Educators and Students from St Nicholas College, Rabat Middle School, recount their experiences during a recent Erasmus+ Pupil Mobility exchange in Madrid, Spain. The mobility proved to be an enriching experience for both students and their educators. Click on the video below to learn more!
This mobility was made possible thanks so St Nicholas College Accreditation Grant, co-funded by the European Union.
A group of six 12-year-old students from St. Nicholas College Rabat Middle School, accompanied by their class teacher, recently took part in the Erasmus+ Student Mobility and Job Shadowing programme with a visit to C.E.I.P.S.O. Federico GarcÃa Lorca, located in the small town of Camarma de Esteruelas, near Madrid, Spain. The visit took place from 12th to 16th May 2025 and included Spanish FL Teacher Ms. Jessica Muscat, LSE Ms. Melanie Debrincat, and Spanish FL Teacher and First Aider Ms. Guadalupe Melo. They were joined by six Year 8 students: Liam Muscat, Myles Cauchi, Connor Zarb, Ben Mifsud Bonnici, Oliwia Czyz, and Dorian Vassallo Manicolo. All Spanish FL students were invited to apply, and following an inclusive and transparent selection process, participants were chosen by lot.
Our host school, CEIPSO Federico GarcÃa Lorca, is a unified Infant–Primary–Secondary educational centre. This visit marked a continuation of a growing partnership: St. Nicholas Primary School in Attard had visited the same school in March, and in April, a delegation of teachers and students from Camarma visited Malta.
The school serves students from early childhood (ages 0–6), through Primary (ages 6–12), and into Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO), which spans four years (ages 12–16). The campus includes two main buildings separating the Infant and Primary sections from the Secondary wing, as well as a school canteen offering freshly prepared meals daily.
During our stay, our students were welcomed into Middle School classrooms and participated in joint activities with their Spanish peers—an enriching experience that fostered cultural exchange, collaboration, and mutual learning.
As part of the Erasmus+ programme, we engaged in a wide range of activities, including classroom observations, a sustainability workshop, an alternative sports day, and sessions with the school’s radio club. These experiences promoted teamwork, well-being, and inclusion in a dynamic and engaging environment.
This was a fully immersive experience, combining school life, cultural visits, and homestay accommodation. It was a truly positive and collaborative exchange that we highly recommend to other schools considering similar opportunities.
This journey not only helped us improve our language and communication skills, but also inspired us with new ideas to make our teaching in Malta more inclusive, sustainable, and engaging. We hope that some of these ideas will soon become a reality in our school community.
Finally, this experience broadened our understanding of the European dimension of Erasmus+ programmes. We witnessed how international cooperation and innovation can bring recognition and prestige to our school, while connecting us to a wider educational network in Europe.
This mobility was made possible thanks so St Nicholas College Accredition Grant, co-funded by the European Union.
Ms Sonia Flores & Ms Elaine Tanti
The job shadowing programme was designed to expose all participants to the different cultures and educational systems of not merely, the host country, but also that of the other European countries, such as Lithuania, Belgium and Croatia. Thus, one of its first, immediate benefits was that all educators had the time to discuss their educational setting as well as the different strategies, and methods of teaching and learning, in their own country.
This was due to the various interactive sessions as well as the various experiences in schools around Ljubljana. The week started off with the welcome session where we all began to get to know each other, sharing our culture, and our backgrounds in education.
During the week, we also had the opportunity to attend Step by Step Polygon conference for children with conditions and mental health difficulties. This also discussed the challenges faced by children with Autism, as they grow older. It was extremely informative, with interactive group work, concrete practical examples and different case studies, used to discuss different strategies amongst educators from different European countries.
One of the schools we visited was a Forest School. Here, weather permitting, learning took place outdoors and focused on hands on, nature-based learning experiences. Children were encouraged to solve problems and take guided risks, during activities involving climbing, balancing and moving around safely. They developed creative play, using the everyday natural setting of the forest, with objects such as branches, leaves and stones.
The natural environment of the forest also provided the opportunity for rich sensory experiences. Naturally, children also learned in the classroom setting, where semi- structured activities, such as circle time and crafts activities also took place.
The second school we went to was in the city, but still exposed the children to a lot of outdoor learning. The setting was more structured than the Forest School. Children were encouraged to learn independently and choose to change activities cooperatively. During free-play the teacher did not really intervene and the children could either choose to continue playing with the same toys, or together, decide to clean up and change activity. Children had a longer day at school because parents could choose to leave them at school, until 5.00pm. Children were also provided with breakfast, snacks and lunch. They ate very healthy food, including soups, fish and vegetables. We also assisted the teachers in taking the children for an outing to a theater. Children put on raincoats, and we walked in the rain and caught the public transport to the venue. Kindergarten is not free, and parents need to pay.
During the course of the week, we were also asked to give a presentation of good practice, in teaching and learning, in our field. We choose storytelling, since educators often use the interactive whiteboard, rather than a physical book. Our objectives were language acquisition including new vocabulary, listening skills, topic maintenance, attention and sitting tolerance, imagination, creativity and role-play and reasoning skills. While presenting the strategies to the other educators, we suggested the following methods for engaging students.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, we found that, in Slovenia, children were encouraged to be more independent and allowed to communicate more freely. Other differences included more exploration and use of outdoor environments and more structured risk taking. Children were comfortable and confident enough to interact with us, even though they couldn’t communicate with us in English. They were very well-behaved, despite the increased independence; There were no interactive whiteboards in the classrooms and movement was a big part of their day and not limited to break time.
OTHER FINDINGS
Neuro-divergent children did not have the individualized help and support that we find in Malta. We observed less children with specific needs or learning difficulties in the classrooms. In the schools we went to, children were not formally assessed, and classroom educators were assigned and worked accordingly depending on the needs of the children. We also observed that children with more severe needs are grouped together in one class and educators work together as a team to take care of their learning.
Click on the following link to download a presentation of our activities:
Presentation – Job Shadowing Slovenia
This mobility was made possible thanks so St Nicholas College Accredition Grant, co-funded by the European Union.
On the 2nd of July St Nicholas College organised a Multiplier Event: Sharing of Good Practice stemming from our Erasmus+ Accreditation Projects. The event, which was held at St Nicholas College Rabat Middle School, showcased the work of educators, students, and members of the Senior Leadership Teams within our schools. Educators from across all the schools in St Nicholas College, as well as Heads of College Networks from across eleven Colleges and Education Officers were invited to attend.
After a brief introduction by Ms Josephine Mifsud, former Head of College Network and Ms Flavia Grima, the new Head of College Network, the floor was given to the educators who had attended different kinds of mobilities: Courses and Training, Job Shadowing and Pupil Mobilities. Educators prepared presentations and videos and described their mobilities in detail: how they were approached by the Head of College Network, the type of activity they attended, how it effected their professional development, and how everything was then tied up to the College’s main targets. Although the students could not participate in the event, their presence was still felt as educators who participated in pupil mobilities conducted interviews with the students who attended the mobilities; thus bringing their perspective to the proceedings as well.
This activity and the mobilities were made possible thanks to St Nicholas College Accreditation Grant, co-funded by the European Union.
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 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”.
Read more: Designing Inclusive Learning Environments to Support all Students – An Erasmus+ Course in AthensTuesday 21st January
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.
In March of 2024, a group of three students from St Nicholas College, Rabat Primary School, had the opportunity to visit a school in Dublin, Ireland, where they had the opportunity to learn alongside the Irish students! Click on the video below to watch a video of this wonderful experience!
#ErasmusDays #ErasmusDays2024 #Erasmus+Accreditation #EUPA #EuropeanUnionProgrammesAgency
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!
#ErasmusDays #ErasmusDays2024 #EUPA #Erasmus+ #ErasmusAccreditation
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!
#ErasmusDays #ErasmusDays2024 #Erasmus+Accreditation #EUPA #EuropeanUnionProgrammesAgency
St.Nicholas College Malta 