On Friday, April 11, 2025, the outcomes of Ralleio Erasmus+ KA1 program titled "Preserving & Strengthening Our School Culture/CULT", with project code KA12023-1-EL01-KA122-SCH-000115245, were presented to colleagues during a dedicated working/peer mentoring meeting, as foreseen in the program. The meeting was also attended by Ms. Sofia Spanoudaki, Physical Education Advisor, invited by the Physical Education teachers of Ralleio Lykeio.
The presentation of the results and training materials took place within the framework of peer mentoring, led by the author of the grant application and academic and organizational coordinator of the program, English teacher Katerina Christodoulou, along with members of the pedagogical team Ralleio Director Nikolaos Zarkadoulas and Assistant Director Georgios Panopoulos.
The speakers focused on the key points of the training programs they attended in Florence, Rome, and Amsterdam. The training was organized around the program's three central objectives: the integration of European Union-related topics into interdisciplinary educational scenarios for language and subject teaching using the CLIL method and authentic materials; the incorporation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals into curriculum planning and teaching; and the promotion of European values, principles, and active citizenship through instruction and the design of special activities across various subjects and school initiatives.
In her introduction as the designer, author and coordinator of the project, Ms. Christodoulou referred to the school’s rich 30-year history of involvement in Comenius, Erasmus+ KA1, KA2, KA3, and Jean Monnet Action programs. She emphasized the necessity of the CULT program in preserving and enhancing the school’s holistic educational culture and extroverted identity. She went on to elaborate on the training course titled “CLIL in Practice: Focus on the EU” in which she participated from April 1–6, 2024, in Florence. As part of this course, she also attended a specialized workshop at the Historical Archives of the European Union, located at Villa Salviati, together with a group of educators from Ireland and France.
She focused on ways to integrate authentic EU texts into teaching through the CLIL method, either thematically or methodologically, across multiple disciplines (Foreign Languages, Modern Greek, Civic Education, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Physical Education, Religious Education, Informatics, Mathematics/Statistics), as well as through initiatives like Active Citizenship, School Unit Self-Evaluation, and comprehensive projects (e.g., implementation at the school recycling station). She also described a pilot place-based interdisciplinary teaching activity (English Language and 12th-grade History) that she designed and conducted at the Museum of Modern Greek Culture, in collaboration with the Museum's Collections Supervisor, mentoring a newly appointed Greek Language & History colleague. She finished her presentation by extending proposals and invitations to the attending teachers for interdisciplinary teaching collaborations with the English Language curriculum, based on topics such as the European Green Deal or the EU policy “From Farm to Fork”, as well as for the integration of authentic EU documents as cognitive backdrop for school activities like those of Ralleio Social Solidarity Team or of Ralleio Recycling Station Group, which foster values and practical skills.
Following her, Assistant Director Mr. Georgios Panopoulos (Mathematics teacher) presented the training course he attended from February 24 to March 1, 2025, in Rome, titled “From Global Priorities to School Projects: Focus on Sustainable Development and Citizenship Education.” After briefly introducing the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the concepts of Education for Sustainable Development and Citizenship Education, Mr. Panopoulos thoroughly analyzed all stages of designing and implementing educational activities using the Project-Based Learning (PBL) method. He emphasized that this methodology can be applied in small-scale classroom projects across all subjects or in large-scale projects within extracurricular programs, student clubs, and in the framework of European or international projects and networks.
Finally, Ralleio Director Mr. Nikos Zarkadoulas informed attendees about the training program he attended in Amsterdam from March 3 to 8, 2025, titled “The Democratic Life in the EU: Teaching Citizen Rights and Duties.” During his stay there and his participation in the training program, Mr. Zarkadoulas kept all staff members informed via email, sharing digital materials from the daily sessions—valuable resources for the design and implementation of the mandatory Active Citizenship curriculum. He explained how these materials could be integrated into three key subject areas (1st-year Civic Education, 2nd-year Religious Education, and 3rd-year Physical Education) as outlined in the Ministry’s directive. He concluded by screening the video "Active Listening" as a tool for improving school climate and resolving interpersonal or group conflicts within the school community. The session ended with a presentation of Magic School, an artificial intelligence tool that supports the educational planning and implementation of all the aforementioned initiatives.
The working meeting concluded with a Q&A session for mentorees.