From the 3rd to the 6th May the Liceo linguistico Courmayeur hosted 24 students from Spain, Slovakia and Poland as part of the Erasmus + project “The Wonderful Green World“.
As each school is situated in a biologically unique environment the aim of the project is to help improve students’ knowledge about different biomes and make them aware of the common and specific problems of preserving the environment. As the working language of the project is English the project has given students an invaluable opportunity to improve their linguistic skills.
The project has involved local project work and foreign exchange trips with students and teachers from the countries of the partner schools.
The program included a day around La Salle and Morgex where the group visited the Cave Mont Blanc and their vineyards, the highest vines in Europe. Here the Italian students explained about our special grape variety which is adapted to higher altitudes and the effect climate change is having on the vines. They also visited a local farm to find out about the importance of what cows eat and how this can affect the quality of the fontina produced from the cows’ milk.
The day concluded with a visit to the Natural Science Museum (Museo regionale di Scienze naturale E. Noussan) in La Salle where our students gave a presentation to the foreign students to explain the conservation, research and educational activities being carried out in the Aosta valley to help preserve its biome.
A day around Aosta included a treasure hunt organised by the Liceo linguistico students allowing the group to visit and learn about the most important historical sites whilst working in international teams.
Da TGR VdA – Erasmus+: Caccia al tesoro nel centro di Aosta
A visit to the Maison des anciens remèdes included a guided tour of the museum and a practical workshop both done with the help of our students for translation into English. Students were taught about local plants and trees including medicinal, aromatic, edible and poisonous plants, their heritage, popular recipes, uses and remedies.
Unfortunately a day trek was cancelled due to bad weather. Instead a morning was spent at the Alpine Guides Museum in Courmayeur where the students learnt about the history of the guides, the harsh environment of the high mountains and the importance of glaciers.
We concluded the week with the Trek Alp Nature guides who had organised a team building activity to help students understand the way in which all elements of the ecosystem are interconnected.
This project has enriched the teaching and learning process by bringing students into direct contact with nature. Working on the project with different countries has allowed our students to improve their foreign language competencies, exchange ideas and develop their teamwork, cross-cultural and inclusive skills. Students have also improved their sense of civic responsibility and belonging to Europe.
What the students thought about the Erasmus experience: