Visit of students of IES Canónigo Manchón to Artemis Secondary School (Arttica- Greece)
From 26th March to 1st April, eleven students from our school of the 1st year of Bachillerato (16-17 years old) took part in a Eramus+ mobility project. All of them were highly motivated to take part in this project and had a good level of English, which was the main language used to communicate and interact with Greek students, teachers, and local guides during their staying in Athens.
In this project students were provided with the opportunity to learn about the legacy of the Greek culture and to gain an overview of significant people, places and events from Ancient Greek, its achievements and influence on politics, science, education, philosophy and the arts. This also helped them to develop critical and creative thinking and to extend confidence and mastery of the English language through interaction and spoken communication.
On our first day, Greek students from Artemis Secondary School welcome us with a traditional Greek breakfast. That gave students the chance to meet and interact with foreign students using gestures, body language and English language, as well as tasting and enquiring about the eating habits of Greek people and experiencing a vast range of things away from their comfort zone in a new environment. From the very first moment, Greek and Spanish students felt comfortable with each other and interact in a lot of ways, which helped them both to understand different cultures with respect. On the second day, students could learn about the differences and similarities of Greek and Spanish educational systems, as students from both schools had prepared a PPT presentation and videos to explain that to their peers.
The following days, apart from our visit to school in the morning, we visited some of the most famous landmarks in Athens, like the Acropolis, with a guided tour, the Artemis Brauron archaeological, site, the National Gallery, and the Museum of Cycladic Art. Therefore, they could understand the importance of the landmark of the Acropolis as the icon of European culture and a symbol of the beginning of Western civilisation, learn about Greek architecture, social structure, religion and myths and find out the ways ancient civilizations depicted their gods and heroes, their myths, their daily life and death in detail.
On our last day at Artemis School, our students got engaged in a lively outdoor activity (treasure hunt) which involved interaction, team-work and problem-solving skills. Through this they learned about Greek philosophers, myths and religion. These activities also enhanced problem-solving skills and creative thinking, promoted social interaction and cooperative work through physical exercise and movement and increased the value of teamwork and the appreciation of other people’s skills to get a common goal. Our visit finished with an evening dinner in a local restaurant which Greek and Spanish students really enjoyed, took photos and most of them exchanged their Instagram accounts to keep in touch in the future. It was a successful experience for all of us and we are looking forward to welcoming them in our town.
