Tarxien Primary concludes Comenius project

Dun Karm Sant Primary School of Tarxien has concluded its Comenius school development project entitled "Sharing and comparing teaching methods to meet the needs of all students in a mainstream school".

Schools from Ireland, England and Norway are partners in this activity, together with the Tarxien school, which was the organising school.

In the last week of May, delegations from Culfadda Primary School in Ireland and from Krodern Primary School in Norway visited Malta for the concluding meeting.

In the two-day meeting, three teachers from each of the foreign schools together with three teachers from the Maltese school held meetings to prepare the final report of the project.

During these past three years the three schools together with Crook Primary School from England, shred experiences in the methods they use in the teaching of reading, of writing and of numeracy. They also drew up a comparative report on the set-up in each school to tackle inclusive education for children with special needs.

On the first day of the meeting the six teachers from Ireland and from Norway visited the classes, where they were given a warm welcome. They also had the opportunity to talk to the teachers and pupils, while in turn the pupils asked questions to the visitors. It was a learning experience for the Tarxien Primary School pupils, as they met people from different countries and so learned about different cultures.

On the second day the kindergarten classes and the Year 1 and Year 2 pupils gave a short concert to the foreign teachers. The children sang and danced heartily both in English and in Maltese. Parents were also invited for this special concert.

The kindergarten children sang a song composed for the occasion, while the Year 1 pupils sang songs from the Happy Family series which they constantly use during their English lessons. On the other hand, the Year 2 pupils prepared songs and acted a short play and danced to cha cha rhythm dressed up as Flintstones characters.

Since this visit coincided with the Tarxien feast, in the evening the foreign visitors were shown round the church and the band club and listened to the band playing.

The visit was concluded with a call on the Tarxien mayor who personally guided the delegations round the Tarxien prehistoric temples.