By Maria Kardi (A class)

 Students grapple with many issues in their lives, and because of all of the competing things for your attention, it’s hard to concentrate on studying.

So if you are looking to make the most of your study time and get better grades at school, here are some tips to increase your effectiveness as a student.

Don’t forget that the key to effective studying isn’t cramming or studying longer, but studying smarter.

1. Use an Assignment Notebook: Organize you studying by writing down all your assignments and notes so you don’t forget anything.

2. Cut out all distractions: No TV, phone calls, or loud music. These can ruin your concentration.

3. Get a healthy snack and water bottle:  Keep yourself hydrated and small snacks like peanuts or fruit will help keep you energized.

4. Create a study space: Find a comfortable and quiet space with good lighting.

5. Take breaks: Working too long on a task can actually decrease your performance.

Sources

• http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Motivated-to-Study
• http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/fancher/study.htm
• http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/studying-training/studying-tips-resources/top-10-study-tips

By Michael Douvlis, Andriana-Theoni Nikolopoulou &  Agathi Tagari (A class)

  One of the most debated issues in education today is for how long it must be compulsory. The duration of the education varies in most countries. For instance, in some countries children must go to school until the age of 16 and in some others until the age of 18.

To start with, children who go to school until the age of 16 may not be that privileged. These students are thought to have more problems in finding a job. Should they find one, they might not have huge salaries, because they will undergo obsolescence due to the limited education they have. In addition, according to a recent survey, a degree can offer someone a salary 24 % higher than the one offered to a holder of a high school diploma and the non-graduates cannot find a secure job.

Not only does the education until 16 cause financial problems, but it also has an effect on their socialization. More specifically, these people feel marginalized and useless to society, and as a consequence, they face psychological problems.

On the other hand, 18-year-old graduates feel more complete. They do not only feel economically safer, but they have also practised other abilities. By interacting with other peers, they socialize and they learn how to solve problems related with their occupation. What’s more, it helps them broaden their horizons. It can be conducive to develop a character and they can also find a job easily whether they have a university diploma or not. Moreover, they are more capable of developing social skills and they can feel more independent.

All in all, there are a lot of different opinions regarding compulsory education. In our point of view, education should be compulsory until the age of 18, due to the opportunities it offers.

By Athena Katsigianni, Maria Giannopoulou & Iris Manda (B class)

The term “child prodigy” defines a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain to the level of an adult expert performer.

Three examples of particularly extreme prodigies are the following:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a musician capable of playing multiple instruments who started playing in public at the age of 6. Over the years, Mozart aligned himself with a variety of European venues and patrons, composing hundreds of works that included sonatas, symphonies, masses, concertos and operas, marked by vivid emotion and sophisticated textures.

Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer was born on March 9, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. Fischer first learned the game of chess at the age of 6 and eventually became the youngest international grand master at the age of 15. In 1972, he became the first American-born world chess champion after defeating Boris Spasski. An eccentric genius, who was believed to have an I.Q. of 181, Fischer became known for his controversial public remarks in his later years. He was granted Icelandic citizenship in 2005, following legal trouble with the United States. He died on January 17, 2008.

Pablo Picasso

Born in Malaga, Spain, in 1881, Pablo Picasso, became one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century and the creator (with Georges Braque) of Cubism. A Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer, Picasso was considered radical in his work. After a long prolific career, he died on April 8, 1973, in Mougins, France.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_prodigy
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso

By Theodore Batsikas and Vasilis Tsonakas (B Class)

Do you think that speaking is the hardest part of learning a language? If you follow the suggestions below, you are sure to find something that will help you with the  English language.

First of all, you have to be on the look out for opportunities to speak English whenever possible because if you don’t practise the language, you won’t be able to speak it correctly. Watching a film without subtitles could be a great way to practise or you can download games from the Internet.

Secondly, make it easier for yourself by doing things you find interesting. You can talk with your friends or learn the lyrics of your favourite song or just by reading a book in English.

Another thing you may like is visiting England and be forced to speak the language!

Learning English is a challenging task but if you make it a fun part of your everyday life, you are bound to succeed in the end!

