During the week between the 6th – 9th of May 2025, St Nicholas College was pleased to welcome a group of 5 Educators and Heads of School from Castilla y León. The Educators visited several schools from our College, as well as the Naxxar Induction Hub. This Job Shadowing experience focused on the inclusion of Migrant Learners within the context of mainstream education, which is one of the pillars on which our Erasmus+ Accreditation is based upon.
Before they arrived in Malta, two of the teachers created a short video with their students, to introduce themselves to our schools:
Apart from visiting different classrooms at our schools, the Spanish Educators had the opportunity to actively participate in the lessons by taking part in lessons and even teaching our students some Spanish!
The Spanish Delegation and our students and educators enjoyed the experience immensely! During the next Scholastic Year (2025 – 2026) Heads of School and Deputy Heads from St Nicholas College will have the opportunity to visit to Spain to learn more about the Spanish Schools and Spanish Educational System. This will be made possible thanks to St Nicholas College Accreditation Funds, co-funded by the European Union.
Two educators from St Nicholas College, Dingli Secondary School – Ms Joanne Valentine and Ms Noemi Deulofeu – recently attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘Designing Inclusive Learning Environments to Support all Students‘ at the Europass Teacher Academy in Athens, Greece.
The educators were invited during the St Nicholas College Council of Heads meeting which was held on the 11th of March 2025 at Dingli Secondary School. Present for the meeting were our Head of College Network, Ms Josephine Mifsud; Mr Jeffrey Zammit, EO Curriculum; Mr John Sultana, College Support Officer and Ms Amanda Debattista, St Nicholas College Erasmus+ Coordinator. Eleven Heads of School from our College were also present during the meeting.
They gave an overview of the courses attended, their experience with the pedagogical content and their interactions with other Educators from all over Europe. The educators thoroughly enjoyed their experience and have already started sharing their newly-found knowledge with their colleagues within their school.
More information about the course attended, as well as the Presentation created by the Educators themselves, can be found here:
Two educators from St Nicholas College, Dingli Secondary School – Ms Joanne Valentine and Ms Noemi Deulofeu – recently attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘Designing Inclusive Learning Environments to Support all Students‘ at the Europass Teacher Academy in Athens, Greece. The course took place from Monday to Friday, with Saturday designated for cultural activities. Throughout the week, the program took place in the mornings, and in the afternoons, we explored the city of Athens on our own. On Saturday, in collaboration with the group of Portuguese teachers, we visited Aegina, a pistachio-producing island located near Athens.
Monday 20th January
The first day focused on school presentations, starting with Cyprus, followed by ice-breaking activities and the introduction of course participants. A presentation on Greece, its regions, and the course objectives was delivered. Information about the group was shared, which consisted of five Portuguese teachers (primary and secondary school teachers from different specialisations, sharing one Headmaster of all cluster schools, positively leading approximately 200-300 teachers), one Cypriot teacher (a primary school teacher, managing approximately 200 students with a particular focus on conflicts between refugee and local students), and two Maltese teachers. The session included an introduction to the humanistic participative model, cooperative strategies, and the concept of inclusion. Participants were also introduced to video content explaining different modes of applying inclusion methods for education. A very interesting video from a school in Barcelona was also shown to the participants followed by discussions focusing on the “road to inclusion”.
Presentations continued, with a focus on Portugal’s approach to education. The session delved deeper into inclusion strategies, exploring the principles of equity and equality. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework was introduced, highlighting four key elements of inclusion: presence, participation, achievement, and the removal of barriers to learning. The session addressed how to support marginalized, excluded, or underachieving learners and explored the pillars of inclusion, including inequality, equality, equity, and justice.
Wednesday 22nd January
The concept of co-teaching was explored through an example in mathematics, explained by the Portuguese participants. UDL framework was discussed in-depth, with participants divided into three groups to gain a better understanding of how UDL works, including engagement, representation, and action. Tools such as Edutopia’s Check-in/Check-out system were presented. This method follows targeted students (mainly those that require support emotionally and socially) by staff members regularly, and acts accordingly upon their needs, presenting possible daily goals to improve and reflection after the day passed.
Some key concepts such as Vygotsky’s theories on collaboration and soft skills development through collaboration and digital tools (Padlet, Reader, NaturalReaders.com) were also explored during this session.
Thursday 23rd January:
The knowledge gained on UDL the previous day was applied in group activities. Tasks were differentiated into three levels: advanced (extended task), main task, and differentiated tasks for students with special needs (Tier 3 and 2). Strategies to foster both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation were discussed, and participants were encouraged to offer students autonomy and responsibility. The focus was on UDL engagement, recognizing that curricula are often designed with the “average” student in mind. Participants also explored the use of Coggle (Mind Map) and watched a video on PBIS (Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports) from the United States.
Friday 24th January
The last day began with our presentation on the Maltese Islands, the Maltese education system and how our school operates on a daily basis. We also showed them a video with the various activities we organised at our school during the past year.
We then continued into a conclusion of all the course, we made sure all information was understood both in theory and practice, specifically the pragmatic outcomes. The last day we used it to make questions, share contacts and we also ended up visiting the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens, which included a library tour.
