FOSTIN

My second blog for the Erasmus+ FOSTIN project is again about the outputs from regional education. However, this one is not about the goals, plans, process, and outputs from the subject, which I would call primary. The main goal of using regional education in interdisciplinary teaching is to create an emotional bond with the place where the students study. Each of the project participants and anyone who uses these plans in the future will undoubtedly find topics that will be close to the students and will bring them closer to the locality through various subjects. Alternatively, regional elements that may be close to the students can bring them closer to these subjects.

Our town, Banská Štiavnica, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and students who attend our school come from towns as far as 100 km away. That is why we have introduced regional education, so that they can get to know the place where they study. In addition to their own presentations on various topics in history, culture, performing arts, literature, or society, we have had an effort to make them active participants in local events that are part of the intangible cultural heritage. One such event in our city is the Salamander Parade, which you can learn more about in English here: https://slovakia.travel/en/salamander-days-september and in Slovak here: https://salamandrovy-sprievod.banskastiavnica.sk/. Since the spring, the municipality, residents, and students have been preparing for Miners' Days, which include this costume parade featuring over 500 characters from the history of the city, mining, and the culture of our country and the people who lived here. My students, colleagues and I are the ones who compose about 90 costumes for this parade, which takes place on the second Friday of September every year.

Regional education and regional elements in the teaching of humanities subjects have also created a very positive perception of this tradition among our students, and since June they have been signing up as volunteers to wear the costumes. In aside from costume fittings in the municipal wardrobe department, my colleagues and I explained the individual masks and groups to the students, helping them to create the dramaturgy of their performance, for example, what to say, sing, and how to perform the scenes they create themselves, which must be based on historical or cultural realities. In this way, they themselves become not only participants in the preservation of historical memory, but also its co-creators. They then bring new ideas into their student life, enriching it with positive elements from culture and history.

This year, the Salamander Parade took place on September 12^th, 2025, and I am bringing you several photos of our students in the photo gallery. The photos were taken by my colleague Naďa Bírešová, and all students have given their informed consent to their publication. Plans for regional education will be included in the project textbook. 

My contribution to the Fostin project included, among other things, the creation of lesson plans and preparations for the introduction of regional education into various subjects and informal education. Last school year, this subject was taught at our school by my dear colleague Naďa Bírešová, who normally teaches Spanish and ethics and comes from the town of Zvolen, about 30 km away, so some might say that teaching regional education could be a problem for her.

As a history teacher, local guide, and author of the regional education curriculum, I briefly taught her about the history of our town, Banská Štiavnica, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  At the same time, we went through the subject methodology in detail and discussed how participatory it should be for students. Throughout the year, she and her students immersed themselves in the study of regional specifics and the creation of interdisciplinary outputs according to the plans that will be available in the Fostin textbook. At the end of the year, she wrote a short report on the students' outputs for the school's website and social media. You can see some pictures in the photo gallery.

By Miron Breznoščák

"In June 2025, students from bilingual classes I.B, I.C, and I.D took part in field trips as part of their regional studies course. The aim of regional studies is to introduce students to the region where they will be studying for five years and to increase their awareness of the richness of the regions they come from. They learn to cooperate, use creative approaches, and present in front of their classmates, and each successful presentation helps build their confidence.

The lessons took place in the streets of Banská Štiavnica, where students presented projects, they had worked on during the school year. They prepared quizzes, games, surveys, and many other interesting activities for their classmates, such as interpreting verses from a poem about Marína in the contemporary language of young people. We also took part in joint tours of the birthplace of Dežo Hoffmann (the photographer of the Beatles) and the New Castle.

Some students elaborated on their chosen topics by creating models of sights, buildings, and cemeteries, painting pictures, creating a video game about the Štiavnica gnomes (dwarves), or a short film about the Legend of the Knights of Sitno (Sitno is a legendary mountain with a castle near our town), and precisely painted maps of villages in the Banská Štiavnica district. The photos show that the students took their projects seriously. Thank you to everyone who prepared their projects to the best of their ability." By Naďa Bírešová

I recently attended the book launch and blues concert of a great musician born in Oradea, AG Weinberger. After the event I read the book and wrote short review as I consider it a good reference book for the Music and Literature theme I dealt with during our Fostin project.

