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Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos, Volume 2, no.2, 2005

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 2 2005

Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos

A Periodic Kaleidoscope on Education and Pedagogy in Hellas

‘FOLOI’


Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos

A Periodic Kaleidoscope on Education and Pedagogy in Hellas

EditorDr Leonidas C. Bombas

ContributorsAlexandropoulos, DionyssiosBombas, Victoria L.Filiou StavroulaKoraki, AnnaKritikou, Anna

Assistant to the EditorKleoniki Bombas

Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos ( HPC ) is an informative, rather unusual, periodical on educational and pedagogical issues and developments in contemporary Hellas. It is not an academic review in the traditional sense by which such reviews have become known throughout the international academic community. The format is different, the contents as a whole are presented differently. Notwithstanding this, HPC seeks, primarily, to serve the needs of all those Anglophones whose access to the esoteric educational atmosphere of Greece is limited due to the Greek language barrier. Throughout the contents of the periodical, the non-Greek speaking reader may find a number of highly synoptic presentations of a variety of educational and pedagogical themes from a wide spectrum of ‘originators’ (e.g. academics, researchers, teachers, parents, students, journalists, politicians, etc) that rarely cross Greek borders via the medium of a ‘foreign’ language. In that sense, the heterogeneous panorama of the synchronous Hellenic pedagogy analyzed in this ‘Cosmos’ may always be of both theoretical interest and practical use to all those involved in the field of education.

Editorial correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Leonidas C. Bombas , 24 Efthimiou Papa Street, 17342 Agios Dimitrios, Greece.Tel: 697-4433234Fax: 210-9927659e-mail: [email protected]

HPC will be published two times a year, in May and November. These two issues constitute one volume.

© 2005 Leonidas C. Bombas

All rights reserved. Any part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, provided that the original source (HPC) is mentioned.

Athens, Greece: ‘Foloi’ Publications

ISSN 1790-1049

http://www.hpcosmos.gr/

mailto:[email protected]


HELLENIC PEDAGOGICAL COSMOS

Volume 2 Number 2, November 2005

Editor’s lexis … and

-The Greek press as an anthology (5)

-The history reminds again (9)

-From the primary school viewpoint (15).

-Conferences and seminars (23)

-A recent book on education (69)

-Synopsis of a published article (13)

-The necessary panorama on higher education (19)

-The central theme (29).

-Prosopography of the educationalist (41)

-You find Hellenes all over the globe (27)

-Metamorphosis of our teachers (61)

-On the alpha hypothesis (49)

-A decade… or so, ago (53)

-Vivliographia of interes (11)

-From the Teachers’ Federation front (43)

-Innovations (45)

-Philoxenia…for researchers (57)

-Nomothetic awareness (59)

-Intercultural reminders (65)

Special thanks to ‘Nea Ekpaideftiria – G. Malliaras’ for its valuable assistance in realizing this HPC project


Editor’s Lexis

No doubt the issue of evaluation of the Greek education system in its entirety and the evaluation of higher education institutions in particular, continues to occupy much of the ‘educational scene’ at virtually all levels. The Ministry of Education, on its part, having already submitted to the National Parliament the draft legislation pertaining to the evaluation of Greek universities -among several other initiatives along the education system- appears decided to go on with this touchy and highly controversial policy, which is expected to bring the Greek higher education up to the ‘prerequisites’ and the ‘standards’ of the so-called Bologna Declaration. On the other hand, university teaching staff, strongly supported by the governing bodies of almost all higher education institutions and a considerable segment of the political parties/world, do not seem prepared to ‘give up’ to those ‘evaluation policies’ of the government. According to their arguments, such policies undermine both the quality and the public character of Greek universities. Meanwhile, the government and the Minister of Education have been the target of fierce criticisms for having done nothing of substance in the education field so far, despite the many pre-electoral promises and the very fact that this government has already reached its 20th month in power –since last elections in March 2004. As far as the ‘lower’ level of the Greek education system is concerned, the issue of cross-curricular approach to teaching-learning has come at the center of the educational horizon of primary education. Seminars for primary school teachers, conferences and various discussions by different groups of experts along with the Pedagogical Institute officials are all exploring, defining and explaining to each other the newly proposed curricular arrangement of the so-called ‘Flexible Zone’. An innovative initiative which, as claimed, is expected to ‘untie’ the hands of the classroom teacher for developing and implementing in and with his/her pupils cross-curricular/thematic projects and activities (see ‘central theme’ of this issue of HPC). New school books along these lines of the (supposedly) innovative/new teaching and learning approach of cross-curricular school praxis are expected to be ready for the coming school year. At the same time, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and the ensuing school paradigms and suggestions, have already made their appearance as the


‘progressive’ and the unequivocally necessary alternative schooling of our era. At any rate, as in the past with several other educational and pedagogical ‘must’, time will tell. Much remains to be seen on the actual school arena and the classroom praxis itself which, in its very essence, constitutes a ‘peculiar’ and ‘idiosyncratic’ ergon. An ergon that is been constantly and painstakingly constructed/created every plain day (only) within the school walls and which –for its greatest part- continues to remain almost unknown, to all those postulating for educational issues outside the walls of the school building and the ‘traditional’ classroom door.

Dr Leonidas C. BombasAthens, November 2005


Anthology of educational pedagogical issues as presented

via the press

Let us abolish the Ministry of Education… The Ministry of Education should be abolished!!! It may sound funny… No doubt, such a proposal not only sounds like a joke but it will, most probably, elicit ironic comments. Nonetheless, joking or being serious, such a development concerning the Ministry of Education may be the only solution in order to stop experimenting within the formal education sector in Greece. It would not be a surprise if data available shows that it is only in our country that every single minister of education ‘throws’ an educational reform -his/her own reform on the ‘table’.Our current Minister of Education Mrs Giannakou is no exemption. She is already in the process of delivering her own ‘reform version’ which barely touches upon the basic problems and issues of our education system. At the same time, the so-called national dialogue on education is being carried out among ‘deaf partners’. Finally, we are not going to be saved from the ‘reforms’ of Mrs Giannakou…until another (the next) minister of education comes into the scene and presents his/her own re-reforms or counter-reforms on our education system. And the circle goes on and on, perpetuating itself for decades now, irrespective of political party in power or specific politician/educational expert serving at the post of the Minister of Education.(To Vima, 04/09/2005)

A new school subject According to a recent decision made public by the Minister of Education M. Giannakou, starting this year, a new initiative within the regular school program is to be introduced in Greek schools. Public school teachers who have the responsibility for teaching Olympic Education will also be involve in the teaching of Human Rights and Equality between the two sexes. This particular innovative initiative is co-funded by the EU and the Greek government (10 million Euros). It should be stressed that it is the very first time that such a program (in terms of content and size) is introduced into the Greek education system. The program is expected to function as the basic pillar of informing our youth


about such important issues, as part of the all-around effort of the government aimed at attacking sexual and economic exploitation of children and women.(“Athinaiko Praktorio Idiseon”, 08/08/2005)

Special education graduates remain unemployed Uncertain seems to be the future of all those university graduates (University of Thessalia) who have chosen special education studies for their teaching career, since the policy of the governments of PASOK and Nea Dimokratia (the two largest political parties which have governed Greece for decades) holds them in a state similar to that of a hostage. Such a policy bears negative consequences not only for the prospective teachers in that particular field but also for the children/pupils with special needs. Indicative of this is the fact that from the 2002 first graduates of the Special Education Department, no one holds a full-time and permanent employment.“Rizospastis’, 20/09/2005)

Thousands of teachers teach without getting paid The Ministry of Education has condemned to poverty thousands of teachers across the education system ladder by not paying them for their teaching in public educational institutions. These teachers work unpaid for months (sometimes, even for the entire year), while only to secondary school teachers and those teaching at the TEI (Technological Institutes of Higher Education) the Ministry owes, at least, 100,000,000 Euros. More than 40,000 secondary education teachers and another 10,000 employed in TEI and several universities across Greece work in a state of insecurity, given that they do not know when and if they are going to get paid.All those teachers protest to the Ministry of Education, noting that this phenomenon has dramatically increased over the last two years.(“Pegasus.gr”, 21/09/2005)

Many all-day schools remain closed One of the victims paying the consequences of the luck of public funding for education is the so-called all-day schools in the Greek periphery. And this is so because there are no teachers available to administer-oversee the specific projects and activities (drama, arts, information technology, physical education) that ‘make up’ the all-day school program. More specifically, at this point in time, a total of 8,000 teaching posts remain vacant, despite the assurances of the Deputy Minister of Education that the situation would be rectified soon. In addition, although the Ministry had promised 45,000 euros to every single all-day school for the necessary


infrastructure, not even a euro has been allocated, according to the Federation of Primary School Teachers.“e-Pili Ekpaidefsis”, 30/09/2005)

For the improvement of education from kindergarten to secondary education Officials from the Ministry of Education stated that, along with the changes proposed for higher education, a series of drastic reforms are underway for all levels of compulsory education. The Ministry has already planned to appoint a special committee with the active participation of university professors/education specialists and public school teachers. The principal task of this committee will be the formulation of concrete proposals aimed at the upgrading and the improvement of the Greek education system from kindergarten to the Lyceum (senior secondary school). Particular attention will be paid to strengthening the educational and socio-pedagogical role of the Lyceum program of studies which, for years now, has been transformed into something like an ‘entrance hall’ to university.(“I Kathimerini”, 5/10/2005)

Upgrading research in Greece I was very pleased when I was invited to attend Prime Minister Constantinos Karamanlis’ speech on the issue of scientific research in Greece. In 1986, the then Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou had also delivered a similar speech on the same topic .When I tried to pinpoint the new ideas in today’s governmental declarations concerning ‘our research situation’ and the proposals made by Mr. Karamanlis, I was rather disappointed. More than less, the same old things were said, as was the case 20 years ago. Nonetheless, according to my opinion there are four specific priorities if we want to advance the development of research in our country: allocation of money to all fields (approximately 500 million euros every three years); coordination of research attempts among the different Ministries; establish by law a special procedure based on meritocracy for judging/funding research proposals; operate a program that offers career opportunities to young scientists who have completed their doctoral studies.“To Vima”, -E. Fraggoulis, Professor of Biochemistry, Univ. of Athens).

