In the MenSI project each school cluster has a diary, and they produce diary entries on a regular basis. Cluster diaries are used to make notes of the common actions, decisions made, and most importantly, this is a way to reflect on the learnings. Diary entries can be created in Word or in any  multimedia format. Diaries are also a very important source for the MenSI research. The Hungarian MenSI schools agreed to create their last cluster diary entry in the form of an online or offline poster, and in this blogpost, we highlight the red hub’s poster.

In Hungary school clusters are named by colours. The red cluster is led by a secondary school in Eger, and members are primary-lower secondary schools in Debrecen, Salgótarján, Nyíregyháza, and a secondary school in Miskolc.

Locations of MenSI schools in Hungary

The hub organized online and face-to-face meetings, and they created their final diary entry during one of the face-to-face meetings, in a paper-based format. The meeting took place in Eger, in the historic building of the mentor school, in the library. Have a look at the ceiling and the thick walls! It is not easy to install wi-fi in such a building, as we have learnt!

Teachers working on the diary-entry poster

This is the final diary entry, the poster of the hub:

In the centre of the poster you see a key ring. This is because the hub exchanged ideas around how to use breaking rooms in the classroom. On the hanging keys you can read the names of the schools.

 The “key words” around the key ring are the following:

• Innovation
• Creativity
• Adaptation
• SELFIE
• Collaboration
• Meeting (online/offline)
• Digital competencies
• Idea pool
• Good practice
• Project calls
• Knowledge base
• Google classroom

Around the key ring: you can see the first slides of the presentations participants shared with each other during the sessions. These presentations remained an important source of information for adapting best practice later on.

Listed presentations:

• Complex Science Talent Nurturing Programme in the Secondary School in Avas
• Robotics Afternoon Club
• Talent Day in the Apáczai School
• Escape Room
• Special Days from the Children’s Perspective
• How to use Quizlet
• Dobó Science Club
• Around the World in 80 Days

There were even more best practices shared but the group decided to put on the poster only the most interesting ones. There were some overlaps: schools found that they have some similar programmes, mainly because they faced similar problems and they came up with similar solutions.

The group decided each school will produce short, but written reflection about each of the best practices shared by their peers.

• Could we adopt this best practice?
• What are the expected benefits?
• What would be obstacles?

Besides the presentations, the group had the possibility to observe lessons related to the mentor school’s best practices: on robotics and on STEM talent nurturing.

Breaking out

A fun hands-on activity was organized in the hub during a face-to-face meeting: colleagues knowledgeable in this field offered a workshop on how to set up a breaking room! This is a method that can be used in any subject, there are lots of variations to it and it offers a great way to get children active. Participants formed two groups, and both groups set up a breaking room for the other to try. Both groups could solve the puzzles and successfully found their ways to the coffee break.

You need locks, boxes, stationary and lots of random objects for a good break-out room

Adaptation plans

By the end of the school year each school wrote an adaptation plan – some detailed descriptions about how they will adapt (at least) one of the best practices they have learnt about.

• The schools in Miskolc and in Debrecen choose to adapt the Breakout Room method shown by the colleagues from Eger and from Nyíregyháza.
• The schools in Eger and in Nyíregyháza choose to adapt the 80 days best practice shown by the colleagues from Debrecen. This is a project that spans over a complete school year and it addresses literacy and STEM.
• The school in Salgótarján choose to organize a Christmas Theme Week, that would consist of a series of events, lots of project pedagogy and hands-on activities, and it includes elements from different best practices shared in the hub.

I believe members of the red hub shared lots of creative ideas, as well as practical guidelines with each other, so the hub work was a great source of inspiration. We congratulate for the excellent work and wish all the best for the continuation of the projects!

Group photo with the red hub's members