Intercultural Project Student Teacher Feedback by tecnoteach

PGDE P 2019 Karen

sharon_tonner2 — 2019-06-14 11:39:42 UTC

PGDE P 2019 Eleanor

sharon_tonner2 — 2019-06-14 12:35:43 UTC

PGDE P Carla 2019

sharon_tonner2 — 2019-06-14 12:35:57 UTC

Sam - PGDE Primary 2019

samantha_v_bell — 2019-06-14 13:12:49 UTC

I have found the webinars during the course of this year valuable as they have given me a better insight into how etwinning projects can benefit children within classrooms from around the world. As part of these webinars I have learned from the variety of experienced teachers and educators which have shown broad outlook of approaches to learning including ASN, Outdoor Education and Play based learning. I will take these experiences with me into my probation year and look to develop my understanding further by connecting with these educators through ewtinning, by using apps suggested during webinars and facebook pages which give specific teaching ideas. I enjoyed taking part in the HOTW video with my peers, a very special moment when the video was released.
Although I have not engaged with Makaton training opportunities this year, I have noticed within schools a focus on this form of communication, specifically for children with ASN. As a result of the fast pace of the PGDE course I think some time should be allocated towards this training within lectures. Certainly the opportunities to develop ASN understanding would be beneficial for future cohorts within the PGDE.
I would like to thank Sharon for providing such varied and interesting learning experiences and connecting me to a wider community of like minded teachers.

PGDE P Stephanie 2019

sfmachoward — 2019-06-15 06:34:05 UTC

The flexibility for viewing the webinars has been invaluable and allowed me to ‘catch up’ or go over points of interest. I have thoroughly enjoyed the range of projects on offer and though I was only an observer this year, I would like to dip my toe in next school year. I would also be very keen for NQTs to still be able to access the webinars.It is obvious that a lot of hard work goes into etwinning, from everyone involved so a big thank you for allowing us to be a part of your community. A special thanks to Sharon for the projects she has orchestrated and for all the time she has put in to make the webinars happen and be available.

Rebecca - PGDE 2019

2019-06-15 20:32:07 UTC

The webinars have been extremely beneficial and have covered a range of topics that many student teachers have questions about. I learnt a lot from the webinars and I was able to use some of the suggested tips in the classroom and will continue to use what I have learned going forward into my NQT year. I was only an observer this year but I hope to engage more with the HOTW projects going into next year. I would highly recommend doing the webinars next year and I think it would also be beneficial for probationers too. The use of Makaton was very helpful as gave me an insight into how it is used and how it can help so many children communicate. The discussion around EAL was extremely useful for me as it gave me some pointers on what I could do in my practice to support pupils with EAL.
Thank you Sharon for providing us with varied and interesting learning experiences to help us inform our practice and as teachers.

Ailie, PGDE P, 2019

ailiebis — 2019-06-20 17:34:57 UTC

I had full intentions of joining in with the webinars and projects however the workload of the course prevented me from doing this to the extent I wished. With this in mind, the flexibility of the project and the expectations of my involvement were invaluable as I was, and am, able to catch up with webinars as my own learning has progressed. In specific regards to the HOTW and Makaton aspect, I have taken part in the videos and this has allowed me to develop my Makaton alongside boosting my mental health. I have also seen very clearly how, with the pupils, we can extend our classroom beyond the 4 walls and explore other cultures in a fun and innovative way as well as sharing our knowledge about our own country. Penpals seem to be a thing of the past but this project gives a similar experience in a safe and controlled manner.
I am a returning student and hope to be involved in the project again and would love to do this with my own class when I reach my NQT year. I am looking at a way to do something similar in my scout group. The work that has gone in to running the project is phenomenal and I cannot imagine a better way to learn about the culture of other children in the world and to learn about our own culture. Thank you to all who made it happen.

Neil PGDE 2019

2019-06-20 22:06:41 UTC

I found the webinars useful and especially liked the flexibility around them. Being able to view them in your own time was good for me as I was able to fit them in around the bubba and my p/t job.
I like listening / watching the videos from other teachers who have put ideas into practice and the fact they are willing to share their learning experience is invaluable.
I liked that you can choose which Weimar's you want to watch with no pressure. If you are too busy or maybe don't have an interest in a certain topic then there was no pressure placed on you to participate. You simple sign up to the topic of choice that you have an interest in learning about, outdoor learning and play based learning for example.
I appreciate the time put in by Sharon and recommend to others to get involved.

