ISTANBUL 1 - 7 MAY 2011 - GERMANY

Voller Neugier sind wir auf den Besuch im Kindergartenbereich der türkischen Privatschule TED Istanbul. Hier werden Kinder im Alter von 3 bis 5 Jahren betreut. Die Schule liegt mitten in einem gehobenen Mittelklasseviertel und ist mit vielen nur möglichen Materialien und technischen Geräten ausgestattet. Wir haben den Eindruck: Geld spielt hier eine untergeordnete Rolle. Die altershomogenen Gruppen/Klassen sind mit je zwei Erzieherinnen besetzt und zusätzlich werden die Kinder noch von Fachlehrern „beschult“. Die Abläufe werden von einem engen Stundenplan bestimmt. Die Kinder haben Türkisch-, Mathe-, Englisch-, Kunst-, Tanzunterricht und noch mehr, im 30 Minuten Takt. Aber es besteht wenig Zeit zur eigenen Entfaltung und zu freiem Spiel. Den Dreijährigen wird immer mal ein Freispiel zwischen dem Unterricht zugestanden, die Fünfjährigen müssen dagegen ganz schön ackern.

Bursting with curiosity we visited  the preschool unit of the Turkish private school TED in Istanbul. The children here are between 3 and 6 years old .The school is located in a great upper-middle-class district. It is equipped with a lot of different materials and technical devices. : We have the impression that money plays a minor role). The classes, all with children of one age, are attended by two teachers. Additionally, they have plenty of different specialist subject teachers. The organisation is determined by a rigid timetable. The children have lessons in Turkish, maths, English, arts, dance and a lot more, all in 30 minute units. There is really little time for the children to play freely and develop their autonomy. From time to time the three years old are allowed free play,  but the five years old have to work really hard.

Begüm (die Leiterin der Englischlehrerinnen der TED) wartet vor der Schule auf uns.

Begüm (head of the English teachers of TED )is waiting for us in front of the school.

Gemeinsam mit der italienischen und katalanischen Delegation besichtigen wir die Klassenräume

Together with the Italian and Catalan teams we  inspect the classrooms

Im Eingangsbereich der Schule werden die besten Schüler der Woche öffentlich prämiiert. Überhaupt gab es so einige Konkurrenzspiele.

In the entrance area of the school the best pupils are awarded in public every week. In fact there were a lot of competitive games in the lessons altogether.

Wir hatten auch Gelegenheit einen städtischen Kindergarten in einem „normalen“ Stadtteil in Istanbul zu besuchen. Auch hier gab es Unterrichtsstunden, aber es gab einen nicht ganz so rigiden Stundenplan, alles war etwas familiärer. Aber auch dieser Kindergarten hatte einen Computerraum mit 8-10 Computern. In Istanbul ist man modern ausgerüstet. Eine Lehrerin von der Universität Istanbul hatte mit einer Kindergruppe ein Experiment mit Farben angeleitet: sie experimentiert regelmäßig mit den Kindern.

We also had the opportunity to visit a municipal kindergarten in a “normal” district of Istanbul. They have lessons there as well, but the timetable was not as rigid, it was a bit more relaxed. This kindergarten also has a computer room with 8-10 computers. In Istanbul they are really modern. With one class, a university lecturer from the University of Istanbul conducted an experiment with colours. She frequently does experiments with the children.

Wir werden von der Leitung des „Stadtkindergartens“ Willkommen geheißen.

We are welcomed by the administration of the municipal kindergarten.

Das Gastgeschenk der Fortbildung des Kinderhauses vom Oktober 2008 in Reggio kommt zum Einsatz. Mascia ist eine der beiden italienischen pädagogischen Leitungen von „progettinfanzia“ die uns in die Türkei begleitet haben.

This umbrella we presented to the Italian team during our advanced training in Poviglio, Italy in 2008. We are happy that it was so useful,… well…both: the umbrella und the advanced training;  Mascia using our umbrella and we using and applying the results of our Italian visit.

Nach vier Tagen „observation“ in unterschiedlichen Klassen gab es am Donnerstagnachmittag die Präsentation der erforschten Ergebnisse der türkischen Pre-School. Wir haben die Kernfragen diesmal nach Nationalitäten getrennt bearbeitet und es war interessant zu sehen, wie unterschiedlich die Art der Präsentation und auch ihrer inhaltlichen Erkenntnisse war.

We had four hard days of observation in different classrooms. This time we had no mixed groups in answering our research project. Every nation did its exercise separately. On Thursday afternoon we had our final presentation. It was interesting to see the different forms of presentation and also the difference in conclusions.

