Rania Lampou, a Greek elementary school teacher from Athens, has been named ‘Best Teacher’ at the 2020 Global Teacher Awards.
The educator, who is also a neuroscience researcher has been praised several times for her innovative methods and practices.
Ms. Lampou teaches physics to students aged from six to 12 years fusing a series of interactive STEM projects to encourage experiential and exploratory learning, autonomy and active student participation.
The Athenian teacher uses a a mix of theoretical and practical experiments immersing students into the world of STEM methodology allowing them to think critically and even make mistakes. She teaches Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and her methods include art forms like painting, collage and theatrical play amongst more traditional approaches.
“The teacher’s job is not easy. Many may think that it is limited to teaching hours in the classroom, but every teaching hour in the classroom hides behind it many hours of preparation and lesson planning, as well as training at home,” Ms. Lampou who has received several awards in the past, said.
“The truth is that in many cases, teachers go beyond themselves, creating teaching tools that take the lesson to the next level and give the information to the students in a playful way, which makes it easier for them to absorb it. This is what I also strive to do with my students,” she added.
Ms. Lampou explained that her students approach complex concepts of physics through an experiential way, where emphasis is placed on learning through exploration. The goal is for them to understand what is actually happening in a physical phenomenon, rather than just learn the theory by heart, without clearly comprehending how that phenomenon occurred.
“I felt great joy and I became emotional when I was informed that I was awarded the Best Teacher in the World Award for 2020. It is my 25th prize and my joy is the same as it was when I won my very first prize.”
“This recognition justifies my many years of efforts, struggles and sacrifices in the field of education and gives me the impetus to continue even more energetically. I also feel proud to represent Greece and Greek education with this distinction,” she said.
The exceptional teacher is also the Ambassador of Education of Greece and some of her titles include ‘Global E-Innovation Winner’, ‘Pan-European Diversity in STEM Winner’ and ‘Education Leader of 2020’ to name a few.
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