Discover - Understand -Enjoy - Share
Student participants
Many students have been interested in taking part in our intercultural project. Motivation, appropriate level of English, readiness to interact in the project tasks and the form teacher's recommendation were key elements in the selection.
We have both the Estonian and the Hungarian student groups, let's start the collaboration!
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Sightseeing in Budapest
At the beginning of June, the Hungarian students who participate in the Erasmus+ project were invited to two guided tours by Sétaműhely- on the first day to Buda, on the second to Pest. The aim of the walks was to discover the secrets of Budapest, to understand the meaning of the symbols and tiny details that would have remained hidden otherwise. The students enjoyed walking among the historical buildings, recorded stories and took photos, preparing to share this knowledge with their classmates and, of course, with the Estonian students who will visit Budapest in 2022.
On the second day we started our tour with the history of Kiskörút (Small Boulevard).From there we continued to Hotel Astoria and also saw where the old walls of the city stood.We saw many old buildings and heard stories of the Orczy family, Herzl Tivadar and other famous Hungarians. We viewed some interesting sculptures, among them Kolodko Mihály's pieces. We visited two synagogues and the Basilica and found out the difference between Street Art and Graffiti. After visiting Szabadság (Freedom) square we finished our walk in front of the Postatakarékpénztár (Postal Savings Bank).
Let’s shake hands!
Thursday, 16th December was a memorable day for the two schools participating in the Erasmus program – we could meet face-to-face, even though it was an online meeting. First, all the students and teachers could introduce themselves, then, using the Mentimeter application, we could talk about what our motivations are and what we want to achieve in this project, and, finally, the participants had the opportunity to learn about the Christmas traditions in Estonia and Hungary doing two Kahoot! quizzes, created by the teachers of the two schools. It was a real fun to see each other, and an exciting experience for our students!
In an online video conference we did presentations to share information about our school and offer insight into our school life. We were really excited and happy to hear how students in Estonia and Hungary live, and how they feel about their schools. We felt a little bit embarrassed first, but because of the mutual help and kindness, we soon felt confident and less stressed. All in all, we are happy to participate in this programme. The project is really interesting and we are enthusiastic about working on it. We can’t wait to meet in person and make new friends.
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Budapest Mobility (April 4 – April 10, 2022)
April 4, Monday
”They are here! They are here!” After months of preparation the big day finally arrived! Our Estonian guests were in Budapest and our students, even those who didn’t participate in the project, were excited to meet them. There were welcoming messages at the entrance, and in the garden of the school a heart shaped flowerbed had been planted with flowers in the colours of the Estonian and Hungarian national flags. The biggest room of the school had been prepared for the welcoming party with two long tables laid for the participants and another long table at the end of the room full with of cakes and cookies brought by the students, fruit and even a chocolate fountain.
Our students had prepared a walk on the Gellért hill, the Bridge of Liberty, the Váci street and the Central Market, presenting a first insight into the beauties of Budapest.
Teleki’s students organised a welcoming party for the first day. The guests were greeted with enthusiasm, and we could start talking and making new friends. Of course, this was a challenge at the beginning for the more introverted students, but as the atmosphere was getting more and more joyful, starting conversations became easier. Besides the sweets, the guests had the opportunity to try the „lángos”, a specialty of the Hungarian cuisine. We listened to all kinds of music, some of us even sang, and we showed our guests the school’s garden with the heart shaped flowerbed. The Estonian teachers, Svetlana and Sergei gave us beautiful books about their country.
Here are some of the student’s opinions about the party:
”Really warm welcome atmosphere and feelings! Amazing.”
”I really enjoyed the program today as it made me step out of my comfort zone and because I met new, kind people.”
April 5, Tuesday
In the morning we kicked off the projectwork by presenting the plans and forming the groups of students. Each of these groups consisted of both Estonian and Hungarian students and had to prepare presentations on the similarities and differences of the two countries, including culture, traditions, arts, food, schoolwork and free time activities, as well as to present what they have discovered and learnt in Budapest by the end of the mobility week.
We also introduced our school education to the Estonians students. To learn about our school life and traditions a newly developed exciting escape game helps to guide our guests around in the building and to start conversations, compare our school lives, see similarities and differences at special spots.
Then our guests visited English, German and Maths classes, which was really exciting for everyone, not only because the Estonians could get some insight into the work in our school. By sharing our guests to different lessons many students at Teleki had the opportunity to communicate and cooperate with the project participants. They were excited and really interested in meeting foreign students.
In the afternoon with the guidance of the Hungarian students we walked on both banks of the Danube, across Margaret Bridge and around Kossuth Square, and had the opportunity to learn about the sights, listen to many stories and interesting facts related to these places. The tour of the Parliament was considered as one of the highlights of the week by the students.