Holly PGDE P, 2019

2019-06-21 09:26:48 UTC

The variety of the projects we have been offered access to this year has been amazing, and it has been great to be able to observe from the sidelines too if, like me, you found the time pressures of the course a lot to manage. Being able to view the webinars at a later date/time was certainly a big help. I have learned a lot from the aspects of the intercultural project which I have engaged with, which I really hope to be able to use in my career. It is great to be able to learn from other teachers' experiences and ideas. Huge thanks to Sharon for the tremendous amount of work which goes into organising all these opportunities for us, and to all the others involved.

Jacqui - PGDE Primary 2019

2019-06-21 15:29:43 UTC

I have enjoyed being part of the etwinning projects. I used the getting to know you lesson that Sharon gave us on all of my placements and the children all enjoyed engaging with the different aspects of the lesson. I was unfortunately not able to join in with as many of the webinars as I had hoped however the subjects that were touched on were all valuable resources for our teaching practice and future probation. The webinars are definitely an excellent idea and would be beneficial to the future probationer teachers as they embark on their teaching career. Being given the opportunity to develop my use of Makaton through song was an enjoyable experience and I really appreciated being given this opportunity through my post grad and look forward to being part of the project with my own class. Thank you to Sharon for all the time and effort she put in to these projects and in getting everyone involved.

Megan PGDE Primary 2019

meganloudon5 — 2019-06-21 18:48:08 UTC

I have enjoyed participating in and observing the projects that etwinning have offered over the past 9 months. I enjoyed the Music and Makaton workshops which I found so valuable in learning about an inclusive way to teach. After each workshop I would go home and practise the songs and signs with my children who were enthisastic to learn new signs in a fun way.
The webinars that have been offered have been invaluable and flexible; as I have been able to watch them at a later date if I could not attend on the date they were occurring. They have proven to be a great resource for our teaching practice and ideas that we can take with us into our NQT year and beyond. Thank you Sharon for all the hard work and effort you have put in to organise all these projects and to any others involved. I would definitely recommend that these are made accessible next year for future students and for everyone to take part; how much or little they are able to. Great experience!!

Jessica PGDE 2019

2019-06-21 19:13:31 UTC

I have thoroughly enjoyed observing the projects in which the etwinning has offered over the last year. It has really broadened my opinions and views on teaching practices and pedagogies in other countries. This is something which really interests me and I believe it will benefit me in the future. Many approaches and practices I feel are very suitable for the Scottish classroom and I hope to try these out. I found it very beneficial to be able to watch the webinars at a later date and it allowed me to watch it in more detail and rewatch areas which I needed to concentrate more on. Being able to watch these webinars at home took off a lot of pressure and allowed me to watch it in my own time at my own speed. I look forward to including some of the approaches and practices discussed at further placements and throughout my teaching career.

Micha PGDE 2019

michaklos12 — 2019-06-21 21:11:35 UTC

I have really enjoyed the webinars and learning about all the different topics. It is interesting listening to all of the different approaches and ideas for the classroom in different ways. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to learn in the comfort of my own home and have the flexibility to watch them whenever I want - which is important for me. It has been beneficial to be able to watch them at a later date as well if you are unable to watch the live webinar. I am excited to include some of the ideas and approaches used in my final placement and throughout the rest of my career. Hopefully, I can be involved in future projects as well!! Fantastic!

Jen PGDE (Primary) 2019

jenkennedy80 — 2019-06-21 22:03:58 UTC

The webinars have been a great resource to help aid my practice and the accessibility of them has been great - being able to view them when I choose. I wasn't able to participate with the makaton but I have been following it closely and feel I have learnt a lot. That's the beauty of this set-up, even if you can't participate fully you can still gain from being part of the community.
I wonder if a podcast style presentation from different practitioners sharing their methods would be possible? That way we could listen while on the go.

Anne PGDE Primary 2019

2019-06-22 08:40:59 UTC

I have really enjoyed taking part in the webinars. It was great that I was able to do it from home, which meant I was able to fit them in during busy periods. It was also great being able to access the recordings of the webinars if I wasn't able to take part at the time. I have learned a lot of valuable information from them and watching the projects and they will definitely help me when I have my own class. It was also great to connect with teachers from around the world in the webinars. It just goes to show how like minded all teachers are in terms of their practice, no matter where they are in the world. I am looking forward to being involved in any future projects.