Going lower and…lower On the basis of the data available from the Ministry of Education it appears that, year after year, the number of students who do not manage to achieve the ‘baseline’ (10 out of 20) in their university entrance examinations is on the

increase. For that matter one may note that of the total 90,000 university candidates (Lyceum graduates) a grand total of 39,940 of them (43.59%) did


not manage to ‘touch’ the ‘base’. And that outcome creates additional worries and skepticism regarding the quality of the education system as it is ‘reflected’ on those disappointed figures and ‘achievements’ of our youth. Of course, normally all these, under the 10 mark, candidates should have remained outside the tertiary education institutions. But that is not the case –up to this academic year. All these ‘under-achievers’ will be eligible for registration to the different TEI (Technological Institutes of Higher Education) across Greece.‘I Kathimerini’ 03/07/2005)

A Tower of Babel the EU, but we communicate! Within the European Union Greek students are considered among the best students in aspects of ‘communicating’, as defined by the EU itself. According to relevant statistics and figures provided by the officials of the EU, Greece finds herself among the first eight member states in foreign language learning (glossomathia). Along with Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Holland, Finland, Sweden and Island have a junior high school population that at a percentage of 70% is taught at least two foreign languages. It is known that, from the current school year onwards, a second foreign language is been introduced to elementary school pupils (on a pilot basis in a number of public schools).(“To Vima”, 24/07/2005)

Incidents of racist exclusion On October 12, 2005 the National Observatory of the Helsinki Accords sent a letter to all officials concerned, protesting for the racist exclusion of 24 children of Rom origin who had been registered in two different primary schools in the municipality of Aspropyrgos (a few kilometers away from the center of Athens). As explained in the letter, local organizations and several of the pupils’ parents suggested that the Rom children should be transferred to some other buildings far away from the school building they were supposed to attend. A few days later, with the intervention of the Ministry of Education officials, this whole issue seems to have been settled satisfactorily for the Rom children (it is noted that Aspropyrgos is one of the areas where large numbers of disadvantaged and non-Greek origin children live). It should be stressed that this incident is not the only one of its kind and it should not be considered as an isolated phenomenon within our schools of primary and secondary education, where more than 100,000 children of non-Greek descent may be found all over Greece.(“To Vima”, 16/10/2005)

From the history of the neo-Hellenic education system: a didactic

nostalgia


Those whom reform forgot Whether viewed as an institutionalized social service, an ideological, directed mechanism, a subsystem of the socioeconomic structure, or a field of combat for political and social forces, education remains a particularly sensitive area, receiving and transmitting a diversity of waves. Thus the backward-looking aspect of attempted educational reforms which has tied our education in Greece to outdated structures is the expression, in the educational and ideological field, of other conflicts and impasses. Until now, it has not been possible in our country to advance beyond these. The educational system, for its part, has contributed to the retention of these very impasses. During the period of the military dictatorship of 1967 – 74, the internal contradictions in the country’s economic and social structures broadened and became more acute: a general awareness of the necessity for certain indispensable changes arose. This has brought us, after the restoration of constitutional government, to the educational reform of 1976, “which in its general lines ratifies and continues the reforms of 1964.” The systematization of the new reform program is still evolving. Significant steps have been taken toward updating our educational system: the abolition of double forms of the language, the establishment of 9-year compulsory education, and, chiefly, the creation of a common core for these first 9 school years. The rest of the reforming measures represent an attempt at a swift – and somewhat spasmodic- response to the country’s practical problems such as the generally low educational standards, the need for a technically trained labor force, and the rationalized channeling of the particularly pressing demand for higher education. But the social dimension which would form the foundation of a bold attempt at reform is missing. The official documents (draft legislation and government announcements) show that the 1976 reforms will raise the educational level of the country as a whole but will also magnify existing inequalities. Properly implemented, they will harness the products of the educational system more effectively to the country’s economy, but at the expense of the democratization of educational opportunities. Thus several categories of the population were and have remained “educationally deprived” because the educational system continues to push them to one side. These are the illiterate, the semiliterate, the

inhabitants of the countryside and areas removed from the large urban centers, the minorities. Furthermore, the needs of the female population, long underprivileged educationally, have still not been adequately considered. Neither the legislators nor even the various commissions which have been set


up in the context of the attempts at reform have concerned themselves particularly with these significant sections of the population.The Illiterate For a European country, Greece manifests an appalling level of illiteracy: 1,040,000 persons, 222,700 men and 817,300 women, who represent 14.2 percent of the total population, were recorded in the census of 1971. This percentage varies from area, ranging from 7.6 (in the region of the capital) to 33.9 (in the province of Xanthi). In the agricultural areas as a whole, the number of illiterates reaches 21.7 percent and is broken down into 9.1 percent for men and 33.3 percent for women. It should be noted that, again according to the particulars given in the census of 1971, 32.3 percent of the population had not completed primary school – though elementary education has been considered compulsory since 1911. Even though the percentage of illiteracy diminishes from one census to the next (it was 24 percent in 1951 and 18 percent in 1961), this diminution is chiefly due to the inevitable mortality rate of the higher age groups and very little to official solicitude.

By Maria Eliou(from Comparative Education Review, 1977)

Vivliographia on Education and Pedagogy published in 2005


Androussou, A. What is your name? activities via an in-service intervention in minority education (Pos se lene? diergasies mias epimorfotikis paremvasis sti mionotiki ekpaidefsi). Athens: Gutenberg (137 pages) Aggelopoulou, D. All-day school: Theory, Praxis and evaluation (Oloimero scholio: theoria, praxi ke axiologisi) (edited by Loukeris, D.). Athens. Daskolia, M. Theory and praxis in environmental education (Theoria ke praxis stin perivantologiki ekpaidefsi). Athens: Metechmio (227 pages) Friderikou, A. & F. Folerou-Tsirouli Primary school teachers: a sociological approach ( I daskali tou dimotikou scholiou). Athens: Ypsilon (273 pages) Georgopoulos, A. (ed.) Environmental education: the new culture that is emerging (Perivalontiki ekpaidefsi: o neos politismos pou anadyete). Athens: Gutenberg (909 pages) Germanos, D. et al (eds) The cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning in pre-school and primary school age (I diathematiki prosegisi tis didaskalias ke tis mathisis stin proscholiki ke tin proti scholiki ilikia). Athens: Ellinika Grammata (459 pages) Giakoumatou, T. et al Teaching with passion and inspiration (Didaskontas me pathos ke empnefsi). Athens: Patakis (101 pages) Grolios, G. Ideology, pedagogical and educational policy: Logos and praxis of the European programs for education (Ideologia, pedagogiki ke ekpaideftiki politiki: logos ke praxi ton evropaikon programmaton gia tin ekpaidefsi). Athens: Gutenberg (198 pages) Ioannidis, C. Secondary education: promoters and promoted (Defterovathmia ekpedefsi: Proagogi ke proagomeni). Athens: Dodoni (233 pages) Katsikas, C. European space of higher education and capitalistic re-arrangement(Evropaikos horos anotatis ekpaidefsis ke kapitalistiki anadiarthrossi). Athens: Gutenberg (221 pages Kalogirou, J. & K. Lalagianni (eds) Literature in schools: theoretical approaches and didactic applications in primary education

(I logotechnia sto scholio: theoritikes proseggisis ke didaktikes efarmoges stin protovathmia ekpaidefsi). Athens: Typothito (365 pages) Kamarinou, K. The stoned universities: the struggle for education in prisons and in the exile (Ta petrina panepistimia: o agonas gia morphosi stis fylakes ke tis exories). Athens: Syghroni Epochi (542 pages)


Koffas, A. General and special didactic methodology(Geniki ke idiki didaktiki methodologia). Athens: Koffa K. (342 pages) Kokogiannis, C. Humanistic paideia and technical education (Anthropistiki paideia ke techniki ekpaidefsi). Thessaloniki: Kyriakidis Brothers (357 pages) Kotrotsou-Lontou, T. Activities in the teaching of language for kindergarten children(Glossikes drastiriotites sto nipiagogio). Athens: Smyrniotakis (127 pages) Kotsifakis, Th. 1997 and seven: the great adventure of technical-vocational education (I megali peripetia tis techniko-epagelmatikis ekpaidefsis). Athens: Hellin (235 pages) Lissaris, I. The secrets of the Pan-Hellenic examinations (Ta mystika ton panellinion exetaseon). Athens: Dodoni (65 pages) Moschopoulos, G. & S. Bouzakis (eds) Antonis Tritsis’ unpublished texts on paideia (Antoni Tritsi anekdota kimena gia tin paideia). Athens: Gutenberg (509 pages) Mlekanis, M. Teachers’ working conditions (I synthikes ergasias ton ekpaideftikon). Athens: Typothito (197 pages) Mylona, Z. The school Principal and the effective school unit (Diefthintis ke apotelesmatiki scholiki monada). Thessaloniki: Kyriakidis brothers (154 pages) Nikolaou, G. Intercultural didactic (Diapolitismiki didaktiki). Athens: Ellinika Grammata (422 pages) Skordoulis, C. Environment, science and education (Perivalon, epistimi ke ekpaidefsi). Athens: Leader Books (304 pages) Stamatis, C. The uncertain society of knowledge (I Avevei kinonia tis gnosis). Athens: Savvalas (320 pages) Vratsalis, C. Teaching experience and pedagogical theory (Didaktiki empiria ke pedagogiki theoria). Athens: Nissos (290 pages) Xanthopoulos, Th. Hellenic Paideia (Elliniki Paideia). Athens: Gutenberg (306 pages) Xohellis, P. The teacher in the contemporary world (O ekpaideftikos ston syghrono cosmo). Athens: Typothito (174 pages) Zygouri, E. Evaluation of environmental education programs (Axiologissi programmaton perivallontikis ekpaidefsis. Athens: Typothito (253 pages)


