Case Studies

Name of the teacher

Paula Paiva

Email:

Country:

Portugal

Subject taught:

Biology

Years of experience:

31

Name of the School:

Escola Secundária José Falcão

School Typology:

Lower Secondary School, Upper Secondary School

Country:

Portugal

City:

Coimbra

Web site:

Background and Context:

Escola Secundária José Falcão is located in a central area of our town, Coimbra, and it has a long history. We were the first high school in Coimbra and one of the first in the country. Geographically, Coimbra is located in the center of Portugal and it has long traditions in the learning field: Coimbra’s University, with over 800 years, is one of the oldest of Europe. Culturally the region is very rich in ancient traditions that persist till today.
Actually, we celebrate the 185th year of existence .With a total of about nine hundred students, eighteen foreigners from several countries of Europe Africa and America. Our school is mostly directed to those who wish to follow higher education, most of them are science students. However, it also hosts one professional course. The school has a Students’ Association which is very dynamic and concerned with everyone’s success, Always supporting, and being part of the activities proposed by teachers

Factual Description:

A student exchange program, established in August of 1972, with Santa Clara in California USA.
The exchange between these two sister cities is based on the fact that the Portuguese are people of immigrants and California is a place of reception of emigrants, namely Portuguese.
We felt that it was very important to expose our students to different cultures in order to respect differences.
Every two years of this program a group of 10 Portuguese students and their families collaborate in activities in the School to financially support the program of exchange and that divulge it. In the first year Portuguese students accompanied by teachers go 10 days to California where they stay with Americans students. The following year they receive in Portugal, at school and in their houses the 10 Americans students.

Activities carried out:

This program involves the Portuguese and American families that promote activities in the respective Schools and in the communities to receive the young students. Involves the teachers who coordinate participate in the activities and accompany the Portuguese students when they go and when the American students come. The participating students involve other peers and friends and show and share cultures.
The activities are varied: dinners, meetings, celebrations of Thematic Days (S. Valentine´s Day), visits to the landscape and cultural patrimony, visits to science laboratories, Town hall, firemen etc ...
Since the students know their housemates, takes contact with them through the Facebook group and they start with them a relationship.

Assessment and lesson learnt:

This exchange promotes openness to diverse contexts and respect for other cultures because how deepening is the knowledge of a family, or a cultural heritage and esthetics, we understand them better.
This openness extends both to students and their families, as well as to teachers.
The success of the exchange is so great that some of our students return to California because they made friends there and others return to study or to work. The reverse also happens, some American students return to Europe to study or reinforce their friendship ties.
This exchange program takes place every two years.