Teachers' experience of Cartagena mobility

History and Geography teachers Virginia, Rasa

The Erasmus+ KA2 project "Debating as a new Approach to Learning" activities were continued during the mobility at Colegio Miralmonte in Cartagena, Spain. A new team of students and teachers from Moletai Gymnasium, Lithuania, participated in learning and teaching debate activities together with Italian, Finnish, Spanish and Slovenian students.

The teachers from Spain, Italy and Finland guided the lessons using debate-based techniques. Students worked in international teams where they learned how to formulate questions, provide answers, argue and refute statements within a set time. They debated on the topics "The world tomorrow", "Over the moon", "Social media does more harm than good". During the debate-based activities, the students developed their listening skills, analyzed texts, asked and answered questions, presented their arguments, refuted and supported ideas. They also developed English speaking abilities, improved the skills of public speaking, critical thinking, stress management and collaboration working in mixed groups with the Italian and Finnish senior class students.

After the busy lessons, the students and teachers had a posibillity to visit the historic cities of Cartagena and Murcia, get acquainted with their history, architecture and wonderful nature. In the evenings, the teachers‘ meetings were held during which the teachers shared and discussed their experience gained while guiding and observing the lessons. We have also improved the communication and English speaking skills as well as intercultural competences. Depending on the topics of our lessons, we will be able to apply some debate-based elements during our lessons such as the formation of questions, selecting and refuting arguments for statements, giving arguments and supporting them with details.

A debate project at Colegio Miralmonte in Spain ended with a farewell party where all the participants could get to know the culinary heritage of other countries and present their own traditional foods. Moletai gymnasium students and teachers‘ team returned home being uplifted by the useful debate experience gained and the intention to continue debate activities in the lessons.