This visit provided a practical context for explaining engagement and differentiation in education, emphasizing collaboration and fostering an inclusive environment. A tour of the SNFCC was followed by a group session on Bloom’s Taxonomy and a story circle. This activity concluded the course in a collaborative experience, in which every person shared their personal highlights of the course, and together, we built a story that represented each and every one of us, through a creative end.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants gained an in-depth understanding of UDL guidelines and their practical application. The course fostered a broader understanding of diverse educational systems, particularly those in Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus. Participants learned how to apply differentiation strategies to support inclusion and promote equity and justice. A key outcome was the realization that teaching is transitioning from traditional methods to a more differentiated approach. The course introduced Project-Based Learning (PBL) and cooperative strategies such as “Think, Pair, Share,” and emphasized the importance of fostering both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in the classroom. The concept of “Multi-Tiered Systems of Support” and the application of Vygotsky’s theories were central to the discussions. Additionally, the course explored the importance of critical thinking and active learning strategies.
Conclusion:
The Erasmus+ course facilitated the development of essential knowledge and skills, bridging theory with practice. Meaningful interactions allowed participants to apply their newfound knowledge in real-world settings, particularly in fostering collaboration within diverse classrooms. The course highlighted the importance of adaptation and differentiation to accommodate various learning needs and cultural backgrounds. While the participants acknowledged that full implementation of UDL could be challenging, there was a shared commitment to improving teaching practices. It was also recognized that further training in the use of AI tools is necessary. The course underscored the need for greater support for educators both inside and outside the classroom, alongside a focus on becoming digitally competent educators. Awareness of key educational concepts such as UDL and differentiation was also recognized as essential for the development of future lesson plans.
This mobility was made possible thanks to St Nicholas College Accreditation funds, co-funded by the European Union.
A group of school leaders from St Nicholas College recently attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘AI Ethics and Bias: Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in AI Tools‘ in Budapest Hungary. Ms Josette White, HOS at Attard Primary, Ms Natalie Saliba, HOS at Dingli Primary and Ms Doriann Portanier Mifsud, HOS at Rabat Middle School attended the course. They were also accompanied by Ms Josephine Mifsud, Head of College Network and Ms Amanda Debattista, College Erasmus+ Coordinator.
The course addressed ethical considerations and bias in AI algorithms, student cheating, privacy concerns, over-reliance on technology, lack of representation (gender, age, ethnicity, abilities), and equity issues. Participants were introduced to several tools, and were able to work on practical examples and discuss/share their results with the rest of the class. Some of the tools used during the course were:
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Co-Pilot
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots
Quizizz
Generate Quizzes and Assessment with AI
Tengr.ai
AI Image Editor/Generator
Adobe Firefly
Generate and Edit Images; Create Videos and Sounds
Udio, Suno
Audio/Lyrics/Song Creator
Synthesis, Heygen
Video Generator
Microsoft Reading Coach
AI Story Creator and Immersive Reader
Quillbot
Plagerism Checker/AI Detector
Slidesgo
Online Presentation Generator
During the course, participants were also reminded about using AI tools ethically, and ensuring inclusivity by catering to diverse student needs. They were challenged into identifying and addressing biases through the crafting and comparison of more effective prompts and commands; thus ensuring that generated texts and images are truly representative.
The Senior Leadership Team at our College throughly enjoyed this great learning experience. As School Leaders, they feel more equipped to use AI Tools in their schools, and look forward to mentoring their staff in using these new resources whilst ensuring an ethical and unbiased experience for all.
This mobility was made possible thanks to St Nicholas College Accreditation funds, co-funded by the European Union.
In July 2025, five Educators from Mtarfa Primary School had the opportunity to attend Erasmus+ Funded courses in Budapest and Florence. Ms. Lara Portelli and Ms. Riann Fenech Gladwish attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘Using ICT Tools to Integrate Migrant Students in the Classroom’ whilst Ms Nadia Mifsud, Ms Maria Gatt and Ms Diane Mifsud, attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘Attention Please! Digital Tools and Techniques for Student Engagement’.
The educators were invited during the St Nicholas College Council of Head meeting which was held on the 14th of January at Rabat Middle School. Present for the meeting were the eleven Heads of School from our College.
They gave an overview of the courses attended, their experience with the pedagogical content and their interactions with other Educators from all over Europe. The educators throughly enjoyed their experience and have already started sharing their newly-found knowledge with their colleagues within their school.
More information about the courses attended, as well as the Presentations created by the Educators themselves, can be found here:
In April of 2024, a group of six students from St Nicholas College, Dingli Primary School, had the opportunity to visit a school in Bari, Italy, where they had the opportunity to learn alongside the Italian students! Click on the video below to watch the testimonials of our educators and pupils, who thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful experience!
One of the main benefits of participating in Erasmus+ Projects is the possibility of taking part in various Professional Development Opportunities, including attending tailor-made courses abroad. Watch this testimonial from Ms Janice Vella Muscat, educator at St Nicholas College Mgarr Primary School, who had the opportunity to receive Erasmus+ funded training in July! #ErasmusDays #ErasmusDays2024 #EUPA #EUPAMalta #ErasmusAccreditation
In March of 2024, a group of six students from St Nicholas College, Mgarr Primary School, had the opportunity to visit a school in Krakow, Poland, where they had the opportunity to learn alongside the Polish students! Click on the video below to watch the testimonials of our educators, pupils and parents who thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful experience!
In March 2024, a group of three educators from St Nicholas College, Rabat Primary School, visited Dublin on an Erasmus+ Job Shadowing. Click on the video below to watch a first hand account of their amazing experience!
Ms Nadia Mifsud, Ms Maria Gatt and Ms Diane Mifsud, educators at St Nicholas College Mtarfa Primary School, recently attended the Erasmus+ Course ‘Attention Please! Digital Tools and Techniques for Student Engagement’ in Budapest, Hungary.
St.Nicholas College Malta 