Promoting students’ social competences and teacher collaboration through informal learning practices in Thiva, Greece

A primary school in Thiva, Greece has been developing innovative informal learning practices since 2011. These innovative practices were implemented to improve students’ academic performance and enhance their social competences and awareness of their surrounding communities. The school also aimed to improve cooperation between teachers.

To create informal learning environments, the school started by redesigning its outdoor space to accommodate learning activities. Then, the school designed various learning approaches connected to the outdoor learning space and broader school community (e.g. focusing on environmental education, natural sciences, reading). Throughout this process, the school cooperated with external stakeholders including scientists, artists, craftworkers, and museums.

The results observed by the staff included improved learning levels (school performance in general), enhanced cooperation among teachers and group dynamics among pupils, and increased confidence among pupils.

The full case study was created as part of the European Commission’s Study on supporting school innovation across Europe.