The final programme of the day was also the most stirring one - we could learn traditional folk dances with the help of Barna Frecot, a student at the Hungarian Dance University.
”Again a tiring but exciting day, every minute worth it.”
”Although I’m Hungarian, I have never been to the Parliament before, so it was really exciting for me.”
April 6, Wednesday
Wednesday was the longest and one of the most spectacular days of the mobility. In the morning we went up to the Buda Castle by funicular and we visited the main sights in the Castle District- the Matthias Church, the Bécsi Gate, walked past the residences of the President and the Prime Minister, visited the Fisherman’s Bastion and the Europe Park, all sights with the guidance of the Hungarian students, as usual. The view on the River Danube from the Fisherman’s Bastion was amazing, and the Estonian students were also impressed by the beautiful hills of Buda. Then we went to the Castle itself, and visited the beautifully renovated Saint Stephen’s Hall to have a closer insight into beautiful masterpieces of craftmanship.
By Wednesday new friendships had been forged, and the local students took their new friends to a good restaurant. After lunch the groups started to prepare their presentations in teams.
The evening also had a spectacular programme in store, we focused on the art of dance again, but now not the traditional but the contemporary ways of self expression. In the framework of the Budapest Spring Festival we visited the cirque dance performance of the Recirquel company, in the Palace of Arts. ”Cirque dance is a fusion of circus and dance through merging wonderment and astonishment”, as we can read on the home page of the company, and it was an astonishing experience indeed.
”Today was the most tiring day of the week. We walked a lot, but I feel it was worth it. The hall of St. Stephen was beautiful and the performance in the afternoon was also impressive. My favourite part was the tiny little statue of the bunny:).”
”The day was amazing! I'm so glad the weather was great and it really made the city even more beautiful.”
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April 7, Thursday
In the morning the students continued their work on the project, and in the afternoon we went to the City Park. We travelled on the Millennium Underground, which is the second oldest underground in the world, after the London Underground. We looked at the statues of past kings and politicians on Heroes Square, then we went to the Vajdahunyad Castle, the different parts of which were built as copies of several important buildings of the Hungarian (art) history.
The highlight of the day was visiting the new House of the Hungarian Music, a building designed by the famous Japanese architect, Sou Fujimoto. In a highly entertaining, interactive exhibition we could learn about the musical instruments, the history of music, with emphasis on the Hungarian music and experiencing different sounds and harmonies in the Dome of Sounds.
”It was good to try such advanced and modern techniques, I enjoyed the day.”
” I really enjoyed the day, because I had good conversations.”
April 8, Friday
On Friday we had at school a Student’s Day. Our students organized funny activities for their schoolmates and the Hungarian and Estonian students took parts in these activities as a group. We also had a group of Bulgarian teachers who were in Budapest in the framework of another Erasmus project. A really multinational group of educators had the opportunity to meet and discuss the similarities and differences of the school systems in the three countries, to talk about their great Erasmus experiences and start making plans about possible future plans.
After lunch the students made their projectwork presentations, then we had the opportunity to go for a walk in the city centre, along the busy Váci street.
In the afternoon we had a farewell party at the school, with a lot of chatting, laughs and music, and, of course, plenty of food. New friendships had been made during the week, so there was a bit of sadness as well because the adventure was coming to the end…
We evaluated the Budapest mobility part of the project, and according to the feedback we were happy to see that the project helped participants to improve their foreign language skills, developed presentation and team work skills, helped to learn about the different aspects of our common European culture and offered opportunity to meet the challenges of a foreign environment and foreign language communication.
Reflecting areas to improve students feel they need to learn time management, to be more patient, and even ability to socialize is to be developed.
„I've learnt that I'm more shy and anxious than I thought, but on the other hand I've improved at working in groups”
Before leaving to get ready for the evening school party everyone got a little present to remember these days in Budapest.
” A busy day with students' school day at Teleki, then presentations, and finally celebration:).”
April 9, Saturday
This morning was dedicated to art again, as we visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. The participants took part in a guided tour, which the students found very exciting and informative. We were very lucky, because, besides the permanent exhibitions of the museum, we could also see the Hieronymus Bosch temporary exhibition, which opened right on that day and is considered one of the most comprehensive Bosch exhibitions ever.The last day offered time to pursue different interests, and spend an afternoon with new friends and discover more about the city.
”I ve never enjoyed museums as much as today. It wasn't boring, and the lady told us so many interesting things!”
”The last day was unforgettable and gave very good memories.”
April 10, Sunday
After a challenging week full of programmes the Estonian students and teachers had to return to Tallinn. But their ”farewell” at the airport involved that we are meeting soon… See you in Tallinn in September!