 

“Music Between Freedom and Manipulation’-AG Weinberger’s Book Review

 

Attila G. Weinberger is a famous blues and jazz guitar player, vocalist born on August 30, 1965 in Oradea, Romania. His over thirty year-long singing career, his virtuosity in playing blues and jazz as well as his scholarly work recommend him as an outstanding figure on the world map of musicologists.

 Beside his singing career, AG Weinberger is a prominent cultural theorist focusing on music, psychology, sociology and philosophy who recently defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Muzica intre libertate si manipulare” (Music between Freedom and Manipulation-my translation) at the University of Bucharest.  His thesis was now published by the Integral Publishing house from Romania and it was launched in Oradea before his concert entitled ‘Blues at Museum” held at Muzeul Tarii Crisurilor, Oradea on July 11, 2025.

The book is actually an investigation of the role of music as a tool of psychological, social and cultural influence in the modern world. The author claims that music becomes both a means of expression and a tool of control in today’s world. At the same time the author discusses the music’s educational and therapeutic functions, but also the risks of superficiality and simplicity. He defines modern culture as a phenomenon which manifests itself through many forms of artistic expression:

“Culture is rather an anthropological phenomenon, with clear functionality and predictable entropic evolution, which dwells under the dome of civilization. It is manifested through behaviour, through education, through historical and sociological developments, through science and through various forms of artistic expression.”(My translation) (Weinberger, 52, 2025)

The book has been described in the  Afterword  by Dan Dediu as ''a book that has arisen, assumed and lived by a practicing musician and an always agile thinker, attentive to context and change, a book of questions and openings.”(My translation) (Dediu in Weinberger, 198, 2025).

The book has an up-to-date structure both in form and content. Actually is a Smartbook, a hybrid book that instantly creates the link between print volume and the online environment. In parallel with reading a wonderful book, one can use their smartphone and a free QR code scanning app to immerse into audio or video files which turns it into a multimedia book. In its four chapters, AG Weinberger investigates the real role of music in individual life and society, By associating stage experience with a solid theoretical investigation, he brings an authentic and courageous perspective on the contemporary musical phenomenon, pleading for the recovery of the deep dimensions of the artistic act. An important part of the book is dedicated to his  symphonic poem composed in three parts which, he claims, “ is intended to be an homage and to present King Solomon in his three most famous manifestations: King, Wise and Builder.”(My translation)(Weinberger, 130, 2025) and which outlines its main features-a combination of klezmer and jazz which reminds of the great Broadway productions. All in all, Weinberger’s book is a must-read/ listens to/watch authentic study of musicology with touches of psychology, sociology and philosophy.

Bibliography

Weinberger.A,G.. Muzica intre libertate si manipulare.. Bucuresti:Integral., 2025.

I'm currently reading Lucy Strange's middle school novels, which are a great source of myth adaptations with a gothic flair and are extremely pertinent to my current research and teaching methods. Her novels offer sophisticated retellings of classic myths in modern historical or domestic contexts by skillfully fusing British folklore, psychological complexity, and fantastical elements. 
The Marsh King appears in Sisters of the Lost Marsh as a folkloric representation of social fear and patriarchal oppression. This character is loosely based on bog-monster myths from Northern Europe and Britain, which is reimagined here as a warning story that highlights female resiliency and intergenerational trauma. His spectral presence serves as a metaphorical critique of the power structures ingrained in rural lore as well as a supernatural threat.

The forest functions as a gothic transitional area in The Secret of Nightingale Wood, evoking classic European forest myths in which knowledge and peril coexist. As guardians of repressed maternal wisdom and resistance, the so-called "witch" the child protagonist meets is reminiscent of British and Germanic folklore's traditions of wise women or "cunning folk."
Within the context of World War II, Our Castle by the Sea reimagines coastal British legends, including lighthouse ghost stories, sea spirits, and selkie myths. A complex retelling of myth and history is produced by the protagonist's negotiation of both family secrets and national narratives, in which the fantastic is used as a means of political and emotional interpretation.

