COURSE AND TRAINING TO TENERIFE FOR “OUTDOOR EDUCATION TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL INCLUSION VALUES” 

As part of the program Erasmus+ KA122 and with project code 2024-1-EL01-KA122-SCH-000239475, the 13th Gymnasium of Heraklion participated in teacher training at Tenerife of Spain from June 22 to 29, 2025More specifically, teachers Ioanna Smyrnakis, Sofia Polychronakis, Eleftheria Pachiadakis, and Mikaela Papadakis attended the training course entitled “Outdoor education to promote environmental and social inclusion values” organized by Asociación Socioeducativa EDUPLUS and focused on strategies for integrating learning through games into outdoor education.

Participating teachers were introduced to a variety of digital tools and platforms, such as mobile applications, geocaching, and online collaboration tools, which they can use to enrich outdoor teaching. At the same time, through practical activities and workshops, they learned how to use these technologies to design engaging lessons that reinforce understanding of the curriculum and promote student participation. In this context, experiential outdoor education activities were carried out with the aim of enhancing environmental awareness, sustainability, and social inclusion. Participants came into contact with nature through creative activities, games, cultural elements, and theatrical techniques. Non-formal learning methods were applied, teamwork, cooperation, and positive storytelling were reinforced, and emphasis was placed on inclusion and the importance of mistakes as a learning tool. At the same time, practical activities were carried out on an ecological farm with natural structures and sustainable water management systems, as well as educational activities with children from vulnerable social groups. The program was completed with the design and presentation of outdoor activities that promote sustainability, empathy, and active participation.

Finally, through this mobility, it became clear that the exchange of experiences, good practices, and teaching methods, as well as contact with different cultures and educational systems, substantially strengthens the European identity of the participating teachers and the school as a whole. At the same time, it confirms that the Erasmus+ program is an invaluable educational tool and a dynamic asset for the development of both European and Greek schools.