Professional development of teachers of Savremena Gimnazija in Portugal within the Erasmus+ project

As part of the Erasmus+ project "TOGETHER", two teachers of Savremena Gimnazija were given the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills using a new method of work. Namely, the "TOGETHER" project deals with service learning, that is, how to apply the service learning method in teaching with the aim of digitalisation and preservation of cultural heritage.

The main goal of the training in Aveiro: Designing a project based on the presented service learning methodology

The project, which started in 2021, had the aim to develop a Handbook for teachers, which would introduce them to the new methodology of service learning, advantages and challenges, methods of implementation of this approach, evaluation of everything achieved, etc. Now the entire Handbook has been uploaded to the platform together with already finished example projects, so the testing phase can start. Therefore, training was organised in Aveiro, Portugal, where each partner had two teachers as their representatives. The representatives of Savremena Gimnazija were teacher Tamara Rajinac, a Music, Global Perspectives and Art and Design teacher, and Milica Aleksić, an English teacher.

The event lasted three working days and included the presentation and going through all the training modules, checking the platform, giving feedback on its features, and as a most important part, designing the project based on the presented service learning methodology.

The teachers Tamara and Milica received useful feedback for the project idea, which they believe they will soon implement with their students.

Encouraging active student participation in solving real problems

Participating in this project made me think more about designing projects that direct students to actively participate in solving real problems and thus help preserve and further develop the environment they live in. I would recommend Erasmus+ projects to all colleagues who want to exchange experiences, collaborate with other teachers, learn something new and raise the quality of their work to a higher level, said teacher Tamara Rajinac.

Erasmus+ projects motivate teachers to provide a better educational model to their students

Erasmus+ projects are a great opportunity for teachers to meet colleagues from other countries, and share experiences, but also the challenges that teachers around the world face in teaching. I would especially like to point out the hospitality and cordiality of the host school in Aveiro. I would recommend every colleague to participate in some project, because they make you think about your work, reconsider your own teaching practices, research new ones and motivates you to provide a better educational model to your students, said Milica Aleksić, English teacher.

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.