The Director of the school Mrs. Konstantina Boutou and ICT teacher Apostolina Saiti had a unique educational experience in Martinique in the Caribbean sea, within the framework of the European Erasmus+ KA1 program.
The 2nd mobility of the project with contract code 2020-1-EL01-KA101-078242, was implemented from 17 to 23 April 2022 on the island of Martinique, which geographically belongs to the Caribbean but is a French overseas colony and part of the European Union.
The subject of the training was "Neuroeducation and Coaching" and the implementing body was the organization Pricalica.
The training included a structured course in English on the use of basic coaching methods and techniques, taking into account the neurolinguistic approach to teaching.
The objectives of the training were, teachers to understand the properties of the human brain and its functions. They were taught new techniques to guide the learning process, focusing on the brain and revised the use of traditional teaching methods. At the same time, gamification techniques and brain training techniques were taught which can be implemented inside and outside the classroom environment.
Teachers from Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Poland and Germany participated in the training. Intercultural dialogue was developed and experiences were shared between the participants regarding the coaching and gamification strategies applied in their own educational systems. The training climate was excellent and in the future collaborations between the participating schools will be developed to strengthen the European identity and the schools' extroversion.
A few words about the special island of Martinique:
Martinique is a Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus, who arrived on the island in 1502 and named it Martinique. The indigenous people of the Caribbean called the island Madiana or Madinina ("Island of Flowers"). Being a French colony, its culture reflects a unique blend of French and Caribbean influences. Its population is approximately 400 thousand inhabitants.
It is a tropical island with many volcanic springs. The eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902 destroyed the large city of Saint-Pierre and moved the capital to Fort-de-France.
French is the official language of the island, however, the mother tongue used mostly unofficially is Creole (mainly French, Afrikaans, American and English dialects). In terms of religious beliefs, since the founding of France, Roman Catholicism has dominated.
Its climate is tropical and the rainy season lasts from June to October. The average temperature is 17.3 °C. The uniquely beautiful tropical forests, the rich vegetation of Martinique and its beautiful coasts with turquoise waters make up an enchanting setting.
The economy is based on sugar cane (rum), bananas, tourism and light industry.
We have returned having gained a unique educational and cultural experience through the Erasmus+ KA1 program. We will always have in our mind and in our heart this small Caribbean island which is full of contrasts, colors and aromas. Disseminating the results of the training to our colleagues will lead to the application of new teaching techniques and will improve the educational process for the benefit of our students.
