Multiplier events in Greece

Several multiplier events were organised in Greece which aimed to reach out professional teachers, student-teachers, local authorities, policy makers, parents and children.

The full list of the multiplier events is displayed below:

A two-day STEAM Conference in collaboration with the authorities and policy –makers of the prefecture of Rethymno (that is, the Advisor for Preschool Education and the Prefecture General Director). The first day was devoted to the presentation of NGSS and other STEAM initiatives. It included the presentation of the Policy paper and AuReSSEL, a speech on the importance of Art in STEM, and the presentation of the SCAMPER approach.

On the second day of the event, which was on June 17th, 2023, art-based learning was a prominent feature. Local artists and art educators were invited to offer workshops to teachers and student-teachers. The attendees were divided into two groups and alternately attended the following workshops:

1. Maria Ampartzaki, an Associate Professor at the University of Crete, delivered the workshop titled “Project NGSS: Inquiry-based learning as a strategy for achieving Next Generation Standards through STEAM.”
2. Kiriaki (Sandy) Trichaki, a music educator at the University of Crete, delivered the workshop titled “Project NGSS: Studying the natural phenomenon of sound through music and movement activities.”
3. Irini Androulaki, an artist and art educator, delivered the workshop titled “Project NGSS: Repetitions in space and time. The contribution of Art in understanding periodicity in STEM.”

Maria Glyka, an artist and art educator, Konstantinos Tassis, an astrophysicist and professor at the University of Crete, and Vasiliki Pavlidou, an astrophysicist and professor at the University of Crete, delivered the workshop titled “Project NGSS:

Observation as a fundamental process in the STEAM approach”.

In December, we organized a new series of multiplier events that targeted kindergarten teachers in the prefecture of Lasithi, Crete, as well as parents in Rethymno. We also conducted collaborative workshops in Rethymno, in which preschool children participated alongside primary school children.

To provide more details, we held the multiplier events on December 8th, 11th, and 12th, 2023 in the three major towns of the Prefecture of Lasithi, Crete, with the support and collaboration of the local prefecture Director of Education and the Advisor for Preschool Education at the Prefecture of Lasithi. These two authorities represent the Greek Ministry of Education.

On December 13, 2023, an afternoon event was held in collaboration with the authorities and policy-makers of the prefecture of Rethymno. The event, titled

“Learning about earthquakes and volcanoes through STEAM in pre-school & primary education,” was aimed at teachers and focused on inquiry-based learning. The Director of Primary Education, the Advisor for Preschool Education, and the Advisor for Primary Education were among the attendees. A wide variety of materials were provided to the teachers to conduct their own investigations.

An event called “NGSS in the Open Christmas STEAM Workshops” was held on December 18th, 2023, at the 7th Kindergarten in Rethymno. The event featured interactive workshops that gave parents and children a glimpse of how the STEAM processes were implemented in the classrooms. The workshops combined all the subjects of the STEAM approach, such as experiments that combined drama activities and visual art. Parents were encouraged to participate under the guidance of the teachers and their child’s support. A similar event was held at the 1st Kindergarten of Perama on December 20th, 2023, which was attended by parents and children. Parents were excited to learn about the NGSS approach and proud of their children’s participation in program activities. They were also eager to participate in activities themselves under the guidance of the kindergarten teachers.

On December 22, 2023, a collaborative event was held with preschool and third-grade primary school children. The event began with a presentation of the program and methods, with a special focus on inquiry-based learning. Then, the materials created to disseminate the NGSS program were presented to the students and teachers.

After that, the children participated in an experiential collaborative workshop, where they worked in mixed groups (including preschoolers and primary school children) to carry out STEM activities that had been planned based on the new materials.