16-19 August 2022 - the first part of the workshop for English teachers in Oslo financed by Norwegian funds, the Polish operator of which is the NIDA Foundation (English Teaching Program) cooperating with the Norwegian NGO ByBi.
The two-day workshop was attended by 25 English teachers who are also coordinators of school projects financed with the Small Grants of the English Teaching Program. Most of the ladies already have a lot of experience in realising language projects financed by the Program, but this year a new component has been added - bees, hence additional training at ByBi's headquarters in Oslo, in an institution that has been working since 2012 to increase knowledge and awareness of the importance of bees in the functioning of ecosystems inhabited by humans.
The first day of the workshop began with a two-hour presentation of the topic in the center of ByBi - ByKuben. Ane Johnsen, on behalf of the organization Organic Norway (dealing with the project of school gardens) introduced the Polish participants to the topic, providing general information on the importance of bees and their breeding, honey plants, as well as the specific conditions for establishing school gardens. During this presentation, we also learned what the "bee highway" through Oslo is. The rest of the day was devoted to field activities - we saw three places (Geitmyra, Gartenriet and Overland) where schoolchildren can not only learn how food is produced, but also actively participate in its production at every stage of the work. For them, it is both breaking the school routine and learning through action, which is known to be the most effective teaching method. There is also an apiary in Gartenriet, which we had the opportunity to visit (dressed in appropriate safety outfits and instructed on how to behave).
We started the second day of the workshop with a short trip to the community garden in Losᴁter. There we were shown by the garden manager Andrew, and the volunteer Clara told us about her work
with the disabled and the use of therapeutic horticulture activities in it. During the course, the participants not only plant and care for plants, but also harvest, dry and process them into food products. We spent the rest of the time on theoretical classes in the ByKuben center. We tried to summarize what we have seen so far and consider what and how we could implement in our schools.
These two days of workshops, although extremely intense, will certainly result in many interesting pedagogical innovations in our schools.
After all, people learn best through participation and experience, and the emotions and questions that accompany them. Travel educates, and trainings and workshops with the use of field activities, practical exercises involving both the mind and the body remain in the memory for a long time.
Confucius' motto can be applied to teachers and students as well: "Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, let me do and I will understand."