Erasmus+ Budapest 2022
Our adventures in Tallinn
7th September
We arrived in Tallinn on the 7th of September, after spending most of the day in airports and on planes. It was tiring but really exciting, as it was the first flying experience for a lot of participants. The view from the plane was amazing. In the evening we visited a sightseeing spot on the castle hill called Toompea and we saw the sea from afar. We saw beautiful, historical buildings and we met the Estonian students. We spent a great time together and we were really excited about the rest of the week.
8th September
Our second day was a bit tiring but it was very-very interesting and productive. The main focus of the day was on music. First, we visited the Arvo Pärt centre, where we had a guided tour around the place. It was interesting to learn about Arvo Pärt’s music, who is one of the greatest contemporary composers. While listening to his music, we had the opportunity to challenge our creativity. In the middle of the nature we designed and painted flowerpots…
Then we went up in the lookout tower- the view was amazing! Our evening program added a new genre to the list of arts: we watched the Alice in Wonderland ballet. We have never seen or read it before so we enjoyed the performance, the music, the ballett dance, the complexity of different arts very much.
9th September
Next day we had an English lesson with the Estonian students, and worked on our project together. Then we went to the sea and played some games together. In the afternoon we visited a museum, the "Fotografiska" which is a famous centre of modern art, and to be honest, it was quite special. There where a lot of works of art presented digitally, for example „The Garden of Emoji Delights”. Then, we had dinner at Telliskivi Creative City.
10th September
On Saturday we went to a huge and special place which is called Kumu, it was similar to the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. In a guided tour we learnt a lot about the history of the Estonian painting. After lunch at the museum’s café, we strolled around in a beautiful park, visited the Kadriorg Palace and a Japanese garden there. We walked to the sea again. In the afternoon we went back to the school and worked on our project and after that we headed to have dinner at Lido Solaris which was amazing.
11th September
Sunday was our fifth day in Tallinn and we started the morning with free time. Almost all of us spent the time sleeping in, because on the other mornings we had to wake up early to be on time for the programs. At 13:00 pm, we went to Nõmme adventure park, where we had a wonderful time and climbed great heights. It was exciting to leave our comfort zone and have an adrenaline boost. We had lunch at the adventure park, then soon went back to our hostel. In the evening we had some free time, so we all went out for dinner or to buy souvenirs.
12th September
On Monday we added the finishing touches to our work and presented it in groups to the other students. After lunch at the school canteen we visited the Solita IT Company and listened to a presentation about the digital transition and the digital Estonian society. We learned a lot about IT solutions, and wondered how easy it is to manage your life with the help of digital services. We also played a quiz in the end, it was a great experience and we also got some gifts from the director.
In the evening we gathered together in the school and had a farewell party. We ate dinner, listened to music and talked with each other. We really enjoyed our last evening together.
13th September
In the last morning most of us packed for the trip back to Hungary. Some of us went to buy some souvenirs to bring something back to Hungary, so that we can always recall how amazing the journey was. We closed the mobility week by giving feedback about the common work and cooperation, we had time to focus on what we have learnt about ourselves, what to keep and what to improve next time.
Then we went to the airport together and said goodbye to our Estonian friends with the hope that we will meet again soon. The flight was pretty good and it was nice to see our parents again.
All in all, we had an amazing and unforgettable time in Tallinn. We discovered its most important landmarks and, also, some of its secrets. We learned about similarities and differences, and we are convinced, the colourfulness and wide variety of means to express yourself, your feelings and thoughts make our world wonderful.
The next step is to present these dicoveries to our schoolmates, teachers and parents, to share what we have learnt by giving presentations, organising a photo exhibition, and city walks where we are guiding our groups on beautiful spots of our cities. As the project title says we are enthusiastic to share our enjoyment we have had in the project.
Juhász Renáta, Kovács Izabella, Lipovics Alexandra, Mikes Dorottya, Gréczi Viktória, Molnár-Szalai Gábor, Dósay Marcell
More insight how students remember these days...
https://www.hve.edu.ee/e/en/?page_id=1326
https://padlet.com/TallinnMobility/walks-in-tallinn-9fluxa5wbqw8h0x2
Discover - Understand - Enjoy - Share Day at Teleki
Students have learned a lot about culture, the beauties of our city, by now they understand symbols, know a lot about history, artists, and can share legends connected with different sights and spots of the city.
After preparation of long months we had the day to share our knowledge with students of our school.
Participants of the project worked as guides in Buda Castle while classes of Teleki visited different parts of this unique gem of Budapest. Members of the school student government helped in the competition, all classes had to accomplish challenges. Gamification offered a great opportunity to learn about the sights, our history, different symbols, and pieces of arts on location Buda Castle.
