Project Meeting - Austria Nov 6 13

All the five partner countries were approved. The partnership started with a Preparatory Meeting in Massa e Cozzile, Italy. We started contacting each other by email and we began preparing PowerPoint Presentations about partner countries.

From the 6th to the 13th November 2010, the five partner countries (Austria, Germany, Iceland, Italy and Portugal with its Comenius Assistant from Norway) of the Comenius project, Different Languages – Same Speech, attended the first meeting in Kohfidisch, Austria, at Hauptschule Kohfidisch.

The main aim of this project meeting was to prepare all the activities for the next six months keeping in mind the students’ exchange that is going to take place in Italy, in May 2011.
At this meeting we had the opportunity to bridge five countries by learning about different cultures, habits, traditions, life styles and school systems, which gave us the chance to get to know each other better.
During our stay in Kohfidisch we prepared project tools, such as worksheets, teachers and students’ evaluation sheets, and plans for the first students’ exchange. On this occasion we were taught how to use the platform “Bildungsserver Burgenland”. Students are going to record audio files in their own language. These audio files will be uploaded by the teachers in order to be used by all the others to improve listening, reading and ICT skills.

In Italy the students are going to show their progress in foreign language learning: introducing themselves by using phrases and expressions in the different partnership languages; presenting their countries and educational systems. Teachers are going to compare the results of the students’ activities evaluation during the first year of the project. They will also arrange the next project meeting in Iceland.
The host school arranged excursions to Vienna, South Burgenland and West Hungary. Teachers learned a lot about the region and were given the chance to get to know its traditions (wine baptism, Saint Martin’s festival, folk music, typical dishes).

The local authorities (Mr. Hans Niessl, the Head of the Burgenland Government; Mr. Norbert Sulyok, Deputy of the Burgenland Government and Mayor of Kohfidisch; Mrs. Doris Prohaska, Deputy of the Burgenland Government) supported the host partner in the organization of the project meeting.
All the partners were glad to attend this project meeting and would like to thank the Austrian partner and all the institutions for their hospitality as well as their cooperation and support for this Comenius Project.
Teachers are also very thankful to all the National Agencies who gave us the opportunity to participate in this project.

All partners approved!!! Congratulations

All the partners were approved by their National Agencies so that the project Different Languages the Same Speech will be develop from September 2010 to July 2011 in five different schools. Austria, Germany, Iceland, Italy and Portugal will work together. I'm sure we will be a great team!!!!


Are you ready to start working???????

First STOP

Burgenland - Austria (Project Meeting)
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte (towns with a charter) and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east (only 5 km wide at Sieggraben). The region is a part of the Centrope Project.

Burgenland is the 7th largest of Austria's 9 states, or Bundesländer, at 3,966 km². The highest point in the province is Geschriebenstein, at 884 metres, the lowest point is 114 metres, near Apetlon.
Burgenland borders the Austrian provinces of Niederösterreich and Steiermark to the west, to the northeast it borders Slovakia, Hungary to the east and Slovenia to the farthest south.
Burgenland and Hungary share the Neusiedler See, known for its reeds and shallowness, as well as the mild climate throughout the year. The Neusiedler See is Austria's largest lake serving as a large tourist attraction bringing ornithologists, sailors, and wind and kite surfers into the region north of the lake.

Kohfidisch

Kohfidisch is a town in the district of Oberwart in Burgenland in Austria.

Partner school

www.hs-kohfidisch.at/de.html

Meeting Report

Comenius Preparatory Visit

Preparatory Meeting

From January 11th to 15th 2010, the four future partner countries (Portugal, Austria, Iceland and Italy) of the Comenius project Different Languages – Same Speech 2010-2012, attended a Preparatory Meeting in Massa e Cozzile, in Italy in the host school Istituto Comprensivo Statale Bernardo Pasquini.

The main aim of this Preparatory Meeting was to prepare the application form to apply to LLP, Comenius Partnerships. The aims were fulfilled.

