Members of staff at De La Salle Sixth Form recently underwent professional development by attending courses in various European cities as part of an EU-funded project aimed at developing practices and skills required to meet the diverse needs of today’s learners. The project was also aimed at developing teaching systems that enhance learners’ qualities and skills such as flexibility of mind, ability to work in teams and communication.
The staff members undertook training in communication skills, using ICT in the classroom, teaching students how to be leaders and innovators in the classroom, entrepreneurship, the flipped classroom, EU educational projects, leadership, peer coaching and quality assurance.
The courses were highly beneficial to the staff members not only because of the knowledge they gained during the sessions but also by enabling them to share experiences and discuss issues with their European counterparts.
On their return from the courses, staff development sessions were organised internally within the Sixth Form whereby the participants delivered presentations, and workshops were organised on the material covered during the courses.
De La Salle Sixth Form believes in providing an education that is not simply based on training students to pass exams but that it should prepare students for a path that leads to further education and encourages them become independent adults and lifelong learners. It also considers it vital to have teaching systems in place that enhance learners’ qualities and skills such as flexibility of mind, ability to work in teams and proper communication.
So the school administration and staff felt it was necessary to expose its leaders and educators to ways that would help the school devise an effective programme of studies that was not restricted to academic aspects but also led to the development of 21st century competences and develop practices. These included skills such as collaboration, proper communication, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship and the overall development of each individual as a whole in the world we live in today.
The project, entitled ‘Training Educators to provide Students with 21st century Skills within a European and Ever-Changing Context’, was funded under the Erasmusplus KA1 programme.