Gżira school invests in its teachers’ professional development

St Monica School, Gżira, is highly invested in promoting continuous professional development (CPD) among its educators, and has obtained Erasmusplus accreditation in its drive to cultivate and improve training opportunities for both new and experienced members of its staff.

The school’s first year of accreditation saw its educators visiting Ireland, Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Hungary to further develop their knowledge and understanding in the areas of outdoor learning, innovative educational leadership, effective group management, supporting diversity and intercultural education.

They also delved into aspects of stress and conflict management, student well-being and mental health, mindfulness and meditation, and resilience, which are all very important in any educational institution.

Ongoing professional development is vital in all professions, not least teaching. Relevant and varied professional development has the potential to expose teachers to new ideas, increase their expertise, motivation and confidence, expand their knowledge base and solidify their commitment to teaching.

In turn, this positively alters the educational landscape by enabling the creation of a more effective teaching and learning environment, and by allowing educators to deliver high-quality lessons. CPD thus impacts all educational stakeholders, particularly so when all school staff work towards a common purpose.

We now look forward to our second year of accreditation with a new venture into job shadowing and an expanded range of courses

The training opportunities provided the participants with the space to reflect and grow. The dissemination of this learning in turn allows our other staff members to benefit indirectly from the experience of their colleagues.

We now look forward to our second year of accreditation with a new venture into job shadowing and an expanded range of courses specifically suited to our school’s objectives.

Opportunities such as these allow us to keep updated with the latest trends and best practice, and enable us to continue to promote crucial continuous professional development among our staff, and that ultimately benefit our whole school community.

Stephanie Borg is deputy head at St Monica School, Gżira.

The school is grateful to European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA) and Erasmusplus for its support and funding for these CPD opportunities.