User:Panos Papoutsis/School of the Future (Doukas School, Athens, Greece)

School of the Future (Doukas School, Athens, Greece new article content ...

Doukas School of the Future   is a K-12 educational institution situated on a 10-acre plot on the northern suburbs of Athens in Greece. It is considered as one of the most innovative schools, offering its 2000 student body one of the finest educational, cultural and athletic programs in the country.

Doukas School of the Future created the first ‘Classroom of the Future’ in Greece in 2007 and has since continued to build upon the ‘School of the Future’ concept. Students have their own lightweight portable ‘electronic schoolbag’ (Tablet PCs) and are connected wirelessly to the ‘electronic’ interactive whiteboard in their classrooms and the Internet. The Tablet PC contains all their books, exercises, virtual labs, simulations, multimedia material, schoolwork and necessary tools.

The overall educational planning is based on four key educational innovations, which constitute the foundation of the school’s educational philosophy: The Learning Map, which ensures an integrated and complete curriculum across all school grades, Life Skills which provide a means within the educational framework, whereby pupils are equipped with basic moral values, Career Modelling , which fosters pupils’ career development and finally, Sports , which complements education. These four keys aim at creating a new European citizen who will be equipped with the knowledge and skills which are required in this day and age.

The Learning Map
The Learning Map, which is adjusted to the current educational needs and embraces all levels (Kindergarten, Primary, Junior High School and Senior High School), is the central axis of the school’s multi-dimensional educational planning. The Learning Map provides a comprehensive evolution of the learning that is developed, beginning in kindergarten and ending in high school. With the Learning Map, the evolution of a given subject not only from class to class, but also from grade to grade, can be followed.

Life Skills
Emotional intelligence and the development of a well-rounded personality with sensitivities to contemporary ethical and social issues is also the aim of the school. For this reason, a specific programme (Life Skills) has been designed and implemented, with various activities, depending on the needs of each age group, that focuses on important skills and emotional intelligence in everyday living. A broad range of activities support this programme, such as:
 * Ecology: teaching environmental awareness;
 * Education: strengthening the dynamics of the personality of the pupil;
 * Culture: planning field trips;
 * Life Education: "life lessons" presented through programmes related to the dangers children are now exposed to;
 * Sports: implementing health education programmes;
 * Learning: implementing specific programmes on experiential learning;
 * Technology: supporting digital literacy.

Career Modelling
The Career Counselling department, known as STEP, aims to foster career development by helping students identify and develop their strengths. STEP provides a battery of tests from which students receive a User Profile Report that constitutes an assessment of their interests/competencies/skills and most importantly their Career Profile. Based on this report, users are guided to make use of specific resources showing them the most likely feature scenario relevant for effective career decision. These are complemented by resources relating to support of job search strategy steps and techniques and enhance the career management skills needed in a boundary-less career world.

Sports
With the motto "Mens sana in corpore sano" (a sound mind in a sound body) and with a strong belief that the school, apart from providing proper education to children, should be a focal point of activity for them, Doukas School founded its Athletic Club in 1980. In the first few years, the club focused mainly on Handball. Since 1985, the team has been competing in the First Division, where it is considered to be one of the top clubs in the nation. Other sports on the rise within the Club are: Basketball, Futsal, Badminton, Track & Field, Karate and Gymnastics.

Curriculum
In Kindergarten, children follow specialized programs in Psychomotor Development, mathematics, pre-reading and pre-writing, skills, English as a Foreign Language. In Elementary School, the curriculum includes lessons in Modern Greek, Modern Mathematics, Nature and the Environment, Geography, History, Social and Civic Education, Foreign Languages, Computers, Music and Sports. Finally, in Junior and Senior High School, students have the opportunity to participate in various workshops, alongside their standard curriculum.

