Erasmus+ project: Students' mobility in Chalons-en-Champagne, France

Tuesday 24.3

On Tuesday, we had an opportunity to explore the center of Châlons. There is no better way to really get to know the city than doing it with the local students! Thanks to our French colleague, our students were teamed up with local University students to complete some missions that took place around the city. The mission was shared and submitted on an app and it encouraged our students to explore different corners of Châlons.. There were many University students who were from other cities in France and showed our students how Chalon is unique compared to other places in the country. Thanks to the app, collaboration between students even with different language skills was prompted, and it was an ease for teachers to supervise the activities. 

In the afternoon, students took part in an activity to better understand each other by filling out a bingo sheet based on the information of students. This activity gave our students an opportunity to find something new about their friends, and their effort was appreciated with the gifts that French teachers kindly prepared beforehand. The principal of the French school briefly visited our classroom and greeted us, which had some of our students surprised due to the difference in how students behave in front of the principal. This was a good learning opportunity for our students to notice that there is a difference between how respect is considered and practiced in Finland and France.

Wednesday 25.3

On the 3rd day in France, the students were finally introduced to the project of the week, which was the values of the European Union. There was a short lecture by a French teacher on different terms that are being used to describe the important common values of the EU. Our students read a few paragraphs about the values and reflected on what each of them means to themselves. Afterwards, the students shared their opinions and answers in the classroom, which had me impressed with how French students had such concrete yet well nuanced ideas despite the difficulty of the topic. It was also a great chance for the students in international studies to think about how what we are studying in the classroom in Kalajoki is related to something as big as the common values in the EU. Students were divided into a few smaller groups, in which they would create a short promotional video combining the aforementioned EU values and students' experience in France. This project was intended to give our students a challenge to collaborate on a digital platform, which is one of the most essential skills in their future work life. This project also reminded us that personal digital skills like filming and editing are one thing, and collaborative digital skills are another.

Thursday 26.3 

On Thursday, we started our day in the school gym. Our partner school has many specializations, and one of them is bouldering. Students are admitted into this school after proving their skills in bouldering and they train everyday and take part in the competitions across Europe. Their gym is equipped with many walls of varying difficulties, and students can receive coaching from the experienced teacher. They kindly let our students use their facility for the morning, where we climbed some challenging routes. For most students, it was their first time to try bouldering, but they seemed to be enjoying the experience nonetheless. 

After the lunch break at the school cafeteria, we headed to the program for the afternoon; a day trip to Reims. Reims is about a 1 hour train ride away from Châlons, and it has multiple UNESCO world heritage sites. The rainy yet calm atmosphere of the city let us comprehend what we were experiencing here in France. We visited one of the aforementioned heritage sites; Reims cathedral. This majestic catholic cathedral sits in the center of the city, and kings were crowned at this place in the past. Students spent time appreciating the art works inside, and some mentioned the difference from the Finnish cathedrals.

Friday 27.3 

On our last full day in Châlons, we started our day with the presentation of a project that students have been working on throughout the week. Each group made a short video that explains key EU values with the insights that they obtained through our experience in France. Our students skillfully utilized digital applications to film and edit their videos. Some students used clips from our day trip to Paris and Reims while another group decided to create a little paper animation. Finnish students and French students worked closely with each other, sharing their knowledge about EU values and video editing techniques. This project was a great way to creatively combine the students’ experience in France and enhance their digital skills. 

In the afternoon, we had a cooking lesson with French students. This school’s another speciality is the professional training for chefs and waiters. Along with the well-equipped kitchen, there is even a school restaurant where normal customers can come to enjoy lunch and dinner, which seems to have a good reputation as it was always crowded while we were there. We cooked waffles and mocktails with the help of culinary teachers. Afterwards, we celebrated the end of this successful week in Châlon with the waffles and mocktails that students prepared by themselves. The way our students shared the same table and enjoyed the last conversations with French students was a great summary of the week. Thanks to our French colleagues, this week has been a great bonding experience for our students and French students. I hope their friendship will last long even after this exchange!