The first short staff training meeting, which took place from October 29 to November 02, 2018, was attended by teachers from the Primary School of Ayia Napa - Antonis Tsokkou and ten teachers from five respective schools in EU member states (Romania, Lithuania, Austria, Poland and Italy).
The meeting took place within the framework of the project «My Roots Become Our Wings - Travel Agency»« My Roots Become Our Wings - Travel Company » participating in the European Program Erasmus + Action KA2 - Strategic Partnerships in the field of School Education for the school years 2018-2020.
As stated by the Director of the Primary School of Ayia Napa - Antonis Tsokkou, Mr. Georgios Konstantinou, the specific partnership of these six European schools aims to deepen in good practices for social / inclusion / inclusive education, with full respect in diversity and otherness. The activities of the program are aimed at both teachers and children, to help their school communities become inclusive environments in practice and not just in theory.
Inclusive schools, as Mr. Konstantinou explained, are those that create the right conditions and give the same opportunities to all children, regardless of nationality, religion, disability, learning needs or any other special circumstances of their lives. "In multicultural schools, such as those participating in the MRBOW-TA program," he said, "we care about all the children and we care about everything equally."
Our goal is to "all children, through appropriate activities-routines (icebreakers / energisers / team-building activities), with the use of technology, with appropriate stimuli and means, to feel happy, to feel that they belong somewhere, to feel proud and not disadvantaged about their roots (their country of origin and the culture of their parents), to be motivated to spread their wings to achieve their goals in the country where they live, in a United Europe ".
The coordinator of the program Dr. Lambris Trisokka stated that during the first training staff meeting, training days were held by school teachers specializing in inclusive education (Inclusive Teaching and Learning Practices for Inclusive School Communities, Social Inclusion Vs. Factor X), sample lessons in different classes of the school ( Greek teaching course as 2th Language, English as a foreign language course, Robotics course for children to learn the History of Cyprus), interactive activities prepared by each class of the school, but also the school as a whole (Festival of Traditional Professions and Customs of Cyprus), with main objective is the exchange of experiences, good practices and reflections.
During their five-day stay in Cyprus, the partner teachers visited the province of Famagusta as part of an educational trip. Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos, where they were given the opportunity to get to know the problem of Cyprus, its roots, history, tradition, its archeological monuments protected by UNESCO, but also its sights and natural beauty.
In their statements, the associate teachers expressed their enthusiasm for the hospitality, but also for the smooth operation of the school, which as they noted "tries to be an inclusive school in practice and in all aspects of school life and not only in theory." The next meeting-exchange of teachers will take place in Austria in March 2019.
Famagusta.News