Educational Studies 300: Department
Studies--
Field Experience in International Issues in Primary Science, Mathematics,
and Technology Education,
 
2003 or 2005
The Very First Ripon College
Maymester Experience in Wales
in 2003
Here are a few pictures of our challenging, exhausting,
and wonderful learning experience.
(photos by Mary Williams-Norton unless otherwise noted)
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Even before part of the group had arrived in Bangor (US
Air technical difficulties), the other three were visiting Penrhyn
Castle a mile or so up the road from...
(Photo by Amanda Guay.)
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...the Bangor Youth Hostel, our place
of residence in Bangor...
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...with six to a room for
the women. (Whoever said, "You get what you pay for", might have
stayed here! It was clean but there were no frills.) |
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Some sampled the nightlife in Bangor here
at this club:
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Ripon College students visited Caernarfon Castle and enjoyed
the Charles Windsor (Prince of Wales) investiture view of the castle interior.
(Photo by Amanda Guay.)
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We all went down into the slate mine,
LLechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog:
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This is a view of the fantasy village, Portmeirion.
We ate lunch here and enjoyed the beautiful views on a sunny Welsh day. |
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Part of the group went to Llangernyw and
spent a week visiting the local primary school. A major landmark
is this yew tree outside the church in the village. It is believed to
be the oldest living thing in Britain (about 4000 years old).
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This is the school, Ysgol Bro Cernyw. Everyone
speaks Welsh here, but they could also understand our English (most of
the time), we all learned some Welsh during our visit, and everyone at
the school learned about Wisconsin.
(Photo from John Emlyn Jones, headteacher.)
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The other three spent the week at the Venerable Edward
Morgan Roman Catholic Primary School in Shotton.
(Photo by Lauren Higgins.)
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The Shotton group visited Liverpool and explored the places
where the Beatles rose to fame.
(Photo by Lauren Higgins.)
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Our trip was supported in part by Knop
funds from Ripon College, a grant from the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu
Association, and a contribution from the Ripon Women's Club. Thank you
for your assistance!
Thanks also to our hosts Moira, Menai, and Nia, our
colleagues and friends at the School of Education at the University
of Wales Bangor (especially Bryn Tomos, a great mini-bus driver and
geographer), and all the teachers and children at Ysgol Bro Cernyw
and Venerable Edward Morgan RC Primary School for helping us have such
a wonderful first Maymester in Wales!
Diolch i bawb!! 'Dyn ni wrth ein bodd yn mynd
i Gymru!!
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Before the trip the group worked together during the
spring semester to prepare. Part of the preparation included work with
elementary-school classes in the area already linked to Project
Madog schools in North Wales in order to learn about the schools
they would visit.
Area schools involved included Murrary Park Elementary
School (Ripon), Rosendale Intermediate School (Rosendale), and Princeton
School (Princeton).
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After travel on two airplanes, two trains, and one bus,
we arrived at our accommodations for the duration of the trip: Totters
Independent Hostel in Caernarfon. Totters is located literally within
the shadow of Caernarfon Castle and within easy walking distance of
the bus station, shops, pubs, etc.
Bob, the proprietor, gave us an excellent deal on our
rooms, only 10 GBP per night per person (including continental breakfast,
cooking, and food storage facilities)..
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Accommodations were simple and basic
with bunk beds, shared washrooms, and shared kitchen and dining facilities.
Part of the dining room had been restored to the way it appeared in the
14th century. The worst part of the living here might have been its distance
from the schools we were visiting. We were a little too loud that first
morning we had to rise at 5:00 a.m. to reach the bus station by 6:00.
Sorry, Bob!
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By the end of the trip, all of the travelers
became accustomed to bus
and train . At least one member of
the group--who had never traveled by train or public bus before--was seen
at the end of the trip holding onto one of the handles provided for standees
while she chatted with other passengers as if she had been getting around
by bus all her life.
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On our first full day in Wales, Bryn Tomos (lecturer
in geography at the School of Education of the University
of Wales Bangor) drove us to several places in a minibus.
Our first stop was Pili
Palas , a butterfly "zoo" near Porthaethwy (after a brief
stop in the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysiliogogogoch
for a little postcard and souvenir shopping) where we enjoyed an educational
presentation about the life cycle of the butterfly. This same presentation
is given to visiting school groups and helped us understand how such
a facility can be used to teach a science topic as part of a field trip.
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We had been invited to Ysgol Bro Cernyw
in Llangernyw to be their guests for International Peace and Goodwill
Message Day. Before the school-wide program, several members of our group
presented their Power Point presentations. Dana's and Lindsey's presentation
was about having fun in Ripon, Wisconsin.