Susan PGDE (Primary) 2019

2019-06-22 10:34:01 UTC

I found the webinars very informative and will use what I have learned to enhance my practice. I particularly liked the flexibility of accessing them at a time that was suitable for me. Taking part in the webinars was beneficial for my IT confidence.
The makaton that you organised was excellent - it was lots of fun and I learnt so much from it! After each session I would go home and practise the songs and signs in front of the mirror.
Thank you for all of your efforts Sharon, I hope that I can be involved with your future projects.

Fraya Thomsen PGDE (Primary) 2019

2019-06-23 21:20:35 UTC

The webinars have offered me a chance to feel connected to a wide community of primary teachers. For me, the opportunity to draw on the enthusiasm of teachers who are currently practicing professionals is invaluable because it has given me hope that there is a future where I will be able to go the extra mile for my pupils in terms of looking for new ideas and making new connections for them. The PGDE has been intense in terms of work load, so it is refreshing and encouraging to be invited to be a part of this intercultural community online, who are enjoying time to continually develop their professional practice. I hope to continue to engage with these projects. Many thanks to all involved.

Chloe 2019

chloegee22 — 2019-06-24 19:57:39 UTC

I have really enjoyed the webinars and they have definitely enhanced my knowledge and understanding of the topics at hand. It was great to hear about practice that is happening within schools and to think yes, I would use that or actually i could use and adapt that. It was also fascinating to share practice from other countries and build on good examples here. I really enjoyed the accessibility of the webinars, it was great to tune in at home and to be able to listen in whilst juggling the busy workload that we all have over placement and now beyond. I look forward to hopefully working with you again in the future!

Gabriele PGDE Primary 2019

2019-06-25 17:08:36 UTC

I remember the day when Sharon showed us the video of the project with children from various countries around the world singing 'A million dreams' in the Makaton language. For me, this represents the beauty and power of intercultural projects, bringing teachers and students together through two 'universal' languages - creative expression and Makaton. This is an inspiration and a vision for the future - to help our pupils see, and remind ourselves, that we are part of a great, global community where we can learn from each other. The music and Makaton workshops were my moment of relaxation during the constant rush of moving from one class to the next everyday at University. Thank you for giving me the space to clear my head and be with my peers to enjoy learning about a wonderful way to communicate. Thank you Sharon for all the fantastic projects you have offered us and being able to take part with my peers. I would be delighted to have the opportunity to continue to take part in in your projects in the future! Best regards from Italy

Nicola PGDE 2019

2019-06-25 21:56:50 UTC

I have gained some valuable knowledge and experience through watching the webinars Sharon has arranged and although I was not able to join too many of the webinars live, I went back to view most of them at a time that suited me and I found them very helpful, the outdoor learning one in particular. I also could not say enough good things about the makaton training session where I learnt many basic signs and would highly recommend it to anyone

Nabila - 2019

2019-06-26 10:13:20 UTC

I have found Sharon’s webinars very engaging and brought a lot of relevance into my first placement at university. They have greatly increased my knowledge of children and how to create fun and engaging lessons for them to learn in a safe environment. The maketon video of a million dreams which we also took part in, to create a worldwide video was also a very exciting experience to take part in and be able to see all the children from around the world (even some who don’t speak English) take part in a project which was fun for all! Thank you Sharon for all your hard work! I would definitely recommend other students in future years to take part in these experiences, as there is a lot to learn and great knowledge to be gained! I look forward to being part of the project with my class.

Nikki, PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-11 11:45:28 UTC

Being part of the HOTW project has developed my knowledge and understanding of how to incorporate intercultural learning into my practice. Before, I was not sure how to tackle social justice, inclusion, diversity, however, the project has given me so many different ideas of how to do this with my own class and even better, how to connect my class with school around the world. In my first placement I was not ready to be part of the project due to having so much to learn and do, that it felt overwhelming to think about being part of the project. When lockdown was announced and I could no longer complete a placement, HOTW was a saviour in that it allowed me to feel like I was on placement where I could take part in activities with schools around the world. I was then able to continue developing my practice in a real learning experience rather than creating lessons for pretend classes. I found this much more valuable due to it being real. I really enjoyed being a valuable member of the project where the teachers made me feel like a teacher rather than a student. The webinars provided excellent information about how to create intercultural activities with other schools using a wide range of technologies that I had never heard of before. Teachers were always willing to share ideas and answer questions on the Facebook group which was very helpful. Due to lockdown, I was now having a live presence at webinars and in the project rather than simply watching from the side-lines, as I did whilst attending University inputs and placement where time was limited. Lockdown has many positives that need to be shared and for me, I do believe that my pedagogical knowledge of digital tools has grown greatly due to having the time and motivation to embrace all learning opportunities that came my way in the project. Would I have been able to do this if I was travelling for 90 minutes each way to university each day, I do not think so, therefore, thanks to lockdown, time was gifted to me.

