Tydzien Sześć / Week Six: Cultural (19.03.2012 – 25.03.2012)

Spring has definitely arrived in Poznan! On Wednesday, we welcomed the first day of Spring in a very unique way. Every year on the 21^st March, the Polish people signify the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring by sinking ‘Marzanna’, an old pagan custom. Children make cloth dolls called ‘Marzanna’ which were traditionally placed on large sticks, burnt and then thrown into rivers.  ‘Marzanna’ is said to represent winter, and so by burning these dolls they are destroying the dark days of Winter and welcoming the Spring spirit. Nowadays, it is not so socially acceptable to pollute the rivers with these dolls, so instead, our school simply ties the dolls to large sticks in the ground and leaves them there to burn, while chanting and singing. 

All the children and teachers dressed in bright colours and the parents sent their children to school with food which was then set up in the hall as part of a Spring festival. Needless to say, this was a very enjoyable part of their culture, particularly as the teachers were allowed to go back for seconds and thirds. While taking part in this Polish custom, I found myself comparing it with Northern Ireland and came to the conclusion that due to the amount of health and safety risks involved in making a fire in the middle of a playground, this is something that would never happen at home. Therefore, I was so glad that this happened to be one of our placement days, as it was an extremely interesting part of their culture to be able to witness.

Dressed up and ready to welcome Spring!

Speaking with members of staff gave me some insight into the views of the teachers around some of these aspects of their culture. They informed me that traditions such as these food centred events are very common, particularly in international schools, giving children a chance to sample food from other cultures, as well as creating a strong sense of school community. I am looking forward to spending time in school as we get closer to Easter. As Poland is a predominately Catholic country, I am interested to see whether the schools have any special activities planned in the build up to Easter and comparing these with what would be taking place in schools in Northern Ireland at the same time.

This weekend my parents came to visit which was lovely and allowed me to do some more touristy activities for a couple of days. After being here for six weeks I still haven’t managed to see the famous goats at the town hall. Every day at noon the two mechanical goats emerge from the top of the town hall and head butt each other twelve times, something which seems to draw in crowds of tourists. The beautiful weather meant we were also able to visit a local park and palm house, similar to the Botanic Gardens in Belfast. Having my first visitors from home made me realise how familiar I now am with Poznan, but also how I appreciate the city much more now than I had done at the start of my time here. This weekend was the first time that I was able to fully explore some local places of interest, so this is something I plan to do more of to ensure I make the most of being here. As well as exploring the local area more, we are also beginning to plan some trips away to visit other cities such as Berlin, Krakow and possibly Vienna, something I am very excited about.

Me and my mumsie

Tydzien Pięć / Week Five: Professional (12.03.2012 - 18.03.2012)

This week marked the beginning of my placement in the International School of Poznan. ISOP is one of the most diverse school environments I have ever been in and one which I think I will learn a lot from. The school is private and parents pay about £300 per month to send their child there, as well as having to pay over the school holidays to keep their child’s place. 

The school teaches through the use of ‘Units of Inquiry’. These begin based on what the children already know about a topic and build upon this, focusing on what the children specifically want to know and learn. One of their main aims is to make the children as independent as possible, something which I was able to witness from the moment I set foot in the classroom. I found this to be quite similar to the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum (CCEA, 2007:4) which aims to, ‘empower young people to develop their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives.’ My teachers (there are two in every class) explained that the children at this private school would be at a much higher level than their peers in a typical Polish public school, who would not be able to work so independently. Before it even got to break time I was shocked by the level at which the children in my class were working. The Grade 2 class (7-8 years old) have been focusing their Unit of Inquiry this term on the human body systems and to my shame I had to use the old ‘Why don’t you go and look it up?’ line a few times when asked for help. As they have reached the end of the unit, the children have been working in groups to focus on a particular body system and present this in various ways such as posters, quizzes and games. 

