Pegiopoulos+summary

My name is Nikos Pegiopoulos, I am a Physicist and I teach Physics at the American Farm School of Thessaloniki (AFS), a non-profit educational institution that was founded in 1904. The school offers a ‘holistic education’ and educates the whole individual; the head, the hands and the heart. The AFS encourages students to take initiatives and offers various educational challenges. This, along with the fact that students live in campus dormitories, make them respect their fellow students and learn how to cooperate with each other. Taking the previous into account, I believe that our school was ideal for the action research in question to take place. The topic of the action research was ‘Solar radiation as source of power in our life through a different approach: Philosophy, use and applications’. This was one of the suggested topics, but the final choice was made after discussion with the students. The fact that the topic was essentially the students’ choice made them participate wholeheartedly and more actively in the research. The students played a key role regarding the design and the organization of the action research. They were the ones who came up with the initial ideas and suggestions, starting with simple questions on the topic. Thus, they formed five basic ‘sub-topics’ that needed research. The freedom during the students’ discussions, the fact that they were given the role of the main researcher, the mutual respect and the creative exchange of ideas among the members of the research team gave the topic another dimension and led to its investigation from a different perspective.

The sub-topics were the following:

1. Data regarding the sun.

2. The Sun and its effect on Literature, Religion, Customs and Folklore from ancient times until today.

3. The ways solar radiation affects, negatively or positively, the man and the natural environment.

4. Use and utilization of solar radiation and solar power by the man.

5. Future plans and visions regarding the best possible utilization of solar radiation.

It was decided to make a poster and a power point presentation and to search for information using a number of sources: the Internet using specific literature, newspapers and magazines with the help of the school library and interviews of experts on solar radiation. The first findings were presented by each group to all the members of the research team. They were evaluated and extra research questions arouse. Thus, the research plan was redesigned in order for extra data to be collected. The research continued and then the final results were presented again to the research team. They were evaluated again and they were put in order starting with the most important finding of each ‘sub-topic’. Next, each group started the writing-up process. The final text was presented to all the members of the research team and that is when the final corrections were made leading to the final version of the research paper. Finally, the poster and the power point presentation were finalized and thus the action research was completed.

My role as a teacher was to help students understand that what they do is their own work at their own school and that they are the ones who conduct the research. Therefore, they are the ones who decide how it is conducted and also they are the final evaluators of their work. I merely tried to help the students keep their focus on the research topic and the goals set by themselves at the outset of the research and not to spend all their effort and energy on the creation of some kind of device or construction which is not part of the philosophy of action research. I have to point out that I was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with the students’ results. Nikos Pegiopoulos, Physicist, General Lyceum (G.E.L.) and Vocational Lyceum (Epa.L.), American Farm School of Thessaloniki