18.02.2021
EDUCATION INSPIRATION: meeting of participants of two editions of the program
An exceptional event has recently taken place! On Saturday, January 30th, we met with the participants of our Education Inspiration program. It should come as no surprise, as we meet regularly – but this time, it was an absolutely unique experience. First of all, it was an online meeting – obviously, under the circumstances. And secondly, for the first time in the history of the Program, we met with the participants of two editions at once – third edition, which has only just concluded, and the fourth edition now underway.
For the participants of the 3rd edition – students and teachers – it was an opportunity to present the results of their year-long work on educational projects, whereas the teachers from the 4th edition had the chance to find out all about our previous projects, draw inspiration from our experience, and meet new people.
The event was preceded by a short opening ceremony, during which Aleksandra Saczuk, President of the EFC Foundation, and Michał Szeląg, Program Director of the School With Class Foundation welcomed the participants and invited them to perform a short activity. Before the meeting, participants received letters with special Education Inspiration cards containing icons (e.g. thumb, heart, question mark), facilitating remote communication in a large group. Teachers and students, showing specific cards in front of their cameras, answered several questions, such as their hometown, weather conditions in their neighborhood, or if they already had breakfast. This short game was only a taste of what those cards could be used for during online classes.
After this short warm-up, we got to the part where we found out about the projects forming part of the 4th edition of the Program. As we are nothing if not creative, we did it in a very unusual way – we prepared a storytelling session about 40 teachers and their projects, read by Maciej Orłoś at a (tele)express pace.
Once the excitement somewhat subsided, we moved on to the highlight of the meeting, which was the presentation of the 3rd edition’s projects. Five groups were gathered in separate virtual rooms, composed of teachers and students from the third edition, as well as teachers from the fourth edition. There, we had the opportunity to hear and see the effects of the concluded educational projects. Participants prepared presentations, slideshows and videos, shared their experiences and reflections on implementation of activities during the pandemic. Just like the projects, subjects of presentations were diverse: from arranging a school relaxation room and school gardens, through public campaign on waste, to chess robots that became an underwater chess tournament because of the pandemic. After each presentation, participants had the chance to ask their questions. It allowed us to collect useful tips and hints on how to implement our projects. They were duly noted by group moderators – coordinators from EFC Foundation and SWC Foundation coaches – on Jamboard’s virtual whiteboards, and then presented to all the groups during meeting summary.
And although we cannot wait to see our Program Participants in person, we were very happy to meet them by electronic means! As usual, the atmosphere was joyful, filled with good emotion and friendliness, but most of all – with educational inspirations! On behalf of the School With Class Foundation as well as our own, we would like to thank all the Participants for a wonderful Saturday!