These were then displayed around the classroom to turn it into an exhibition and all other classes in the school were invited to come and visit the exhibition. This concept really appealed to me, and is something I would like to implement when I have my own class. I was able to see how the children engaged with the material and were keen to show off what they knew. Creating a ‘museum’ like this also enables children to fulfil many of the communication skills set out by CCEA (2007:5). 

During my first two days at school I found myself constantly making comparisons with schools in Northern Ireland, something I will no doubt continue to do during my time here. The general classroom environment seems much more relaxed, with the children calling the teachers by their first names. The students in ISOP follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme which, ‘focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the world outside.’ This programme is built upon six interdisciplinary themes, which are; Who we are, Where we are in place and time, How we express ourselves, How the world works, How we organise ourselves and Sharing the planet. All six of these themes will be covered every year, by all classes within the school.

This is quite similar to the objectives set out in the Northern Ireland Primary Curriculum (CCEA, 2007:4) which aim to help young people develop as, ‘ Individuals, Contributors to society and Contributors to the Economy and Environment’. Over the next few months I hope to deepen my understanding of the curriculum and education system used in this school, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of it. 

One of the things I found most impressive was the level at which the children could speak English. From beginning kindergarten, when the children are aged 4, all lessons are taught in English and they are discouraged from speaking in any other languages apart from during the last hour of the day where they either have Polish or English class, depending on nationality. Fortune (2008:32) discusses the benefits of such ‘immersion’ teaching, as the academic subjects are taught through the target language (English) while taking into account the language needs of the children and so the content will provide opportunities for the students to acquire the language. She notes that this is similar to how native speakers learn their first language, particularly through, ‘meaningful, significant and sustained communication with others.’ As a native English speaker, the teachers are keen for me to help with the children’s English. I look forward to this opportunity and I am sure I will learn a lot which I will be able to apply when teaching in Northern Ireland, particularly if I have pupils with English as an Additional Language. 

Reference List: 

CCEA (2007) The Northern Ireland Primary School Curriculum, Belfast: CCEA Publications.

Fortune, T. W. (2008) Pathways to multilingualism: evolving perspectives on immersion education, Clevedon: Wordworks Ltd.

International Baccalaureate Organisation, 2007  http://isop.pl/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/PYPflyerEng2011.pdf (accessed on 17th March 2012). 

Tydzien Cztery / Week Four: Personal (05.03.2012 - 11.03.2012)

This blog entry marks the end of my first month here in Poznan, causing me to begin reflecting on my views of my Erasmus experience and whether these have changed at all since arriving here.

Thinking back to arriving here on Valentine’s Day during a blizzard, Poznan seems almost like a different city now, as spring is definitely spreading its way through the city. As the weather has begun to brighten, I feel that so too have my mood and my thoughts on being here. I have started to feel more at home in the city and less like a tourist, particularly as I am getting used to finding my way away around and becoming more familiar with the trams and buses.  

My placement school 

This week we met with the Primary Years Programme (PYP) co-ordinator in our placement school, the International School of Poznan. After being shown around the school and assigned to my class (Grade 2) I am very eager and excited to begin placement. We will be in school every Wednesday and Thursday from 8am-2pm, meaning that we will have to leave our halls at 6.30am to ensure we are on time! While the early starts are certainly going to be a shock to me, I cannot wait to begin this week. The school is made up of 70% Polish children and 30% international children, with all lessons taught in English. Having never been in an international school before, I am interested to compare both the teaching strategies used and attitudes of the children with those in Northern Ireland. I am very happy to have been placed in an international school, as before coming on Erasmus I had been worried about missing school-based work and the impact it would have on me in final year. Therefore, I am very glad that I will be in a school where I will be able to teach lessons similar to those I would be teaching at home and gain more classroom experience, rather than only being able to teach English language lessons. On Sunday, a woman from church who teaches in a Polish primary school invited Anna and I come to her school. We definitely intend to take her up on the offer, as I am very interested to see what a traditional Polish school is like and how it differs from schools in the UK.