Begüm bei der Begrüßung zur

Begüm welcoming us to the presentation

Mascia trägt das Ergebnis der italienischen Gruppe auf italienisch vor, Christian (Chef von „progettinfanzia“) übersetzt es auf Englisch, Tuba (türkische Englischlehrerin) übersetzt es auf türkisch. Uff!!

Mascia reports the Italian results in Italian, Christian (leader of „progettinfanzia“) translates into English, Tuba  (Turkish English teacher) translates into Turkish. Whew! (Uffa in italiano)

Alle Delegationen sind sich einig, dass die Schule TED Istanbul über viel Raum und vielfältigstes Unterrichtsmaterial verfügt. Der enge Stundenplan ist allen Gruppen aufgefallen, er lässt wenig Spielraum für die Autonomie der Kinder. Den türkischen Lehrerinnen ist das bewusst, aber sie müssen sich an die türkischen Rahmenrichtlinien und an die Richtlinien dieser Eliteschule halten. Nicht zuletzt haben auch die Eltern hohe Erwartungen.  

All teams agree that TED Istanbul has a lot of rooms and different working and playing materials at its disposal. All teams noticed the rigidity of the timetables and that there is little space for the autonomy of children. The Turkish teachers are aware of this, but they have to follow the rules of the state and the school. Also, parents here have high expectations with respect to the career of their children.

Angel, der Leiter der katalanischen Schule bringt es auf den Punkt: jeder arbeitet daran, das Beste aus seinen Richtlinien im Sinne der Kinder herauszuholen.

Angel, director of the Catalan school sums it up: everyone makes the best out of its rules for the best of our children.

Natürlich kam auch das Sight-Seeing- Programm in Istanbul nicht zu kurz:

Of course we had some excellent sightseeing….

Ein Einblick in die Kunst und Kulturgeschichte der Türkei

An impression  of the arts and cultural history of Turkey

Christlich islamisches Erbe: Hagia Sophia

and Islamic heritage: Hagia Sophia

Abschlussfeier in einem Fischrestaurant direkt am Bosporus.

Our farewell party in a marvellous fish restaurant at the Bosporus.

Einen herzlichen Dank an die türkische Gastfreundschaft

Thanks so much for the Turkish hospitality.

Tesekkür ederim

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... our impressions - ITALY

"L2L, a mio parere, ha promosso un nuovo spazio interculturale, in cui le persone partecipanti, portatrici di culture ed esperienze educative diverse, si sono aperte alla relazione reciproca.

Si sono valorizzate le differenze e le uguaglianze per trovare punti e valori comuni tra le diverse culture e modalità educative; la conoscenza è avvenuta in un clima di rispetto reciproco e parità.

Questa esperienza ha stimolato la voglia di conoscere l’altro, è stata un’occasione per incontrare nuove persone, ma soprattutto un incontro con me stessa, una ricerca sui miei valori, le mie pratiche educative e metodologiche, il mio modo di fare scuola."

(Elisa A.)


"Siamo partite come un gruppo di lavoro in cui ognuno di noi portava il proprio bagaglio lavorativo e personale pronte a scoprire nuove realtà, a confrontarsi, mettersi in gioco, osservare, apprendere e restituire il proprio punto di vista."
(Cristina B.)

"Conoscere persone e luoghi nuovi, condividere tempi, spazi e quotidianità con persone che non si conoscono e con le quali instaurare rapporti di intesa è un' avventura che ti carica di responsabilità, di aspettative e di ansie, ma che vivendola al meglio si trasforma in riflessione, ricchezza, conoscenza e nuove possibilità educative, pedagogiche e relazionali. Da educatrice mi ritengo davvero fortunata di aver avuto la possibilità di affontare questa esperienza importante a livello culturale e di averlo fatto insieme a persone nuove, accoglienti, motivate e davvero speciali."             

(Sara S.)

"La passione è amore per quello che fai, è l'anima di ogni strategia ed è ciò che ti fa affrontare le sfide del tuo lavoro:ti fa crescere senza farti dimenticare ciò che hai nel cuore."  (Alessandra S.)

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Our Turkish experience - ITALY

Here is our team!

Mascia Marconi, Alessandra Ferrari, Elisa Allegretti, Alessandra Soncini,

Cristina Boschini, Rossella Dalai, Sara Soli



Curious and fascinated by the surrounding, any occasion is good to take photos!

At last we reach the Turkish preschool Ted Istanbul Koleji

Entering the main hall, we notice with great pleasure a big panel retracing the last Turkish visit in Italy.

According  to the programme we can visit the school spaces, take part in the  daily school activities and concentrate on the observation focuses, such as Planning, Autonomy and Polisensoriality.

