Southwark College hosted a week-long activity agenda as a part of a Virtual Classroom UK Mobility Programme supported by the Erasmus+ programme. Students and staff participated in the programme intended to take an exploratory approach in which students were able to solve real-life maths problems that they did not have the immediate methods of resolution for to help them build and deepen their understanding of concepts, representations, procedures, and other mathematical ideas.
The Virtual Classroom is a 24-month long school exchange partnership between secondary schools across Turkey, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland to bring the schools and colleges together to aid the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. The project was intended to help turn these negative effects of ICT on students, such as internet dependency into positive ones to increase students’ motivation to use digital tools for educational purposes.
During the programme, the students were tasked with creating an international classroom atmosphere where technology literacy of both students and teachers is developed and included the use of practical programmes and applications such as Edmodo, Kahoot, Wordart & Pixton to support learning.
Annette Cast, Principal at Southwark College, said: “We’re delighted to have hosted the Erasmus+ programme and to welcome students from across Europe to Southwark College. The virtual classroom project as well as the wider Erasmus+ programme has provided valuable opportunities for our students to experience a range of cultures, learn different methodologies improve their confidence and broaden their skillset.
“We look forward to more collaborations with schools and colleges from Europe to welcoming them into our College community and to continue providing an excellent learning experience for our students.”
Erasmus+ is an initiative that enables students to explore different cultures while gaining invaluable skills and experience. It supports education, training, youth, and sports opportunities for students based in Europe.
Southwark College offers Maths courses for young people and adults, with convenient part-time day and evening options. To find out more, visit southwark.ac.uk/maths.