Peter, PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-11 12:16:50 UTC

The postcard activity seemed a little confusing at first due to the many steps, however, once I went through each step and saw what other schools were doing, I was able to participate with my placement class. They loved using all the different technologies and connecting with other schools around the world. We even managed to connect online with one of the classes which was a first for them as it was before lockdown when Zoom was not the fashion! After some technical hitches, I managed to work out how to connect the pupils to which my class teacher was highly impressed. This made me feel confident and feel like I was contributing rather than just learning all the time. The Facebook group was very supportive, and I also felt like a teacher here where I could make contributions. It is amazing what you can learn from just reading other teachers' posts! Once I managed to take the plunge and place a comment on the page, there was no stopping me. I feel much more knowledgeable about implementing intercultural learning into my future practice. I am glad I managed to be part of the project with my placement class to allow me to experience the project from a teacher's perspective. Due to this, during lockdown, my wife and I tried all activities that were shared as we both enjoyed learning together and thinking how we could plan and manage the lesson with her class, since I did not have one due to COVID-19. One other thing, the webinars were excellent. Initially I watched the recordings due to not being able to attend the live ones whilst at University as I was working. During lockdown I attended all live webinars and found this much more valuable as I was able to ask questions and felt like I was with other people rather than being alone watching a recording. I am looking forward to creating an intercultural classroom with my first class, whether they are at school or in lockdown as the project has shown that learning keeps going through the use of collaborative online tools and engaging activities.

Dianne, PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-11 16:43:45 UTC

Initially I did not join the HOTW project due to having too much on my plate at University, however, during lockdown when one of the webinars was about online learning, I decided to watch as I wanted to know how other teachers were using technology. Due to being in lockdown, I had a lot of time on my hands as I no longer had to travel 3 hours to and from university, I therefore watched the other webinars to learn more from the teachers around the world. I now feel more knowledgeable about social justice and inclusion due to teachers sharing all the amazing activities they do with their children and other children around the world. Hearing about all the activities in the HOTW project was inspiring and I look forward to being part of the project when I have my own class. Although I did not participate in the project online, I did try out many activities to help prepare me for my own classroom.

Gillian

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-11 16:50:57 UTC

HOTW project provided me with many ideas of how to create an inclusive learning environment and breakdown the barriers of the classroom walls to connect my pupils with those around the world. I was able to work with one of the schools involved in the project during lockdown. This was a valuable learning experience as I was able to work with the class teacher to plan a lesson that focused on identities and cultures using technology that she knew the children would be able to use at home. Being given the experience to teach her class, without the pressure of it being an assessed lesson, took a huge amount of pressure from me. I also learnt a great deal from being part of the HOTW facebook group where I learnt a great deal from reading teachers' posts as it was like listening to the rich informal conversations in the staffroom where so much can be learnt. I am now looking forward to having my own class and connecting them with the teacher I had the chance to work with. The Thank you Sharon.

Sarah PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 10:56:46 UTC

I initially joined the project as I was interested in intercultural learning and how to embed intercultural learning in the classroom. Although I did not contribute to any of the activities on the project's eTwinning space, I did try many of the activities with my younger brother who is in primary school. Due to lockdown, I had to home school and I involved him in the various activities which he was enthusiastic to try as he found them different and good fun. Due to this, he was the one who kept asking me if the next activity had been released. Seeing his enthusiasm gave me a small insight into how a child in my class might react to the activities, which motivated me to want to learn with him. Whilst at University I would have simply had a quick look at what was happening in the project, however, due to having time with my brother and his wish to try things out with me, I found that I was much more active which made my learning about intercultural learning more real and relevant.