In this meeting we have the opportunity to bridge four countries to reach different cultures, habits, traditions, life styles and school systems, which also gave us the chance to getting to know each other better.

The five teachers from the four countries started to plan the 2 year-project Different Languages – Same Speech 2010-2012. The partners worked during one week, in a perfect understanding atmosphere, sharing experiences and opinion about the future project.
The project wants to focus on improving the pupils' knowledge of English and encouraging them to learn other foreign languages.
The partnership will start with a Teachers' Meeting in Austria where the activities for the first year of the project will be arranged. Pupils will make contact with different European realities, get to know each other in order to establish a cultural dialogue. They will get an overview of the Educational System of their countries, sharing information and comparing results. Pupils are going to learn and practice phrases about daily tasks and situations in the different languages involved. In addition teachers will set up an e-platform where all documents of the project will be downloaded. The e-platform will allow pupils and teachers to communicate and exchange information. A week-long exchange for pupils and teachers will take place in Italy, in April. Pupils will present their countries and their educational systems. Furthermore, they will be actively involved in group work activities to practice the phrases they previously learned.
The second Teachers' Meeting will be held in Iceland, to prepare the educational tools for the second year and discuss the project' progress. During the second year pupils will make use of phrases they learned and practised in a creative way such as drama, role play or PPPs.
The final meeting will take place in Portugal. Pupils will share performances in the different languages of the partnership. In this way they will be able to show their progress. Teachers and pupils will attend a seminar in which they will be informed about The European Lifelong Learning Programme and the importance of learning foreign languages for their future.
During the week in Italy we were also given guided tours to Pisa, Florence and Lucca. We contact with the school staff and the local authorities. A farewell dinner was prepared by the host school with typical Italian food and music.

All the partners are glad to attend this Preparatory Meeting and would like to thank the generous hospitality, the perfect organization of the Italian host school and all the institutions that have cooperated with this future Comenius Partnership during our stay in Italy. It was real a great pleasure.

We are also very thankful to all the National Agencies who gave us the possibility to attend this meeting and we are looking forward to the approval of this partnership.

Italy, Tuscany - Massa e Cozzile

Welcome to Italy, to Tuscany and Massa e Cozzile!!!

Italy is in South Europe and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia also belong to Italy. Italy has many borders, France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The Italian territory covers 301,338 km² and it is influenced by a temperate climate. The country has 60.2 million inhabitants, the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third in the world.

Italy is one of the founding members of EU, since 25 March 1957.

Tuscany is in Central Italy about 22,990 square kilometres and 3.6 million inhabitants. The capital city of the region is Florence.

Tuscany is well known because of its beautiful landscapes, rich artistic legacy and vast influence on high culture. Tuscany is regarded as the true birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and it has been home of the most influential people in history, such as Petrarch, Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Amerigo Vespucci and Puccini. This region has many museums such as the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace that are in Florence. Tuscany is famous for its wines and unique gastronomy.

Six Tuscan localities are World Heritage Sites: the historical center of Florence , the historical center of Siena, the square of the Cathedral of Pisa, the historical center of San Gimignano, the historical center of Pienza and the Val d'Orcia. Tuscany has also 120 protected nature reserves. Tuscany and its capital city Florence are one of the main tourist destinations. Florence is one of the most visited city in the world, it receives about 10 million tourists a year.

Massa e Cozzile is a municipality in the Province of Pistoia in Tuscany, about 45 km northwest of Florence and 14 km west of Pistoia. In 2004, it had a population of 7,502 and an area of 16.0 km².

The municipality of Massa e Cozzile is divided in subdivisions: Croci, Cozzile, Margine Coperta, Massa, Traversagna, and Vangile.

Massa e Cozzile has borders with the municipalities of  Buggiano, Marliana, Montecatini-Terme, Pescia.

Welcome to this partnership!!!