Sharing innovation

ACS Athens faculty, Peggy Apostolou, Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou, Dr. Antonis Karampelas and Ms. Victoria Poulou participated among other distinguished lecturers in the International Conference: Creating conditions for Deeper Learning in Science, with two distinct presentations. They presented their innovative educational projects and their results and they led a vivid Q&A discussion. The conference took place in Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Pallini, June 29 - 30, 2019.

We are the Coding Maestros! What's your Superpower?: A K-12 Case Study where Art Meets Science.

Dr. Maria D. Avgerinou and Peggy Apostolou presented their innovative educational project “Coding Maestros” and its results. Coding Maestros sessions aim to provide a learner-centered, inquiry-based, cross-grade, interdisciplinary S.T.E.A.M. project with authentic educational activities, on an innovative blend of student-performed music and computer coding with the support of an augmented reality software, as well as live instrumental and dance performances. It has spanned grades 2 to 9 and has run for two consecutive years as a non-formal educational activity, bringing together music, coding, and dancing as three different, yet so similar languages and ways to express oneself. Three Elementary and Middle School students joined the presentation on stage, sharing their first-hand experience as participants of the sessions.

A school experiment inside Blue Origin's New Shepard space vehicle under microgravity conditions

Dr. Antonis Karampelas and Victoria Poulou presented the student-led spACS S.T.E.A.M. experiment. The spACS experiment examined the viscosity of honey under microgravity conditions, as it launched into space in a Blue Origin rocket. The two members of the faculty spACS team presented the stages of the experiment, the educational and scientific goals and results, constraints and limitations, as well as the scientific apparatus. In their presentation, the design thinking methodology and the established work habits were highlighted, showcasing a tangible example of how students engage in deeper learning and prosper when they become architects of their own learning.