Louise PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 11:07:05 UTC

Great project to take part in to learn about how to connect children with their global peers and learn about diversity, inclusion and identities. I learnt so much from the other teachers in the project who were always willing to share what they were doing, how they did it and why they did it. I never felt like a student teacher in the FB community due to everyone working together where everyone's voices were heard and valued. Due to the teachers being approachable and helpful, I took up the opportunity to work with a school to teach the children some English through using Makaton and a simple nursery rhyme. This was the first time that I had every taught online, however, the class teacher met with me beforehand and went through the technology that I could use. We then had a test run where I could go through the lesson with her and make sure the technology was working before I met her class. Due to this, I was able to focus on the lesson rather than the technology, which was my main fear. I came away from the lesson feeling more confident that I could teach online if I have to due to being in lockdown, however, so that I can to enable my class to work with other children who are in a different location from my classroom.

Niamh PGDe 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 11:31:42 UTC

The HOTW project gave me lots of ideas of how to create intercultural lessons and connect pupils with others around the world for when I become a teacher. There is so much to learn in one year at University to prepare for being a teacher making it difficult to decide what to focus extra time on that I found it difficult to engage with the project whilst I was at University. During lockdown this changed as I had lots of time that I was able to attend the webinars. I found them very helpful as each teacher only spoke for ten minutes which was enough to just tune in to then go and look at the tools they suggested and take note of how they used them. This was really helpful as during lockdown I had young family at home and it was much easier to do lots of small learning activities rather than having to devote hours or having to tune back in to what I was originally watching. What I liked about the webinars with Sharon and the teachers were that they felt very informal due to listening to real teachers who did not use lots of academic jargon. Instead they simple explained things like a real person, if you know what I mean... what I liked about being part of the project was that I could also participate in the activities rather than just watch what was happening. This motivated me during lockdown to try activities with my own children and share them online with the HOTW community. This made the learning for me and my children real rather than trying something out that had been suggested or something I had read. I now look forward to having my own class and being part of the project so that children can learn about their global peers and share their identities with others.

Steph: PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 11:39:58 UTC

Thank you very much for this amazing project. What fun I have had being part of the project. At times I felt like one of the pupils in the project when I took part in activities which they were doing. This allowed me to experience what it was like from a child's perspective. Then I felt like a student teacher as I watched webinars, asked questions, read posts in the FB group where it was like sitting in the staff room listening to teachers talk about teaching. Then I had the chance to teach a class a lesson online during lockdown. At the time my placement had been cancelled and I wanted my placement class to be part of the project. When the opportunity was posted to be able to work with a teacher and her class and teach the class an activity, I was very excited as now I could experience lockdown teaching. I would not have been able to do this without the guidance and support I was given from my HOTW teacher and University. This experience has stuck with me as being one of the most valuable learning ones I had during lockdown and has made me determined to be part of this project with my class so that we can work collaborative with others in exciting ways.

Lisa, PGDE, 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 11:53:25 UTC

I joined the HOTW project to learn about how to use technology to connect pupils with others. Originally, I just want to watch and not take part due to not feeling confident and not having a lot of time due to the amount of uni work I had to do. Due to being stuck at home during lockdown, I gave myself a goal to try something new each day and found that the HOTW project perfect as it gave me lots of short activities to try to develop my understanding of intercultural learning and develop my ICT skills. When I was not sure about how to do something the FB group helped as I was able to post questions for help and immediately teachers in the project or student teachers would respond to give advice. Knowing I had experts to help me and provide positive feedback on what I tried, this motivated me to try all the activities. Each Monday I would look forward to finding out what the next task was, which was very exciting. I hope that when I start teaching my class are as excited as I am about being part of the project. I also found the webinars very helpful in that they had lots of presenters who only spoke for ten minutes. This kept me focussed due to everyone getting to the point. My favourite moment in the project was when the Million Dreams video was released and I was part of this. I was so proud I shared it with everyone I knew. What an amazing experience and I can’t wait to have my own class so that we can be part of the project together.

Mark PGDE 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 12:02:34 UTC

I enjoyed taking part in the project and watching how the teachers worked together to create lessons for pupils using technology. This project gave me lots of ideas of how to embed ICT into my teaching and create intercultural lessons through the project activities, the webinars and following the conversations that the teachers posted on FB. The FB group was really helpful as I learnt a lot about what to do and not to do by following the posts where teachers discussed what went wrong and gave advice how to solve technical problems. During lockdown at the beginning, I found this very interesting as the teachers were all looking for ways to work online, using some of the tools for the project and wanting to know other ways that I felt I learnt as much from the FB group as I did from the webinars. One of the key things I took from the project, was the creative use of ICT and allowing children to connect with one another in many different ways. I certainly will be looking forward to creating collaborative videos with my class and pupils around the world when I get my own class.

