4th LTT - Geldermalsen, Netherlands

During the meeting we experienced digital storytelling and visiting teachers shared their stories with our pupils. Among them was the Slovenian teacher Petra Šobak, who wrote a story about awareness on cyber bullying and how small children can be affected if they use too much digital technology. Petra Šobak had the workshop with native students and then they discussed about their experiences in the digital world. We had workshops with different digital tools (orientation and task solving in town with aid of Action Bound app). During the visit, Dutch partners presented their school and the visitors were part of regular lessons to get a better picture of the Dutch educational system and specifically the way they teach English. Participating trachers saw the 'Techniek Torens'. These are large cabinets filled with all sorts activities the children can do to explore technology and science. These cabinets come with lesson plans that were shared with the participating teachers. Partners were part of lessons in using everyday machinery like lawnmower, kitchen appliances etc. We were asking and answering the questions "How does it work? What does it look like on the inside." Children can take apart old appliances to get a better look at the inside. In that way they learn by doing and combine several parts and see which fit to others, which don't. Participating teachers went to see historical windmills and witnessed a lecture on how the Dutch shaped their country by using windmills. Participants took a look into the technology of an old-fashioned windmill and compared this with a modern one. Not only it's function but also it's machinery is of course completely different. We were having lessons about alternative energy sources. Participants compare so traditional to modern technologies and compared the traditional machinery and technology of all partners.

Some other activities included household science, green screen utilization in video editing, creating an Erasmus video, lesson about music with sticks and music lesson with the aid of modern technology (smart screen). All these activities were done with visitors and the children together. In the mentioned activities, we also added a lesson carried out by Serbian students. Since the English language learning is essential in the Dutch kindergarten, the hosts integrated inter-cultural learning and inter-generational teaching into the workshops for teachers and children. We organized a discussion and a meeting on presented
teaching methods and if it is suitable to integrate them into our own work. Next to it, there was a so-called green week, where the children and teachers prepared several green materials and had a presentation about them for parents in the afternoon at the end of the week.