Synopsis of papers/research published in

educational/pedagogical journals

Greek Students’ “European Awareness” and the “European Dimension” in Greek SchoolsBy Efthimios A. Koufogiannis“Nea Paideia” no. 114, 2005.Introduction: The European Union was founded as the European Economic Community, a financial co-operative between a number of western European nations in the 1950s. It has now expanded to include twenty five member states and its objective has changed from being simply a fiscal union to the creation of a common European identity that will retain the individuality of each member state. This European identity comprises the sum of cultural influences from each member state and is a collective goal towards which all European citizens are entitled to and must actively engage in. The pursuit of this identity is a dynamic process that is mainly driven by educational institutions in each member state. These educational institutions have the ability to lead young people to develop a common European awareness uninhibited by prejudice and racial divide. The objective of this paper is to gain understanding of Greek students’ perceptions and concerns regarding the E.U.s’ past, present and future. Research Method: An anonymous questionnaire of 52 questions was completed by 300 15-18 year old high school students as part of an in-school research programme in March 2003. The response was analysed by the respondents’ gender and school year but also reviewed as an overall total. Conclusions The surveys’ findings demonstrated (with the reservation that the sample was relatively limited) that students have an overall favourable view of the EU and feel that its existence is of benefit to them as Greek citizens. However there appears to be a significant knowledge gap regarding Europe which may lead to extreme and potentially dangerous perceptions about European integration such as xenophobia and racism. Students also appear to be concerned about their Greek culture, customs and tradition. This could perhaps be interpreted as a fear that


“Europeanization” will render their Greek heritage extinct. They could also be harbouring the perception that in order for us all to be European we must all become the same. These fears could be fuelled by the fact that the Greek educational system can be very ethnocentric. This is an observation made by the students themselves who sometimes feel that Greek school does not have a global or European character. To combat this, students suggested through the survey that a text of European History is added to the national curriculum. This conclusion does not imply that young people should not be taught their birth nations’ history, traditions and culture in order to cement their sense of national identity. However, overemphasising this at the expense of the European and global perspective condemns young people to a blinkered approach to global culture. Educational systems in each member state must prepare students to be able to adopt a global and European approach to cultural evolution. Only through this united European approach to education which acknowledges and respects the national identity of each member state can we achieve true European unity.

Prepared by Victoria L. Bombas


Focus on primary school: dialogue, experiences and dilemmas

Moving from a private to a public primary school Having stopped teaching in private schools and started working in a public school, although that has been a purely personal decision, the idea of comparing the two different types of schooling, comes inevitably to my mind. Of course one is confronted here with a delicate situation where a balanced approach on the issue is at stake, since, in both types of schooling, pupils are the individuals who play the leading role. Nonetheless, the main difference lies in the way of organizing each specific school environment and in the social-economic and educational level of the pupils and their families associated with the private school.In a general sense, children attending private schools come from middle-class and affluent families. Their parents have already solved most of their problems which concern housing, food and clothing. The education of their children constitutes a fundamental concern for the parents and that is why they choose a type of school that will provide their children with multiple knowledge and help them in the correct/effective use of this knowledge. On the other hand, in public schools, there is a heterogeneity in the educational background of children. Many students come from educated families, but most of them come from working class families. Most of my students in the public school that I teach this school year, are of immigrant origin. Their main concern of life is how to survive and how to make their life better. They are not interested in getting the most out of their teacher’s teaching. This is a very deplorable situation, but it is an indisputable fact. Furthermore, it should be noticed that both the organization of the entire course of studies and the individual school subjects along with the total school environment differ considerably when comparing private and public schools.In a private school, the different classes/teachers of the same grade collaborate among themselves on issues pertaining to the subjects taught and one may observe a common policy/practice as regards the way of teaching. The teacher is guided by one or more people concerning his/her way and methods of teaching. The coordinator of each school grade organizes the way of teaching and the syllabus which should be followed by each individual teacher. So, the teacher feels more confident. This situation might help a new teacher with no experience on his work. On the other hand, it could be that this type of


centralized intra-school structure and the assignment of so many responsibilities to a person, may function as a barrier and against the freedom of the teacher in contributing to daily school matters. When it comes to public school considerations, the teacher is the leader (captain) of his/her own class. He/she develops a program and implements it as he/she sees fit. He/she follows the structure of school book without deviating from it. There is no one to guide him, apart from the School Counselor, whose role is merely advisory and not instructive. The School Counselor gives general guidance to teachers without basic and substantial advice concerning the way of teaching. This is something particularly detrimental for a young teacher who doesn’t have somebody to help him/her in his/her new employment within the public school system. It is a fact commonly admitted, even among private school teachers themselves, that he teacher working in a public school feels free to do whatever he/she likes, without having to follow a specific plan. This type of freedom may turn to be constructive, only if the teacher concerned has a full understanding and appreciation of his/her role and his/her contribution in the development/formation of the personality of the child. Finally, it doesn’t matter if someone is a teacher in a private or in a public school. What really matters is the fact that the teacher should fully internalize and truly appreciate his/her role. It doesn’t mean, necessarily, that somebody who works in the private sector teaches better than somebody working in the public school system. After all, a teacher is (remains) a teacher, wherever he teaches. What really counts and matters the most is the will that someone has to offer knowledge to his/her pupils. I believe that the labels ‘private’ and ‘public’ teacher as such bear no real meaning whatsoever, since they are usually adopted by a vain individuals for their own personal reasons.

Prepared by Stavroula Filiou


Foreign language teaching: thesis and antithesis

“Teaching Writing On Line and Face to Face”3rd International Conference of the European Association for the Teaching

of Academic Writing Hellenic American Union The Writing Center Athens, 22 – 24 June 2005.

After two successful conferences (2001: The Netherlands, 2003: Hungary), the Writing Center of the Hellenic American Union (HAU) organized a conference with the topic “Teaching Writing On Line and Face to Face” in Athens, 22 – 24 June 2005. It was the 3rd Conference of the European Association for the Teaching for the Teaching of Academic Writing (EATAW), an organization with an international membership of teachers, researchers and students of the subject of teaching of academic writing. The Writing Center is a service offered by the Hellenic American Union to its students and the general public. It offers advice and guidance on any writing problem, in English and in Greek.Writing program administrators, writing center staff, teachers, researchers and students interested in the teaching of academic writing were invited to attend. Themes of the Conference:

Technology in teaching and tutoring writing Viability of Writing Centers: A free service or a free enterprise? Organizational models for the teaching of academic writing Cross-national and cross-cultural issues in the teaching of writing Research & Innovation in the teaching and tutoring of writing

For more information:George Exadaktylos

Hellenic American UnionTel. + 30 210 3680018

E-mail: [email protected]

FL Schools are allowed to administer exams in their own premisesAccording to a new circular issued by the Ministry of Education

and signed by Mr Andreas Karamanos, General Secretary of the Directorate of Private Education, Language Schools are allowed to



administer, in their premises, language exams on behalf of foreign examination institutions.

Language Schools are not allowed however to issue language certificates of any kind.

The circular was issued after local educational authorities and other stakeholders questioned whether the establishment of closed centers for the Cambridge ESOL exams and the possibility to administer the exams in the premises of the centers was against the law.

(from EFL News)


A current informative panorama on higher education

The first ‘green’ university in Greece The University of Macedonia located in the city of Thessaloniki has been certified as a ‘green’ university by the European Union European (standard of environmental management EMAS). It is the only institution among both the public and the private organizations in Greece that has secured the ‘ecological stamp’ of the EU. This certification was awarded to the University of Macedonia on the basis of a special program dealing with environmental management that has been developed by the university over the last few months. Within the framework of this program, the recording of environmental consequences was promoted through the management of paper, garbage, ink, energy consumption, etc.(“Eleftherotypia”, 21/09/2005)

Graduate studies in ‘foreign languages’ Greek universities collaborating with similar institutions abroad may organize graduate studies and doctoral programs in languages other than Greek. Furthermore, university professors from other countries could teach their courses/subjects in Greece and Greek university staff could do the same abroad. This is a new development in Greek tertiary education that was submitted to the Greek Parliament by the Minister of Education M. Giannakou. These special graduate programs are to be jointly organized by Greek and non-Greek universities, whereas both collaborating institutions will sign the ‘common title/degree’ awarded to the students involved. Admittance to these joint programs is open to both Greek and non-Greek university graduates, while some of the teaching may be conducted in another European language.“Ta Nea”, 20/09/2005)

Associations of women: No to ecclesiastical universities Several women’s associations have signed a lengthy memorandum arguing that the official Greek State encourages the spread and the strengthening of the ‘Orthodox Religious Dogmatism’ which threatens women’s rights. Through this memo the women’s associations express their downright opposition to the recent legislative initiative concerning the upgrading of


the traditional ecclesiastical schools to the level of a university. The Minister of Education is asked to ‘take it’ back. In their three pages statement, the undersigned organizations present their elaborate arguments concerning their strong opposition to having such universities in today’s Greece.(www.edra.gr, 01/10/2005)

Towards profound changes in Greek universities Drastic changes are to be implemented in the legislative framework concerning basic aspects of the operation of Greek universities. Eight renowned university professors have already accepted the invitation of the Ministry of Education to participate in a special committee of ‘wise people’ who are expected to reveal/record the multifaceted problems associated with the daily functioning of the universities and, thereafter, propose the necessary changes. Among the issues which are to be dealt with are the problem of ‘eternal students’, the system of electing the Rector and the Vice-Rectors, the university asylum and the ‘only book’ policy for each subject taught (university students have only one book for each course registered, more often than not, this ‘only’ book is prepared by the professor teaching the specific subject). According to the president of the committee professor T. Veremis, the committee plans to have its work completed by the end of 2005. At that point in time, the proposed changes and the needed reforms will be made public.(“I Kathimerini”, 5/10/2005)

Who is undermining our universities? A lot of people who know nothing about the problems faced by the Greek universities, who do not know the goals and the real meaning of the ‘Bologna Declaration’ for establishing a “common space of higher education” among the countries of Europe, considering only a few external and technical characteristics (e.g. assessment /evaluation) are often blaming the ‘bad universitarians’ who, allegedly, do not want to be evaluated, who do not want Greek higher education to keep up with its European counterparts, who do not want private universities because they fear the competition, ….. What is, then, that we as society want for our higher education? Is there any concrete Greek educational vision, for the realization/achievement of which the Greek State works on the basis of a clear, systematic and strategic long-term planning? Are we –university

http://www.edra.gr/


teaching and administrative staff and, principally, governmental officials- ready to answer responsibly and convincingly with sound data and arguments? …On the recommendations of some ill-informed mandarins of paideia and the proposals of short-sighted, history-ignorant technocrats, Europe walked off the road in providing quality education and went to the ‘hunting’ of the market economy and the competition… (excerpt from an article of prof. G. Babiniotis, Rector of the University of Athens)‘To Vima”, 03/07/20005)

