ΡΑΛΛΕΙΟ ΓΕΝΙΚΟ ΛΥΚΕΙΟ ΘΗΛΕΩΝ ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ - 18/4- 22/4/18: ROOTS C2 Learning Activity/ Student Exchange at Ralleio Geniko Lykeio Thileon Peiraia

C2 Learning Activity/ Short-term Exchanges of Pupils of the European program Erasmus+KA2 Routes to Outdoor Oriented Teaching and Sustainability (2017-2020), ROOTS (2017-1-IS01-KA219-02517) took place at Ralleio Geniko Lykeio Thileon Peiraia from 18/4- 22/4/18 with the participation of 9 teachers and 15 students from the partner schools, namely

Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, MR – Iceland (Coordinating school)

Hersby Gymnasium, Lidingö – Sweden

IES Torrellano, Elche – Spain

Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija, Idrija - Slovenia

The 15 foreign students were hosted with 15 (out of the 40) Greek ROOTS students’ families. The pedagogical team of Ralleio Geniko Lykeio Thileon Peiraia consists of Stavros Drosakis (Mathematics Teacher), Bia Kaneletopoulou, Anastasia Keskesiadou, Kalliope Bechraki (Greek Language and History Teachers), Nikos Panagiotopoulos (Sociology Teacher) and the Coordinator for Ralleio Katerina Christodoulou (EFL Teacher). The planning, organization, delegation of tasks and daily coordination of the event was done by the Coordinator with the invaluable contribution of all the members of the pedagogical team.

The main aim of C2 was to implement on the field the specially designed ,original, printed and digital educational material, namely the Study kits. All the activities, apart from Studykits 4,5 and 6, took place outdoors on site according to the main aim of the program as applied for and approved by Erasmus+, that is to encourage autonomous learning. The subjects and wider topic areas covered by the 9 Studykits are: History, Philosophy, Mathematics, Economics, Biology, English, Sociology, Geology, Cultural heritage, Sustainability, Technology, Peace Education, Democracy, Theatrical Education, Arts and Crafts. The students had been prepared at home based on special educational material that was sent to be studied one and a half months prior to the visit. The 117-page printed Studykit material was designed by the following Greek teachers-members of ROOTS pedagogical team who also accompanied the participants in situ:

Studykit 1: Piraeus in ancient and modern times: Anastasia Keskesiadou- Katerina Christodoulou (18/4/2018)

After being formally received by the Municipality of Peiraeus, the Head of the local department for Environmental Education and the European and local International Educational Relations officer, the group started walking about Pireas, stopping at the designated “Waypoints” and working in multinational groups of six to perform the respective tasks.

Studykit 2: Ancient Agora: Anastasia Keskesiadou- Katerina Christodoulou and Studykit 3: Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum: Anastasia Keskesiadou- Katerina Christodoulou (19/4/2018)

The same multinational groups of six used the special wikiloc trails in the archaeological sites of Ancient Agora and the Acropolis of Athens as well as in the new Acropolis Museum.

Studykit 4: Etymology in STEM school subjects: Katerina Christodoulou, Studykit 5: From the 12 Gods to Philosophy: Kalliope Bechraki- Katerina Christodoulou and Studykit 6: Chartography-Geometry: Stavros Drosakis (20/4/2018)

These three Studykits were designed as indoor workshops and took place at Ralleio on Friday 20/4/2018. The day started with a volleyball game and team building sport activities. After the workshops, all Greek teachers and students had lunch together at the school with traditional home made dishes prepared by Greek teachers, students and their families. The planning of the menu and the organization of the event was done by Ms Bia Kaneletopoulou, member of ROOTS pedagogical team, who was also responsible for training the “catering” group of 25 ROOTS students. It should be mentioned that any food not consumed at the party was donated to the soup kitchen of Saint Demetrios church, to be offered to our fellow citizens who are less fortunate. Lunch was followed by traditional Greek dances and a multinational music party.

Studykit 7: Thoriko- Lavrio: Katerina Christodoulou and Studykit 8: Sounio: Katerina Christodoulou (21/4/2018)

At the archaeological site of Thorikos, the groups of students had the opportunity to simulate ancient mining techniques, learn about ancient Greek water conservation technology and sustainability and play parts of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata in English in the ancient theatre of Thorikos. In the afternoon of the same day, at the archaeological site of the temple of Poseidon at Sounio, they learned about ancient telecommunication methods, the myth of the Aegean sea and created reproductions of the ceramic oil lamps which the Athenian slaves used in order to go down the mining galleries in antiquity.

Studykit 9a: Social and Cooperative Enterprises: Nikos Panagiotopoulos-Katerina Christodoulou and Studykit 9b: Natural and Regenerative Farming Practices: Katerina Christodoulou (22/4/2018)

On the last day of the 5-day Learning Activity, the participants visited a natural-regenerative farm in Markopoulo, belonging to the Network of Solidarity Economy. There they had the opportunity to plant using the particular methods, to harvest vegetables and prepare the salads for the traditional BBQ pic nic lunch that we all together enjoyed before saying good bye. The catering was done by a local Social and Cooperative Enterprise using as ingredients only small scale local produce.

All Studykits were edited and translated into English by the Cordinator, Katerina Christodoulou, who also undertook all the planning, production and editing of the digital trails on Wkiloc application.

We are happy to let you know that ROOTS has been awarded two distinctions so far:

European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 (EYCH) label. The ground for the decision was that ROOTS initiative can contribute to the achievement of one or more of the objectives of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, as endorsed by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in Article 2 of the legal decision calling for the EYCH.
Our educational trails for Studykits 1,2,3,7 and 8 were selected and feature on Google Earth!