Exchange Visitor Cross - Cultural Activity Annual

Report

By

Dr Efstratios Galanopoulos

Year 2020
I am a physicist with a broad experience both in research and teaching in multicultural,
multilingual and at different academical, settings. I have taught physics both in private schools as
well as in colleges and universities including Hellenic Army Academy, technological institutions
and as a post-doctor in the Texas A&M university.

This is my second year as an exchange teacher in Archimedean Academy where I teach the 9th
grade physics and 12th grade (AP Physics C: Mechanics - Electricity and Magnetism). I had the
time to prepare for the following two activities one for each level.

The purpose of both of the following activities was to share language, culture and heritage
through lexical mediums that can find common grounds or establish common grounds both in
the Greek and the American culture.

ACTIVITY ONE

(sharing language)

Date of activity: January 21-22th– Location of activity: Archimedean School- Audience: 9th
Grade groups of classes. Length: 2 hours min for 2 consecutive classes.

TOPIC (It’s not all Greek to me)

Purpose

The English language has been affected lexically and conceptually by the Greek language and not
only, it also shares approximately more than 150.000 words that come from Greek words. On
these grounds I wanted to show to my students the degree to which this is apparently obvious
only by two small speeches given by a great Greek personality.

Overview of the activity

To activate students’ schemata students were asked to write down as many Greek words they
think are used in English as well. Based on the results we tried to categorize their findings.
 Words that start with ‘ph-‘ Philosophy, physics, photo, phrase,
philanthropy….
English words that are formed of parts of Phobia (=fear in Greek) e.g Claustophobic
words (morphemes) Micro (= small in Greek) e.g microscopic……
Demos (=people in Greek) e.g Democracy.
English idiomatic expressions that are based Achilles heel (weak point) or touch wood
on the Greek mythology (don’t jinx it) or he has the Midas touch (is
very successful).
Borrowed words ‘Alphabet’ from alpha and beta the first and
the second letters of the Greek alphabet.
other Any other word that came up and not
necessarily being categorized.

On the same day the students were presented with the speech of Xenophon Zolotas great
economist, director of the bank of Greece for a couple of years and ex- prime minister of Greece
for a short period of time. He was a great scholar who succeeded in only two of his speeches to
encompass exclusively Greek vocabulary that is commonly used by the English language as well.
His both speeches were found from wiki and are the following.

Two of his speeches in English at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development are
considered to be historic and notable because they contained mainly terms of Greek origin.[6]
Here are the authentic texts:

1957[edit]
I always wished to address this Assembly in Greek, but realized that it would have been indeed
"Greek" to all present in this room. I found out, however, that I could make my address in Greek
which would still be English to everybody. With your permission, Mr. Chairman, I shall do it now,
using with the exception of articles and prepositions, only Greek words.
Kyrie, I eulogize the archons of the Panethnic Numismatic Thesaurus and the Ecumenical
Trapeza for the orthodoxy of their axioms, methods and policies, although there is an episode of
cacophony of the Trapeza with Hellas. With enthusiasm we dialogue and synagonize at the
synods of our didymous organizations in which polymorphous economic ideas and dogmas are
analyzed and synthesized. Our critical problems such as the numismatic plethora generate some
agony and melancholy. This phenomenon is characteristic of our epoch. But, to my thesis, we
have the dynamism to program therapeutic practices as a prophylaxis from chaos and
catastrophe. In parallel, a Panethnic unhypocritical economic synergy and harmonization in a
democratic climate is basic. I apologize for my eccentric monologue. I emphasize my euharistia to
you, Kyrie to the eugenic and generous American Ethnos and to the organizers and protagonists
of his Amphictyony and the gastronomic symposia.

1959[edit]
Kyrie, it is Zeus' anathema on our epoch for the dynamism of our economies and the heresy of our
economic methods and policies that we should agonize the Scylla of numismatic plethora and the
Charybdis of economic anaemia. It is not my idiosyncrasy to be ironic or sarcastic, but my
diagnosis would be that politicians are rather cryptoplethorists. Although they emphatically
stigmatize numismatic plethora, they energize it through their tactics and practices. Our policies
have to be based more on economic and less on political criteria. Our gnomon has to be a metron
between political, strategic and philanthropic scopes. Political magic has always been anti-
economic. In an epoch characterized by monopolies, oligopolies, monopsonies, monopolistic
antagonism and polymorphous inelasticities, our policies have to be more orthological. But this
should not be metamorphosed into plethorophobia, which is endemic among academic
economists. Numismatic symmetry should not hyper-antagonize economic acme. A greater
harmonization between the practices of the economic and numismatic archons is basic. Parallel to
this, we have to synchronize and harmonize more and more our economic and numismatic
policies panethnically. These scopes are more practicable now, when the prognostics of the
political and economic barometer are halcyonic. The history of our didymus organizations in this
sphere has been didactic and their gnostic practices will always be a tonic to the polyonymous and
idiomorphous ethnical economies. The genesis of the programmed organization will dynamize
these policies. Therefore, I sympathize, although not without criticism on one or two themes, with
the apostles and the hierarchy of our organs in their zeal to program orthodox economic and
numismatic policies, although I have some logomachy with them. I apologize for having tyrannized
you with my Hellenic phraseology. In my epilogue, I emphasize my eulogy to the philoxenous
autochthons of this cosmopolitan metropolis and my encomium to you, Kyrie, and the
stenographers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophon_Zolotas