Once more about the ‘evaluation’ issue No other Minister of Education has so much insisted in referring to logic/reasoning during her conflict with the teaching staff of our universities with regard to the issue of evaluation than Mrs Giannakou. And never before such a reference was so much lacking of reasoning than this specific reference of the Minister of Education. It is not that Mrs Giannakou mistakenly (I avoid saying that she is lying) argues that the university teaching staff deny to be assessed and evaluated. The absurdity of her thinking/reasoning lies in the fact that when considering the evaluation of all aspects/factors that ‘make up’ the university, the Minister of Education excludes the most important: Mrs Giannakou herself; not as a person, of course, but as the official Minister of Greek Education….(exerpt from professor’s N Vagenas article on the ‘university evaluation theme’)(“To Vima”, 12/06/2005)

On the evaluation front…again A Minister of Education with no money at her disposal, a legislation that has been delayed for a total of six years and a strike that did not inspired not even 30% of those employees (university professors) directly concerned. These are the characteristics of the academic “No” to the proposed evaluation process of tertiary education institutions. Behind the proposed new law for the Greek tertiary education which formally brings our country to the Bologna Declaration ‘requirements’, the interested analyst may observe two highly opposing camps of academics. On the one side, one sees those university professors who advocate the evaluation of Greek universities as a ‘step” towards the European ‘academic universe’. On the other side, there are those of the university teaching staff who argue that the public character of the Greek university is at stake -this ‘camp’ has been more vocal in public and appears to

include more ‘fighters’ in its ranks.


“To Vima”, 05/06/2005)

Our universities in the intensive care! The overall situation that may be observed in most of our state universities –more so in several, very specific, Departments- is disappointing. According to the latest figures provided by the OECD, Greece has the lowest number of international publications in academic reviews/journals in relation to the money spent for higher education, the highest percentage (13%) of university students studying abroad (who do not trust Greek universities) and the worst performance of Greek university graduates in the labor market. Even the limited funds allocated to higher education by the State, are usually distributed the wrong way.(“Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia”, 28/06/2005)


The ecosystem of conferences, seminars, symposia, workshops

“Intercultural Education – Greek as a Second or Foreign Language”8th International ConferencePatras: July 8-10, 2005Intercultural Education Centre, Department of Primary Education, University of Patras

“ The Teaching of Information Technology”3rd Pan-Hellenic ConferenceCorinthos: October 7-9, 2005Department of Social and Educational Policy, University of Peloponissos and Greek Scientific Association of Information Technology and Communications in Education

“The Period after the Fall of the Military Dictatorship (1974) and Educational Policy: Past – Present – Future”Thessaloniki: October 7-8, 2005Department of Educational and Social Policy of the University of Macedonia

“Edafos and Environmental Education in Primary and Secondary Schools”One-Day SeminarAthens: October 8, 2005The Goulandris Museum of Natural History and Kaleidoscope Publications

“ Presenting the eTwinning Program”Informative MeetingAthens: October 14,2005Hellenic Unit for the Support of eTwinning Action

“From the Blackboard to the Broadband Communications. Challenges and Opportunities for Teachers Working in Remote Areas”


2nd Pan-Hellenic ConferenceAthens: October 14-16, 2005Scientific Association of Primary Education Teachers for the Promotion of Information Technology & Communication, The Satellite Site of Remote Schools, and the Network of Multigrade Education

“Evaluation in Education. Pedagogical and Didactic Dimension”5th Pan-Hellenic Conference Volos: October 14-16, 2005OMEP

“ Fighting Prejudices: Pedagogical/Educational Tools”One-Day SeminarAthens: October 18, 2005Centre of Pedagogical and Artistic In-Service Training ‘Schedia’

“In-Service Training of Teachers: Weaknesses, Possibilities, Prospects”2nd Educational ConferenceKozani: October 21-22, 2005Western Macedonia Regional Directorate of Secondary education

“Leadership for Learning”International pre-Conference Meeting(in the framework of the 4th International Congress: ‘Carpe Vitam: Leadership for Learning’Athens: October 22, 2005Cambridge university, University of Patras, College of Athens

“The School in the Society of Information Technology and Multiculturalism”11th International ConferenceRhodes: October 21-23, 2005Educational Society of Greece, Faculty of Humanities of the Aegean University

“The Finnish Model as a Reform Proposal for Greek Education”One-Day SeminarAthens: November 3, 2005The Greek Society of Comparative Education & the Laboratory of


Comparative Education-International Educational Policy & Communication, University of Athens

“The Pedagogical Value of Muppet Show”Special Seminar for Primary School TeachersAthens: November 4, 2005Fourth Regional Directorate of Primary education (Athens)

“Using and Capitalizing on the Information Technology and Communications in the Teaching Process of Primary and Secondary Education”A Two-Day SeminarVeroia: November 5-6, 2005Pan-Hellenic Association of Teachers ‘Michalis Dertouzos’, Association of Greek Physicists, Pan-Hellenic Association of Graduate Physicists in Electronics and Radio-Electrology

“Open and Distant Education: Pedagogical and Technological Issues”3rd International ConferencePatras: November 11-13, 2005Hellenic Open University - the Greek Network of Open and Distant Education

“Contemporary Applications of Mathematics in Education”22nd Pan-Hellenic Conference of Mathematical PaideiaLamia: November 18-20, 2005Hellenic Mathematical Society (Prefecture of Fthiotidas)

“The Teaching of Mathematics in the Knowledge Society”1st Conference of the Association of Researchers in the Teaching of MathematicsAthens: December 9-11, 2005Laboratory of Educational Technology, Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy and Psychology of the University of Athens

“Issues of Special Education: Learning Disabilities – Dyslexia”In-Service, 210 hours, SeminarAthens: December, 2005 – June 2006Centre of Studying Psychophysiology and Education, Univ. of Athens


“French Language in Greece: New prospects, Innovative Approaches”One-Day SeminarPireaus: November 19, 2005Pan-Hellenic Association of French Language Teachers

“The Art of Drama in Education”An 80 Hour SeminarAthens: November 2005 – April 2006Giannis Giaples


Bridging the metropolis of Hellenism with the Greeks in diaspora

Greek education in Australia Greek education for the children of the migrants was always the foremost anxiety occupying the community in the past as it does even today. The feasibility of Greek education in Australia takes two directions. The first is that based upon community initiative (community schools, church or private, afternoon or daily schools, usually in addition to Australian schooling and, only seldom, Greek-English schools incorporated into the Australian system). Here the problems are the lack of sufficiently qualified teachers, proper organization and the strain of extra curricular activities upon the children. The other direction is the integration of Greek lessons into the official Australian school programmes. This is part of a new multicultural impetus by various State governments, which will focus upon the cultural contribution of the migrant groups to the life in this country. Naturally, each State pursues this objective in varying degrees of interest. The problems that appear again here are the scarcity of a workable system and good teachers, the introduction of the educational programme into High School curricula – something which does not produce the best results – and not least of all, the distrust of some migrants who see this as an attempt at controlled and smooth assimilation. In 1980, after years of delay, the education of tens of thousands of Greek children was put on a firm basis for the first time. Thus, with the interest of the Greek government and the assistance of the Australian authorities, the greatest demand from the migrants began to be fulfilled. After successive visits by officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education in Athens and suggestions from the Greek authorities in Australia, four Counselors for Education were appointed, one each to the Embassy in Canberra and the Consulates-General in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Also fifteen teachers were appointed as assistants to the Counselors for Education. The first stage commenced with special seminars for further education of teachers in the four main institutions for the teaching of the Greek language in Australia and was marked by successful participation. Those institutions are; the communities and parishes of the Archdiocese; other communities; private schools and Australian schools. Simultaneously, through the initiatives of the Greek Counselors for Education, detailed programmes for teaching began to form, according to education requirements in Australia, and preliminary composition of special textbooks commenced. As outlined by official


estimates, in the 1980-81 school term, there were 63,500 Greek children learning Greek in 535 primary schools and 182 high schools in Australia. Of those, 47,270 were students in primary schools and 16,230 in high schools. The numbers for each “educational district” are analysed and are impressive:

- In Victoria and Tasmania there were 32,500 Greek children attending Greek classes.

- In New South Wales, 21,000.- In South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory, 8,000.- In the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland and New Zealand,

2,000. The teaching of the language to the 63,500 Greek children was carried out by 850 teachers in community schools and 180 in government schools. It must be underlined that in government schools the qualified educators who teach Greek are graduates of teaching colleges or universities; whereas in the community schools, the graduates there are only a few but their level of Greek education is much higher than that of the teachers in the Australian schools who learnt Greek in this country.

by A. Papageorgopoulos, 1981)(from the book: The Greeks in Australia. A home away from home (1981)


The central theme of this issue

A synoptic note by the editor of HPC: Cross-curricular or cross-thematic, or cross-subject (and perhaps several other naming tags) teaching and learning has already become the ‘moto’ of the day among the primary school community membership (whatever that membership might be). In addition, as always is the case with presumably innovative ‘packages’ in education, all those in the periphery of the primary education sector (those outside the school building and the school classroom) who like to claim for themselves the role of the interested and compassionate fighter, the expert and/or the authority in the field, have been extremely active and profoundly vocal along the lines of this new development in the ‘business of education’. In one word, it is said –time and again and in all tones and strength- that an entirely new era is in the making as far as the educational and pedagogical horizon of contemporary schooling in Greece is concerned, now that this ‘cross-curricular’ ideology/school praxis lies at our doorstep. Time alone will tell!!!Notwithstanding all these, the central theme of this issue of the HPC is devoted to aspects of cross-curricular teaching/learning as viewed (officially) by the former President of the Pedagogical Institute and three primary school teachers, two of those employed in a private and the other one in a public school.

