraced peoples talents and desires.

What, if anything, did the notion of ‘doing a performance’ bring to the Erasmus experience?

For me it wasn’t about doing a performance, the magic happened in the process. That being said I think the performance was something for the pupils to aim towards and gave them all a common goal, which in some ways brought them together as a group. The performance was something they could all be proud of and most likely never forget. Clearly the performance served as a tool to highlight what we had been doing to those outside of the project. Interestingly though, the performance couldn’t show what we had achieved because the real achievement lay in the moments like the ones we had with Lucy.

The project title is – using drama strategies to teach English language and European values through Shakespeare

I think this title is too wordy and doesn’t encapsulate what the project is all about.

I don’t think that teaching English language was a main focus of the week. If I was to try and give the week a definition it would be something along the lines of

'Bringing European communities together, using drama as a common language’

I’m struggling to articulate myself properly but I feel the emphasis should be on community, culture, unity and empowerment of young people through drama.

Laura's Tale.

What impact has the experience had on classroom practice?

Helping students to explore a text through drama has been a completely different way of teaching Shakespeare for me. Exploring the themes of the play in this way is something I would certainly consider doing in future with a class- using some of the drama activities I have learned could work well as an introduction to key themes/messages or to help students to get to grips with the plot, before introducing them to the language and to written Shakespeare. I have also seen benefits to allowing students greater freedom in their learning- what they produced each day, and overall, came almost completely from them, with only some guidance from us the teachers. Even with the written work they produced about their concept of what love is, I gave them the freedom to write in any form they wished (poem, monologue, speech) and the results were fantastic. It was very liberating as a teacher not to have to structure every step of their learning, and very refreshing to hear such beautiful things written about love. I was able to see ways to bring drama into my English teaching, and how drama and English together can be very effective (students reading out their written ideas about what love means to them, whilst other students performed physical theatre alongside- much more impactful with both!).

Identifying moments of progression or transformation in any particular child?

One girl was particularly shy and quite socially awkward during our ice-breaking session. When we went around the circle and it reached her, she would freeze up and fall silent. I also felt she was struggling not just to communicate, but to actually think of ideas or information to share. As the week went on she became more involved with discussions and was able to generate some ideas or thoughts to contribute to the group. I also noticed that she was becoming less shy, and would willingly come over to speak to me and ask me questions. Similarly, she seemed to have made connections with another girl in the group, from a different country, and would work with her really well. By the time of the rehearsals she had asked to make a musical contribution to the performance and worked confidently with the group up on stage for each of the acted sections of the performance. Following the final performance, she was visibly pleased, smiling and giving me a thumbs up, showing clear pride in being a part of the performance.

This was interesting because the girl I mentioned is Greek, and as that is where this mobility was based, that was the predominant language being spoken around us. Of course, this also meant she was in her home country and was not dealing with the added pressure of staying with a host family/culture shock. I would therefore imagine that she is generally shy and less confident than many of her peers at school. The fact that she really came out of her shell and became so involved with the performance, to me, was even more rewarding to see than if it was a child from one of the guest countries. I wondered if being a part of the Erasmus programme has boosted her confidence in general, as she had pushed herself to make new friends, and pushed herself to be understood in English by non-Greek speakers. Possibly she found confidence in the fact that she was from the host country and wanted to demonstrate pride for her country.

What did the notion of ‘doing a performance’ bring to the Erasmus experience?

I think that for both teachers and for the students, it gave us an end goal and something to work towards. Pupils knew that parents etc would be coming to watch the final outcome of the week which meant they carried out the activities throughout the week with more purpose, rather than being tempted to mess about or take a backseat. I think it also gave them (and us) a ‘thing’ to be proud of, like a final product which could then be shown off and filmed. I didn’t feel that the idea of ‘doing a performance’ was particularly off-putting for the students. They didn’t seem to be very worried or concerned about performing at the end of the week, I saw more sense of pride and of them wanting to show off what they had created in a week.

‘Using drama strategies to teach English language and European values through Shakespeare.’

‘Exploring current issues in society through the themes in Shakespeare’s plays’- I feel that this represents what we did on our mobility slightly more accurately. For me, the main purpose of their learning was to explore and think about current issues in society, as opposed to teaching the English language or European values, or for students to learn about Romeo and Juliet specifically. It was significant that students were discussing issues relating to racial hatred and discrimination, mental health issues, and modern concepts of love. As mentioned, I also found that by marrying English as a subject with Drama as a subject, students then learnt from a variety of strategies and employed a wider variety of skills than they possibly would have if we had only used drama strategies.