Particularly in workshop formats, these texts present intriguing opportunities for my fantasy and myth adaptation course. Students will be able to investigate how narrative voice, character, and space reconfigure myths rather than just preserve them. In addition to being gripping tales, Strange's books are also rich in pedagogy, allowing for conversations about gender, power, geography, and historical memory from a fantastical perspective. These texts will be incorporated into future workshop sessions, serving as launching pads for imaginative and analytical exercises in literary adaptation and myth-making.

 

On a visit to London, I had the opportunity to attend the inspiring musical show entitled “Get Up Stand Up-The Bob Marley Musical”. As one of my lesson plans due to be included in the digital manual on Civic Education is based on the power of Reggae music in inspiring freedom, I thought it would be a good opportunity  to share my first impressions on this musical.

As I was making my way from Leicester Square towards the Lyric theatre in the West End, I noticed here and there some people wearing Jamaican flag jerseys heading towards where I was going. At the same time, I overheard some Creole English words and expressions I understood such as “dem tiichas” or “mi soon come” and I realized I was about to attend an authentic show surrounded by a diverse audience. Ten minutes before the beginning of the musical, the theatre was packed with people who started to dance while tapping slowly some kind of reggae rhythm. While the show was a journey into the world of Bob Marley’s life and music, what struck me was the way all songs played were sung along by the packed Lyric theatre in a frantic display of joy and dance. The musical numbers, from “No woman, No Cry” to the  “Redemption Song” drove the whole narrative of the show towards an apotheotic rendition of ”One Love” by a loud and joyous audience. Since then, whenever I hear a song by Bob Marley on the radio, I always thing of one word: ”freedom”. 

Becoming Diplomats: A Classroom Simulation of Pre-WWI European Politics

Understanding the web of alliances and rivalries that shaped Europe before World War I can be challenging for students. To help bring this complex history to life, I designed an engaging role-play activity: a simulation of diplomatic visits among European countries — where students experience the diplomatic maneuvering of the 19th and early 20th centuries first-hand.

This activity connects History, Geography, English Language, and Diplomacy. It helps students:

• Revise 19th-century European history, revolutions, and unification processes

• Understand the origins of alliances before WWI

• Build communication, negotiation, and teamwork skills

• Develop time management and succinct expression

• Recognize the status quo of European powers leading up to the war

The teacher begins the lesson by explaining that the alliances of WWI were not formed overnight — they were shaped by decades of European political dynamics. Today, students will step into the roles of European diplomats negotiating on behalf of their countries.

Students are divided into groups of three, each randomly assigned a European country. They sit together, away from other groups, and receive:

• A name tag with their country

• A summary worksheet describing their country’s political situation, strengths, weaknesses, and goals

• A list of guiding questions to help prepare their negotiation strategy

Each group appoints one “diplomat” — this student will conduct diplomatic visits to other countries, negotiating potential alliances and gathering information. Diplomats will bring back this intel to help their group form a strategy.

A suggested addition:
Students can bring or print a small item representing their country to wear during the role-play (a pin, symbol, flag, etc.).

Diplomatic Visits: The Simulation in Action

With a stopwatch running, the simulation begins:

• Diplomats travel from table to table (representing other countries).

• Each visit lasts 2 minutes — just enough time to present offers, gauge interest, and take notes.

• The goal is to identify potential allies and assess which countries align best with their own interests.

During these fast-paced exchanges, students practice:

• Polite negotiation

• Expressing complex ideas succinctly

• Handling opposing views

• Working toward consensus within a time limit

After visiting each country, the diplomats return to their teams, summarizing what they learned and helping the group refine their strategy.

Finally, the class reconvenes for a guided reflection session. The teacher leads a discussion to help students process what they experienced and learned.

Reflection questions for diplomats:

• How did you feel in your role?

• Did you relate to your country’s position?

• Were there communication challenges due to different national interests?

Questions for country groups:

• Which countries had the most potential allies?

• Which country seemed most powerful?

• Which seemed weakest — and why?

The teacher can list all country names on the board and guide students to rank them from most powerful to least powerful — reinforcing understanding of the political hierarchy of pre-WWI Europe.

Why It Works

This dynamic activity helps students:

• Understand alliances and enmities

• Recognize how political realities shaped history

• Gain empathy for the challenges diplomats face

• Build soft skills like negotiation, communication, and strategic thinking

By stepping into the roles of European diplomats, students move beyond rote memorization — they live the complex political chess game of pre-WWI Europe.