By Konstantina Tsalamida (A Class)

       Have you ever asked yourself how young children, who are learning to talk, can understand their natural language? Or even use it correctly without any grammatical mistakes? Well, that’s not a mystery any more…

       Language is a phonological and grammatical system that helps people to communicate with each other. Children, actually, remember and use a language depending on how their parents and relevant talk until the age of five years old and until the age of eight years old they have already understand some grammatical rules of their natural language.

       The processes young children go through in order to use a language are absolutely planned by a mechanism called biological calendar which provides everyone with the opportunity to understand a language even if it’s not their natural one. That’s why the

majority of scientists believe that children should start learning a foreign language from the age of three or at least five because it would be easier to acquire it.

Howver, it’s never late for learning a new language!!!

Pictures:

1. http://e-didaskalia.blogspot.gr/2014/07/20_29.html
2. http://www.diakonima.gr/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/8bb3a4545314becd912e24d8565b0cd9_m1.jpg

Text Source: FOTINI KATRANIDOU

By Ioanna and Spyridoula Kalogirou (A Class)

Bullying in schools is a worldwide problem, growing at an alarming rate in recent years that can have negative consequences for the general school climate and for the right of students to learn in a safe environment without fear. Bullying can also have negative lifelong consequences—both for students who bully and for their victims.

Bullying consists mainly of direct behaviours such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting, and stealing but also of indirect attacks such us social exclusion which leads to isolation. The actions mentioned above, are performed by one or more students against a victim. While boys typically take part in direct bullying methods, girls who bully, mostly tend to utilize more indirect strategies, such as spreading rumours and enforcing social isolation. Whether bullying is direct or indirect, the key component of bullying is that the physical or psychological intimidation occurs repeatedly over time to create continuous harassment and abuse.

Characteristics of Bullies and Victims

Students who take part in bullying behaviours seem to try to attract attention and show their power. They appear to get satisfaction from causing injury and suffering on others but at the same time they excuse their actions by saying that their victims somehow provoked them. Studies indicate that family environment is a major cause of bullying. The use of physical punishment or harsh discipline, especially at the early stage of a children’s education, makes them react this way when they grow up .In contrast to what most people believe  students who regularly display bullying behaviours, tend to be antisocial and lack self-esteem.

On the other hand, those who are victims of bullying are typically anxious and insecure, rarely defending themselves when they suffer this behaviour. They tend to depend from their parents to a large extent so they have no friends and of course lack social skills. Most of times, their family is really overprotective. They also tend to be physically weaker and generally but not definitely, their appearance is not as not as good as their peers’.

Bullying has large effects on both victims and perpetrators in terms of health, wealth and relationship with common results. Victims of bullying will get easily depressed, as they cannot trust anyone. They will probably have difficulty in securing a job as well as building steady relationships with other people. From the other side perpetrators of bullying will also be affected in term of health as they are likely to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol that can develop into cancer. They will also have trouble in securing steady jobs because of their violent nature and feeling of oppression and superiority over others.

In conclusion, bullying is an important issue that needs close attention from both parents and schools. Bullying is caused by family and has to be resolved at early stage in order to avoid further problems in the future. Children at early age can easily be educated on the topic and can still change to better, while, adults have a hard time to receive advises from others.

By Marilena Bdokaki and Sophia Koutra (A Class)

• The honest = big circular similar letters in a straight line.
• The proud = circular letters and the pupil who writes is very careful with the punctuation.
• The one who saves money = careful similar letters with slight gation of the lines and without bolding the capitals.
• The generous = clean letters singling the capitals from the others.
• The melancholic = at first the punctuation is slight but while he writes they are being lost. The letters have a slight gation.

• The proud= big letters, bold capitals, the final letter of every word seems to be bolder than the rest of them.
• The artist= big calligraphic letters and their size tends to become smaller while the writing goes on.
• The altruist= with severe gation and pressure. The letters are circular and the capitals almost calligraphic.
• The discreet= small letters, with slight pressure and the lines tend to go up. The letters also tend to have lots of glomerulars and curves, but the final letter of each word is probably demure and limited.
• The arrogant= they emphasize on the capital letters and usually their signature is big and complex, ending in unnecessary “decorations” with curves.

Andriani Lazari

Benefits
School field trips are exciting and engage children. Field trips bring children out of their routines and give them the opportunity for meaningful educational experiences.

