SOL final project

2. MY MOMENT TO SHINE

3. MY MOMENT TO SHINE
« The most important thing in the Olympic
games is not winning but taking part. The
essential thing in life is not conquering but
fighting WELL. »
Baron Pierre de Coubertain
Founder and President of the
International Olympic Commitee

4. Here we are: Karla from the Czech Republic, Agnes
from Hungary, Mioara from Romania, Radinka
from Serbia, and Fatiha from Morocco, and we are
having a great time in North Devon!

5. Agnes and Pets in Devon
How awesome to stay with English host families
and find out how much they care for PETS !

6. The British like pets. They adore them, pamper
them, consider them to
be a friend and they say they could not live without
them. Most host
families in Barnstaple also have pets. Dogs - small
and not so small
-cats, rabbits, fish, and to mention some curiosities
one family
has a ferret and another a snake. To tell the truth I
am not very keen on pets. That is why I
wanted to stay with a host family where there are

7. not any pets. But when I arrived and met Crystal, I changed
my mind. Crystal is the cat
of the host family I am staying with. She is a very nice black
and white cat, very friendly and kind. She is already 16
years
old but her owners call her "young lady". She spends the
evenings on her master’s knees in front of the television,
cuddled and spoilt, sleeping
peacefully. She had an adventurous life when she was
younger. She is a rescued cat she was found in a forest
when
she was about one year old but she is lucky to have found
such a nice and caring family. She is
well taken care of, comes and goes whenever she pleases.

8. There is a catflap on the back door - not many
people know that the catflap was
invented by Isaac Newton- and a little collar on
Crystal’s neck
operating with a little magnet so that other cats
would not be able to
enter through it only her. We heard funny little
stories about her
life e.g when she caught a mouse, brought it home
and set it free in
the kitchen making her owners obviously very
unhappy.

9. And some sad stories, too e.g. when she was caught in a
bramble bush and although
there is a chip planted under her skin so that she could be
found in case she is lost, she spent five days and nights
without any food and
drinks outside crying by the time a neighbour found her.
Now she is a well-fed, satisfied little animal giving lots of
joy to her owners and the students and teachers staying
with them. I hope she
will have a long and happy life for everyone’s pleasure. I
am looking forward to seeing her again when I come back
to Barnstaple..

10. Dartington
CRYSTAL
FACTORY EXPERIENCE
By Radinka

11. Dartington
CRYSTAL
FACTORY EXPERIENCE
By Radinka

12. Dartington
CRYSTAL
FACTORY EXPERIENCE
By Radinka
In this home of English Crystal, we saw and experienced
the only large scale working glass factory in the U.K.
When we entered major UK Crystal & Glass factory we
saw the action up close from the factory floor and then
followed the elevated walkway.
We watched as the craftsmen work together in teams, transforming hot molten
crystal into elegant shapes,
perfecting a 3000 year old art.
When we entered the blowing room, our first experience was the blazing glow
and intense heat of the gas fired furnaces.

13. These furnaces are the reason why the blowing room part
of the factory is known as “ the hot end!”
Each member of the team has a different, but special
skill, and the teams work with well synchronised set of
movements and co-ordinated actions...like a brilliant
performance or well drilled sports team!
After that we continued to see how the product is finished
and packed ready for sale.
There's also a great place to shop, which offers a huge
selection of first and second quality crystal & glass at
good prices. A great selection of fantastic offers in
homeware, furnishings and gifts.
We also visited an in-store Engraving service for the
special gift.

14. The last touch

15. St Anne’s Chapel
Barnstaple
By Radinka

16. St Anne’s Chapel
Barnstaple
The Chapel of St Anne's at Barnstaple is a unique relic of old Barum and retains its
picturesque medieval appearance.
This curious old building neighbouring the church and half hidden from view among high
buildings and shops is the
sole survivor of the chapels and the chantries that existed before the Reformation. It is
in a well kept churchyard,
shaded by trees which add character to the building.
There is no recorded date for the erection of the building, but with the exception of the
South Porch, it is generally
believed to have been built during the early part of the 14th century. The undercroft or
crypt is much older and was
probably used as a charnel house for the storage of bones.
The chapel was also used as a Grammar School until the opening of a new Grammar
School in 1910 at the Newport
end of Barnstaple (now Park School).

17. St Anne’s Chapel
Barnstaple
As a school St Anne's has an interesting association with history, as within its walls were
educated several pupils who
became famous. The one most remembered today is John Gay. His most famous work,
the Beggar's Opera, is still
being performed, as is the Three penny Opera, a modern version based on Gay's work,
created by Brecht and Weil in
the early 20th century.
By Radinka

18. Mioara - Going to Appledore
We actually went to different places we
recommend you to visit

19. Mioara - Going to Appledore
It is said that the title of an article is the most
important, as it is the one that actually makes
people want to read the article. I’ve been thinking
a lot about it and I felt from the very beginning
that I want to name it just “Going to Appledore’;
not catchy interesting titles, not even the
commonly-used “Visiting ….”.
And I have been wondering why –

20. Mioara - Going to Appledore
the possible explanation is that this title is just like
the town – it doesn’t shine in any way, it is not a
rich area, nothing out of the ordinary happens
there, but still….you can feel that “something”
there, which charms you from the very beginning
and makes you fall in love with it.