The afternoons are dedicated to pedagogical exchange as well as cultural visits to Istanbul’s most interesting sightseeings.

Observing the school...

We appreciate the large diversified spaces full of structured materials;

We find several specific classrooms dedicated to music, art, IT and PE;

In particular in the music space we notice a lot of different musical instruments and other sound materials that are useful to improve the children’ s musical language and to get them involved in these activities.

We see in each spaces panels showing the activities in progress through pictures and drawings; every corner is identified by a visible functional sign.

We go around also the outdoor spaces where the children have the opportunity to experiment the body language;

Finally we are surprised by the numerous and different  activities proposed during the day and by the children’s level of attention.

As a conclusion, we find a different approach in comparison to our pedagogical method that opens our minds towards other ways to develop children’s education.

Team work

Italian teachers working together

By mid-week a group of institutional representatives join the Italian group  in Ted Istanbul Koleji to put in evidence the importance given to the Comenius exchange and to celebrate this educational training as an official moment.

 

The institutional group:

Manghi Giammaria, the Mayor of Poviglio Municipality and educational Representative for Bassa Reggiana Union

Maestri Massimiliano, the Mayor of Gualtieri Municipality and President of Bassa Reggiana Union

Gamberini Elena, Director of Bassa Reggiana Union

Fabbi Cristian, Director of Progettinfanzia

Eating out together

Many thanks to Ted Istanbul Koleji staff for their warm welcome, friendly assistance and excellent organization of the entire week!!

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Preparing the Italian team for the study visit in Ted Istanbul preschool

Tue, 12 April 2011

Just before leaving for Turkey we meet to discuss together about the project key issue, to share a common working method and to go through the Turkish programme.

During our meeting we also reconsider the conclusions come up at the end of the study visit held in Italy in March 2011 and think about how to make our project more visible for the families and the local administrations.

We look forward to leaving!

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Escola Pericot, Girona.

The ESCOLA PERICOT is a Pre-school and Primary Educational Centre, formed for the academical year 2006/07 and now on its fourth countinuos year of activity.

The big majority of pupils comes from families living in different neighbourhoods of Girona; the school therefore provides free transportation to and from the centre, refectory and acollida al matí.

Even though the School Comprehensive Education Plan has passed his initial planning stage, it still might take some time before it will be laid down in a final and definitive version, stating the progression of the centre. Nevertheless, the Escola Pericot defines itself as a open-minded, democratic Catalan School, which takes advantage from its multicultural imprint in order to educate the new generations of the 21st Century.

Education Plans:
The Centre is currently developing three prime elements of what will consist in the main School Comprehensive Education Plan:

1. ART EDUCATION: visual arts, music and cinema.
2. UNDERSTAND SCIENCE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION.
3. THE LANGUAGE PROJECT: English as a third language from Third Grade.


The Centre also participate to the following activities:
1. POLLEN, a European project promoting science teaching based on inquiry approach;
2. FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXPERIMENTAL PLAN
3. COMENIUS PROJECT
4. THE PUPIL’S GARDEN
5. PROJECT FOR TEXTBOOK PROMOTION AND RE-USE
6. FRUIT IN SCHOOL PLAN

Visit Reggio Emilia, Italy.

On the second week of March, a team of 7 teachers of the Escola Pericot had the possibility to visit some educational centres, located around Reggio Emilia, Italy.

In the morning, the team would take part to any activity happening in class. Lunch was held at the same centre and it was followed by a summarizing session together with the other schools participating to the project, from Maintal and Instanbul.

What was found most impressive of the visited site, was the room available for activities, together with the amount of teachers assigned to each group of pupils. Their wide common areas and classrooms made us once again realize how much the surroundings are important when it comes to the educational process; this is of particular interest to us since our Centre has been forced to develop its activities in a limited available room, due to its provisional structure in prefabricated units.While we were already aware of how this was affecting our work, visiting such facilities gave us an idea of how much this could improve the educational process.

The way those centres planned their surrounding impressed us since it would all develop from a clear mainstream: the pupils, their autonomy, their curiosity, their need of exploring and discovering the world.

Another remarkable feature of those centre was the wide range of material, most of which coming from recycling processes, the pupils were supplied with.The constant dialogue between pupils, material, available room and light, which is wisely organized in educational projects, grants Preschool Education that full meaning of what this stage represents for the coming along of the pupils.

We would try to introduce as much as we can in our Eduacational Plan for Preschool Education. It as well surprised us the sistematic approach to reading and writing. We do believe learning to read falls in this stage of growth, balanced and in accordance with the development of the pupils, without causing this learning process to become the main objective of Preschool Education.

