My course

This is the description of the course I am going to attend:

Structured Study Visit to Schools/Institutes & Training Seminar in Iceland

This course is included in the Erasmus+ programme. English Matters'  Personal Identification Code (PIC number): 947992544.

Country of Destination: Iceland.

Training venue: Reykjavik.

Duration (days): ): 7 training days (from Sunday to Saturday).

Language of communication: English.

Dates:

• 24-30 April, 2016

Description: This programme efficiently combines pedagogic visits to schools/institutes and structured training activities. That is why this programme is implemented during the academic term, when schools and institutes can show the vibrancy of their daily life and operation. Although this activity should be included as a structured course in your application to Erasmus+, you should be aware of a rich job shadowing/observation element present in this programme: English Matters will select a number of educational institutions related to the participants’ profile and educational level so that they should benefit better from a wider selection of good teaching practices. This model has shown to be highly satisfactory for both the visiting teachers and the institutions visited. Everyone participating in this experience will receive maximum benefit from it.

Participants will enjoy opportunities to meet and interact with teachers, head teachers or principals, experts, advisors, etc.; to discover educational institutions in a variety of sectors (primary, secondary, vocational, adult lifelong learning, etc.); to experience a powerful and unique school culture; to observe innovative approaches to learning; to network and possibly form reliable partnerships leading to possible Key Action 2 projects, etc. This will support the European Dimension in Education within a sense of community. The training seminars will help participants to better enhance their learning in a friendly forum for discussion and exchange about education systems, the culture of the host country, and educational topics of general interest, through workshops and lectures. Also, the cultural study visits will enhance participants' experience by providing access to exploring significant landmarks of archaeological, geographical and historical interest. 

Our Structured Study Visit to Iceland will provide a most interesting insight for teachers in Europe. The Icelandic Education System and its schools present most interesting features: more than 90% of students and teachers manifest to feel very happy at school. Probably this is owed to the fact that schools really focus on student happiness, student-centered learning, and on developing student-teacher relationships. Teachers care about their students' wellbeing and there is a lot of respect between students and teachers. The whole society and their teachers know how to make teenagers part of the community and are very interested in helping their students succeed. Probably it is not by chance that Iceland has 100% literacy rate. Our Structured Study Visit to Iceland will also provide insights into a singular literature (e.g. from Sagas to Halldór Laxness) and invaluable hands-on experience of a unique natural environment (e.g. the Mid-Atlantic ridge which can easily be viewed at Thingvellir where the scientific theory of the tectonic plates was evidenced). The geysers at Geyser, the impressive waterfall at Gullfoss and other fascinating landforms might be useful for participants to bring to their students authentic resources to develop geography, geology, literary, social and historical topics about a land of fire and ice with a most intense volcanic activity and the largest renewable internal freshwater resources per capita in the world. Probably their crystal-pure air and hot water delivered to all Icelandic households straight from the earth's volcanic bowels make a most beneficial contribution to the Icelandic wellbeing in a society where life expectancy for men is the highest in the world, and not far behind for women.