The seminar for Warsaw teachers with the participation of 4 teachers from 2 schools in the European Union countries:
France, Martinique, Le Lamentin Collège Edouard GLISSANT
Colette SIBADO:
I started teaching in a private Catholic school for eight years. Since then, I've taught in many different levels of public junior and senior high schools after passing a government exam. In France, the government examinations are called "concours", their levels require the highest skills and only the best ones are taken to work in the civil service as teachers, headmasters, customs officers, policemen. You can sit for these exams as often as you like and you can train at home with the CNED (distance learning centre) if you already work and you don't have time to go back to university to train in adult classes.
In 1987, I sat for a Master's degree in English at the University of Martinique and in 2015, I decided to go back to University to learn more about our regional language, French-based Creole in order to teach our language, culture and traditions to the younger generations and increase their self-esteem. I have tutored many young teachers and I have been involved in 3 different Erasmus+ projects towards the end of my career. I accompanied pupils from here to Normandy, France on a water project, then last year to Croatia in September and Romania in November 2019. I've given distance courses during Covid-19 lockdown after a quick training online.
Apart from teaching, I spend my free time painting and writing poetry. I enjoy cubism and I have done three painting exhibitions. I belong to an art group called "the SPAF", The Society of French poets and artists. We meet regularly to listen to artists, poets, novelists talk about their work and exchange with them.
Dominique HAUTEVILLE-MARVEAUX:
Lecturer and ERAEI (Reference Teacher for European and International Action) for Edouard GLISSANT junior high school since 2017; I have strengthened my professional and personal skills thanks to the European ERASMUS +program. Three years of ERASMUS + "hands-on" experimentation have convinced me of the merits of this program for both students and teachers. Training within the ERAEI network with DAREIC: Academic Delegation for European and International Relations and Cooperation, and face-to-face and distance training with the National Agency ERASMUS + of France, allowed me to successively become a “developer ERASMUS +” and “ ERASMUS + Evaluator” registered in the France pool. In parallel, I also developed virtual project management skills on the eTwinning platform with CANOPE Martinique and CANOPE France (online training) of which I am an ambassador for the year 2019-2020. Since I have helped many colleagues to concretize their will to lead an ERASMUS + project, some had already tried the experiment, others had not dared to face obstacles (real or perceived). Today, I feel able to train volunteer colleagues to design, carry out and evaluate their ERASMUS + project or any other project of international opening: we can count such projects of an educational richness (both in formal and non-formal pedagogy) among the structuring projects for an entire school community.
CANOPE : is a kind of pedagogical library for teachers all around France and here our representative's link CANOPE Martinique. You can see they coordinate eTwinning here. We do have a system composed of instances like DAREIC, CANOPE, Carbet des sciences, DAAC, etc to assist teachers and it's quite helpful in developing projects at school.
Collège Edouard GLISSANT - Créé au Lamentin en 1975, le collège de Place d'Armes a été 2 années durant (1973 à 1975) l'annexe du collège Petit Manoir. Le nouveau collège a été inauguré le 15 décembre 2000, l'occupation effective des nouveaux locaux s'étant effectuée en Janvier 2001.
C'est un établissement scolaire moderne, offrant aux élèves de bonnes conditions d'études, aux enseignants des équipements à la hauteur de leurs ambitions pédagogiques, à tous les personnels de bonnes facilités de travail. Actuellement le collège compte environ 800 élèves répartis en 33 divisions: 28 divisions pour le collège : 7 classes de 3ème, 7 classes de 4ème, 7 classes de 5 ème et 7 classes de 6 ème. 4 divisions pour la SEGPA (Section d' Enseignement Général et Adapté). 1 ULIS (Unité Localisée pour l'Inclusion Scolaire). Les options proposées: Latin, DP3, Créole. Les langues vivantes étudiées: LV1 Anglais, LV2 Espagnol, Allemand. Pôle : Football et Basket-ball. L' établissement bénéficie également des services de: 1 médecin scolaire, 1 infirmière, 1 assistante sociale, 2 COP (Conseiller d'Orientation Psychologue), 1 assistante de langue étrangère (anglais), 1 assistante de langue étrangère (espagnol).
Greece, Imerisio Gymnasio in Peta in the region of Epirus.
The Gymnasium of Peta is a secondary education public school for students aged between 12 and 15 years old.
Our school is situated in Peta, a small village 8 km east of Arta, the capital of Arta prefecture in Epirus, Greece. Peta is famous for a battle which happened here during the Greek revolution against the Turks. On July 4, 1822, the Greeks together with the Volunteer Battalion fought against the Turks. After a crucial mistake the Greeks retreated and the volunteers who remained in the battlefield were encircled by the enemies. 11 Polish and 68 Italians, Germans, French, Belgians and others died in a tragic way.
In our school students have the opportunity to acquire general knowledge on various subjects such as Modern and Ancient Greek language, French,English and German as well as Maths, Physics, Chemistry and ICT.
There are 15 teachers (7 of which are teaching only in this school and 8 others who teach in other schools too). 73 students study in our school.
There are also classes for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or/and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as students with Asperger.
Our school features a gym, an ICT lab, a science lab and a performance room where school events take place.
For the years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 our school together with other 16 Greek schools are part of the Junior Engineering Academy network. The program covers a variety of modern technology chapters, including engineering, electronics, computer science and 3D object design. The program is specially designed to urge young people to pursue a career related to the fields of modern technology. STEM learning methods are used to practice skills such as problem solving, collaborative work and self-directed learning. Through various activities, students are encouraged to link different thematic units to implement and consolidate new knowledge.
Effimia KARAGIANNI:
My name is Effimia Karagianni. I have been teaching English in the Greek state secondary education for twenty years now. For the last three years I teach English in the Gymnasium of Peta being also the headteacher of the school. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature (National Kapodistrean Univerity of Athens) and a Master in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. (MA in TESOL). I am married and a proud mother of two children.
I truly believe in lifelong learning that is why I try to keep in touch with new teaching theories and ways to incorporate technology in English Language Teaching. What is more I try to provide my students with 21st century skills (digital skills, co-operation and critical thinking skills) which was in fact the reason that led me to incorporate e-twinning and Erasmus+ programmes in our school life.
Konstantina BOUSDRI:
My name is Konstantina Bousdri. I am a Physics teacher in the 2nd level public education (pre high-school) for the past 20 years. The school I work for is the Imerisio Gymnasio Peta and is located in Peta, a small village in Epirus, Greece.
Besides from Physics, I also teach Geography, Biology and Chemistry. I obtained my degree from the Physics Faculty of the University of Patras. I am married and a proud mother of four children. I am also a very creative person. I have great computer skills and am responsible for preparing educational presentations throughout each school-year.
I love travelling and joining initiatives on school exchange programs, such as the one we participated in, at Erasmus+ (DECH, Sept 2018-Aug 2020).
The presentation prepared by the Greek director of the school. Link.
