The Fourth Public Junior High School of Kozani hosted a workshop for 30 high school language instructors along with 30 students, who discussed the use of English in the classroom to understand complex concepts like changing urban environments. Three Aristotle University graduate students and their mentor, Dr. Tatiani Rapatzikou, presented concepts on engaging students through music, art, architecture, drama, and creative writing, drawing on lessons from Dr. Rapatzikou’s ECA Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund project “Urban Environment in Transition.” The project enhances students’ understanding and use of English, as well as building their leadership and participation skills. In break-out sessions, the graduate students led smaller groups to present projects relating to the urban environment, poetry, and the current recession as factors which transform the city.
