ANTURA Project Workshops in Angers, France, January 2024

 

In January 2024, the ANTURA project team organized a series of impactful workshops in Angers, France, bringing together educators, parents, and children from diverse backgrounds. This event marked a significant milestone in the project's development, focusing on gathering insights and feedback to refine the educational game designed to support the integration of refugee and migrant children.

Workshop Overview

The workshops were meticulously organized by a dedicated team, including Lucie Durand, Anne Du Merle, and Nadia Maillard from Angers, along with international collaborators Franziska Funken from Cologne Game Lab, Germany, and Stefano Cecere from Videojuegos Sin Fronteras, Spain. The sessions were held over two days, during which the team engaged directly with children and their families from Ukraine, Syria, Romania, and Tunisia, among others.

Activities and Insights

Day 1:

The first day involved visits to local schools, where the team observed language lessons and interacted with children and their parents. These interactions provided valuable feedback on how the ANTURA game could be tailored to meet the specific needs of these children, many of whom expressed a strong interest in video games, including more complex titles like Roblox and Minecraft.

Day 2:

The second day focused on in-depth discussions with educators and mediators, who provided crucial input on how the game could be integrated into the classroom setting. The team also explored the living conditions of some participants, gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges these children face daily.

Key Outcomes

The workshops led to several important conclusions that will shape the future development of the ANTURA game:

  • Game Content: Children enjoyed the customizable features of the ANTURA game, particularly the minigames. However, there was a clear need for the game to be more accessible, considering the varying attention spans and literacy levels of the children.
  • Parental Involvement: Parents were highly supportive of the project and saw the game as a valuable tool not only for their children but potentially for themselves as well.
  • Educational Feedback: Educators emphasized the need for a "classroom mode" with customizable Didactical Units, quieter sound effects, and a clear structure to facilitate classroom use. They also highlighted the importance of including cultural topics, such as geography and school life, in the game's content.

ANTURA Project Workshops in Wrocław, Poland, February 2024

 

In February 2024, the ANTURA project team conducted a series of engaging workshops in Wrocław, Poland, marking a significant step in the development and refinement of the ANTURA educational game. These workshops aimed to gather valuable feedback from teachers, parents, and children, helping to shape the game into an effective tool for language learning and cultural integration for refugee and migrant children.

Workshop Highlights

The workshops were organized by a dedicated team from various partner organizations, including Jan Stasieńko, Agnieszka Dytman Stasieńko, and Maciej Śledź from Dolnośląska Szkoła Wyższa, as well as Maria Zielińska from Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty. The sessions took place at Leonardo Elementary School over two days, with each day focused on different groups of participants.

Day 1: Teachers' Workshop (February 20, 2024)

On the first day, the team met with two Polish and three Ukrainian teachers to present the current version of the ANTURA game and gather their feedback. The teachers provided insightful suggestions on how the game could better support language learning and cultural education. They expressed appreciation for the game's educational potential, particularly its intuitive gameplay and dual-language delivery. However, they also recommended specific enhancements, such as the inclusion of written letters and improved phonetics, to further aid the children's learning process.

Day 2: Workshop with Parents, Caregivers, and Children (February 21, 2024)

The second day was dedicated to engaging with parents, caregivers, and children. A total of ten families participated, including children from Ukraine and Belarus. During the session, children interacted with the ANTURA game while parents filled out surveys and participated in discussions about the game’s use in their children's education. The involvement of a Ukrainian-speaking teacher greatly facilitated communication, making the workshop a positive and productive experience for all.

Parents showed great enthusiasm for the ANTURA game, with many downloading it on their phones during the workshop. They recognized the game's potential to help their children overcome language barriers and expressed a keen interest in its cultural content. The workshop concluded with parents and children playing the game together, which fostered a deeper connection and reinforced positive feelings towards the project.

Key Takeaways

The workshops in Wrocław provided the ANTURA project team with crucial feedback and ideas for future updates. Some of the key takeaways include:

  • Game Enhancements: Suggestions for including written letters, improving phonetics, and adding more dynamic content to keep older children engaged.
  • Cultural Content: The importance of integrating cultural education into the game, with parents and teachers both highlighting the need for content related to local traditions, holidays, and social norms.
  • Parental Involvement: The positive response from parents underscores the importance of involving caregivers in the educational process, which can significantly enhance the learning experience for children.

These workshops represent a vital part of the ANTURA project’s ongoing development, ensuring that the final product will be a powerful and effective tool for supporting the integration and education of refugee and migrant children across Europe. The team is now focused on implementing the feedback and preparing for the next phases of the project.