This document summarizes a student's experience participating in a transnational Erasmus+ project hosted by their school in Romania. The project focused on using numbers in fields like art and music to develop English communication skills. The student gained experience presenting to and working with students from partner countries. They learned about applying mathematics concepts like the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci sequence in history and art. The multi-day project involved students working in international teams on presentations about these topics in famous works. The student believes such international collaborative projects are very useful for developing social, language and general knowledge skills.
1. Student: Pârvulescu Ana Maria
College of Arts “Carmen Sylva”
Coordinating teachers :
Ecaterina Butac,
Emanuela Profirescu
2. Between 7th to 11th of March 2016,
the College of Arts "Carmen Sylva" from
Ploiesti city It hosted a transnational
activity, organized within the project
Erasmus +, funded by the European
Union.This extracurricular activity is
related to numbers and their
applications in various fields like arts,
architecture and music, organized in
order to develop communication skills in
English and to use I.T.C. (Information
Technology and Communications).
I had the opportunity to participate in
this educational activity, gaining
experience in using English language
in front of students from partner
countries and took part in the creation
of one of the projects presented, by
thus accumulating experience in using
a new software, to work and learn
different information on how to use
numbers in everyday life (“Golden
Number", "Fibonacci sequence",
"Number Phi”) and even in music.
3. •Multilingualism underlies this European project. Foreign languages have
an important role in developing and preparing people for future on
international labor market. The European Union has set a target according
to which every citizen should have the opportunity to learn from an early
age at least two foreign languages. Lack of knowledge of foreign
languages is one of the main barriers to youth training. Therefore, the aim
of this program is to provide linguistic support and improve learning
methods.
4. The team in which I had the
pleasure of being part received an
interesting theme, but not very
known, namely "Golden Number".
Based on the project developed, I
was able to emphasize the
importance of "Fibonacci
sequence" and of his number,
connecting us to concrete
examples of architecture, painting
and sculpture in various stages of
development of the arts, from
antiquity and ending with the era
in which we live. I sought
necessary information on the
Internet, we discussed each one
and combined them in a
chronologically manner. Then I
searched and images to support
the allegations made during the
presentation.
The work started by splitting the
high school students, from our High
school and from abroad, in teams of
five, so that each team must contain at
least one student from a partner
country. The purpose of creating these
groups was to achieve a work
translated into assertions easily
understandable in English.
5. We particularly agree to discuss about
“Pyramids of Giza" and "Parthenon" for
Antiquity, about "Statue of David",
"Sistine Chapel" Michelangelo’s work of
art and "Mona Lisa" - Leonardo Da Vinci
for Renaissance, and mention few
things about Modernism: "Farnsworth
House - Ludwig Mies van der Rohn and
"Endless Column"- Constantin Brancusi.
“Pyramids of Gizeh”
“The Endless Column”-Constantin
Brancuși
“Sistine Chapel”-Michelangelo
6. We concluded that in order to respect the time and to do what we
originally proposed, we need to talk about the most representative
works of art but, also, to discuss about Fibonacci.
In the introduction, we tried to suggest what represents the
"Fibonacci sequence" and how was it used throughout history:
Italian Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci, discovered a
string of numbers extraordinarily interesting "0, 1.1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,
21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597 ... ".
7. We had one hour to complete the project contents and
approximately 8 minutes for its presentation. Presentations were
conducted on the background of classic songs to create an
inspirational moment and in order to draw attention to useful
information.
At the end of the presentations, we decided it would be
interesting to communicate to our guests from partner
countries, something about the traditions and habits related to
1st and 8th of March, in Romania. Both, students and teachers
were enthusiastic and interested in hearsay.
8. Following this activity, I can say that we, as students, gain both sides of this
experience: a general culture more developed due to new information on the
applicability of mathematics in everyday life and with a beautiful experience. We
met, also, one of the goals which is to make friends among the foreign students,
showing that this activity was successful and led to completion what have
proposed.
This activity has an
important role in educating
our youth generations. The
fact that we were offered
the chance to interact with
students from abroad
helped us to see things
from another point of view.
9. Students who have honored us with their presence, each representing their country, were
raised within different mentality from ours, and this helped us to be able to express different
ideas about certain topics and to realize that we get together at a conclusion very strong and
useful. What is indicating this fact? That we can work together, regardless of nationality or
personalities, for archives that can bring us a better life in the future.
As we talked about Romania as a country with a rich history, wonderful landscapes and
customs-surpassing encountered, so our foreign colleagues shared their experience from
their own countries. We could understand that they had a different way of seeing things, they
were different but in a good way and telling things that may seem extraordinary to us, but
normality for them. They were also impressed by the facts reported by us, from our own
experience.
10. It was the most attractive activity because we, students and
teachers participating waited for this experience. It focused on
theoretical and practical role that this activity promoted and
involvement of the students, responsibility in their presentations
themes.
I believe that such activity is very useful and very, very
entertaining for students, should be organized in every school in this
world, because it represents an important experience in which we
can learn how important role has socialization, relations of
friendship and collegiality and development of language skills and
general knowledge. I will attend further to other similar projects
because I believe these opportunities It represents a good
opportunity to help me becoming a well-trained and
successful person.