We had beautiful weather, everybody enjoyed the walks and the unusual way of learning. What’s more, we are encouraged to offer insight into new places!
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Erasmus Dissemination Day
We shared information and materials with representatives and form teachers of classes to put our project and future Erasmus possibilities in focus in both schools.
We asked Teleki's students for evaluation of the Discover - Understand - Enjoy - Share Project Day, and are really proud of the result. The overall rate of that day’s programme is 4,4 (max. 5).
Having the results of the class competition in Buda Castle, we announced the winners and shared certificates and some sweet surprise for the great achievement.
Sharing methods and project results
We have been sharing not only our enjoyment and events but also materials we worked on. Besides offering them on Erasmus+ Project Results and school websites, we also organised a workshop where teacher colleagues could try some of good practices in the field of digital methods, furthermore they were given insight into a collection of intercultural meetings. This collection enables them to organize cultural activities, workshops easier, it can be tailor-made according to the needs of the groups.
We could welcome teachers from Bulgaria and Greece at our school, and shared our enthusiasm about Erasmus. School Education Gateway, eTwinning also offer great support and opportunities to find partners and plan cooperations. With Erasmus+ they enable schools to develop.
Photo exhibition and competition
In April we opened a photo exhibition which displays photos made by the Erasmus project participants during their mobility week in Tallinn. With the help of the pictures students can have a closer look at beauties of Tallinn and Estonia.
It was obvious that the students paid special attention to details they met during their adventures in Estonia. Parts of modern buildings, the reflection of light and shadow on surfaces, surprizing moments of discoveries are represented in the pictures. How much were our photographers influenced by the visit in the Fotografiska Museum in Tallinn?
The photos capture moments that disappear after a while. They have the power to amplify emotions, tell stories and inspire changes. Due to their large size they affect more powerful, and offer a great chance to motivate viewers to be part of a future Erasmus+ adventure, see the world and meet interesting people.
Our school community voted for the best pictures. Congratulations to the winners!
Results of the project
There is a great number of benefits of taking part in Erasmus projects. At the end of the project we discussed and assessed what the Discover – Understand – Enjoy – Share project resulted in our communities.
Participants:
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19 students from Teleki and 14 students from MTÜ Kool 21. sajandil
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4 teachers from Teleki, 2 teachers from MTÜ Kool 21. sajandil
Special thanks to the supporting participants:
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around 40 members of the Student Government and members of class 10D in specialization Tourism at Teleki,
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school management, language teachers, art, music, and literature teachers, and last but not least secretary of Teleki and MTÜ Kool
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guides in fascinating buildings, museums, and areas of Budapest and Tallinn, Estonia
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leaders of inspiring discussions, site visits and workshops in the two cities
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Barna Frecot, student of the Hungarian Dance University
Without their support we would not have been able to focus on the project results, and our events would have been less colourful and rich.
People, involved in several activities and programs:
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547 students and 37 teachers at Teleki,
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130 students and 20 teachers at MTÜ Kool 21. sajandil
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families and friends of students
Channels we shared our enjoyment and enthusiasm on:
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teachers at 21 schools of Budapest Center of Economic Vocational Training
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visitors of project website https://www.discoverunderstandenjoyshare.com/
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visitors of school websites https://www.hve.edu.ee/e/en/ and https://telekiblankabp.hu/english/
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visitors of Padlets https://bit.ly/3JFTiM7 and https://padlet.com/TallinnMobility/walks-in-tallinn-9fluxa5wbqw8h0x2
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eTwinning
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on platforms of social media (Facebook, Instagram)
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personal meetings and leafets for primary school pupils, and their parents
Materials developed in the project:
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Introduction of schools - https://bit.ly/3r7LkoS (Canva)
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Digital escape room to get to know traditions at Teleki -https://bit.ly/44AqInH (Genial.ly)
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Discoveries in Hungary - Hungarian culture - https://bit.ly/3O0H97e (BookCreator)
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Culture of Estonia - https://bit.ly/3PJkUUO (PowerPoint)
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Book of Walks in Budapest - https://bit.ly/3rjeilw (BookCreator)
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Walks in Tallinn - https://www.hve.edu.ee/e/en/?p=1382 (PDF)
Methodology:
•Collection of activities for intercultural learning
•Walks in Buda Castle – tour guiding materials, quizzes, collection of games
•Digital apps and methods – Collection of good practices for projects
Inspiration we gained from working in the project
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wish to enlarge the international educational network
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intensive extension of participation in teacher trainings and workshops related to international educational projects
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development of further materials and learning projects
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strong support of knowledge sharing and cross-disciplinary cooperations
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decision to enhance our Erasmus+ activities
