Ziher
- that certainly is Zagotovo
Exploring another language is usually a very interesting
task, even more so when the language contains so many words
derived from your mother tongue!
Pupils from the Sprachenhauptschule Birkfeld I - a
secondary lower school in the Austrian province of Styria
- were very surprised to find so many familiar expressions
in a text that their Slovenian colleagues had prepared when
they visited the school in Maribor. What now is the republic
of Slovenia used to be Austrian territory until the end of
World War I. Therefore quite a number of Germanisms can still
be found in the everyday language. Even the Slovenes were
surprised that some expressions were of German origin.
It was not only this that made the visit to Maribor such
a success. Besides a taster lesson in Slovene - designed
as peer-learning in small groups - the intercultural
aspect, the European dimension and multilingualism were the
main issues of the project called "Tandem A-SLO".
Before the actual visit, teachers and pupils had exchanged
letters to plan their day out. On arrival all visitors were
provided with a very useful name tag not only to identify
the person but also to keep track of the programme.
The welcome session took place in the theatre where 2 students
introduced their school, as well as their hometown, in a very
special way - a perfect mix of video and live sketches.
After the speeches from the two head teachers and the exchanging
of presents, traditional Austrian folk songs and dances were
presented. The Austrian girls even decided to wear the traditional
"Dirndl", quite brave for 14 year olds who would
normally never wear that stuff to impress 15 year old boys.
A final folk dance by the Slovenes broke the ice, when girls
"made" all the teachers join in their dance.
In that very relaxed atmosphere language learning in tandems
- hence the title of the project - was good fun
although not always easy. In no time at all new friendships
elapsed and liaisons were formed. With the help of a
handout providing expressions in German and Slovene the pupils
managed to fill in a gapped text.
Meanwhile the head teachers met to reflect about the project,
to discuss educational issues and future collaboration.
After lunch, at a pizzeria, the Slovenian partners arranged
guided tours of Maribor in either English or German. In small
groups the Austrians and their hosts went on that sightseeing
tour before they were allowed to spend some time on their
own within the pedestrian area. As intended the pupils stayed
together and got to know each other more closely while the
teachers enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in one of the inner
city cafeterias.
When it was time to say good bye, lots of pupils on both
sides had tears in their eyes. The overwhelming hospitality
of our hosts must be mentioned. They did their best to make
that day unforgettable with the understanding that contacts
will be prolonged, not only those assisted by the schools.
Wolfgang Pojer |