ERASMUS+ School Education in Istanbul, Turkey

Course Title: New Strategies for a Positive and Happy School

This was our final destination in terms of this Erasmus+ project called:

Removing barriers through new teaching methodologies as part of moving towards a better classroom experience for children with social deficiencies

We visited Istanbul in April 2025. It was a group of four colleagues, this time an equal share of teachers and mentors and it was trully exceptional. We thought it’be great so safe some cost on transport and think about the environment by choosing a more sustainable way of transport so we went for a ride by car. It took us only 6 hours to get to Istanbul and although we had the car there to move around the city, we decided to use public transport and that saved us so much time spent in traffic jams! Istanbul is famous for that, but we made a wise choice!

Why this course?

Positive, productive learning environments are key to students’ academic, emotional and social success at school. Unfortunately, positive learning environments don’t just occur, they must be created. This actually takes a lot of determination on the part of the school’s management and also takes a collective thinking in the same direction. For new beginnings, positive learning environments should provide a safe space where risk-taking and open and authentic conversations are encouraged, trust and respect are valued, and positive interaction is the norm.

Happiness is subjective and it’s meaning may change according to culture and people’s mentality.  Schools can support the well-being of individuals, families and communities. A happy school is a place where the principles of compassion, communication, and community-building take priority.

Overall the well-being and working conditions, skills and interpersonal relationships  depend not only on the key actors in school communities, but also on everyone who is part of the organisation. The processes  and structure concern the school experience, comprised of everything from the classroom activities and assessments to school food, recess, sports, arts, and other extracurriculars. Place criteria target the improvement of physical, virtual, and hybrid school spaces, including infrastructure, facilities, ICT integration, and spatial design, to make it a greener, safer, more inclusive and engaging place. This was a course where we could find some answers to the questions about the school and classroom environments and what they should be like, what new strategies should be applied, so that the teachers and students are happier and healthier.

The programme

Here’s an outlook on what the programme included:

Sightseeing

Some of the places we visited include:

• the church St. Sofia
•  Iron Church
• the “Çamlıca” Mosque – the largest and newest in Turkey
• the Egyptian Obelisk (Obelisk of Theodosius)
• the Masonic Obelisk (Obelisk of Constantine)
• the Zeyrek Cistern
• the Maiden’s Tower and the Galata Tower
• Sultan Ahmed Square
• Blue Mosque
• Roman Aqueduct
• Egyptian Bazaar
• Rustem Pasha Mosque
• Gülhama Park
• Eminonu Square
• Yerebatan Reservoir Üsküdar

Participants’ feedback

Istanbul is trully magestic!

We met so many colleagues from abroad and made friends!

Nightlife in Istanbul is a bit dangerous and super thrilling!

I found my “gut chicken”.. (referring to one participant’s inner “chicken” that he follows with his intuition and it leads him to find some hidden mistical pathways)

I really want to visit Turkey on Erasmus project again!

Here’s more info about how to apply for Erasmus+ school mobility: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/bg/programme-guide/part-b/key-action-1/mobility-school

If you have any questions about the process, our team is more than happy to assist! Please find our contacts in the Contacts section of our website. https://rusalya.org/kontakti/