* * * *

The President of the Pedagogical Institute (at that time) introduces the theme of cross-curricular approach to teaching/learning: Educational systems are dynamic in that they have a potentiality for continuous adjustment and modification, conditioned by the interaction between school education and society. The fact that we live in an information and knowledge society, aiming for a society of quality necessitates the enrichment of our educational system with the characteristics of quality education. Changes in social construction, the growing tendency for globalization, multicultural reality and strong competition that appears in all sectors of social activity are conditions that make the redefinition of the role of school necessary. At the same time the aim of school education should be restated as


follows: the development of a strong and pedagogically sound school environment that will facilitate the smooth and successful integration of pupils in society. Educational change in Greece at the present time should focus on the preservation of our national identity and cultural heritage on the one hand, and the development of European citizenship awareness, on the other. It should also be supported by educational planning and practices that promote and safeguard equal opportunities for people of both sexes, for groups of people with special needs and for minority groups with their own ethnic, cultural and language characteristics. The improvement of the educational system should contribute to the upgrading of general education as an institution that can shape social reality, providing answers to social problems like unemployment, social exclusion and injustice. Within this framework the Pedagogical Institute attempts a long term strategic educational planning aiming at the upgrading of compulsory education (Primary and Junior High school) and extending to pre-school education (Nursery school). Nine-year-long compulsory education constitutes the foundation of the educational system in our country, therefore its solid structure and effective function constitutes a matter of national priority and is a precondition for the upgrading of senior high school and STVI (Secondary Technical and Vocational Institutions). Moreover compulsory education has a creative function to play in the shaping of individuals and the development of citizenship awareness and of a positive attitude towards life-long learning. For all the above reasons our educational system should no longer be governed by the principles of traditional field-centered curricula, that promote a rather passive attitude towards learning. School education should instead promote student-centered and creative learning, involving all participants in the learning process. Moreover, school should become an institution that promotes joyful and creative living, breaking away from sterile and ineffective teaching practices. Thus, adopting new educational practices that promote the development of critical thinking, collaborative skills and creative activity constitutes a social demand of our times. New practices should be accompanied by curriculum change, changes in the organization of school time and the development of new teaching materials. Teacher support and training are also important for the success and effectiveness


of the whole endeavor. For this purpose the P.I. has worked since 2001 on the development of the new Cross Curricular/Thematic Framework (C.C.T.F) introducing a cross-thematic approach to learning. This innovative endeavor aims to the adjustment of teaching aims and methodology, while focusing on the balanced distribution of teaching content among all grade levels and the horizontal linking of all subject content, seeking to cover a greater variety of topics. It also focuses on a fully comprehensive analysis of basic concepts and the cross-curricular thematic approach to learning implemented in school practice, a process that can greatly improve education in general. The C.T. will contribute to the improvement of teaching practice through cross-thematic organization of content, and the support of inquiry-based and holistic teaching approaches and the development of common standards for new textbooks that will be in accord with cross-thematic principles and promote respect in student work. In order to motivate students these new textbooks should look attractive, and their content should be up-to-date including substantial information and knowledge. Within this framework, the .Flexible Zone Program was implemented by the P.I. as a pilot project in compulsory education (Nursery, Primary and Junior High School levels). This is an educational project that substantially promotes a cross-thematic approach to learning and is supported by specially designed educational material. In some classes therefore (grade/year 6 and grade/year 9) the C.C.T. Book-Portfolios are introduced which include cross-curricular activities that support and motivate student creativity. The C.C.T. Framework together with the related Programs of Study (Syllabi) and the Flexible Zone Program will greatly contribute to the reinforcement of the educational environment of the school. The C.C.T Framework and the related programs of study were initially presented in three volumes after the revision-improvement of the original proposal of the P.I. that was made by internal evaluators as well as by members of the educational community. Their suggestions resulted from the dialogue between the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs (M.N.E.R.A) and the teachers, educational administrators and scientific societies with the intervention of the P.I. Their dialogue was based on the official proposal of the Ministry of Education (Governmental Paper 1366/τ.Β./18-10-2001, 1373/τ.Β./18-10-2001, 1374/τ.Β./18-10-2001, 1375/τ.Β./18-10-2001, 1376/τ.Β./18-10-


2001). The final proposal (presented in two volumes, Governmental Paper) is the end product of a long, strenuous and collaborative effort of all members of the P.I. (Counselors, Vice-Counselors, teachers seconded to the P.I. and secretarial staff) to whom I would like to express my warmest thanks for their collaboration and efficiency, and for their endurance under my exhausting pressure. My special thanks to those Vice-Presidents of the P.I. who supported and contributed to our efforts, to the Counselors and Vice-Counselors who bore the heaviest burden of this endeavor and to the external specialists who reviewed our texts and offered their useful remarks and revisions. Last but not least, I would like to express my special thanks to the educational administrators of the M.N.E.R.A, especially to the Minister Mr Efthymiou who embraced our vision and contributed to the completion of our project for the upgrading of compulsory education. It should also be noted that our efforts and proposals were not fragmentary, but instead they reflect an holistic process of adjustment of the educational system as far as compulsory education is concerned, and an important change of attitude towards educational practice and its effectiveness. Needless to say that success of this innovative project will depend greatly on the contribution and support of all those who are involved in the educational process as well as the scientific and social bodies that are directly or indirectly involved in educational affairs. The present endeavor is in accord with the aims of the Council of Ministers of E.C. concerning the improvement of the quality and effectiveness of educational systems, and consists a proposal which is adjusted to our own social reality and needs. To sum up, we plan to introduce the new books, which are now being written, in the academic years 2005-06 and 2006-2007. Moreover, we hope that through the suggested C.C.T. Curriculum and the related Programs of Study the student will be .equipped. with an educational .armor., which will help them form their own role model and principles, their own perception of the world (.cosmo-idol.) and cosmo-theory and be fully prepared to overcome life difficulties. This educational reform should be the response of our country to the present society of knowledge-spread, of information- explosion, of know-how and to the society of quality we aim at, as well as to the challenge that ongoing processes within the European context pose. S.N Alahiotis, Professor of Genetics, University of Patras President of the P.I.

Cross curricular thematic approaches and evaluation


Applying cross curricular thematic approaches in school causes a lot of changes in the professional life of teachers. Among others, the teacher is forced to ‘escape’ from an ordinary teaching framework. The constraint of a 45 minutes teaching hour does not exist. So, how is he going to evaluate his students work?

Evaluation is a basic teaching process. Everything that the student does or is asked by the teacher to do with regard to his/her schooling concludes with an evaluation process. It is obvious that we are talking about the pedagogical use of evaluation which aims at assisting/enabling students to:

a. learn to distinguish effort from achievementb. learn how to learnc. gain self-knowledge

True and pedagogically sound evaluation means that one does not dissociate evaluation as such from the teaching itself. It is not a separate process that takes place in a specific time slot, but it is an integral part of student’s actions. It is multifaceted and continuous process.

Thinking about the time that evaluation takes place, we could notice three different types of it:

i. Diagnostic evaluation. It takes place at the beginning of teaching and its purpose is the recording of the pre-existing knowledge and attitudes of students;

ii. Continuous evaluation. The teacher checks that the students correctly complete school/class activities during the whole process, in order to help students in receiving the appropriate feedback;

iii. Cumulative evaluation. It takes place at the end of the teaching.

There are many types of evaluation. It could be formal or informal, written or oral, individual or group and collective. It could be carried out by the teacher, by the fellow-students or the student him/herself (self-evaluation). What is important is the variety of forms and their alternation during the teaching process.

Teachers also use several techniques of evaluation. Some of those originate from traditional education programs, whereas, other techniques are presented as “alternatives”. They usually result from the need of students’ participation in evaluation.

Some of these techniques include: Questions Discussion or interview

* Notes and remarks


* Tests Performance assessment etc.

Evaluation is not an end in itself. It is an elaboration/extension of planning and implementation of a teaching process. It helps both the student and the teacher. On the one hand the teacher who follows the correct evaluation phases can teach with reason and consistency, whereas, on the other, students are assisted in developing their personality to the fullest possible extent.

Prepared by Anna Kritikou


Flexible Zone: Some thoughts and contemplating on the issue

Upon the beginning of the current school year the so-called Flexible Zone (FZ), which serves as the implementation framework of innovative programs that are being connected (associated) to Culture/Civilization, Health and Consumer Education, and to Road Safety and Environmental Education, has already been incorporated as an integral mandatory part of the official weekly program of all Greek primary schools (see respective Circulars and Directives of the Greek Ministry of Education, nos: Φ12.1/545/85812/Γ1-31/8/205 and Φ12.1/648/104935/Γ1). Since 2001 FZ has been implemented on a pilot basis and a few months later this innovative educational/pedagogical arrangement could be observed in several primary and secondary schools that opted to ‘try’ this new approach to teaching-learning in public schools. Within a time slot of at least two school hours per week (on just one hour, in cases where the program of Olympic Education ‘takes’ the other hour), a time slot that was taken away from the traditional school subjects, the teacher is called upon to develop another educational program in his/her class. The central theme of this program is expected to be chosen based on specific criteria ( the interests of pupils, syllabus, etc) and it should be completed within a specified time-table, approaching it cross-curricular/thematic and by applying methods and techniques which aim (principally) not in the quantitative exploitation of the knowledge offered but in its qualitative upgrading and in the cultivation of skills and attitudes. Programs of this type that deviate from traditional models of teaching with regard to their goals and their teaching methodologies, in my opinion

- are already dictated by the need to modernize our schools which should at last keep in pace with all developments and the urgent demands of our contemporary society;

- Play a substantial and catalytic role in molding the citizens of tomorrow, given the fact that several of their objectives focus on the cultivation of critical thought, the active participation, the development of social skills and attitudes, the solution of problems;

- By emphasizing experiential learning these programs become attractive and interesting for the pupils;

- They ‘break’ the monotony of the daily school program/lesson, ----------


- they renew the interest for both the pupil and the teacher and they - assist in redefining-tying the relationships between the teacher

and his/her pupils;- Within the framework of the FZ the assessment of the students

concerned is not carried out the usual (school) way, thus children are free from such stress/anxieties and the teacher’s role becomes more and more that of guide/counselor;

- The teacher, by having the entire responsibility for the program (planning, development, organization, implementation, evaluation), feels that he/she is a creative professional, whereas the additional time allocated into the weekly program allows him/her to implement the FZ initiatives with no detriment to the rest of the school subjects.

