Student mobility: Lisbon 11/3-15/3 2024

Host school: Almada, Escola Secundária de Cacilhas-Tejo

Sub-theme: Ethnicity and culture

13 students from Metis (1stb and 1idra) participated in the student mobility to Lisbon, where they collaborated with 28 students from the Netherlands and 15 students from the host school.

The students were given a preliminary assignment before the mobility, to watch the documentary series African Queens – Njinga (Netflix).

The first day started with a general introduction of each other and of the 'Escola Secundária de Cacilhas-Tejo', the secondary school in Almada, Portugal, followed by forming groups of different nationalities (a mix of Portuguese, Norwegian and Dutch). The students were asked to compare different source materials with the documentary African Queens. The comparison involved a discussion about different perspectives and the extent to which the narrative is influenced by these. The work was uploaded to Canva, and the products were shared through a presentation to the rest of the group at the end of the day.

Second day , excursion to the city of Lisbon and exploration within the context of ethnicity and culture, starting in the botanical garden “Museu O Jardim BotanicoTropical (Belém)”, which had a world exhibition, with a human zoo in 1940. The fact that humans had actually been exhibited as animals made a great impression on the students and was therefore a very engaging learning experience. In addition, we went to the “Monument to the Discoveries” and observed different symbols of the aforementioned sub-theme.

On the third day , the students received two very interesting lectures on Portuguese colonization, history and memory, slavery and racism. We discussed how the sensitive topic of colonization still affects the present day at the level of diversity and inclusion. How racism and dehumanization still exist today, and most importantly, to raise awareness to promote inclusion and equality. The goal was to gain a better understanding of the background of modern racism. After lunch, the students were assigned to write an opinion piece on one of the aspects from the day's lectures. They first had to summarize and discuss the topics from the lectures.

On the fourth day , the students were put into groups to summarize what they had learned this week. The task was to create a video report or podcast with the overall theme of “racism”. It should include facts and reflections on the topic and their experiences. After lunch, the products were presented to the whole group.

The fifth and final day started with a tour of Almada. The students got to see the town hall and the Casa de Cerca, which was an important diplomatic post with connections to the port. These days they have a nice garden that grows everything you need to make art. Afterwards the students got to try surfing at Costa da Caparica. A great success! The day ended with the last dinner together.

Feedback from the Metis teachers:

"The stay in Lisbon was interesting and educational. The students learned about Portugal's history of colonization and how it still affects society. They practiced critical thinking by looking at different sources and discussing “history vs. memory”. Racism from the past and present was the overarching theme. Through lectures, discussions and group work, the students gained more insight into the topic."

"This has been a good exchange of teaching practices, and we take home several learning points. It is interesting to discuss different pedagogical strategies and see how different teachers approach group work and assignments. There were educational trips and lectures on the topic of “racism”, which is relevant and important for today's students."

Feedback from Metis students:

"This has been very educational and fun!"

"I learned a lot on this trip."

"The human zoo was shocking to learn about."

"It was nice to talk to students from other countries."

"It was a nice mix of schoolwork and social activities."