1:1 Computing
One-to-one computing simply means "anytime, anywhere technology for every student." All students at Doukas School, between Grades 4-9 (ages: 9-14), use their Tablet PCs in one-to-one computing situations to have constant and immediate technological access to the entire digital world. Their teachers can address teachable moments immediately, break down classroom walls, and engage students in real world learning. Moreover, the continuous access to the tools for writing, doing research online, organising work, making power point presentations and other essential skills aim at supplying the students with all the skills necessary for living today and creating well-educated and well-balanced individuals.

Tablet PCs
The Tablet PC does not compete with or invalidate established ways of teaching. On the contrary, it is a valuable supplementary tool and a very effective means of learning and teaching. Some of the benefits are:
 * an excellent simulation of notebooks;
 * encourages searching for information via the Internet;
 * supplies the teacher with useful tools and individualizes teaching;
 * develops teamwork activities.

What the Tablet PC consists of: SoF designed a simple and friendly learning environment into which the Tablet PC was incorporated:


 * material from the internal publications department as well as all textbooks;
 * support material for Foreign Languages;
 * teaching materials created by teachers;
 * educational 'microcosms' classified according to content;
 * educational games, quizzes, etc.;
 * multimedia content: video, presentations, questions, maps, etc.;
 * educational software (e.g., from the Pedagogical Institute and other sources);
 * office applications, dictionaries, etc.;
 * methods of organization and notebook keeping.

Classroom equipment
All classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and projectors that provide more opportunities for writing, creating and projecting images, using colour and generally providing more vivid displays than the traditional blackboard. The classrooms are also equipped with new desks that allow a modular exploitation of space. Because they are so easy to rearrange, the teacher can create an environment with many alternative ways to encourage communication, teamwork and enhance the creativity of students. Also, every classroom has audio-visual equipment, peripherals and Internet access.

Research Projects
Doukas School implements innovative research projects that always comply with the most recent national, European and worldwide educational priorities, placing the school at the edge of educational developments. The educational benefits for Doukas School pupils are multiple, as they are involved in project-based learning and collaborative-based learning activities in topics such as: energy saving, communication with students from other countries through modern digital means (e.g., Second Life environment), practice of English language and digital competences through mobile phones, digital game-based educational activities, etc.

Also, in the context of research projects, pupils exercise their mobility, which is a basic characteristic of European Union citizens (both of students and employed people) in modern Europe for educational, professional, cultural, leisurely, etc. activities, by travelling to other countries and cooperating with foreign students; they also learn new cultures and methods of work, which they incorporate in their daily life during their studies, as well as after graduation when they join the labour market.

Competitions, Conferences and Awards
In the past ten years, the School has organized conferences on Mathematics, Pre-School Education, Educational Computing and New Technologies, General Gymnastics and Sports. Since 1997, Doukas School has been organizing the web-based Pan-Hellenic student competition ‘Lysias’, a competition that attracts more than 45,000 students annually.

In 2008 Doukas School organized an International Conference entitled ‘The School of the Future and the Future of the School’ under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs (Greece) and with invited speakers Jan Figel – European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, A. Knox- Academic Program Manager in Microsoft, B. Trilling- Global Director in Oracle Corporation Education Foundation, M. Bletsa- Researcher at the MIT Media Lab.

With the project entitled ‘From the Classroom of the Future to the School of the Future’ Doukas School excelled in 2011 as one of the eleven most innovative institutions and firms in Greece in the competition for Applied Research and Innovation which was organised by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and the Banking Agency Eurobank EFG.

Doukas School has been awarded for Excellence and Innovation in the Teaching Process for the school year 2011-12. The action was organized by the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs (Greece) with the aim to exploit the innovation and creativity that is developed in schools as a basis for the enrichment and strengthening of educational work through the reward and the public emergence of "best practices" of the learning process. Doukas School was distinguished among 860 schools nationwide for the project regarding the use of Tablet PCs in class.

In 2011, Doukas School has been selected to be one of two Greek Pathfinder schools in Microsoft Partners in Learning for Schools.