Amy, PGDE, 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-03-15 16:51:27 UTC

I am glad that I took part in the HOTW project as it enabled me to be able to work with teachers and children in schools around the world in a real project rather than a pretend one. In my first placement I took part in the postcard project where I was able to develop my knowledge of using technology to connect children together in an innovative way. I wanted to take try this again in my next placement, however, this was not possible due to lockdown. Due to my mentor from my first placement still wanting to take part in HOTW, and seeing me as the person who knew what to do, I worked with my first placement school and teacher to participate in the activities online. When each activity was released, I then created an online lesson for this class and shared it with my teacher who then shared it with her class. Children then tried out the activities at home which was lovely to see their contributions online. During lockdown, I managed to organise an online meeting with one the schools that we sent postcards to and it was wonderful seeing the children from my first placement communicate with pupils in Greece. An amazing experience that has left a huge impact on my desire to want to create inclusive learning environments that connect children with others around the world. The webinars were also very valuable in teaching me many activities and online tools that can be used for intercultural learning. Although I attended the live webinars, I have revisited them to watch specific parts and try out what the teacher has suggested, some thing I could not have done if I attended a lecture. As for the FB group, this is the first professional teaching FB group that I have joined and it has shown me that FB is not all about random pointless posts, instead, it is a place to learn from others. I can’t wait to have my own class and start my intercultural journey in the next HOTW project.

Hope, PGDE, 2020

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-04-29 11:21:45 UTC

I am glad that I took part in the HOTW project as it enabled me to be able to work with teachers and children in schools around the world in a real project rather than a pretend one.
I really like the idea of using QR codes to create inclusive learning environments where I can differentiate my lessons through the interactive or multimedia resources that I use.
Due to lockdown, I had more time on my hands therefore I tried out all the challenges at home with my children. This I would not have been able to do if I were at university each day then doing all the parenting things that need done. Again, due to having so much more time, I was able to attend the live webinars and take part in discussions on the FB group. This was very valuable as it made me feel part of a learning community where everyone was passionate about connecting their children with others around the world through the exciting HOTW activities. Due to this valuable learning experience, I am now feel confident to have my voice heard in online communities where teachers are involved as before I saw them as the experts and that what I might say would not be valued. I am now excited about starting my first year of teaching where I can take all these wonderful idea and use them with my class. Very excited about having my own class to participate in the project due to having seen how motivated and engaged other pupils were.

Olivia PGDE Primary 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-11 20:27:49 UTC

I learnt a great deal about intercultural education in the HOTW project. The webinars were very informative due to teachers from around the world who were part of the project sharing their ideas and experiences. I found them very interesting as the teachers talked about real projects or activities rather than speaking about what can be done. Due to the webinars running in the evenings, this worked out perfect for me as my children had finished their home schooling for the day during lockdown and my husband was then able to take over and I had time to focus on my learning. I found the activities in the project easy to do with my children at home and it was good to see their enthusiasm when they were taking part and wanting to watch what other children had posted. Seeing this enthusiasm from my children who were not enjoying home learning enabled me to see the huge potential intercultural learning has to motivate children. I am now on placement and have introduced my class to HOTW and we have tried out some of the activities. The children want to learn more about the different cultures and try out different languages and learn Makaton. I would never had thought of introducing intercultural learning to a class if it had not been for HOTW. Looking forward to having my own class where intercultural learning will be embedded in my practice rather than a one-off lesson due to creating an inclusive classroom that promotes diversity and inclusion.

Dawn PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-11 20:44:26 UTC

I had the opportunity to teach children in a school in Greece about Scotland. This experience would not have been possibly without the support and advice given from Sharon and the Georgia in Greece as I did not have the knowledge of confidence to do this by myself. I would never have known where to find a school or what to do. Through Sharon's enthusiasm to take part, I volunteered to teach a class online. I was initially anxious about this as I had not had any teaching experience in a class and I did not feel confident in using technology for teaching. What if technology went wrong? What would I do? Would I look silly in front of the children? Thankfully I was allowed to meet with Georgia a few times to get to know her, find out what lesson she would like me to teach her class and for her to show me what technology would be used. This meant that I did not need to find a technology and hope her class could use it. It also meant that if anything went wrong Georgia would know what to do as she used the technology with her class all the time. With these fears aside I was able to go online and teach Georgia's class. I then returned before Christmas to teach a lesson about Christmas in Scotland and involved my own children. Whilst on placement I asked Georgia if my placement class could meet her class to compare hobbies. This was an amazing lesson as the children were enthusiastic about preparing their questions and finding out about Greece due to getting to meet a 'real' Greek class. Afterwards, the children wanted to learn more but not through searching online, instead by meeting their special friends online. We ended up having a meeting once a week during placement and the children were always excited. I am now in my final placement and my class also meet with Georgia's class, however, this time we learn words in Greek using music and Makaton. I would say that these experiences have given me a real sense of what intercultural education is due to being able to do it.