Certainly, the question as to how and to what extent all the fore mentioned innovations could me actually implemented and become school/class praxis by all public school teachers today (with the exception of several isolated attempts), these are very crucial and highly controversial issues which beget extensive discussion. Nonetheless, despite the very fact that the pedagogical value/importance of such innovative programs is doubted by no one, the directive of the Ministry of Education for immediate and sudden implementation of FZ throughout the country, has been perceived as an additional problem on the top of many other problems that the teacher has to face during the daily educational process and the functioning/organization of the school in its entirety. Furthermore, the second directive issued by the Minister of Education which clarifies and completes several points but it also cancels some other points of the first directive noting that, in essence, FZ becomes optional, creates problems and questioning as far as the ‘seriousness’ and the long-term planning of the Greek Ministry of Education is concerned. More specifically, the following issues and concerns are of central importance:- The immediate implementation of the FZ (Sept. 9, 2005) brought

uneasiness among the school teachers who had no adequate information neither in-service training on this issue. Their training was limited to one or two-hour meetings with the Pedagogical Counselors, while the implementation of the FZ during the current school year (according to the Directive) is expected to function as the ‘bridge’ for the eventual implementation of the Cross-Curricular Common Framework

----------


- Program and the new school books that are to be distributed next year; by definition implies the allocation of specific teaching time that the teacher should adequately and effectively use. In order to do this he/she needs appropriate and time-consuming preparation and study for the planning, the organization, the implementation and the evaluation of the program. In addition, money is also needed for buying the materials necessary for supporting the program;

- The teacher, who up to the very present day, has been accustomed to work and function within the framework of the so-called traditional models/paradigms of teaching is now confronted with a new mentality of teaching and classroom management, the state of affairs/outcome of which comes as a result of multifaceted esoteric processes, procedures and maturation;

- This climate may drive the teacher to a ‘giving up’ state and the FZ time slot could be used any other way the teacher decides, a development that definitely does not serve the principal objective and the overall aim of the FZ;

- The teacher him/herself is expected to be the ultimate recipient of the success or the failure of the program, without having received any material or moral support for his/her innovative initiative.

Thus, the teacher ends up being very reluctant and adopts a negative attitude vis-à-vis any innovative action, not necessarily because he/she does not have the ability and the experience to undertake such initiatives, but due to the fact that the overall climate is not supportive enough (or even not supporting at all) for him/her. More often than not, then, the Greek teacher excludes him/herself from the actual experience of such innovative programs, thus contributing more and more in the introversion of the school and his/her personal exclusion from all developments in education. Finally according to my opinion, the entire school environment and the general conditions characterizing the Greek public school clearly provide a comparative advantage to private schools which may be more flexible, having the needed infrastructure, organization and mechanisms of support, coordination and evaluation for the work of their teachers.

Prepared in Greek by Anna Koraki


Children write and paint about their rights for UNICEFDeadline: May 31, 2005

Every year, at the Book Gallery of Athens, the Hellenic National Committee for UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, presents the exhibition "Children write and paint about their rights." The exhibition includes awarded works created by

pupils. In order to present the exhibition this year again, UNICEF organizes a competition, in which pupils interested in painting about

their rights are welcomed to participate. The deadline of the competition is on Monday, May 31, 2005.

The exhibition takes place every year in November, on the occasion of the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (November 20, 1989). The competition is addressed to pupils from

all over Greece. However, only group -and not individual- works are made accepted.

Kindergarten and primary school students can participate in the competition. The theme is again ""Let me introduce you to my friends,

the children of the world" and is dedicated o peace, solidarity, reconciliation and the fighting of racism and discriminations. The children are invited to create together either a poster (kindergarten

classes) or a 24page book (primary school classes). This educational programme of the Hellenic Committee for UNICEF has

been acknowledged by the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child (Geneva). The works are selected by a committee, in which a

representative of the Ministry of Education participates. It's worth mentioning, however, that all the participant schools will receive

commendation for their participation.A.Z.


Innovative actions and the issue of ‘willingness’

Cross curricular/thematic approach, the ‘Finnish educational model, flexible zone, environmental studies. Concepts and teaching practices that seem to occupy again, even more intensely than before, not only the educational community at large but the respective political leadership of the official state as well. However, thoughts, reflections and practices of educational nature which attempt to place the student at the (epi)centre of interest, the child itself, that is, and, fundamentally, not the curriculum as such, have already been clearly presented in ancient Greece by Plato in his "Politeia" and in the rest of the world during the 17th century by a number of renown and very important educators. Among those, one may indicatively mention in this context the names of Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Dewey, Decroly, Berthold Otto etc. The diachronic argument concerning the holistic view of knowledge should in no way be overlooked, particularly in the framework of the 21st century, although in the case of Greece today, that same argument appears to be overlooked. The initial training of the Greek teacher at both the theoretical and the practical level, the frequency and the quality of his in-service training, the relatively low prestige of his profession in conjunction with the low salary that falls considerably short when compared to the actual importance of his job, the lack of evaluation of the educational ergon aimed at revising and continuously improving himself along with a series of other more or less important factors, have made the teacher to opt for the carrier of what is commonly called in Greece ‘the public servant’ (who, traditionally, tries the least and his vocational status very often than not carries negative connotations), or he is trying the best he can under the circumstances Referring therefore to that second group of teachers, their need for optimisation of learning, their need to grow and develop as a more balanced and mature individual-citizen, their need for self-actualization, brings them, in a positive way, against what we call innovative action. To all those above, one should also consider the attitude of the state willing to assist, considering the absorption of funds available from different sources as well. Consequently, I believe that efforts to adopt a pioneer initiative have always been present at the Greek school as an educational unit or at the level of individual schoolteachers. And that is most often the case as far as private schools are concerned, or at the level of the state. These are, however, not systematic and merely fragmentary efforts lacking the necessary methodical


and organisational profile. Besides, from 2002 onwards the Commission of the European Union has addressed to the member-states directives concerning the development of new curricula. Several countries, Greece not being one of them, have already begun to deal in the most effective way with all these social and economic challenges that appear to have emerged. Would it be possible that these are simple questions? Or is it simply a question of willingness?

Prepared by Dionyssios Alexandropoulos


Prosopography of a synchronous Greek educationalist

George Flouris George Flouris was born in Heraklion (the capital of the island of Crete) where he completed his primary and secondary education. He, then, moved to the United States where he studied Sociology and History (BA, Worcester State College), Psycho-Sociology (MA, Goddard College), Education (M.Ed., Worcester State College) and he was his Ph.D. in Education from Florida State University. Since the early 1970’s G. Flouris has been actively involved in the teaching profession (in the United States first, and in Greece, several years later) and has taught at different institutions of higher education for many years. He has also worked as Adjustment Counselor and Recreation Director at some point in time during his lengthy professional career. Furthermore, he has served as Coordinator and Administrator in a number of federal (US) projects focusing on the issues of the in-service training of teachers within the framework of Bilingual Education and the Social Studies Curricula. Teaching Assistant and later on as an Assistant Professor of Education was employed by the Florida State University (1977-79), G. Flouris also started teaching (1979-1984) at the University of Crete (Greece) as a Visiting Assistant Professor (Dept, of Philosophy, Psychology & Education).Between 1988-1991 he also taught as a Visiting Professor at St John’s University, Mass. (Dept. of Education and Human Services) and at the University of Athens (Dept. of Primary Education. Since 1985 Professor of Education (Faculty of Education, Dept. of Primary Education) at the University of Crete, Flouris served as Chairman of the Department between 1985-1991. Starting in 1996, he is still serving as Adjunct Professor of Education at Florida Atlantic University. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of Education of the Faculty of Letters, Dept. of Philosophy, Education & Psychology, University of Athens. He has been awarded fellowships and research scholarships and has been the holder of special Certifications in Elementary Bilingual Education (State of Massachusetts). He has also served as Advisor to the Greek Ministry of Education (1977-1978) on issues of Curriculum Reforms and Educational Innovations Nationwide.


G. Flouris voluminous publications include 11 books and nearly 80 individual articles/papers. Although he has extensively studied and researched a wide variety of pedagogical and educational issues, his main themes center around ‘the architecture of teaching’, the crucial parameters of ‘curriculum reform’, the psycho-pedagogical concerns about ‘self-esteem’ and ‘self-concept’, and, over the last years, he has been studying European dimension and other related issues pertaining to European Union aspects and developments. More recently, Flouris has been very actively involved in training teachers within the framework of the so-called multiple intelligences paradigm (Gardner) and the cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning. His publications include:A. Books: Fundamental Principles of Learning and Instruction , .Self-

Concept and Education: A Guide for Teachers and Parents, . The Methodology of Learning and Instruction, Athens, Curricula for a New Era in Education Principles of Instructional Design and the Process of Learning, Parental Influence, Self Concept and Pupil Achievement: A National Study Learning & Instruction, Volume I, Learning, Learning & Instruction, Volume II, Instruction, Programs of study, school knowledge and school textbooks in Greece during the last quarter of the 20 th century: Theoretical orientations and research approaches .

B. Articles: Research on Self-Concept of Elementary School Children in Greece, Cultural Awareness in a Greek Bilingual Program, Contemporary Views on Learning and Instruction, A Study of Cross-Cultural Awareness among Greek-American Students Enrolled in Monolingual and Bilingual Schools, Contemporary Views on In-service Training and Teacher Education, Teaching, Teachers and their Effectiveness: A Review of Contemporary Research, Instructional Design in the Social Studies: The 6 P’s ( Prior Planning Prevents Poor Pupil Performance), The Educational System of Greece, Individualized Curricula, The Education of the World Citizen, The image of Europe in the Curriculum of Greek Elementary School, Towards a Common Curriculum in the United Europe: Trends and Prospects, The national character of school Knowledge and the ideology of Europeanism, The paradoxes of classroom research: Thesis, antithesis and prospects, Educational innovations in Greece in the closing days of the 20th

century (1997-2000): Problems, challenges and prospects, “Moving from I.Q. to the success intelligence at the place of work”, Thoughts for the quest of an in-service teacher training framework in the knowledge society, “Shifting from the traditional school to the school of multiple intelligences, “From the traditional school to the multiple intelligences school. A challenge for the future”.


