Testimonial from Joji John about the Lousã Portugal workshop – 5th to 8th November 2009

Joji John - Mathematics, Physics & ICT
Testimonial from Joji John about the Lousã Portugal workshop – 5th to 8th November 2009
I was given the opportunity by Joanna Pinewood Education to attend an Adult Learning workshop in Lousã, Portugal for a Grundtvig project ‘Let’s Do it Creatively... for the benefit of adult learners.’. This was the first workshop of five over the next two years. Representatives from 9 different European countries came to Lousa for a team building workshop. I had accompanied Mr. Krzysztof Bahrynowski, headmaster of Joanna Pinewood Education; an adult tuition centre. Our journey was interesting as we travelled from Uxbridge to Lousã via Porto. We met and interacted with a few Portuguese people during the journey and I learnt about Portugal’s culture and some of the language.
We reached Lousã around 8pm after an exciting 12 hour journey. We attended a European cultural evening. All participants brought special foods from their respective regions. I brought a sweet: an Indian semolina dish that I had prepared the day before and that everybody enjoyed. Krzysztof brought a tin of Mango juice and mixed this with some local yogurt to make an Indian Lassi. He also brought a jar of gherkins from the centre’s garden picked and naturally fermented by one of the centre’s adult learners. He also brought liquor that is his great grandfather’s recipe that originates from the Ukraine. It was a huge feast laid out over 4 large tables and at least two hundred people must have been present. Portuguese adult learners danced traditional dances and entertained us with their singing through the evening. A narrator explained in Portuguese and this was translated into English. Some of us danced with them. It was very relaxing after a long day. During the following two days we attended various workshops to plan the various project objectives and we built a Gantt chart to allocate tasks among ten European partners of the project.
The Ana Amaral of Arte-Via arranged bus trips to visit Coimbra University City and Lousã castle. It was great to learn about the Portuguese culture and history in the two days. On the second night 10 years of Arte-Via was celebrated with a brilliant performance by Fado singers. On 6th, we and hundreds of others watched a free musical show arranged by Arte Via at Lousã castle which was filmed for local TV. It was really cold but we kept ourselves warm by burning wood in a brazier. As an Indian teacher working in the UK I found this European experience extremely refreshing. I enjoyed talking “shop” to the Spaniards and Portuguese teachers and other adult learners. Many asked me questions about India. I was lucky that most understood English. I gained much information through networking with representatives of Czech, Romanian, and Maltese Universities and Dublin Colleges. This showed me that that Europe has much to offer young professionals in the UK with their career development.

AIDAN COOPER’s REFLECTIVE APRAISAL Of Universitea Spiru Haret Bucuresti - CTID Ploiesti CENTRE Romania

Aidan Cooper and five other Adult learners went on a Trans National mobility with Joanna Pinewood Education Limited in Romania as part of the project "Let’s do it creatively...for the benefit of adult learners" this year i April 2011.

Details of Aidan Cooper's feedback are found on http://letsdoit.upol.cz/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=case_studies:jpe-case_aidan_ploiesti.pdf

More information about the project and links are found on http://jpetutors.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=92

Free Spanish classes at Joanna Pinewood Education Clapham 2010

SPANISH CLASSES

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
· Increase their level of language proficiency in Spanish to improve their relationship with the outside world.
· Learn and practice the four basic skills to level A1 in Spanish.
· Enhance their capacity for dialogue and personal communication through all kinds of language: symbolic, gestures, oral and written.
· Identify different types of linguistic registers to learn the uses of language: formal and informal.
· Acquire basic knowledge about Spain: geography, cuisine, typical music and traditions.
· Secure the proper use of words with “c” (a, o, u) and with “qu” (e,i).
· Recognize sounds in words and associate them in a text.
· Complete an oral story.
· Recognize each sound of the alphabet.
· Understand and demonstrate understanding.
· Ask for personal information.
· Discuss each structure between them.
· Know the difference between the sound “h” in Spanish and in English.
· Learn the sound “ñ”.
· Become familiar with the spelling and classic intonation patters.
· Develop all the component sounds and spelling related to letters such as b/v, c/k/q, g/j, ll/y and so on.
· Understand the differences between verbs: “ser” and “estar”.
· Express their wishes about a specific topic.




LESSONS
First Lesson: 9th of November.
FUNCTIONAL CONTENT
· Formal and informal greetings.
· Introduce yourself.
· Say goodbye.
· Asking for and giving information to a colleague.

GRAMMAR CONTENT
· The Alphabet.
· Present of the verb “ser” and “estar”.
· Demonstratives: “este”, “esta”, “estos”, “estas”.
· Interrogatives: “¿Cómo?” and “¿Qué?”

LEXICON CONTENT
· Lexicon for suvivals.
· Parts of the day.

CULTURAL CONTENT
· Correspondence.
· Spanish Cuisine.






Second Lesson: 16th of November
FUNCTIONAL CONTENT
· Tell the age.
· Ask for the age.

GRAMMAR CONTENT
· Numbers 0 – 101
· Uses of “tú” - “usted”
· Interrogatives; “¿Cuántos?”
· Present of the verb “tener”.
· Personal Pronouns.

LEXICON CONTENT
· Numbers.

CULTURAL CONTENT
· How to behave.







Third Lesson: 23rd of November
FUNCTIONAL CONTENT
· Express likes and dislikes.
· Make plans and projects.

GRAMMAR CONTENT
· Interrogatives.
· Verbs: “gustar”, “encantar”.
· Preposition “para”.
· “Ir a” + infinitive.
· “Pensar” + infinitive.
· “Querer” + infinitive.
· “Hay que” + infinitive.
· “Tener que” + infinitive.
· “Deber” + infinitive.

LEXICON CONTENT
· Travel and ways of transport.
· Turism.

CULTURAL CONTENT
· Spain and Spanish people.
· Turism and Central America.




Forth Lesson: 30th of November.
FUNCTIONAL CONTENT
· Express actions with the verbs “ser” and “estar”.
· Describe actions.
GRAMMAR CONTENT
· Verbs: “ser” and “estar”.
· Adjectives.
· Adverbs of Time.

LEXICON CONTENT
· Physical appearance.
· Months of the year.
· Days of the week.

CULTURAL CONTENT
· Physical appearance of people from different countries.









Fifth Lesson: 7th of December.
FUNCTIONAL CONTENT
· Talk about Christmas traditions.

LEXICON CONTENT
· Traditional activities in Christmas.
· Christmas Meals.
· Lexicon related to Christmas.

CULTURAL CONTENT
· Christmas in Spain.
· Christmas Traditions in Spain.