21. HOST FAMILY
INTERVIEW (Mioara)

22. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
Beryl Gammon, 63, my host lady, has been
accommodating foreign students and teachers for
almost fourteen years. She is friendly and helpful
and – I must mention it – a great cook. Beryl is
energetic and, together with her husband, Ken,
seems to do everything to make the people they
host at home.
One morning, with our coffees in front of us and
the smell of a nice breakfast in the room, I took the
chance and asked Beryl a few questions regarding
her experience of hosting European students and
teachers.

23. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
Q: First of all, do you like what you do – hosting
people from other countries? Isn’t it tiring?
Beryl: Well, it is tiring, but I enjoy it. The idea is
that I learn more about different countries and it is
also nice to meet different people from different
parts of Europe.
Q: The first time I arrived in England I felt “the
cultural shock”. Have you ever experienced this
here?
Beryl: Well, I actually did a few times. It is usually
related to their food preferences.

24. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your
activity?
Beryl: Meeting new people and learning about them
and about their culture, countries, their jobs - I
mean what they do differently to what we do. It is
exciting.
Q: What is the most difficult part?
Beryl: Well, trying to get some of the students to
talk or to eat the English food. Not to mention that
most of the girls always seem to be on a diet (she
smiles).

25. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
Q: Have you ever visited one of the countries of
your students or teachers?
Beryl: No, I haven’t, but I would love to - but my
husband wouldn’t do it; he’s very happy here.
Q: How would you characterize the English people,
and what do you think it is specific for the Devon
people?
Beryl: I would characterize us as lazy, because we
wouldn’t learn other languages (she laughs); and
the Devon people are happy, friendly and helpful.
Q: You always organize very nice family days. Why
don’t you just have a rest on these Sundays?

26. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
Beryl: We do it because we like people to enjoy themselves
and we want them to see something different from what
they usually see on their usual trips.
Q: Do you keep in touch with the students or teachers that
you accommodate?
Beryl: Yes, with some of them. I get Christmas cards and
postcards from some of them and I usually keep this letters
and postcards.
Q: What would you like to say to the students or teachers
that want to take up courses at SOL?
Beryl: I would tell them that here, in Devon, we like to
make people feel welcome and that by coming here they
have the opportunity to

27. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
learn English as it is spoken. Most people who
come here have learnt English from the course
books, which is not always the real language – for
the real people, I mean, because we speak a
slightly different language from what you can learn
from a book.
Q: Can you think of an example?
Beryl: Many teachers teach their students to say,
for example, “May I leave the room?” when asking
for

28. HOST FAMILY INTERVIEW (Mioara)
permission. We don’t really use this, we simply say
“Please, can I…..?”. And we always say “Please’” and
“Thank you”.
Q: Yes, I know that, and now let me thank you for
being such a nice and helpful host for me and for
this interview!

29. Nine Countries
&
Mark and Luke’s
« Voyage Sans Retour »

30. By Fatiha Amrani
From Morocco
-the best country in
the world-

31. Twenty-one teachers from nine countries were asked to
complete a 10-questions questionnaire about their
respective impressions vis-à-vis
(I) the SOL Unplugged Devon Course in terms of
reasons, pre- and post-expectations as well as how useful
it would be for their growth and that of their students,
(II) their stay in Devon in so far as the ‘Devonian’ people
and the host families are concerned.

32. I.A. The interpretation of the data gathered from the the
first four questions shows that all teachers have long
terms goals for joining the SOL Unplugged Devon
Course, and here are some:

33. to learn about different ways for motivating
the students and increasing their
involvement in the learning process within
the Unplugged Teaching approach.

34. To learn about new and alternative
assessment tools based on project work and
information and communication
technologies.

35. To increase professional awareness of their
practices as to the implementation and the
evaluation in their context, taking into
account both the learners’ particularities and
the teachers’ development and self-growth.

36. To learn about practical ways of handling
overcrowded and mixed ability classes.

37. to develop their professional identity as
cultural mediators.

38. to shape a clear vision for the optimal
classroom and student success -and
subsequently teacher success .

39. to see how a foreign educational system sets its
goals and how students and teachers work
together in the frame of a common orientation
towards a clear objective.

40. &
To explore how foreign teachers share
decisions with learners in course
management and ways of handling immediate
classroom situations.

41. I.B. Most teachers agree that the duration of
the DU course tends to be long enough to
serve as a salient introdution to the tenets
underlying the TU approach –it would be a
starting point of the “voyage sans retour” into
the world of TU

42. II.A. For teachers’ impressions on people in
Devon, it also seems that they are so
passionate about the Devonian. Have a look
at some of their expressions describing them:

44. II.B. As for their reactions and attitudes
towards their stay with the host families,
most of the teachers on SOL Devon Unplugged
course ENJOY it as it would definitely be the
ample opportunity to develop their
professional identity as cultural mediators.

45. That is, they think that if they have a better
understanding of the cultural dimension by
being, themselves, immersed in a foreign
context, it would be easier for them to explain to
their students the elements that might cause
confusion for them. That is why SHARING and
being in a real ENGLISH learning context will
help them set

46. a comparison for learners and lead them to
develop their identity in a smooth way that
respects their own values and the values of the
others – i.e. reinforcing the cultural awareness of
the students.

47. What have we had to learn so far?
Please listen

48. To all BURNING teachers

49. MY MOMENT TO SHINE
« It’s not always a bed of roses, but the blend of
characters makes the strength of the TEAM »
Steve Redgrave

50. MY MOMENT TO SHINE
« Great is the victory, but the frienship of ALL is
greater »
Emil Zatopek

51. MY MOMENT TO SHINE
Keep the Olympic Games Message
Dedicated to SOL

52. MY MOMENT TO SHINE
Big THANK YOU
to you all