Federations, unions, associations of teachers: Logos and praxis

The decision reached by the Executive Council of DΟΕ (Didaskaliki Omospondia Ellados) – Federation of Primary School Teachers of Greece (main points) The EC of DOE in its most recent meeting (11-10-05) taking into account.The fact that during our meeting with the Minister of Education there were no positive answers to the principal demands of our profession, that the draft budget of the government made public implies cut backs for all working people, and more than that the budget does not include an increase of state spending for our education system. The need to claim concrete action on the part of the government through our massive strikes in order to have the solutions needed for the problems facing primary education and the teachers decided the following framework of claims and demands:

1. Increase of public spending for education to a total percentage of 5% of our G.N.P., aiming at the qualitative upgrading of public education.

2. Substantial upgrading of the teachers’ salaries so that they may live in descency with their salary and only with that descent salary.

More specifically, we claim: - A minimum salary of 1,400 Euros (net) for the teacher starting his/ her

teaching career;- Immediately provision of the monthly amount of 176 Euros (as

promised by the present government).- Immediate increase for those teachers; employed in all-day schools;- Securing our working and social security rights;- Pedagogical freedom and democracy in our schools;- New Curricula and school books;- In-service training of teachers;- Decrease of teacher – student ratio to 1:20;- Support of all-day school;- Two-year compulsory pre-school education;- Equipping all schools with the much needed multimedia, computers,

video, slide projector, e.t.c.;- Abolishment of the policy/ practice of hiring teachers and paying them

per teaching hour;- No connection/ attachment of the proposed evaluation of the teachers --------


- and the school with the salary and the status development (rank) of teachers;

- Full pension upon completing 30 years in service for all teachers;- Creation of new teaching posts;- No to the evaluation scheme proposed by the government.

Athens, October 11, 2005

D. Bratis P. BabourasPresident Secretary General


The hegemony of changes, innovations and reforms

Ongoing debates In the school year 2003-2004, after a proposal by the Pedagogical Institute (Paidagogiko Institouto – ÐÉ/PI) and within the framework of the pilot application of the educational program "Entrepreneurship for pupils" which has already begun to be applied from previous years in lower Secondary schools (Gymnasio), Upper Secondary Schools (Eniaio Lykeio) and Technical Vocational Institutes (TEE) of the country; aiming to open school to society, this program was also extended in Demotiko Scholeio (public and private). The objective of the program that is applied, basically during school life hours, to the Fifth and Sixth grade of the Primary school, is for the pupils to understand basic economic concepts through simple examples from their everyday life. Basic axes of the subjects of the program are the planning of an indicative family budget and a personal portfolio. During the current school year, 2003 – 2004, the program is applied in 50 Primary Schools and 1.407 pupils of primary education (5th and 6th grade of Primary school) participate in it. The pilot application of the program "MELINA – Education and Culture" has been also completed with the participation of 94 Demotika Scholeia, including two schools from Cyprus. The objective of the specific program is to show the cultural dimension of education and to enrich the daily teaching activity with elements of art and culture from our rich national heritage. Furthermore, aiming to raise awareness on issues related to the protection of the environment, the application of Programs of Environmental Education has been continued, during which several units are developed within the weekly timetable and afterwards, schools apply special programs for the protection of the environment. In every Directorate of Primary Education one person responsible for environmental education has been appointed, responsible to support the teachers during the application of environmental education programs and to cooperate with other qualified agencies. Also, 18 Centres of Environmental Education (KÐE/KPE) operate, in which school pupils are accepted for a certain period of time and they are involved in activities of environmental character.


Since school year 2002-2003, the promotion of Health Education is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Education. For this reason, the appointment of an educator responsible for Health Education was enacted in each Directorate of Primary Education. He will undertake the specific role of organization and support of the relevant programs. Health Education is an activity aiming to improve the quality of life through education on issues of health. Within the framework of this activity, various courses referring to subjects of preventive medicine, healthy diet, consumer education etc. are developed and seminars of health education for teachers and pupils are organized by various agencies, in cooperation with schools. During the school year 2003-2004, teaching of the English language has begun from the 3rd grade of the Demotiko Scholeio instead of the 4th

grade, as it existed until now, and the institution of Oloimero Scholeio (All-day Primary School) was extended. In Oloimera Demotika Scholeia are enrolled children of working parents – by priority – in order to cover their needs and – at a second stage – all the other children. The Ministry of Education (YPEPTH), using the pedagogical conclusions resulting from the operation of pilot Oloimero Demotiko Scholeio, but also the experience of organization of schools with extended hours of operation, proceeded to institute Oloimero Demotiko Scholeio, which satisfies the contemporary educational requirements. The timetable of Oloimero Demotiko Scholeio, during its application, uses various alternative educational approaches, especially from experience. Already for the school year 2002-2003, 3,880 sections in 2,600 Primary schools operated, while in the school year 2003-2004, 6,786 sections in 3,587 all-day Primary schools operate. Finally, within the framework of modernization of the educational content of compulsory education, the Inter-disciplinary Unified Framework of Educational Programs (DEPPS) is planned and applied, as well as the educational application of the "Flexible Zone" aiming to promote the Inter-disciplinary approach of knowledge through methodologies of experience and participation. More specifically, concerning Demotiko Scholeio, the ultimate objective is the pedagogical and instructive autonomy of the teachers in favor of the activation of pupils and the advancement of the collective effort. Thus, pupils take initiatives, they learn how to learn, how to cooperate and communicate effectively with the environment and, finally, they form a positive attitude towards learning and towards the school. The application time of the "Flexible Zone" in Demotiko Scholeio varies from 4 hours in the


first grades to 2 hours in the last two grades. From Eurydice: report per country (Greece)

Schools in the Knowledge Society Lambrakis Research Foundation has initiated research pilot programmes on the application of new technologies and their impact on learning and the organisation of school education. Among the Foundation’s activities relating to Greek and European schools are:

Applied research and studies on the introduction of innovations, with special programmes on in-service and distance training of teachers at both primary and secondary levels.

The production of educational videos and CD-ROMs, with accompanying hard-copy material, and their distribution to secondary schools throughout Greece.

Custom studies on the evaluation of educational programmes. Studies and pilot adult-education programmes. Publications for the teaching of the Greek language to emigrant Greeks

and returning migrants; the publication of surveys, studies and conference proceedings.

The development of educational websites. LRF designed and coordinated the largest European project, in the 4th R&D Framework Programme of the European Commission, for school-based, in-service teachers training through the Internet, and took part in a number of other important studies, regarding the developments of Information Communication Technology in Education and Training, in the European and international market. These studies were used in the planning of the eEurope Initiative and the eLearning Action Plan.

An initiative concerning the supply, experimental use and evaluation of new educational material incorporating audiovisual technologies.

In its effort to upgrade public education, the LRF gives utmost priority to the introduction of new technological models to Greek schools such as educational videos accompanied by teachers handbooks and educational software using multimedia technology (CD-ROM), the education and training of teachers and distance learning.

The LRF first made its presence felt in the field of Education with the


production of 40 pioneering educational videos accompanied by book-guides for the teacher. The videos refer to ancient Greek History, Byzantine History, Astronomy, Biology and Chemistry and were produced with the cooperation of scientific consultants, secondary school teachers and foreign experts. They have been distributed free of charge by the LRF to 1,000 public secondary schools throughout Greece and have been enthusiastically received by the teaching community in its entirety. Within the framework of the "ISTOS" programme, the LRF has created an educational site on the Internet for primary schools. Thus, by utilising the cultural material provided by prestigious Greek cultural organisations, it has created pilot educational programmes which are useful for the training of teachers and the stimulation of student participation in interesting school activities.


The alpha hypothesis (Europhiles & Eurosceptics)

European dimension and Greek schools It will not be very far from the truth if one argues that a relative “time-lag” chararacterizes Greece when compared to most of the other EU member states. An easily discernable time-lag that extends itself to matters of economic development, to science and research/ technology, to welfare and pension plans, to environment and education – to name only a few crucial fields of socio-personal activities and developments. For a plethora of historical, political, and several other reasons, the analysis of which lies well beyond the scope of this presentation, this relative “delay” of Greece tends to become something like a tradition. Numerous well-documented and absolutely well-meant references from virtually all fields and disciplines attesting to such a tradition, may be recorded within and outside the Greek bibliographic production. Yet, exaggerations and ill-founded hyperboles of this “Greek-tradition” have always been around by both Greeks and non-Greeks alike. Thus, European dimension in education, aspects and parameters of which concern us here, seems to follow the same long tradition in the case of the Greek education arena in general, and the Greek schools in particular. European dimension concerns and ensuing considerations at the different levels of the Greek education apparatus have not attracted the attention of all those (officially and/ or unofficial) charged with developing and moulding the Greek education system towards the 21st century (Mavrogiorgos 1993). For better or worse, the conceptual difficulties characterizing the European dimension notion in the post-Maastricht era, the definitional ambiguities associated with the term itself as explained earlier, and the intra-European Union “power struggle” among the member states with respect to European dimension, have made the Greek “lag” even more pronounced and more acute. There is no doubt, that if one looks at the European South, Greece is not alone in this seemingly delayed route to European dimension avenue and its educational “ingredients” (Bombas 1994). Nonetheless, in the midst of all these traditional and deep-rooted “Sisyphian” problems (Kazamias, 1993) characterizing the Greek education system since its establishment in 1830 (Bouzakis, 1985), things seem to have started to take a rather positive turn over the last couple of years with respect to European dimension considerations. If nothing more, European dimension


in education has already made its appearance in most agendas and discussions initiated by concerned educationalists and other experts in related fields. A growing number of specialized researchers have started to include European dimension variables into their research proposals along educational lines, whereas – quite often- active collaboration with non-Greek experts has started to enhance this latent interest. In short, nowadays in Greece, something “is moving” along the European dimension phenomenon in the education field. Pertinent literature is indicative and quite illuminating in this respect. Expectedly, as most probably could be argued for the entire EU, this awakened interest for European dimension parameters and aspects in Greece limits itself – almost exclusively – to the interested experts in each field who, among others, strive to proclaim themselves specialists in European dimension matters. Occasionally, this European dimension interest is also reflected in several Greek news-papers and other media agencies, a coverage which is, by definition, sporadic and fragmented. Thus, not only the average Greek continues to remain, principally, unfamiliar with the European dimension “repercussions” in the entire education field, but virtually all “school-related” people as well. The vast majority of teachers, of school principals, and the students do not seem to participate (yet?) in this European dimension dialogue. And that is, of course, a highly noticeable feature of Greek education even today. European dimension considerations continue to remain outside the school/ classroom walls. At any rate, several analyses and a number of empirical studies investigating European dimension related issues and the Greek schools have started to make their presence felt.