The students were given three tasks for the next day to read the speeches and underline the
words that they use or they are familiar with, highlight at least ten of the words that they would
like to incorporate in their vocabulary and finally what was the main idea of the speeches. The
final day the students were separated into groups discussing their findings and on board we
wrote some of the words that the groups suggested so to discuss further their meaning their
origin and ways to incorporate them in their language and also we discussed the main idea of
both speeches that emphasized economic growth through tactics and practices that promote
unity.

Conclusion

A highly entertaining, interesting and surprising activity unparallel to what they were expected.
The way I see it, we accomplished to share and find common grounds in the Greek language.
Greek language became more familiar than ever and it sparked not only students imagination but
it made them also ponder on the importance of heritage, how language is affected from culture
through history and how language can make obvious that countries no matter their distance are
all connected through a invisible line and ones greatness can affect positively the other and have
a great impact through the ages worldwide.

ACTIVITY TWO
Date of activity: February, 11th – Location of activity: ‘Archimedean School’ Aids Used:
Youtube and Skype. Audience: 12 Grade class for a group of around 13 students. Length: 60 min

TOPIC

the secret word that only Greeks have ‘philotimo’

Visual aids used: you tube videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWeu1spsiAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJaycp8eX-g

For oral communication purposes Skype was used and the language involved was both Greek and
English.

PURPOSE: understanding the Greek use of the word ‘philotimo’ and what it encompasses. At the
same time relating their experiences and practices to this target word. Getting into the essence of
the word through direct contact with indigenous Greek people and students.

Overview of the activity:

Based on the success of the previous activity, I thought to extend the linguistic experience even
further with more communicative methods and on a different topic. The students who are well
aware of the Greek language since they have been taught Greek and have immersed in it
throughout their academic school environment are well equipped to form questions in Greek.

The same day after watching both of the videos we had an overall discussion about what would
this word ‘philotimo’ means to them and if they have heard of any other word so comprehensive
as this. We also discussed about the cultural differences that they noticed throughout the video.
For example, that moment in video where a Greek talks about ‘when a Greek walks out his door
is not only responsible of himself but also of the name he carries and that he feels making his
previous generations proud of him all the time’. The paradox that was mentioned in the class was
that in the video there were mostly people from the political arena talking about ‘philotimo’ who
are considered highly unethical and inappropriate to talk about. Therefore, I thought only natural
in the second part of the lesson to talk to simple Greek people that were unprepared of the
whole situation through Skype. During the second part of this lesson we contacted family,
friends, and ex-students of mine that we could get in contact with, who live in Greece and
students asked them what this ‘philotimo’ means to them and how they have interpreted it in
the everyday environment. The outcome of the whole activity was further discussed throughout
the end of this class.

Conclusion

As a pedagogist I only try to approach students indirectly in order to impart them with qualities
that will help them carry out their dreams. I thought that the word ‘philotimo’ would inspire
them to be careful about not only of their studies but of their behaviors as well. I tried to make
them understand that how we choose to act can affect themselves their loved ones and the
world as a whole.

Overall impressions: it is a reciprocal relation

After having taught for two consecutive years I have realized that teaching and learning are a
reciprocal exchange. I have tried to impart the Greek way of teaching and learning but at the
same time I have gained a lot. You see the Greek system is exam oriented whereas the American
system is more based on a variety of activities that from the very first sight for a Greek, may seem
of little importance, but living the American Educational system has made me believe in many
American practices. There are many educational and entertaining activities that all end to the
development of a child. I would definitely love to see in my country activities like astronaut
challenge, or students get their hands on practical issues concerning physics or even philosophy
like debate clubs. But even entertaining activities such as thanksgiving, pajama day all contribute
to the development of the school community and the empowering of the sense of unity. A very
important notice was that Americans in exams take seriously speed. Solving enough problems in
a short period of time seems to be an indicator that they have grasped their subject. Whereas in
Greece we concentrate more on the analysis of subject and develop the subject through theory. I
assume now that both directions if combined are conducive to excellence.

From my part, throughout the aforementioned cultural activities, I tried to pass on the Greek way
of teaching by talking to the hearts of my students. I made a sincere effort to make them
implement higher feelings of ‘philotimo’ in order to face their everyday lives. Talking about
heritage, history, common grounds such as shared language hope to have inspired them to try on
their own, with their own actions for the best. Because the purpose of all activities should be to
inspire and connect the whole world to something better, improved that promotes the welfare
of all the people.