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The pupils performed several songs and
did a number of readings pertinent to the theme of international peace
and good will.
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On the way back to Caernarfon we visited
Castell Dolwyddelan, one of the castles associated with the Welsh
princes. As we were walking up and down the steep track to the castle,
several fighter jets flew overhead, and we pondered the irony of the medieval
castle and military aircraft on display on the day chosen to send messages
of international peace and good will.
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As we became used to making our way around
Wales, we found some familiar sights--such as this Subway shop near the
Bangor bus station--but details like the AR AGOR (open) sign were
there to remind us that we weren't in Wisconsin anymore.
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Shop displays like this one in Caernarfon
also reminded us that school uniforms are worn in most schools.
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For the rest of our first week in Wales, we separated
into small groups and explored sites of interest. The castles
such as Castell Bwmaris in the town of Bwmaris on Anglesey were
especially popular destinations..
Vistors to Castell Bwmaris should be aware that
the lovely but belligerent swans are not as hospitable as the local
people and have been know to peck at visitors. Surely the Welsh Tourist
Board does not sanction such behavior.
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Another popular castle destination was
Castell Conwy seen here is a photograph taken from a window in
the lookout tower of ...
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Plas Mawr,
a large Elizabethan period mansion in Conwy. Plas
Mawr is decorated with magnificent period furniture and decoration.
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We were all up bright--well, maybe not bright--and early
Monday morning May 23 to travel to schools. During the week students
visited, did presentations, and led lessons at Ysgol Llannefydd (Llannefydd),
Ysgol Trelawnyd (Trelawny), Ysgol Yr Esgob (Caerwys), Venerable Edward
Morgan School (Shotton), Ysgol Bro Cernyw (Llangernyw), and Ysgol Rhydgaled
(Groes),.
Here is the morning service at Ysgol Llannefydd led
by Ms. Meinir Jones.
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Headteacher Ms. Sioned Lloyd Williams
supervises older pupils at Ysgol Llannefydd in a mathematics (mathemateg)
lesson while Mary and Nekia observe and work with individual pupils.
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At Ysgol Bro Cernyw Morgan assisted Vonnell
lead a Welsh/English color names Bingo game.
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At Ysgol Bro Cernyw we also enjoyed watching
the pupils prepare for their competitive presentation that they would
be doing at the Urdd Eisteddfod
in Cardiff the following week.
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Although most of the teaching at Ysgol Yr Esgob in Caerwys
is done through the medium of English, displays of useful vocabulary
(examples of words to answer the question "What do you like to
eat?") help the pupils--and visitors like Morgan--learn Welsh.
During our visit to Ysgol Rhydgaled near Groes, a school
where most of the teaching is done through the Welsh, the pupils in
Headteacher Menai Baugh's class gave us an excellent Welsh lesson by
having us join them in playing several games they had designed themselves.
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Our last school visit of the trip was to Ysgol Gogarth
in Llandudno. This is a school for pupils with special educational needs.
We were amazed by the many ways special facilities at the school and
knowledgeable and dedicated staff work with pupils to help them enjoy
learning.
Here Amelia, Vonnell, Dana, and Lindsay pose with several
of the older pupils who will be leaving Ysgol Gogarth soon for jobs
or further educational opportunities.
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On the last two days in Wales we visited a few additional
sites of interest (such as Portmeiron,
the fantasy village near Porthmadog). Mary and Suzanne were very pleased
to travel to Portmeirion in style with friends Iolo and Nesta Williams
from Tregarth, who also treated them to a wonderful lunch at Castell
Deudraeth that so far surpassed our culinary efforts at Totters
as to make comparison impossible!
On May 29 the group traveled by bus from Caernarfon
to Bangor for the last time. At the train station some headed toward
Manchester to await the flight home the next day while others traveled
on to explore Ireland.
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How was the trip?
We found traveling by public transportation, living
in close quarters, getting up early, and living economically quite stressful,
BUT we also learned a lot about Wales in general and Welsh schools in
particular that we never could have otherwise!!
Thanks to all of our host schools for being so welcoming and teaching
us so much.
Diolch oddi wrth Dana, Lindsey, Lindsay, Nekia,
Amelia, Morgan, Vonnell, Suzanne a Mary i Bob, Delyth, Bryn, Rhodri,
Bethan, Glenda, Elen, Gwyn, Eirian, Bryn, Nia, Meinir, Sioned, Jane,
Tony, June, Moira, Rachel, Mary, Menai, Iwan, Iolo, Nesta a lawer o
ddisgyblion cyfeillgar ac athrawon ardderchog am ymweliad bendigedig
i Gymru!!
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