Navigating History: How “The Navigation Game” Brings Exploration to Life

How can we help students truly understand the challenges faced by the great seafarers of history? By letting them step into the shoes of a ship’s crew — literally. That’s the idea behind The Navigation Game, an interactive classroom activity where students practice geography, teamwork, and communication while learning about the Age of Exploration.

The activity begins with a simple question:
“What was the greatest discovery of the seafaring age?”

But instead of answering right away, students are told they’ll discover the answer together — just as historical crews did — through the power of navigation and cooperation.

How it all works

Students are divided into teams of three:

• Captain

• Messenger

• person at the steering wheel

The teacher selects the captains, who are given maps of famous voyages — without the explorers' names on them, so the identity of the journey remains a mystery. The captains stand at the back of the classroom and relay navigation instructions to their team’s messenger.

Next, messengers stand in the middle of the classroom. Their role is to verbally pass step-by-step directions from the captain to the person at the steering wheel. They cannot show maps or give visual cues — communication must be verbal only.

Finally, the person at the steering wheel, sitting at the front, receives a blank map and must draw the voyage based on the messenger’s instructions.

Active learning

Before starting, the teacher demonstrates the system with a small group to make sure everyone understands how information will flow from captain to the steering wheel.

By deleting the names from the original maps, captains won’t know which famous voyage they are charting — adding an extra layer of mystery and challenge.

Collaboration and reflection is the key

Once the voyage drawings are complete, each team gathers to review short notes and portraits of famous explorers placed on a side desk. Together, they:

• Compare their drawn maps with original maps

• Identify which explorer’s voyage they recreated

• Present their work to the class — showing their pictures and explaining what they discovered

This activity goes beyond geography:

• Teamwork and communication are essential

• Systematic thinking and logical reasoning are required

• Students practice negotiation and problem-solving — much like real sailors had to do

• The activity fosters an action-oriented, can-do attitude

At the end, the teacher leads a reflection discussion with questions like:

• Did you enjoy working together?

• Were there any communication problems?

• Did you successfully recreate the voyage?

If students struggled with communication — and many do — the teacher explains that this mirrors the historical reality. Real sailors often faced frustration and confusion on long journeys where clear communication was difficult.

The Navigation Game helps students not only learn about the Age of Exploration but also experience the challenges of teamwork, navigation, and discovery — just like the sailors of the past.

How do you make history feel relevant to today’s students? One creative way is by using the social media platforms they know and love — and that’s exactly what we did with this activity aimed at building a positive online presence while deepening historical understanding.

The idea was simple: imagine each historical era as a person with unique personality traits. This activity built on the students’ prior knowledge and a brainstorming session where we explored what made each era distinctive.

After this preparation, I divided the students into groups. Each group chose their own historical "persona" — for example:

• Mr. Neolithic Revolution

• Sir Middle Ages

• Madame Humanism

• Miss Industrial Revolution

With their characters in mind, each group was tasked with creating an Instagram profile for their era. I chose Instagram because, unlike Facebook, it’s still widely used by younger generations.

Here’s what their profiles needed to include:

• A well-thought-out bio that captured their character’s essence

• At least 5 posts showcasing key moments, inventions, or ideas from their era

• At least 5 stories to bring their character to life

• Comments on other groups’ profiles — written in the tone, language, and terminology their historical figure might have used

To encourage consistent engagement, the groups worked on the project over the course of a week. Each day, they created at least one post, one story, and commented on at least one other profile.

Finally, we wrapped up the activity with an in-class presentation. Each group shared their Instagram account, explained what they had learned, and reflected on how this creative process helped them understand their historical period in a new and more personal way.

On May 24, 2023, Mgr. Alena Cilíková from Gymnázium Myjava led a Student Parliament Elections workshop that refers to the subject of Civic education.

This workshop was planned as a follow-up activity after covering the topic of the Political System. (Civic Education). It required a basic knowledge about the principles of elections and the voting system of a particular country. The aim of this workshop was to teach students civic responsibility through a sequence of activities connected with Student Parliament elections.

The students first discussed the role of the Student Parliament, before proceeding to activities connected with the election itself.

