ProtoThema: Robotics, Play, and Teams — 40 Students Participate in the Innovative “STEM and Soft Skills Program” at Marasleio

Every Saturday, Marasleio Didaskaleio, home to the Pedagogical Academy, transforms into a school unlike any other. Forty students from 25 public schools across Attica are participating in the pioneering “STEM and Soft Skills Program,” a collaboration between the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and the NGO Together for Children.

The program is implemented with support from GEK TERNA Group and the Latsis Public Benefit Foundation. Meanwhile, Dole provides fruit for the students and Ecolife has donated reusable water bottles.

“I learn things through play and make new friends,” says a 5th grade student involved in the STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which integrates scientific learning with technology, engineering, and mathematics. In NKUA’s modern laboratories, students are trained in robotics and programming, while also developing skills that support psychosocial growth, collaboration, critical thinking, attitudes, and values.

A Free Model Program

How did this program begin? “One of Together for Children’s key pillars is education. We identified a significant gap between schools that have access to equipment and specialized teachers and those that do not,” says Lenia Kontogouri, General Director of Together for Children.

“We wanted to create a free, exemplary program that all children could access to help bridge this educational gap in modern fields. Even if a child doesn’t pursue a career in these areas, this knowledge is essential,” she adds. Two classes were formed: one with 20 girls from 5th and 6th grade and another with 20 junior high school students of both genders. Students were approached through schools across Attica. “We contacted principals and asked them to share the program. Then, parents and children had to complete an application. All students who applied were accepted until capacity was reached,” Kontogouri explains.

An Innovative Approach Beyond the Traditional School Model

The pilot program was designed by Dr. Thomas Babalis, Professor of Pedagogy and Lifelong Learning at NKUA, and Professor Konstantinos Skordoulis, President of the NKUA Department of Primary Education.

“The program is free and open to all children to bridge the gap in contemporary learning areas,” Kontogouri says. “Even if students don’t choose these professions, familiarity with these concepts is crucial.”

This program doesn’t involve grading or promote competition. Instead, Babalis emphasizes that it relies on “active, experiential, and participatory methods.” It is also the first time a Greek university offers such a program for children. He highlights the importance of connecting academia with society and schools.

Girls in Robotics — A Challenge for Equality

Another key innovation is that the elementary school class includes only girls — a deliberate choice. “We wanted them to gain knowledge in engineering and technology, fields often considered ‘for boys’. Girls are discouraged not due to lack of ability, but because of societal stereotypes,” explains Kontogouri.

“There is no reason for this distinction; girls and boys have the exact same abilities in these fields,” adds Skordoulis.

The program, which began in October 2024, lasts two years with classes held weekly. “When the students first entered Marasleio, a historic neoclassical building where great educators of the 20th century once worked, they felt awe and a deep connection to the university,” says Babalis.

STEM Learning Through Play

The children show a particular interest in STEM and robotics. “It’s no surprise that they enjoy robotics. Learning through doing combines sensory and motor skills, touch, and movement,” explains Skordoulis, who designed and supervises the program’s STEM component. He clarifies that while robotics is a key tool in STEM education, it is not synonymous with it.

STEM offers a new interdisciplinary approach, combining scientific concepts with real-world problems. Students are taught to solve real-world challenges, think logically, conduct methodical research, be creative, and understand and use technology.

“They Let Us Be Creative”

In one lesson, students built robots to compete in races using everything they had previously learned. Working in pairs or small groups, they adjusted the robots’ legs for optimal performance. The children were excited, but also cultivating skills through play. “To complete a project, you need to collaborate, talk, disagree, think logically, and take it step by step,” says the robotics teacher.

Angelos, a junior high student in the program, has already excelled in a school robotics competition. He describes what excites him most: “At school, we follow strict instructions for each project. Here, we’re allowed to be creative. Also, the materials we use in this program are top quality.”

Soft Skills in Action

The other component of the program focuses on developing 35 soft skills, based on the “Targeting Life Skills Model” (TLSM). Associate Professor Konstantina Tsoli, who designed this part, explains: “It’s an original, cutting-edge model aimed at the positive development of individuals, categorized into four areas: head, heart, hands, and health.” The goal is to nurture well-rounded individuals.

Initial results are encouraging, with notable positive changes in students’ attitudes and behaviors. However, Tsoli notes that students sometimes struggle more with the soft skills portion — especially in communication, collaboration, and emotional expression — compared to STEM and digital skills. This, she says, may be due to both the pandemic-induced lockdowns and children’s heavy exposure to the digital world.

Play, Collaboration, and Civic Responsibility

Sometimes, lessons are hands-on, involving balloons or eggs students must transport safely. In one exercise on civic responsibility, students were asked to “migrate” to an uninhabited country they had to build from scratch. “As responsible citizens, they had to make decisions. We gave them cards representing wants and needs, and working in groups, they had to choose,” explains one teacher.

The result was insightful — children prioritized rights and basic needs over personal wants. “Children can distinguish, think, participate, and feel — and they do all this without realizing they’re ‘at school’. It feels like play,” says the teacher. “Adults think in more linear ways. The challenge is to make sure children don’t lose that creativity and imaginative thinking.”

Can Such Programs Be Integrated into Schools?

Is it feasible to incorporate STEM and soft skills programs into the Greek educational system? Babalis believes it reflects a broader shift in educational goals toward humanistic values. Some steps have already been taken: since September 2021, “Skills Workshops” have been included in the mandatory curriculum of kindergartens, primary, and junior high schools. Additionally, the new “Active Citizen Initiatives” program launched this school year.

However, Babalis emphasizes that implementing any innovation requires at least three years to become fully understood and adopted. These programs must also be constantly improved in terms of goals, content, and effectiveness.

The Need for a New Learning Model

Mr. Skordoulis moves in the same direction, setting prerequisites for achieving the goal and considering the Faculty of Education as the only reliable institution capable of paving the way for the implementation of pilot teaching programs.

One prerequisite, he points out, is “the enhancement of school infrastructure along with the concurrent training of teachers in this area.” A second, equally important prerequisite concerns the method of teaching. As he states, such programs should be oriented towards “teaching through problem-solving and project-based learning, rather than frontal teaching through 45-minute lectures.”