Preparing for Marijampole:
The next mobility of our Erasmus project should bring the participants to Lithuania. Already a short time after the profitable and very nice meeting in Hungary, the first plans were made.
The project coordinators began their plannings already in early summer. Video conferences were held and very often plannings were made via smartphone or email. The pupils were to be accommodated in host families. Therefore, the teachers from Marijampole had many more tasks, which they managed very well.
The motto of the mobility was "I feel comfortable in a pleasant learning environment". The focus was to be on the design of learning spaces in the school building and the individual classrooms. The focus should also be on how innovative media and methods can find their way into lessons. Elements of relaxation should also be tried out. All thematic aspects were to be reflected from a multinational perspective.
Even before the exchange, the student groups and teachers worked on the topic of the mobility. They thought about optimal equipment in school classrooms, drafted wishes for furniture in schools and exchanged their ideas via an online platform. The teachers also prepared presentations about the learning environments in their own schools. The trip, the social program and the accommodation also had to be planned. Host families had to be found for the pupils.
On Monday 17 October, all participants met in Marijampole in the evening. The 160 kilometres from Vilnius airport were travelled together by bus. The partner group from Greece had already arrived on Sunday and was already waiting for the other participants in Marijampole. The exchange could begin.
The exchange
Three teachers and three pupils from Lithuania, Slovenia, Greece, Germany, Hungary and Portugal took part in the mobility in Lithuania. The days in Marijampole were to be very pleasant for all participants.
The school, Petro Armino Proggimnazija, had prepared a very interesting program. The plan was to deal with the topics of the project and to give interesting insights into the culture and history of Lithuania. The hospitality of the Lithuanians made sure that the participants spent joyful days in the Baltic country.
Day 1: Tuesday, 18 October
On Tuesday morning, all participants met in the assembly hall of the partner school. Even the journey to this meeting point had brought a lot of joy, as the project coordinators were picked up at the hotel on motorbikes and brought to the school in a corso. The atmosphere at the first meeting was very warm and full of excitement for the days to come. Many of the participants already knew each other from previous mobilities, so it was also a joyful reunion with friends. But it was also easy for the new participants to get to know each other. All hosts and guests were introduced to each other, expectations of the mobility were shared, gifts were donated, and stories were told about the first experiences in the host families.
coordinator Kristina Velyviene and the headmaster had warmly welcomed all the guests, the participants enjoyed a very musically program. Lithuanian pupils played traditional songs on their instruments, a school choir sang, and the school's dance group presented folk dances. In a video, the participants could learn many things about Lithuania and the culture of the partner country.
After the welcome program, the project participants got to know each other better through different games and got into conversation. There was also a lot of fun and laughter. In further tasks, the pupils and teachers became more familiar with the country of Lithuania and its geography, culture, and traditions. After this very entertaining program, there was a tour around the school. The participants saw lessons and learned a lot about education in Lithuania. For example, the school uniforms, the school museum and the very pupil-friendly and creative furnishing and design of the classrooms. During the tour, aspects of the project topic "pleasant learning environments" were also addressed. The international teams reflected in many ways and thought about how they could implement what they had seen at home in their own schools.
The next part of the program took the participants into the classrooms. All subjects could be experienced. While the teachers looked at the lessons, the students took an active part in the lessons. It was very interesting and instructive for all participants to to see the school system of another country so closely. In the reflection that followed and the discussion about how teaching in Lithuania differs from that in their own country, the teachers gained a lot of valuable information’s.
At the end of the school day, the project coordinators discussed the thematic work for the following days and there were more creative activities for the young participants in the classrooms. After a good meal in the school canteen, the afternoon program could begin.
The international group went for a walk to the Multicentre - a city library that also offers all kinds of leisure activities for young people. The teachers had a very interesting library tour and learned a lot about the integration of media in the classroom. The students enjoyed various workshops at the Multicentre. Whether it was dancing, digital learning games or playing consoles together, the students had a lot of fun and got to know each other better.
In the late afternoon, the day ended with a group photo and the students returned to their host families.
Day 2: Wednesday, 19 October
On the second day of the exchange, all participants met in front of the technical school in Marijampole. This school cooperates with the host school and offers students different contents in the field of STEM and computer science. Students can learn programming by trained computer scientists, work with augmented reality, gain experience in 3D printing, and try out projects with mechanical construction kits.
After a short briefing, the young people began their work on the centre's equipment and computers. They designed their dream schools in 3D on the computers and tested out all the software of programming. The teachers also visited a workshop. It was about different aspects of the future design of learning spaces and how future technologies can be integrated.
Afterwards, the project group went to the Marijampole administration building. The local school deputy welcomed the group and handed out welcome gifts. In a presentation all participants learned a lot about the school organisation in Lithuania, but also about the economic and political conditions in Marijampole and the surrounding area.
On the way to lunch, a gallery was visited. During a short guided tour, the participants could admire some local paintings and installations. Then the participants had lunch in a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, all students and teachers met for a city rally. The multinational groups had the task of finding different places in the city and taking a selfie and answering questions at the places. Many of the questions were about the numerous street art paintings in Marijampole.
After the city rally, the students had an evening together. They met in the restaurant of a host family and cooked typical dishes together.
Day 3: Thursday, 20 October
The third day of the mobility was dedicated to culture and history. Early in the morning, the group travelled by a bus to Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. After a two-hour journey, the group arrived at the first sightseeing point, Vilnius Cathedral. In a very interesting guided tour, the pupils were able to learn a lot about this symbol of the city and the history of Lithuania. The guided tour through the historical centre of the capital was also interesting.
After some free time, the journey continued to Trakai. The group visited the famous Trakai Castle. An excellent guided tour gave everyone an understanding of the history of the country and the students were able to learn more about the history of Trakai Castle.
On the way back to Marijampole, the group stopped at the highest viewing platform in the country. The participants were able to climb this and were rewarded with a view over the countryside.
Day 4: Friday, 21 October
The last day of the exchange was again dedicated to the project motto and the design of learning spaces. However, it was also the day to say goodbye to the host school.
At the beginning of the day, the students were divided into different international teams and worked on different topics about learning spaces. They were also instructed to reflect their time in Marijampole and to make posters in their groups, which they would later present to the other participants.
While the students worked, the teachers also met for a detailed final discussion. Results were reflected on and together they discussed how to implement the experiences at home in their own schools. Concrete plans for future mobilities were also made.
At noon, all participants came together for the closing event in the school's assembly hall. The highlights of the week were presented in a video and each student team presented their experiences.
The last lunch together was again in the school canteen. It was delicious for all participants.
In the afternoon, the host parents had planned an excursion with the students. They went to Kaunas to an amusement park. There, the young people could enjoy the last day full of action and fun together.
At the end, all participants looked back happily on the past days. Almost all participants had tears in their eyes when they said goodbye, but they were sure to stay in touch and to cultivate the new friendships.
See you again in Herborn, Germany in February 2023!