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OUR IMPRESSIONS

“Reggio Emilia” yaklaşımını uyguluyor projemizin İtalyan ortak okulu.
Reggio Emilia İtalya’nın kuzeyinde Reggio Emillia şehrinde belediyenin öncülüğünde başlatılmış bir okul öncesi yaklaşımıdır. Loris Malaguzzi öncülüğünü yapmıştır.

“Reggio Emilia” da ortam büyük önem taşımaktadır. Reggio okullarında incelikle estetik biçimde hazırlanmış ortamlar bulunur.
Öğretim küçük gruplardan oluşan öğrencilerin projeler yapmasına dayalı olarak gerçekleştirilir.Reggio okullarında dikkati çeken diğer bir özellik de proje konularına uygun olarak ortamın düzenlenmesidir. Projelerin yaratıcılığı desteklediğine inanılır. Projeler, programlar gibi önceden belirlenmiş tek bir yolu takip etmez. Aksine bir sürü olası yolları ve uygulamaları vardır.

Ortam ve materyallerin yapılandırılmamış olması, şaşırtıcı, açık uçlu ve merak uyandırıcı olması gerekmektedir. Ortam ve materyaller çocukların yaratıcılığını desteklemelidir ve birlikte çalışmaya ve paylaşmaya olanak sağlamalıdır.




Reggio Emilia okullarında yetişkinler ve çocuklar arasındaki sosyal alışverişi kolaylaştırmak amacıyla bütün çocukların ve öğretmenlerin birlikte bulunabilecekleri büyükçe bir alan bulunmaktadır. Sınıflar bu alanın etrafında düzenlenmiştir. Çocuklar ve yetişkinler bir gün boyunca bu alandan geçmek zorundadırlar. Reggio Emilia okullarında dikkati çeken bu alanlara “Piazza” adı verilmektedir. Piazzalar, sınıfların açıldığı bir orta alandır.

"Piazzas are to promote the interaction between students and teachers."


Bu akımı benimseyen okulların girişinde yer alan üçgen çatı biçiminde düzenlenmiş aynalar, konvek ve konkav aynalar çocuğun kendisini değişik açılardan ve değişik durumlarda gözlemesini sağlamakta ve çocuğu düşünmeye yöneltmektedir.

Aynalar çocuklar kadar biz öğretmenlerin de ilgisini çekti :)

"Mirrors are a way for children to get to know themselves and are good for experimenting with new ideas about themselves."




Ortam ve materyallerin yapılandırılmamış olması, şaşırtıcı, açık uçlu ve merak uyandırıcı
olması gerekmektedir. Ortam ve materyaller çocukların yaratıcılığını desteklemelidir ve
birlikte çalışmaya ve paylaşmaya olanak sağlamalıdır.
Okulun içinde bulunan çeşitli doğal materyaller bizleri çok etkiledi.

"Natural materials in class really impressed us."



Reggio Emilia merkezlerinde plastik ya da ucuz oyuncaklara rastlamak pek mümkün değildir. Çoğunlukla sınıfların tabanı ahşap kaplıdır ve sınıftaki oyuncakların çoğu ahşaptan yapılmıştır. Kullanılan materyallerin çoğu doğal ve geri dönüşümlüdür.

Sınıflarda bulunan farklı materyaller geri dönüşüm malzemeleri üreten özel bir fabrikadan okullara bağışlanmaktaymış. Çocuklar erken yaşlardan itibaren doğaya ve geri dönüşüme önem vererek ve bu farkındalıkla yetiştiriliyorlar.

"Recycled materials are to encourage the creativity of the children and are for them to have a different vision."



"The children are in touch with nature in their classrooms."




"Children express themselves symbolically through artistic work, like drawing, painting, or some other form of creative expression. "



Reggio Emilia sınıflarında bulunan panolar çocuklara verilen değerin bir göstergesi ve diğer çocuklarla iletişim kurmanın bir aracı olarak çocukların yaptıkları çeşitli çalışmalarla doludur. Aynı zamanda bu panolar, öğretmenlerin velilere çocuklarının gün boyu zamanlarının çoğunu sınıfın hangi köşesinde geçirdiklerini gösteren bir diyagramı, çocukların çizimlerini ve çocukların gün içinde kendilerine sunulan bazı özel konular hakkında neler söylediklerini dile getiren metinleri içermektedir. Belgelendirme projeyi herkesin takip edebilmesini sağlar. Çocuklara da neler yaptıklarını hatırlatır.

"Documentation allows the children to look over their projects and the parents to see what their children have been working on."




"One of the objectives of Comenius projects is to introduce different cultures and life styles to teachers. We've been a guest to Italian food in a very warm house with a charming host and many other friends."

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