Questions to answer:

What problems do you face at school? Is there anything you miss? Is there anything you would like to improve? Is it possible to change anything by only one student? What is the importance of a student parliament?What opportunities does a student parliament provide students with?

 

Students agreed that a school parliament provides many opportunities, such as involving students in democratic processes and decisions making within the school, demonstrating the importance of representation and active involvement in the school community, democratically electing of student representatives, improve the school community by addressing student issues and concerns …

Pre-election phase

The students were separated into a few A groups – their task was to form their own political parties to pick their leader and to prepare a poster introducing their political programmes. Group B formed the Election Committee and prepared the ballot box and all the papers.

Teacher´s recommendation: I recommend A groups to be formed of maximum three students. We can let the students to choose their partners. If they have problems with that, they can be grouped randomly according to choosing the same number (we prepare three pieces of paper with number 1, three with number 2......, students with the same number form one group) The group B can consist of more students as they have more paperwork.

 B group -  preparations

They prepared the ballot box. They used a cardboard box with the opening on the top. This should be a large box clearly labelled and obviously placed. (It can be decorated with the national symbols). Students prepared the electoral register with the names of all the students in the class (including their owns), ballot papers where they wrote the names of the parties and their leaders, sufficient number of envelopes, a privacy booth from another cardboard box and they prepared instructions for voters at the polling station and instructions for polling workers.

Teacher´s recommendation: if students have not experienced the act of voting so far, preparing the instructions can be rather challenging. That ´s why the teacher´s help will be required. I suggest the following:

1.When you enter the polling station, tell them your name so they can check that you are on the electoral register.

2.Show your ID card. (if not ID card, any other document can be accepted, e.g. a student´s card)

3.Take your ballot paper with an envelope and go to a privacy booth to vote.

4.Vote for one candidate by circling the number before his name. In case of circling more or no candidates the ballot paper is invalid.

5.Put the ballot paper into the envelope and then insert it into the ballet box. Your vote will be kept safe and will always stay secret.

6.The elections have just finished for you.

Students should be given also instructions referring to the labour division at the pollling station such as checking the identity of voters, supplying them with the ballot papers, giving instructions how to vote, checking the validity of the ballot papers, counting only the valid votes, announcing the name of the winner .

 

A groups – preparing posters and voting speeches

Teacher´s recommendations: when preparing the speech and the programme, students can think of the current conditions at their school and consider possible changes referring to school rules, school canteen, furniture, equipment, after-school activities, eco-friendly attitude... All the promises should be achieveable. All students should be involved, either in creating the poster, preparing the programme or making the speech.

Students created attractive posters and while making a speech the other two students held the poster, so they presented it as a group. This activity was quite amusing and students really enjoyed it.

After preparing their campaigns and giving their voting speeches, the students experienced elections.

After counting the votes, the official winner was announced. The students developed communication skills, teamwork, creativity and public speaking. Through self and peer-assessment, students learnt to accept criticism and respect their opponents.

 

Some answers from the Workshop Evaluation Questionnaires:

-          I learned to improve creativity and to cooperate with my classmates (repeated answer)

-          I learned how the school parliament should work

-          I learned election rules

-          I learned how to start a political campaign

-          I learned that confidence and spokesmanship will get you far

Throughout the years 2023-2024 some students of Gymnázium Myjava participated in a number of COIL online lessons of the Erasmus+ international project.

It is not easy to motivate students to be part of any extracurricular activities. The first question they asked, when the possibility of the participation was offered, was: Why me? Therefore, it was a relief when a group of enthusiastic students was formed and their response was: That sounds interesting. What is the topic?

 

Quite recently some of the students involved in the project asked when there will be another possibility to join more COIL lessons; and they were disappointed to hear that this part of the project was over. This moment was the inspiration to ask students to write about their participation at the COIL online lessons from their perspective.

 

Not all of the students were willing to write about their experience, but some did. So here are some of them:

 

Anna Mária Redajová (a bilingual study student, III.B class):

 

“The COIL hosted by Myjava was my first one. I was very interested in the topic because I love art and especially hidden details in it and their historical background. On this COIL I got to learn exactly that. We were even asked to do our own analysis of a painting which I enjoyed immensely. Another positive thing was hearing the opinions of other students and seeing that art can be interpreted in many ways and no one is wrong.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová)

 

“The other COIL I was a part of was hosted by Hungary about Volunteerism. I did not expect much but this course blew me away.  It was incredibly well done, connecting multiple learning techniques such as discussions or our own research. Due to the course being international, I learned about how different cultures view volunteering and I found each very interesting. It definitely inspired me to take a different approach to volunteering and made me want to apply random acts of kindness in my day-to-day life.”

(COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Lucia Sadloňová (a bilingual study student, IV.B class):

 

“During this COIL workshop we got to explore what sustainable development goals are and what each entitles. I believe this experience came to be crucial especially in terms of understanding where our priorities should lie during these turbulent times, not only due to the changes in our environment but also in terms of social challenges we have come to face. The leader of this program has shown us the importance that sustaining our environment plays in our day-to-day life. We learned what steps we can take and through discussions we searched for what steps can be taken to further repay nature for everything we have done as a humanity.”

(COIL: Sustainable Development Goals; October to November 2023; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

 

“The lessons were focused on art analysis and forming better understanding of each painting featured as well as its cultural background. During our group discussions I got to see how much each story and feelings evoked by a painting can vary based on the viewer and how by getting deeper context these emotions connected to a painting can become that much more intense. In the last phases of these lessons, we got to practice the formation of better understanding with our own favourite paintings. It changed my view on art and now upon looking at a painting I can not only appreciate its focus and use of colour but also consider the era, hidden details and reason for why it was painted.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová)

 

“This being my second COIL led by Fella Benabed, I had high expectations, and it certainly did not disappoint. The message in which this workshop was carried was that of hopefulness and understanding for each of us and those we are surrounded by. The topics discussed brought forth the importance that listening and staying mindful towards one another has. We shed light on how arts, culture and communication can have a great impact on our mental health and further promote our self-expression.  We held many discussions which I believe are necessary to be held, especially when it comes to the stigma that often surrounds overcoming personal difficulties.”

(COIL: Health and Wellbeing; April to May 2024; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

“What I think describes this COIL the best is that “there is often the greatest value in small acts of kindness”. The topics we explored ranged from analysis of how people convince others to act towards their cause to what the right cause should be. It had a very positive impact including the leaders’ approach as I believe we all got to feel very heard and we got to express ourselves in a very sweet, pure, human way. Seeing that no matter how small an act may be, it can be truly impactful for those around us and that the small acts of kindness might just be the beginning of a greater habit of performing something good.

(COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Silvia Mihalovičová (a bilingual study student, III.B class):

 

“The COIL Great paintings, which I attended in the year 2024 during March and April, had very good execution and presentations. I liked everyone´s involvement and enthusiasm. I liked the group setting and the unique paintings that were chosen.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová)

 

“In the COIL Volunteerism I liked that we were put in random groups every time as it promoted talking to people you don't now and cooperate with them. It helped me with going out of my comfort zone and share my opinions and thoughts with the people in my group. The topic was also very nice and important. Everyone was very involved, engaged and talkative which was appreciated.”

(COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Jakub Hercegh (a bilingual study student, III.B class):

 

“I participated in two COIL programs, on great historical paintings and volunteerism respectively. The lessons were fun and engaging and they informed me and helped me understand their topics. The facilitators were clear and informative and it was very fun interacting and leading discussions with the other participants, both from our country's schools and foreign ones. Overall, I enjoyed both experiences and hope to participate in more in the near future.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová / COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Katarína Malatinová (a bilingual study student, IV.B class):

 

„Our first COIL lesson was led by professor Fella Benabed from an Algerian university. In this one we talked about SDGS. They are the pillars that countries should follow for a better future for our planet. On each lesson we discussed bunch of the pillars in groups and presented our thoughts and ideas how we should uphold them to the rest of the participants. The students from Algeria were incredible to talk to and full of bright ideas. I certainly learnt a lot about how to be sustainable in my own life and the professor gave me a lot of hope for future of our planet.”