Significance
School field trips give students more opportunities for «hands-on learning.» For example, instead of just reading about physics, students who visit a university have the ability to do experiments.

Expert Insight
When students go on field trips, they are taught by more people than their regular teachers. They are brought out into the community to interact with experts in their fields.
Considerations
The things children see and experience on field trips can increase their motivation for learning. Being out and about in the community and seeing how adults are using their education, inspires students to persevere.

Potential
Field trips result in greater appreciation and respect for the institution that was visited. Greater understanding builds interest and care.
Science
Teachers can struggle to come up with relevant, «hands-on» science projects and experiments. Field trips give students the opportunity to see scientists work in action, and see how this is relevant to their lives. Hearing an astronaut speak at a planetarium piques interest in astronomy. Getting to dig with a geologist and feel geodes means so much more than looking at a picture in a book.
Fine Arts
Field trips give students greater opportunities to develop an appreciation for the arts. Students attend dramatic productions, ballets and art museums on field trips. This exposure is vital to a well-rounded education and cannot be accomplished without field trips.

(Source: http://www.ehow.com/facts_4912208_how-school-field-trips-beneficial.html)

By KONSTANTINOS DIAMANTOPOULOS (A1)

‘’The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow’’ refers Bill Gates. It is obvious that nowadays Internet has become an indispensable part of our lives affecting every single aspect of it. Its tremendous potentials have provided people with a powerful tool which ushered technology in a new era. However, just like any other innovation in technology and science, Internet comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

In the first place, Internet has been the greatest mankind’s means of communication. Social networking websites such as Facebook and Skype have created new ways to socialize and interact. Consequently people are able to keep in touch with friends and relatives from every part of the world. Needless to say that they share thoughts about global issues that concern every one of them.

Moreover, Internet facilitates entertainment as people have the opportunity to select from a wide range of applications and computer games. In fact, there are innumerable apps and games that can be downloaded either for free or for a price. Therefore, online gaming has tasted a phenomenal success due to its increasing demand throughout the world.
Furthermore, Internet is so prevalent because of its abundance of information resources it offers. Thanks to search engines, people can seek out information about different topics such as environmental hazards, economic recession etc. For instance, students can increase their knowledge status by just searching for details from web pages. Not to mention the fact that they can explore and gather recourses from the web for homework, presentations or even to supplement their own research.

Nevertheless, Internet has caused serious problems in society today. Pornography and Age-inappropriate content is perhaps the biggest drawback of the Internet. The lack of control over the unrestricted access in pornographic material can be detrimental for children. Indeed, it is so effortless to upload this kind of content that people sometimes come across shocking images despite not desiring to.

Additionally, the use of Internet for banking, social networking and other services often makes personal information vulnerable to theft. Unscrupulous hackers can access to private data through unsecured connections by using forms of malware and viruses to commandeer computers. As a result, the damage caused by having their accounts broken into and misused can be both irreparable and embarrassing.

Last but not least, a major problem of Internet is addiction to the virtual world. Excessive surfing, online gambling, social networking and exorbitant gaming can be extremely harmful for people of all ages. That way, these addictions create both physical as well as mental issues that can lead to health complications or even to depression if left unattended.
Taking everything into account, even though Internet has the potential to make people’s life much more convenient, it can also bring about a great deal of problems. With prudent use, people can manage to harness its unlimited facilities and steer clear of its negative effects.
(Source: http://www.brainyquote.com)

By Eleni Malliari A2

It is a fact that e-learning has been growing in recent years. No one can deny that it benefits our lives while it offers us an easy and practical way to learn things from home.

To start with, from the educational point of view, this type of learning not only gives the students the opportunity to choose between a wide variety of subjects, but also promotes their autonomy. In other words, it provides them with the freedom to create their own schedule. As far as geography is concerned, it can be argued that e-learning is much more favourable since the Internet can be used almost everywhere, whereas classrooms are only in universities.

On the other hand, from a social aspect, students have no communication with their fellow-students, so they do not learn how to cooperate. Therefore, spending too many ours in front of a computer means that you are locked up at home, have no time for exercise and may cause damage to your eyes.

Taking everything into account, it seems to me that e-learning provides us with equal opportunities all over the world. Thus, choosing this method of learning would not be a waste of time, but rather an attempt to increase your knowledge.