The partners of the 3-H project meet in the Netherlands second LLTA
From 13 to 16 June, 15 trainers from four different countries gathered in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, for two intense days of training.
The partners were welcomed by Friesland College to carry out the second Learning Teaching Training Activity (LTTA) of the 3H project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme (find out more about the project). For those who don’t know, LTTA stands for “Learning Teaching Training Activity”, i.e. practical and experiential training sessions held abroad, bringing together teachers and trainers from schools and training institutions in different countries.
During the first day of training, the focus was on Serious Gaming: serious games are engaging and immersive types of games used to promote learning and behavioural change. In fact, serious games combine learning strategies, knowledge, structures and game elements to teach specific skills and attitudes; they are designed to solve problems and, as a result, involve challenges and rewards.
At Friesland College, serious gaming is used as a methodology to encourage the development of soft skills in students. The trainers involved in the 3H project attempted to solve a series of puzzles in order to escape from an escape room in the shortest time possible. They then reflected on the experience, the different personalities involved, analysed each person’s communication style and the contribution that each individual made to the group. The participants also got involved by trying to invent serious games themselves, using the design thinking methodology to structure and test the games.
Subsequently, the ‘5 wisdom theory’ was explored in depth: this ancient Tibetan theory has been adapted to the school context of Firesland College and is based on 5 key words, which correspond to the colours green, yellow, red, blue and white, and on the concept of open and closed; it starts from the perspective that each colour refers to a set of characteristics and a particular communication style. The terms “open” and “closed” refer to the degree of openness towards the outside world. For example, a person who falls into the “open red” category will be more involved with others, more empathetic and predisposed to listening, while “closed red” refers to a fragmented individual who needs attention and is overly emotional. It is important to emphasise that no one falls exclusively into one colour category: we are all a mix of colours depending on the situation we find ourselves in at any given moment.
Thanks to learning this methodology, Friesland College students have become more flexible in analysing reality, and interpersonal conflicts among them have decreased.
The last day of LTTA ended with an “Outdoor learning experience” called Walk of Life, with the ultimate goal of encouraging students to reflect on their careers and take a leadership role in their own lives. The trainers took the students on a unique walk through Leeuwarden; The walking route was structured so that each of the five stages shed light on a different professional skill, such as: quality of work, motivation, career choice, networking and exploration. It was an opportunity to test first-hand how Friesland College tries to develop so-called “Career Competences” in its students, i.e. those skills that prepare them for a successful transition into the world of work.
Special thanks to Friesland College for hosting us and many thanks to Ron Arends, Peter van der Heijden and Alinda Wigarda-Kiel for the training sessions. The next LTTA of the 3H project will be held in October in Oulu, Finland.
