On Wednesday 29/5/24 an exemplary teaching based on the training conducted by members of the erasmus+ pedagogical team in Finland took place in our school.

More specifically, the teachers Asimina Riga PE02 and Georgia Tzianara PE02 in order to disseminate good practices of the 2nd mobility in Helsinki, Finland, which was entitled: “Learning outside the classroom”, implemented outdoor activities in the school yard. More specifically, they carried out an individual activity, during which the students of A1, A2 and B3 were asked to recall a positive experience they had in nature with all their senses and share it with the whole class. Then, they were divided into pairs and one of the two students, with their eyes closed and through touch and smell, had to find out what their classmate had touched in his/her hand. Then, the fairy tale “The Angry Teddy Bear” was used and the management of negative emotions and how nature can help us in this direction was discussed. Finally, in order to evaluate the above activities and with the help of educational applications on tablets and laptops, students participated in interactive quizzes.

The aim of the above activities was for students to strengthen their relationship with nature, to understand the status of man as part of nature and to find alternative ways of managing negative emotions through nature.

This exemplary teaching was attended by the teachers: Eva Kanellopoulou PE21, Kyriaki Aktypi PE88.01, Konstantina Noula PE30 and George Tsagas PE22.

On Thursday 23/05/2024 after the departure of the students, an internal training and dissemination of the experiences gained by the participating teachers in the 2nd mobility of our school in Finland and more specifically in the courses and training programme entitled “Learning outside theclassroom” took place. Its purpose was to present the knowledge and good practices gained: a. theoretical training at the Europass Teachers Academy Helsinki, b. the discussion-feedback-exchange of good practices with European partners; and c. practical training outdoors, both in the countryside and in urban areas (museums, central library, etc.). In particular, the Erasmus+ Communication Officer, Mr. Evangelos Haritos and the members of the Erasmus+ pedagogical team: the deputy director Mrs. Rosa Kolangelu, Mrs. Asimina Riga, Ms. Angeliki Gerouki, Mrs. Stavroula Tasakou and Mrs. Maria Thanella. This mobility enhanced the exchange of good practices with the Finnish Partners. More specifically:

1. It showed the characteristics of the Finnish education system based on trust in educational officials and the belief that the state can and does fulfil all the needs of citizens on an equal basis, making the most of their potential. At the same time, citizens participate free of charge in all three levels of education and each teacher carries out his/her work with autonomy, choosing the learning subject, the material and the methodology he/she will follow. Furthermore, the educational system is flexible and adaptable to the demands of society, science and technology, while students enjoy the joy of learning in small groups (up to 20 students), in an experiential and active way, without exams and standardised tests.

2. It reinforced everyone’s belief in the importance of outdoor learning, which has been confirmed by research. For the Finns, then, every space is a learning space, as outdoors, the mind calms down, motor skills develop, social relationships are strengthened and learning outcomes improve. Outdoor learning therefore contributes to social well-being and development, physical and mental well-being.

3. Enrich teachers’ knowledge and skills through the practical training they carried out, organising, planning and exchanging ways of implementing outdoor learning or learning outside the classroom (e.g. museums, libraries, etc.) in a safe and added pedagogical value.

Asimina Riga

The informative web meeting took place on Thursday 23 May 2024 and was organised by the Public Administration of Achaia. The aim of this meeting was to present the basic principles and practical procedures to be followed by teachers wishing to develop and implement a successful Erasmus+ project in the field of Special Education as well as to share experiences of Erasmus+ projects. The teachers of our school unit and members of the Erasmus+ pedagogical team, Mr. Asimina Riga PE02 and Evangelos Haritos PE80 presented to the participating teachers a short and comprehensive account of the experiences of the participants and the good practices gained through their participation in the European Erasmus+ project.

Erasmus+ programme.

Presentation of the ERASMUS + programme

On Thursday 23/05/2024 at 18:30, a dissemination of the results and good practices of the mobility (through Erasmus + programme) that was carried out by a group of teachers of the E.E.E.E.E. of Achaia in Helsinki, Finland from 31/03/2024 to 6/04/2024 on the topic of training: ‘Learning outside the classroom’. In the context of this action, the teacher Tasakou Stavroula PE03, who participated in the mobility but is also responsible for the action plan of S.D.E (Second Chance School of Patras) where she works as an hourly employee, made a presentation of the program to the trainees of S.D.E Patras who participate in the action plan “The Natural Environment of Patras as knowledge and experience. The contribution of artificial intelligence and field visit.” The trainees discussed the benefits and usefulness of out-of-class learning in adult education.