Inside the school 

On Saturday, some of us decided to try our hand at skiing, at Malta Lake. Although I wouldn’t say I’m an expert yet, I really enjoyed the experience and had a lot of fun with the other Erasmus students. Anna and I are both still in agony now, probably from a combination of falling constantly, crashing into other people, but also laughing so much!

                                                     Not doing too badly for beginners!

                                          Just when we thought we were getting the hang of it!

This weekend I met my tandem partner, Kasia, for the first time. The tandem programme pairs people up, so they can help teach each other another language. Kasia will be teaching me Polish, while I will be helping her to practise speaking English. She has definitely got the harder job! I think this is a great opportunity, particularly as all the friends I have made so far have been Erasmus students, so I am looking forward to getting to know some Polish people. For our next meeting, she has suggested we visit one of the beautiful parks in Poznan, which will be particularly nice if the weather keeps improving. 

Do Widzena, 

DarÓma. 

Tydzien Trzy / Week Three: Cultural (27.02.2012 – 04.02.2012)

As my time in Poznan continues, I am able to see how my views on the people here and their culture, are constantly changing due to the new situations I am in each week and the new people I encounter. My ‘Intercultural workshop’ class emphasised the importance of being able to make the most of my Erasmus experience. We discussed how as Erasmus students we must move out of what is comfortable to us in order to be able to fully experience other cultures and fully understand them. Nanda and Warms (2011:73) explore the idea that, ‘culture is not easy to define’ as it is, ‘so much a part of our being that it is sometimes difficult to think about.’ This class has given me a renewed enthusiasm to embrace the Polish culture but also to explore my own identity and the different layers within this.

This week I have continued with Polish language lessons, which are the bane of my life here in Poznan! I just cannot seem to grasp the complex cases, genders, word endings and spellings, never mind the pronunciation! My class consists of students from Italy, Mexico, Spain, Latvia, Austria and Nigeria. Many of these students seem to be finding the Polish language much easier to pick up than us, possibly due to the fact that they have a better understanding of languages in general, as more emphasis is placed on learning new languages in their cultures and their schools than in the United Kingdom. To further emphasise the contrast, I have been somewhat shocked by how eager people on the Erasmus programme and the university lecturers are to improve their English. The lecturers constantly tell us how nervous our presence as native English speakers makes them and ask us for help when explaining concepts. The other students are just as keen to learn from us and practise their English. I find this quite opposite to the culture in Northern Ireland, where most people don’t bother making an effort to learn a second language.

I am enjoying the diversity of the Erasmus group, as I am getting to know people from other countries and not only learn about what their culture is like, but also hear their thoughts and opinions on the culture that I am used to in Northern Ireland. One area I have found interesting and enjoyed discussing both in class and outside of it this week is the age at which children begin school. Many of my classmates seemed shocked by how young children are when they start primary school in the UK, a full three years younger than in many other countries such as Latvia. This week I was also able to learn more about the attitudes of teachers and students in countries such as Poland and Turkey. One lecturer explained that group work seldom happens in these countries due to the emphasis placed on competition. Teachers do not share their resources or help each other and students cannot work in groups as they strive towards individual success. I am interested in learning more about other cultural differences like this and focusing on them in a more professional sense.

On Sunday Anna and I attended Poznan International Church which I found to be a welcome change from the usual Erasmus style events. From first impressions, it seems to be a very multi-cultural church and I enjoyed meeting many people from America, Canada, China and South Africa. After this we visited Stary Rynek (the old square) with some Erasmus and Polish students, where we stumbled upon a market for the Poznan Kasimir Festival, which only happens once a year.  This was a lovely end to the week as we were able to experience some typical Polish folk dances as well as sample some more Polish food.

                                                           Poznan Kasimir Festival

Soaking up the culture...

Reference List:

Nanda, S. and Warms, R. (2011) Cultural Anthropology, Cengage Learning: Belmont.