Summer School : PH Zurich Summer School 2024 in a nutshell
PH Zurich held its Summer School for the sixth time in mid-June. The one- to three-week exchange programme is aimed at students from partner universities who wish to gain experience abroad and who, for various reasons, are not able to take part in a semester exchange. Prospective teachers came from China, Cyprus, England, Estonia, France, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Taiwan, the US, Wales and French-speaking Switzerland. Nine PH students also attended: those who managed to get one of the limited spots were able to enjoy an international exchange – on their own doorstep.
An image gallery with 5 images follows.
Urban gaming on the Uetliberg
The Summer School kicked off with the two-week course “Special Needs and Inclusive Education in Switzerland and in a Global Context” by Judith Hollenweger Haskell and Kai Felkendorff. “The two lecturers complemented each other well”, says a student from Taiwan. The balance between theory and practice was also perfect, she adds. In addition to various guest speakers and a city tour with a focus on special needs education, the programme also included several visits to schools. “The visit to the school for the deaf and mute (Tanne Foundation) really impressed me”, gushed the student.
The second course, “Into the Story: Teaching and Learning with Drama”, was even more practice-orientated. Lecturer Eva Göksel was able to quickly inspire the students with many hands-on exercises. “She showed us how we could use performative teaching and learning across the entire curriculum”, says a student from Manchester enthusiastically. “We staged specific examples for whole lessons or part of them, and learnt how to use them to introduce a new topic.” Visiting the school in Richterswil proved to be a special highlight. “It was great to put what I learnt into practice with real children and to see that it worked!”
In the third and final course, “Gamification in Education”, the students learnt how to use analogue and digital forms of play for learning purposes and how to design playful lessons that promote collaborative learning. An “Urban Game Challenge” led us through the city and on the penultimate day even to the Uetliberg, the city of Zurich’s very own mountain. A lot of creativity was needed: how, for example, can topics such as sustainability and science be gamified? While the students from England were already familiar with this type of teaching from their curriculum, the concept was uncharted territory for other participants. “I’ve never experienced anything like it before”, says a student from Taiwan. “It was completely new for me.”
Fondue and yodelling add to the fun
The students also discovered new things outside their courses. Whether they were making their own chocolate bars, enjoying cheese tasting with Wildberg cheese maker Roland Rüegg, or enjoying Friday drinks in the Summergarte or the Amboss Rampe in Zurich, all these activities added to their experience of Zurich and Switzerland. It’s just a pity that the weather didn’t play along on the day trips to Mount Rigi and the Appenzell region, instead opting to wrap the mountain peaks in mist. The fondue and Älplermagronen (Alpine macaroni) in the Alpine cheese dairy on Mount Rigi were even better suited to the weather, and instead of the mountain panorama, the students were able to marvel at the cows.
The following weekend, Appenzell resident Sämi delighted visitors with his yodelling workshop: within a very short time, the group created a two-part Zäuerlein, which is what the Appenzellers call their traditional style of singing. It was even good enough for a public appearance on the village square in Urnäsch. In the local Museum of Traditions, the students marvelled at the wild masks and customs of Appenzell – and at the small doors and beds. Even without sunshine, they enjoyed the cable car ride up Kronberg and the village tour through Appenzell. “The trip wouldn’t have been the same without all the things we did in addition to the courses”, says one participant from Sweden. “I enjoyed every moment and have memories to last a lifetime.”