On Friday 3rd March 2023, the multiplier event of the European project TEGA – Training the Educators to facilitate the teaching and assessment of abstract syllabus by the use of serious GAmes, took place in Patras (Greece). The event included individual presentations regarding the outputs of the project so far, as well as a hands-on workshop on the application of the LEGO® Serious Play^TM methodology in education.

The event was organised by the DAISSy Research Group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), the TEGA project partner in Greece. The event attracted the interest of more than forty (40) teachers of secondary and primary education sectors, who participated actively.

The Director of DAISSy and HOU Professor, Mr. Achilles Kameas, delivered the opening speech by welcoming the participants and presenting the activities of the Research Group, putting emphasis on its vision and mission.

During the first part of the event, the TEGA project was presented by Mrs. Vicky Maratou, DAISSy’s Project Manager, TEGA local Project Coordinator, who analysed its objectives and expected outcomes. A presentation of the TEGA toolkit for the implementation of game-based learning in education followed by Mr. Rizos Chaliampalias, DAISSy Researcher, who held a key role in the research carried out during the implementation of the project.

The invited speaker, Ms. Chara Kokkinou, Logopedist, presented the use of board games in mixed ability classrooms, while Ms. Natalia Spyropoulou, DAISSy Researcher, presented the “SPICE – Special Education STEAM Academy” EU project which aims to strengthen the skills of Primary Education teachers in the implementation of STE(A)M education, targeting the inclusion of students with mild disabilities.

The second part of the event started with a brief presentation of the LEGO Serious Play^TM methodology by Mrs. Maratou and it was followed by a hands-on workshop with the participation of all teachers. The event concluded with a reflection on the activity and a fruitful discussion.

The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU wishes to thank Mr. Spyros Papadakis, Organizational Coordinator of the Regional Center for Educational Design (PEKES) of Western Greece, for the support of the Center and its contribution to the success of the event.

It is noteworthy that in the context of the TEGA project, the Methodological Guide/Toolkit for the design and implementation of game-based learning in education, as well as the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for the training of Higher Education teachers in these practices, were developed. The DAISSy Research Group of the HOU has developed the TEGA online Community of Practice platform, which will facilitate the formation of a pan-European network of people who develop games and implement game-based learning practices in education.

The TEGA is a thirty-month project, co-funded by the European Union, under the Erasmus+ Programme, Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education, Key Action 2. It is implemented by a consortium of four (4) Universities from four (4) countries (UK, Lithuania, Portugal, Greece) with the DAISSy Research Group being the Greek partner.

For more information on the TEGA project, and other activities of DAISSy:

• Website : https://daissy.eu/, and https://www.tega-project.eu/
• Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup
• Linkedin :https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
• Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
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• Email : info@daissy.eap.gr