Erika Da costa li

Teacher of History, Geography, IBCP, Head of Year

Éducation / Formation

Beausoleil, Arrondissement de Nice, Alpes-Maritimes

À propos de Erika Da costa li:

An inspiring leader and highly motivated international educator with a passion for Humanities. Dedicated to developing the academic and personal strengths of every student, using student centered and holistic approach. Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a flexible and adaptable outlook to change.

Expérience

I currently hold a position at one of the top 10 ranked schools in Europe, the International School of Monaco where I have been teaching History, Geography, IBCP and Head of Year since 2006. I am seeking the opportunity to work in an outstanding school which shares similar values and learning principles to those of my own. Jumeriah College's dedication to academic excellence, as well as creating a caring, supportive and inspirational environment, assures me I would fit in extremely well and be an asset to its environment.

As a bilingual Canadian trained teacher, I hold a BA Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Concordia University, Montreal where I graduated with distinction. My thirst for international experience allowed me to teach KS3 Humanities in Bermuda for three years before settling in Monaco to teach Years 7-9 History and Geography, IGCSE Geography and IBCP Personal and Professional Skills at ISM.

My passion and enthusiasm to instil the love of learning allows me to deliver robust, challenging and engaging lessons. I thrive to engage every student every day by creating meaningful lessons, which encourage them to think critically and creatively. In helping my students succeed in their studies, I use a wide variety of both formative and summative assessment tools, and together with the students, set challenging targets based on this feedback. I am a proactive user of technology and use it to engage and personalise learning. As part of the Middle School Humanities team, I am actively involved in the review cycle of the curriculum and enjoy working collaboratively with my colleagues to devise our curriculum based on the IGCSE History and Geography curriculums. Through my experience as a teacher and leader in international schools, I have witnessed how learner-centred and inquiry-based curricula empower the development and progression of students’ reflective, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as helping each individual build their own understanding and knowledge of the required content.

I am a positive, active and thriving learner, always motivated to develop my skill set as a teacher and leader. In my current role of Head of Year, I have assisted the Senior Leadership team and have liaised with King's College London to develop strategies to effectively interpret aptitudinal, attitudinal and attainment data to monitor and support student learning, allowing each student to meet their personal and academic potential. These strategies are now embedded throughout the school from ages 7 to 18 years.

I work collaboratively with the Head of Wellbeing on strategic plans to build an ethos of strong pastoral support structures within the Secondary School. I lead a homeroom team that focuses on the development of the school’s mission, values and learning principles through our curriculum as well as design, plan and implement residential trips that have a clear purpose that meets the needs of students. Student success relies upon a three way partnership. Communication is key to the success of students and I feel communication with parents is just as essential thus I take pride in developing meaningful relationships in line with the school values.

Our school has an extremely active Philanthropy Club where students’ are mentored to create, plan and lead projects for their student body. As the coordinator of this group, I have enabled students to develop a school-wide recycling programme, local beach clean-ups, fundraisers, visits to senior citizens homes and charity sales. These student-led projects have allowed students to develop their leadership, internationalism, environmentalism, service and sense of adventure, all of which share your school's values. I have recently become involved in our school’s MUN group as well and will assist them in the preparations for future conferences in the future.

Today’s learners have very different needs and expectations than students in the past. It is our responsibility to empower our students to become innovative thinkers, creative and effective communicators, powerful collaborators, and thus, successful global citizens. Through gaining a glimpse of my experience, I hope I have provided some evidence that links my philosophy to that which is embedded throughout Jumeraih College's mission and values.