Spanish Pangea team is very satisfied with the progress of our project. So far, we have exceeded the aims we established for this project. Firstly, our students have developed their creativity making very different activities with the three texts we have worked till now, from art crafts, comics, puppets, puzzles, T-shirts,… till homemade videos. With each new text students and teachers have a new challenge thinking in new activities to surprise us. Secondly, we have learned to use Prezi to present our works, but also another applications like “educaplay”, “Kahoot”, “gif animator”,…, so our students are improving their computer skills. Thirdly, we have created the project blog www.pangeateam.wordpress.com where each partner upload its works and dissemination of the project international meetings. Another aim was that at least one group of 30 students should read the text and work on it. In the case of our Spanish school, IES Gabriel Miró, more than a hundred students from 4 different groups till now have read and made activities with the three texts. Other objectives where to develop the skill of team-working and communication skills. From the moment we start working in a new text, we use to work in teams in our school, but it is in the international meetings where we can see that this skill has been achieved, since students work in international groups very easily when they just have known each other. They keep in contact with the new students they have known after the meetings through social networks, whatsapp, email,… Moreover all students are improving their English language skills since all texts although originally are written in the mother tongue of one of the six countries participating in the project, we work with English translations of these texts and all activities and oral presentations are made in English language. The language of the project is the English language. Finally, we are discovering new cultures through the literature. Till this moment we have known three countries and three authors, Turkey with Azin Nesin, Finland with Tove Jansson and Poland with Stanislaw Lem. Next meeting we will welcome you to Spain with Miguel Hernández.
The best way of showing the success of this project is reading some opinions of students and teachers participating in the three international meetings we have done till now:
Opinions of the Spanish participants in our first Pangea meeting in Manavgat (Turkey), from 2nd to the 5th of March 2015:
“Last year when Victoria, the Erasmus KA2 Coordinator, told me that we had got an Erasmus+ KA2 project I felt a bit nervous although very pleased with it. I was extremely happy because this project was going to give me the chance of meeting people from different countries and their culture through their literature. At this moment we started to work. We spread the project in our school and we got a fabulous teachers and students whom wanted to participate in the project. So, everybody started to work with the first text “Beauty and Truth”. The students prepared a lot of different activities like kamishibais, comics, finger puppets, a giant picture book, online games, a video telling the wonderful story and so on. When March 2015 was coming we were getting nervous because our first meeting was approaching. We prepared our suitcase full of dreams and happiness towards Turkey. In Manavgat, we were gently welcomed by the Turkish team, they were excellent hosts. We worked in the project and we also had time to visit some amazing places like Manavgat, Side, the Waterfalls, Antalya, etc. We spent a great time with our partners and the experience was marvelous. Nowadays we are preparing the fourth meeting which will be in Spain and I am highly eager to see our partners again” (Toñi Vera, teacher)
“Last March 2015 I visited Turkey thanks to participate in this project. It has been a nice experience where I have learnt more about our partner cultures. I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people from different countries. Thank you to this trip I have improved my English and I have lived one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. It has been a rewarding experience. Besides, I think Turkey is an interesting and beautiful country that everybody should visit”. (Carmen Marco, student)
In March 2015, we attended to the first Pangea meeting in Turkey. I knew students from others countries such as Poland, Finland, Hungary and Turkey. We found out a lot of things about everyone. We only stayed four days there in which we did a lot of different activities with the text. In addition, Turkish students took us to incredible interesting places. It has been an excellent experience which I would totally like to repeat. It has been awesome to participate in the Pangea project.” (Carla Pedrera, student)
Opinions of Spanish participants in the second Pangea meeting in Pori (Finlandia) from 27th to 30th April 2015:
Opinions from other students that have worked with the three texts in our school, but they have not had the chance to attend to any Pangea international meetings:
“The opportunity to participate in Pangea Project has been a great experience. Thanks to this, I was able to learn more about participating countries. Also I could practice my English doing different activities and preparing my works.”(Mª José Ferrández, student)
As the Spanish coordinator of this project I want to thank and congratulate to all Spanish teachers and students for the good job they have done till now, and also to the coordinators of the countries we have already visited for their hospitality and the success of every meeting they have organized. (Victoria Hernández, Spanish Pangea coordinator)
“This meeting was a niceful experience for me and my partners. We had an oportunity for meeting amazing people of other countries and cultures. We met very nice people and we visited a lot of historic places of Finland. It was an amazing and exciting travel. I enjoyed every second of my visit of that exciting meeting.”(David Bernal, student)
“My participation in the Pangea Project was a huge unforgettable experience in my life. I learned a lot of life, I could observe and live in another culture, the Finnish, and know many other cultures from other countries (Hungary, Turkey, Poland). In this adventure I’ve made great friends. I have improved my English a lot. In addition, this experience has given me lots of energy and enthusiasm to travel all over the world. It was a fantastic experience.” (Belén López, student).
“It has been a great experience to meet this group of amazing people in Poland. I wished it has never ended, but it ended. I hope to visit Poland again. We were shocked with the architecture, glad of their friendliness and really thankful to their hospitality. We hope to see you again soon!” (Trino Martínez, student)
“To have participated in the third Pangea meeting held in PrzemyÅl (Poland) has been an important experience to me, from both, the cultural and the personal aspects. Apart from the different cultural activities we have been through, all of them really interesting (Wieliczka salt mine, Stanislaw Lem’s Garden, PrzemyÅl museums…) to have had the opportunity to meet and share experiences with the Pangea team from the other countries has been highly satisfactory and rewarding. I liked a lot the visit to the Polish school Gimnazjum Nr 5, such a nice, friendly and well organized place. The farewell dinner exceeded my expectations, with the Polish presentations, the atmosphere during dinner and the many souvenirs we received. PrzemyÅl also was a surprise to me, I did not imagine the beautiful city that really is. Now, of course, I’m looking forward to meeting the team again next March here, in Orihuela.” (Angeles Plana, teacher)
“Before the trip I was a little frightened and nervous because I had never made an exchange but after the meeting I can say ‘It’s incredible’. I think this project is a really good idea because we are from different countries and it’s interesting to know about the traditions of other regions and also to improve our English. All the things that we did, all the people I met and all the places we visited were fantastic. krakow is a beautiful city and PrzemyÅl is like villages that appear in films, with all the trees, the river through the city, the cathedrals and churches…I really enjoyed when we visited the salt mine, the Stanislaw science park, when we went to Ukraine and the last dinner in the castle. I spent a good week surrounded by awesome people. People in Pangea project is so polite, cute and nice and everybody behaved so good with me. In fact, I think I am so lucky for this experience. Thanks everybody in this project and I hope see you soon! My partners and I are waiting for you in March!” (Cristina Almagro, student)
“All the activities we have done have been very funny and they have helped to know the culture of each country a little. All the texts we have worked have been very interesting. The Turkish test is really beautiful. We loved to know that history. The Finnish text is really funny and we met typical characters of this country. To end, the Polish text is very creative and we helped to strengthening how will be the future.”(Goizane López, student)