Jane PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-12 11:51:06 UTC

Thank goodness for the weekly HOTW Monday Music and Makaton sessions. They were a lifesaver for me as they allowed me to meet a group of peers and teachers online in an informal way to have a fun time to learn how to sign through music. They gave me an escape from a whole day of online learning where you are mainly listening or reading to a whole hour or more of being active. I wish lectures had been like this during the day as it would have made them less tiring. I struggled with learning online where I felt I did not really get to know people, however, this group and community kept me sane due to feeling part of a community rather than one of the students from the many on the course. I found the webinars very helpful as they gave me so many ideas to use in practice. What excellent CPD. Will I still be able to attend these when I am a teacher? At the start of the course when the project was introduced, I was not able to participate in activities due to trying to keep up with all my course work and prepare for placement. It was only when we were introduced to the project again at the ICT Elective and we were connected to one of the project's schools so that we could develop our online teaching skills that I became hooked on the project as it was exciting going online to meet a teacher and her class from Croatia. The teacher's enthusiasm and support were infectious that I managed to conenct with her class during my fianl placement to sign a song together and hear the song in a different language. The children in my class loved this experience that we then had to meet once a week for a weekly Makaton song.

Amy PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-12 11:56:25 UTC

HOTW opened up my eyes to a completely different way of learning, specifically breaking down the barriers of the classroom walls and letting the children share who they are with the world and the world to share with them. I used many of the simple activities, for example the Hello Song, Christmas Song, Nursery Rhymes, whilst on Early Years placement where the children were very enthusiastic about learning how to sign the words. We did not share the videos on the project page due to permissions, however, the children would ask each day if they could hear a different country sing the song they had just learnt and the children would try the different language. This experience has stuck with me as the interest to learn about others came from the children resulting in very rich learning due to the questions they asked about the different countries. More importantly was that they were developing an appreciation of diversity where it is good to be different. One child in the class came from Poland and did not speak Polish when at school since no one understood here. This child was so happy to hear a Polish school sing songs in her language that she became the teacher in the classroom teaching others the song in her language. It was then wonderful to hear children say to her 'how do you say XXX in your language?'. As a teacher, this was a wonderful moment to see a child become included and respected for who they are rather than having to be someone else. Having been introduced to Makaton in such a creative way, I no longer see signing as a tool to be used for someone who can't hear, instead, I now see it as a way to enhance communication for all through clear gesture. Also, to use to learn a new language and allow people to speak their own languages using Makaton has made me think about my practice with regards to always expecting everyone to speak English. The webinars were also very helpful in learning how to bring intercultural learning into my classroom as experienced teachers gave so many good ideas and were very enthusiastic about what they were doing that it made me want to have a classroom like theirs where learning was real and natural rather than making up a contrived lesson to learn about another culture. I would highly recommend keeping evening webinars and the recordings as it allows us to still learn during placement and stay part of the community rather than disappear for a few weeks due to not being able to be online.

Beth PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-12 13:11:46 UTC

I valued teachers sharing ideas from around the world and the fact that i can choose which webinar I wanted to watch rather than have to watch them all. I watched the webinar on social justice to prepare me for placement and find lots of ideas to get to know the children and for them to share who they were with me.

I had various technical issues when the university were using Blackboard in that I would get kicked out or my camera would not work. This did not happen during the project due to Teams or Zoom being used where I never had any technical issues. I think if the project had been run through Blackboard I would have given up as it is frustrating and difficult to learn when technology does not play ball.

Scott PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-05-12 16:38:04 UTC

Learning from other teachers Learning Makaton and using in school to create inclusive learning. I had a class with many EAL children in my class. There were six different languages. We used the HOTW activities to create inclusive lessons where the children were all accepted and their identities appreciated by all in the class.

Thank goodness a lot of the project took part in the evenings as it was impossible to take part during lockdown when my two children were at home where I had to help them with home-schooling.

David PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 13:58:55 UTC

I was not able to take part in some aspects of the project during lockdown due to having five members of the family at home (wife working and three children home schooling). We just did not have enough broadband speed to allow us all to be online at the same time, therefore, we had a schedule where we worked out who could be live online at specific times. Once my children went back to school. I was then able to patriciate in the project.

Jo PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:01:26 UTC

What I liked about the project was the flexibility as it was difficult at times when the online learning took up your whole day. Due to being able to choose what parts of the project I wanted to participate in took the pressure of me and enabled me to take part.

Kim PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:03:18 UTC

It was hard to participate in the project during lockdown when my children were learning from home and I had lots of online university work. I therefore was only able to participate during the ICT Elective due to it being part of the module.

Cherly PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:04:21 UTC

Due to everything being online, I became demotivated to take part in any additional work as I just could no longer stand looking at a screen. I was using it for learning, socialising and entertainment. This put me off being part of the project at the beginning, however, once Sharon enticed me into the project in one of her online lecturers with her enthusiasm for intercultural learning and how she made the lecture interactive made me want to take part.

Steph PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:07:11 UTC

Thank goodness for online learning as no 2 hour car journeys to University through busy traffic. Due to not having to travel, I had time to take part in the project as I was sitting at home with my baffies on and a cuppa enjoying taking part.

Paula PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:09:21 UTC

Initially I was not interested in the project when I received an email inviting students to a music and makaton group. I am not musical and did not want to learn sign language. This changed at a lecture Sharon gave where she showed us the power of music as a communication tool and the use of signs to preserve linguistic identities. That was it, I was now hooked and took part in all activities.

Jack PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:11:50 UTC

Good to be able to attend webinars at night as course too busy during day.

Hayley PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2021-06-14 14:12:26 UTC

There were times when it was difficult to take part in live sessions due to my children being at home during lockdown and we all did not have a device each. This required a lot of stress trying to decide who could use the devices, therefore, taking part in additional things was not an option. It was only once the children returned to school that I was able to take part.

MA4 Education

2021-06-29 19:14:08 UTC

Getting to hear from another teacher about their experiences of intercultural learning and how they were connecting their class with the world was really interesting. I feel that through this, I now have more understanding of what is involved in intercultural learning and how technology might be used with a class to support this. It was really good to hear from a teacher as she could tell us what had worked or not worked for her and her pupils, and why she might recommend some things over others for using with a class.

I think that the timings of the sessions and meeting with the class of children put some people off of participating as there was a lot going on at the time, but it was a really enjoyable and beneficial experience. Getting to connect with the class and get some practice of the ways we could use tehnology.

The experience was especially useful after this year, given the increase in online learning. This meant that we could see the relevance of the online tools we were learning about.

Ben's Learning Story 2023

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-29 11:42:26 UTC

Briony's Learning Story 2023

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-29 11:42:44 UTC

Neve's Learning Story 2023

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-29 11:43:33 UTC

Rosie's Learning Story 2023

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-29 11:43:50 UTC

Nikki PGDE 2021

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-30 12:51:12 UTC

I would say that I am fine at using digital technology and can normally sort some basic problems. Due to having younger children, I know quite a few educational apps, however, prior to the HOTW project I did not know how to use technology for collaborative working, collaborative responses, sharing learning online, managing online spaces, using tools like QR codes, using blogs with children, content creation with multimedia tools. To me, the project has developed my knowledge and understanding of how to use digital technology for teaching and learning rather than simply just use it. I really enjoyed being a valuable member of the project, specifically during lockdown due to being home alone and not having a placement school. I found that due to the Facebook group being very active and different activities being shared each day, I was able to contribute and communicate with other teachers and students. Because lockdown made online learning an important factor in education, I wanted to learn as much as possibly, with a result, after some webinars, I asked if I could contact one of the teachers so that I could find out more about the tools she was using. She spent time with me online explaining them then invited me to join some of her lessons. This was a valuable experience as I then saw how the tools were being used in real life. I was even allowed to create a lesson using Kahoot which was very exciting. Lockdown has many positives that need to be shared and for me, I do believe that my pedagogical knowledge of digital tools has grown greatly due to having the time and motivation to embrace all learning opportunities that came my way in the project. Would I have been able to do this if I was travelling for 90 minutes each way to university each day, I do not think so, therefore, thanks to lockdown, time was gifted to me.

Jocelyn's learning through lockdown

sharon_tonner2 — 2025-05-30 12:54:12 UTC