Pafos Press 20 February 2025
Accredited Organizations – School Education
Talas Primary School has obtained the ERASMUS+ KA121-SCH accreditation, Accreditation for an individual organization, which is valid from 2022 to 2027 and concerns staff and student mobility. This accreditation certifies that our school organization intends to participate in quality cross-border mobility within the framework of Key Action 1 of the Erasmus+ program (2021-2027).
The second year of the program (2023-1-CY01-KA121-SCH-000140839) was completed in August 2024 with seven mobilities by children and teachers of the school.
In the first mobility, the school's assistant principal, Mrs. Christina Lachaniatis, visited Prague from October 16 - 21, 2023. There she attended the seminar "The Ecocentric Approach: Introducing Sustainability in Education" of the Europass Teacher Academy organization, with a group of 10 other teachers from Cyprus, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania.
The teacher participated in group activities to develop a common ecocentric approach after thinking and reviewing issues. She engaged with important topics such as: sustainable development goals, degrowth, sustainability, waste and water management, sustainability skills (offsetting and insetting…), textile and clothing production and ecological footprint.
Finally, the seminar presented tools and activities with the aim of using and applying them in educational work: reading and scanning useful books, games, lesson planning, and useful websites, pages, and applications.
This was followed by the mobility of eight 5th and 6th grade students, accompanied by two teachers, Christina Lachaniatis and Antonis Antoniou, to Athens, from 7 to 14 April 2024. We were hosted at the 8th Primary School of Athens, Agios Thomas. For this mobility, various educational and cultural activities (acquaintance with the history and culture of Athens), relevant to the goals of our program, were organized by both the teachers of the Talas Primary School and the teachers of the Greek school.
The third mobility was carried out by the teacher Mrs. Anna Efstathiou – Panagi. She visited Rome from 22/04/2024 to 27/04/2024. There she attended the seminar “Digital Tools for Cultural Heritage Education”, of the Europass Teacher Academy organization, together with a group of twelve other teachers from Italy, Poland, Romania, Germany and Finland.
The teacher was taught how and when the following digital tools can be used during the educational process and for the benefit of teaching and learning: Goosechace, Flip, Padlet, Quizizz, Google Lens, Google Arts & Culture, AI – Artificial Intelligence and visual arts, Digital Resources related to Cultural Heritage and Games and Video Lessons with Cultural Heritage.
Additionally, during the final group work activities of the seminar, she designed and completed her own educational activity, which included the Cultural Heritage of Cyprus.
In the fourth mobility, in May 2024, teacher Ms. Evangelia Kyriazi visited the city of Turku, Finland, carrying out a shadowing job at the Turku International School. This school has English-speaking children and the main language of instruction is English. The teacher had the opportunity to attend various classes in various subjects such as Environmental Education, Mathematics, English, Religious Studies, as well as the teaching of Finnish as a second language.
She also attended various other activities, such as the disco club and activities in favor of human well-being by a Youth Organization. She also observed the use of the two applications Wilma and Ville, which the school uses for communication purposes and for the integration of Technology in the teaching process. Finally, there was an exchange of ideas and teaching practices, a comparison of the educational systems of Cyprus and Finland and the teacher came into contact with the civilization and culture of Finnish citizens.
In the fifth mobility, teacher Mr. Antonis Antoniou carried out a five-day job shadowing mobility at Tome Cano Primary School in Tenerife from June 3 to 7, 2024. During the mobility, Antonis Antoniou had the opportunity to observe and analyze the teaching methods applied at Tome Cano Primary School, to discuss with teachers and the school management the challenges and opportunities of modern education, to learn about management, communication and collaboration practices within the school and with other schools, to explore the role of technology in improving school management and communication, to learn about the integration of environmental education into the school curriculum.
At the same time, he had the opportunity to participate in visits and excursions to get to know the local culture and history of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and to develop digital skills, such as the use of technological tools for communication, material exchange and the internationalization of the school. This mobility was a unique opportunity to enrich his knowledge and skills. The new knowledge and experiences he gained will contribute to the further improvement of his teaching practice and the development of a more modern and effective educational environment.
In the sixth mobility, teacher Xenia Themistocleous attended the seminar "Environmental Stewardship: How to Reconnect With Nature" in Nice, with participants from 9 countries: Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Cyprus.
Various topics were discussed, including environmental management. That is, the way an organization is managed with the aim of protecting the environment and reducing negative environmental impacts. Emphasis was also placed on the circular economy, which is a system that preserves the value of products, materials and resources as much as possible, while minimizing waste production.
Ways in which schools in different countries promote the cultivation of environmental awareness were discussed, as well as what initiatives our school has taken to date. In addition, the reduction of stress and the improvement of human and student well-being through nature were mentioned. Finally, various outdoor activities were carried out in parks and gardens in the city. Through these activities, it was shown that even if we have limited green space, we can create a garden of vegetables, flowers or aromatic plants.
Teacher Ms. Christina Lachaniatis participated in the seventh mobility in the seminar "Project-Based Learning (PBL) in Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites" of the Europass Teacher Academy organization, with a group of 15 other teachers from Cyprus, Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and Lithuania, in Lisbon, from 01/07/2024 to 06/07/2024.
The teacher was involved in various school activities and actions related to Project Based Learning (PBL) and their implementation in school. In addition, the seminar presented Task Based Learning (TBL) and Inquiry Based Learning (IBL). Also, information was provided on cultural heritage, as well as useful websites and applications related to these topics. Finally, the seminar carried out an action with the Goose Chase application in a real museum space.
In the eighth and final mobility, Mr. Antonis Antoniou visited Vienna, from August 26 to 30, 2024. The aim of this educational mission was to delve into game-based teaching methodologies (Game-Based Learning) and develop lesson planning skills with a focus on sustainability.
During the mobility, he had the opportunity to discover the three pillars of sustainability and the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Through multimedia materials and interactive games, the teacher gained a comprehensive picture of the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. He also had the opportunity to design game-based activities: Using the most modern digital gamification tools, he developed innovative proposals for integrating gaming into the learning process. He implemented game-based activities: He had the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills he acquired, creating an interactive and enjoyable learning environment. Furthermore, the teacher improved his lesson planning skills: With the help of a specially designed template, he created a detailed lesson plan focused on sustainability, incorporating game elements. In addition, he collaborated with other teachers: By participating in working groups, he developed collaborative skills and exchanged good practices with other teachers from different countries.
Mr. Antonis Antoniou's participation in the Erasmus+ mobility in Vienna is an important step in his effort to incorporate elements of sustainability and play into his teaching practice. The new knowledge and skills he acquired will allow him to create a more active, fun and meaningful learning environment for his students.
The results of the seminar work and the job shadowing were presented to the other teachers of the school in staff meetings and the new knowledge was then applied both in the teaching of the subjects in all classes and in other in-school and out-of-school activities of our school.
All mobilities were co-funded by the European Erasmus+ Program.afos Press 20 February 2025P
