Creative Writing: A Portuguese-English Project in the Making

This year, as part of our PFPP (a yearly training plan for teachers we have in our EOI), we have been working on task-based learning. We have had 3 sessions with Sonia Espiñeira Caderno, a Spanish teacher at the EOI in Vigo, which have helped us to gain some insight into the principles underlying task-based learning and some practical considerations about how to design and implement this approach in our classes.

Sonia asked us to work in groups and think about a project that we could actually carry out in our school. I was working with Joseph Ghanime, a Portuguese teacher working in our headquarters in Santiago. We were both trying to find a common interest that would serve as the  basis for this project and a series of tasks that we could take to our classes.

Joseph came up with the topic of migration flows from Galicia and Portugal to North America (the USA and Canada), and thought we could work with this subject to promote creative writing.

Accidentally, that very same week I visited two exhibitions at the Cidade da Cultura which gave us the idea of using photographs as prompts. One of them was the one showing José Suárez's impressive photographs. I really recommend visiting the exhibit, there are beautiful quotations by Eduardo Blanco Amor and the lighting and music chosen, alongside with cameras, letters and personal objects belonging to the photographer really help to round up the visit.

Mariñeiros 08 by José Suárez

The other one was a smaller exhibition about emigration: "Emigrantes: Terras, xentes, emocións", which can be visited until March 4th at the entrance of the Biblioteca e Arquivo de Galicia.

Then, while looking up information about photographers who have documented emigration in Galicia, I of course found Manuel Ferrol. Dolores López, a former student and now good friend of mine, was kind enough to lend me a book she had with photographs where Ferrol captured emigrants on the brink of leavin which are outstanding. Just look at them and you will be moved to tears.

And finally, today I read this article in La Voz de Galicia, describing an initiative by Obra Social Abanca, called "Fálame da emigración", which really ties in nicely with the project we had in mind. 

So keep your eyes peeled, there's a creative writing project in the making and you are going to like it!