Polish impressions.

Most of the Icelandic participants were visiting Poland for the first time and were therefore extremely eager to absorb everything about the landscape, the history, the everyday life and the people itself. We were not disappointed. Our fantastic hosts provided a rich programme and were attentive to all our wishes and requests, much beyond what could normally be expected. Simply walking the streets of Grudziądz was an experience in itself, contemplating what sort of food is on offer in shops, what the traffic is like and looking at examples of beautiful architecture and remains of history in many places. Little did we know that the locals do not think much of the city in comparison with the stunning Toruń. Toruń’s beauty and very European elegance left us, the inhabitants of a windswept island in the North-Atlantic, breathless. We wholeheartedly support the project of making this unique city a European cultural capital in 2016! Our final stop by the Vistula river was Warsaw itself, a city whose historical inheritance is so heavy that it would be impossible not to be profoundly touched by it. Despite the pouring rain during our walk in the center of Warsaw, everything we saw made an impression and stimulated a need for getting to know the city better.

Yes, we certainly felt a connection with Poland and this was very much due to the people we met there, both our colleagues and their pupils. The professionalism and welcoming attitude of both made the whole experience an unforgettable one. Simply seeing the logo of our own school when entering the Polish school made us feel valued as visitors, and the willingness of both teachers and students to share their knowledge and ideas with us touched us very much.

The result was that when leaving, we felt we had experienced as much as possible during this brief visit and are longing for more!

The seminar from Icelandic point of view

From our point of view, the seminar itself was organized in a very practical fashion. There was a lot of pressure on our Norwegian leader, Anne Schjelderup, who conducted all the sessions on her own. Many of us found it really hard to discipline our way of thinking and rationalizing according to the theory we were working on and sometimes it seemed that the discussions would lead to confusion. But fortunately Anne was strong enough not to give in to any signs of fatigue and pushed us towards the goal without any mercy. The goal? Making us practice Lipman’s method in a classroom discussion. We hope she succeeded and that we are now able to train our students according to the same model. We are looking very much forward to receiving our Polish friends in Iceland and to continue our work, this time with the participation of students from both countries. Turning our focus to Human Rights will be a challenge worth meeting.

As always it was obvious this time that teachers all over share the same concerns and the same interests. Presumably, students do also have a lot in common. Hopefully, we can expect a lively encounter in Reykjavík next March!

The seminar from Polish point of view

In my opinion, the method is an effective way of teaching open-mindedness, empathy and tolerance. (…)What impressed me the most was the open and positive attitude of our foreign guests towards everything that they encountered in our country.’ Hanna Janiszewska (English teacher). 

‘The idea of ”philosophical dialogue” seemed to be strange and unclear at first, especially in the context of human rights. However, owing to Anna's lectures, which were both interesting and based on common examples, I realised that the method can be easily introduced to my work not only as a teacher but also as a form tutor. The most absorbing was the practical part of the seminar. Being involved in the discussion concerning human rights was the perfect opportunity to discover how the method really works and what kind of obstacles and difficulties I can encounter while using it in the classroom.’ Anna Ryczkowska (English teacher)

‘A marvelous meeting of two different cultures that appeared to have a lot in common. (…) Critical thinking – a must for both contemporary teachers and students while making judgements and surrounded by loads of information. Philosophical dialogues indeed lead to reflective and critical thinking’ Jolanta Kaminska (English teacher)

‘Critical thinking… Oh, what is that? Every single day, we teach, instruct, advise our students in a hectic way, very often complaining about the lack of time. Do we all have time for … reflective thinking? During this seminar, having studied some literature and participating in dialogues, I realized how important it is to find some time for reflective thinking.’ Katarzyna Bartos (Polish teacher)

‘I was really surprised how attentive our guests are, how much they are interested in my country, town, school and us – students! (…) I don’t regret participating in the seminar and discussions: that was a great challenge and new experience to us.’ Michalina Szewczuk (student)

‘Before everything started I was afraid of my English. I thought I wouldn’t understand the expert, Anne. Luckily, she turned out to be a wonderful person, who spoke clearly, slowly enough to follow her ideas. (…) The Icelandic teachers were also great. In spite of a certain generation gap we chatted like friends.’ Stanisław Grzebieniewski (student)