(COIL: Sustainable Development Goals; October to November 2023; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

“The second COIL was with our teacher Ľubica Durcová. We discussed art and how to analyse it. Knowing our teacher, it was bound to be amazing. We deep dived into details of each prepared painting and learnt many new facts. In groups we also analysed them and made our own assumptions and ideas as to what the details symbolise. I had many good group mates, especially from our school. For the last work we had to pick our own painting to describe, I did Execution of Lady Jane Grey. Art is fascinating and it was amazing to learn more about it.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová)

“Then we had another COIL with professor Fella. It focused especially on mental health. It gave us interesting life lessons. Many of us opened up to the professor about personal experiences because she created a safe space for us all. For a voluntary work we could write our own mental diary and it was also one of her suggestions for us to do. We discussed how companionship helps us to feel better.”

(COIL: Health and Wellbeing; April to May 2024; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

“On our last COIL lesson, we were with a professor from Hungarian school. She was incredibly kind and did her lessons a bit differently. We spoke about volunteering and most of the time we were working in groups. We were supposed to present our own idea of volunteering, how we would manage it, how long it would last, who it would target. It was an interesting lesson to participated on and again I personally left pumped to actually partake in such actions.”

(COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Kristína Vindušková (a bilingual study student, IV.B class):

 

“During this workshop, I realized that while we might often mention climate change in our everyday conversations, there's a significant difference between simply complaining about its effects and actively discussing solutions. Although I learned a lot about sustainable development, what struck me the most was the importance of being proactive rather than remaining a passive bystander. It often helps to break a plan into smaller parts, as this makes the steps clearer and less overwhelming. Climate change no longer feels like an unavoidably overwhelming force.”

(COIL: Sustainable Development Goals; October to November 2023; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

“This workshop fuelled my passion for exploring the deeper meanings behind things, paintings, in this case. Especially today, with the rise of AI-generated images and artworks, I believe it's important to reflect on why humans are drawn to art. It's not just about what's on the canvas, but how we relate our own feelings and experiences to it, often without even realizing it. Art reminds us that we're not alone in our own emotions, there's beauty to be found in every feeling, even the ugly, terrifying, or the depressing ones, since there are artworks about them too.”

(COIL: Great Paintings in Detail; March to April 2024; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; Facilitator: Ľubica Durcová)

“Talking about emotions and mental health was therapeutic. Sitting down with people, some from other countries, other cultures, to discuss our wellbeing and how we cope when the world becomes overwhelming felt really meaningful. I believe this kind of open conversation should be normalized, it shouldn’t be frowned upon to express one’s feelings.”

(COIL: Health and Wellbeing; April to May 2024; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

“This workshop felt like the peak of authenticity. We discussed acts of kindness done without expecting anything in return. In a society where almost everything is driven by profit and transactional value, this was a refreshing change. It was like taking a breath of fresh air.”

(COIL: Volunteerism; October to November 2024; Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary; Facilitator: Rita DiFiore)

 

Kristína Krčíková (a bilingual study student, IV.B class):

 

“Participating in the COIL has taught me much about the environment, protecting the environment as well as issues which I knew little about. It broadened my knowledge especially about sustainability and preservation of the environment and the effect we have on the planet as a whole. Learning about feminism was also interesting, and the way that women in our society aren't treated as equals to this day is something I myself know well. However, the women working on this project and the ones who keep pushing forward motivated me to realise my own self-worth as a person. Although I don't identify with traditional feminism, as I'm sure many women don't, I still understand the values of feminism and realise its importance, and respect those who uphold the ideals instead of twisting and bending them into something worse. Equality for people should be established without question, but we live in a world where we have to fight for those rights, whether that be for women, people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, and many more ostracised groups. Discussing with people outside of my country was pleasant and I loved getting to know their own culture through their opinion. All in all, the experience I had with COIL was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who is thinking of joining it as well.”

(COIL: Sustainable Development Goals; October to November 2023; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed / COIL: Health and Wellbeing; April to May 2024; University of Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Algeria; Facilitator: Fella Benabed)

 

Watching personally enthusiasm and involvement of all participating students during the mentioned COIL lessons; and listening to their ideas expressed with amazing maturity and insight, surely can make any teacher to feel proud of these students.

 

Also, based on the above-mentioned students´ expressed views, it is satisfying to conclude that the COIL lessons enriched and influenced the participating students. In addition, all teachers can be proud of their involvement in the project, and can use this experience as inspiration for their future lessons.

 

 Ľubica Durcová, Gymnázium Myjava