One of the biggest challenges we face as teachers and educators today is engaging young people in learning and keeping them engaged. With attention spans shrinking and distractions growing, it’s not easy to find tools that will both spark and maintain students’ interest and attention.
That’s why this week, here in this blog, we’d like to celebrate someone who consistently manages to keep her students engaged by pioneering digital learning methods, year on year.
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Meet Magdalini Giannakouli
Meet Magdalini Giannakouli, an experienced English teacher and Language School Owner from Koutsopodi, a small village near Ancient Mycenae, Greece.
Magdalini has been lighting up her classrooms for years. She’s also been sharing her learnings with fellow educators across the world and at local conferences like TESOL Greece. Quizalize has been fortunate to be part of her journey.
A founding member of our Global Ambassador Community, Magdalini was one of the first educators to use Quizalize back in 2015. Since then, she has become one of its most passionate champions.
Interactive Learning in Action
Magdalini teaches English to students starting as young as seven. She carefully aligns her curriculum with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Like many teachers, she was initially looking for ways to make her lessons more interactive and meaningful. When she tried Quizalize, she quickly saw it was transforming the way her students engaged with learning.
Over time, Magdalini has built an impressive collection of over 8,000 quizzes. These cover a wide range of language learning topics for students aged 7+, aligned with CEFR levels A1 to C2.
She especially loves the platform’s adaptability, including its seamless integration (Appsmash) with tools like Quizlet. But beyond the features, it’s her students’ response that has truly stood out over the past 10 years. They love using Quizalize so much that they even began sharing it with their friends.
The Power of Gamification and Mastery Mode
Magdalini credits “gamification” for helping her to tackle the growing challenge of student disengagement. By making learning feel like a game, she has been able to meet students where they are and keep them coming back to her language school to learn more. However, if there’s one feature she really swears by, it’s mastery mode. She calls it “the superpower every educator desires” and it is a key reason Magdalini still loves to use Quizalize with her students today.
With mastery mode, Magdalini has been able to track student progress in detail; seeing which questions they got wrong, identifying vocabulary gaps, and pinpointing grammar points that need reinforcement. Even more importantly, it helps her students to learn from their mistakes, build confidence in their language skills and identity, and ultimately succeed in their assessments.
A Foundation of Mutual Respect
A foundation of mutual respect underpins Magdalini’s long-standing relationship with Quizalize. Her expert insights were particularly crucial during the Covid crisis, a time when flexible digital tools became vital for teachers and educators. Magdalini’s ongoing feedback remains instrumental in shaping Zzish educational tools: Quizalize; Marvely; Marvely Games and Incredly. Her leadership in our collaboration is further demonstrated by the remarkable engagement of her students. Despite leading a language school of around only 50 students per year, they have collectively contributed over one million answers on Quizalize. This dynamic partnership has also empowered student voices, as evidenced by Giorgos Makris’ and Panagiotis Bobetsis’ feedback, which directly led to the integration of a free text mode within the Quizlet Appsmash.
To Magdalini, alongside Giorgos and Panagiotis (both recently C2-in-English-qualified), thank you. You are proof that experienced teachers and educators continue to lead the way in innovation — pioneering new ways to motivate and engage in today’s world full of distractions.
Want to Hear from Magdalini Directly?
She’ll be sharing her insights live at our upcoming webinar:
🌍 What We Have in Common – Motivating Young People
🗓️ Wednesday 11 June 2025
⏰ 6:15–7:30pm UK Time
📍 Online (Google Meet)
You’ll hear how she uses tools like Quizalize to boost motivation, build mastery, and remind students (and teachers!) why learning matters.
Let’s talk honestly about the challenges (and the creative solutions) educators are using to engage and motivate learners around the world.