Without delving into every single research and related analysis exploring European dimension issues and education in an attempt to portray the present “state of affairs” in Greece, a synoptic account of the tends may be quite illuminating and instructive. Although we do not refer directly to them at this point in time, it is more than certain that a number of additional studies on European dimension aspects and education are presently underway in Greek universities and other research institutes. A growing number of international (joint) projects under the auspices and the funding of the EU – projects that involve Greek experts and Greek institutions/ organizations – are also concerned with European dimension issues and the field of education in one form or another. And these are, definitely, quite positive and encouraging developments.In short, as already mentioned above, European dimension considerations have – for good – come out of the “closet”. The Greek Ministry of


Education itself – this highly centralized and rigidly bureaucratic body resisting change and reform – has started talking about these issues, however reluctantly and superficially. Special Conferences and Seminars have been organized by both public and private institutions (Kakavoulis 1993) aimed at exploring in depth and with systematic scrutiny range of European dimension related aspects and their plausible educational impact and relevance. All Departments of Education of the Greek Universities have already started including into their programmes special courses about different aspects of the EU, whereas European dimension references are gaining more and more ground in most teachers training departments. Greek academic reviews and magazines are now publishing papers and articles pertaining to European dimension in the educational field, and the Greek publishing houses have already produced several useful books along these lines.


The documentation required to register a Greek child in a private foreign Primary or Junior High School

with a foreign curriculum are:

1. An application from the child's parent or guardian.2. Confirmation from the school that they are willing to accept the child.

3. A certificate or letter of confirmation from the embassy or a countersigned photocopy of a relevant passport demonstrating that the child or the child's

mother is a foreign national. 4. Should the child be seeking entry into the First Year of Primary School, their birth certificate or a Registry Office certificate will also be required.

5. The student's academic record. 6. Should the student be seeking to register in a class equivalent to the 5th or 6th years of Greek Primary School, proof must also be provided that the child has attended all the previous school years in a Foreign School either abroad

or in Greece.

Should the child have attended a foreign school for four years, it will not be necessary to produce embassy certification or a counter-signed photocopy of a passport to demonstrate that either the child or his/her mother is a foreign

national.The interested parent or guardian should submit the required documentation

to the school, which will then forward it the Foreign and Minority Schools Department at the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs via the

relevant Primary or Secondary Education Office or the competent Regional Education Office.

Any academic records submitted must be translated into Greek and stamped by an official translator.


Approximately…a decade ago! The same old themes in Greek

education

Breakfast in the school cantina The majority of Greek children seem to prefer taking breakfast at the school cantina and not at home. Thus, according to a recent survey one out of ten children go to school without eating anything at home in the morning, whereas approximately 90% of the Greek students buy their breakfast/snack from the school cantina. As a result, Greek children are fed with over-salted and sugar-full products which limit the appetite of those children and destroy their teeth. Professor A. Trichopoulou underlined these findings when she presented pertinent data from her study among 6313 primary and secondary education students all over Greece.(“Eleftherotypia”, 06/02/1988)

Change after change in the university entrance examinations Since 1864 special committees continuously examine methods and proposals aiming at the upgrading of university studies.It looks like ‘a wheel’ that spins and spins around itself without ever stopping, the system of getting access to the Greek universities.In 1837, in order to get entrance into the University of Athens (the only university at the time) one needed to have the secondary education diploma and nothing more. It was in 1924 that the very first university entrance examinations were held at the Department of Chemistry of the Athens University due to the relative large number of interested. From then onwards, almost every new government appears to have tried its own version and reform of the university examinations entrance.“To Vima”, 19/03/1995)

A school teacher ‘tears down’ prison bars Over the last three years, the primary school teacher Giannis Tsantilas teaches at a special school that has been in operation within the State prison of Korydallos (a few kilometres from downtown Athens). He knows too well that if the young inmates do not learn even the very basics of reading and writing, they do not have much of a chance to make it in the ‘outside world’.Mr Tsantilas in his eagerness to help those youngsters uses different


techniques and methods in order to convince them to attend lessons, since attendance is not compulsory. “To all those inmates who attend my class I give the papers they may need in their court cases, I buy stamps for their letters with my own money, I even suggested that they may take their cup of coffee in the classroom so that they may be encouraged to attend lessons”. Unfortunately, most of the young inmates do not share the interest and they do not appreciate the initiatives taken by the school teacher. They are not interested in learning to read and write since, in their own micro-world, education is not valued as it should.(“Ta Nea”, 22/01/1996)

The school of …discontented Students are bored, teachers protest and parents worry for the Greek education system as a whole! How much does the education system satisfies all those directly or indirectly involved? Very little! The vast majority of Greeks are not satisfied by the school and the school life. Indeed, according to a survey commissioned by the National Television (ET2) and conducted in May 1995 by the PRC company of public opinion, among 800 participants in the greater Athens area, 85% of those interviewed stated that the education system functions from ‘a bit satisfactory’ to ‘no satisfactory’ at all. More specifically, nine out of ten students, seven out of ten teachers and eight in ten parents register their downright disappointment vis-à-vis the education system. And certainly, it is not the first time that the Greek school attracts negative comments and criticisms. The sample population of the survey included 1860 secondary education students, 154 secondary school teachers and 136 parents.“Ta Nea”, 12/02/1996)

The ‘only’ book and the many vested interests I am referring to a Greek didactic and academic primitivism, to our traditional practice of imposing on our university students one and only one book for each particular course taught. One book selected by the person teaching the specific subject, a book that is provided free of charge to the student but the State over-pays for it, this only book which is mandatory and exclusive for all university students attending the course and on the basis of which book alone the student is examined, this crucial book which is something a university ‘reader’. Thus, the student communicates with a specific discipline or subject taught via


this only book which most often has been written by the professor teaching the subject. Among others, this practice has the following consequences: the student has one-sided information/knowledge and quite often distorted and false due to the ‘quality’ of the ‘reader’; the student is not led to what we call critical thought since he/she studying the mandatory point of view; finally, the student is obliged to stay at the ‘level’ of the teacher. Furthermore, if a university student during his examination provides answers that are not from the ‘reader’, he/she fails the course because the teacher is no position to judge and evaluate the answer.(“To Vima”, 9/4/1995)

Glossary of key terms


All day primary school Primary school working on an “all-day” basis, i.e. with an extended timetable of 8-10 hours. All-day primary schools fall under two categories: i) those with compulsory extended timetable for all pupils; and ii) those with optional extended timetable, for pupils whose parents opt for this programme.

Didaskaleio Institution, associated with a University Pedagogical Department of Primary Education, providing in-service training in general and special needs education to teachers of primary of pre-primary education, who have a two-year degree from the (non-university) Pedagogic Academies and have at least 5 years teaching experience.

Eisagogiki epimorfosi Induction teacher training, consisting of three stages lasting a total of 100 hours.

Eniaio Lykeio An integrated diversified lyceum, established in 1997 to incorporate all previously existing types of upper (non-vocational) secondary school.

Epetirida A national candidate list for recruitment of teachers.

Philoxenia … for pedagogues and other epistimones


Lambrakis Research Foundation The Lambrakis Foundation (LF) is a non-profit research and development institution of public interest, founded in Athens, in 1991, after an initiative taken by Mr Christos Lambrakis, main shareholder and president of the Lambrakis Press Group SA. From the very outset, distinguished Greeks from the fields of journalism and the sciences and academics supported the initiative aiming at creating useful and innovative research body and at developing planning strategies in fields of utmost priority for Greece. Education, culture and the regional development especially in the new context of the United Europe are the areas which initially drew the interest and resources of the LF. Today, its work draws upon its international expertise and its intensive research and development work in collaboration with prestigious public and private organisations, universities, research institutes and enterprises, in Greece and elsewhere in Europe. The Foundation is participating in the efforts for changing Greece to face the new challenges. Its initiatives focus on innovation and upgrade of the education systems through the application of advanced technologies and the significance of the cultural heritage in the emerging knowledge society. As the demand for better learning methods and equal opportunities in knowledge is constantly increasing, LF utilises its own resources, matching them with research and development funding of the European programmes in which it participates, to meet these challenges. It has been involved in ground-breaking work with other important scientific, social and development organisations in Greece and abroad. It also conducts studies and state-of-the-art reports and initiates innovative pilot programmes that produce quality educational materials – such as videos and CD-ROMs – and services to the educational communities; it publishes innovative educational books and Proceedings of international meetings and conferences on matters of its interests. Current activities of LF include research on the proper management of the environment and balanced regional development through initiatives for new forms of agricultural and tourist entrepreneurship, as well as local development and the strengthening of cultural activities. The launching of a novel “portal” (e-paideia.net), addressing the needs of the school communities


and making a distinctive use of culture and recent developments in the areas of education has been recently undertaken. LF is well-renowned at both national and European levels as an important, innovative research institution with bold new ideas, particularly in the fields of education, culture and the societal changes in the beginning of the 21st century. The Foundation is member of international/European bodies such as the European Experts Network for Educational Technology (EENet), the European Distance Education Network (EDEN) and founding member - together with other European organisations - of the pioneering MENON Network, based in Brussels. 3,Chr.Ladastr.10237AthensGreecetel.:+3021033.33.900fax:+3021033.33.901e-mail:[email protected]: http://www.lrf.gr

Life Long Learnig –Human Resources The new “open” forms of education, the vocational training, the life-long learning and the home learning are the areas in which the LRF has been systematically involved, developing new perspectives in the field of education. The website www.e-paideia.net is addressed to schools in Greece, making use of heritage and contemporary culture with the aim of a better education. It offers educational and cultural material in digital form, suggestions for using modern technological tools and educational software in schools, communication between schools, teachers and students, and information on current educational issues in Greece and the world.

http://www.lrf.gr/


Specific Legislative Framework The structure and operation of Primary and Secondary Education that is in force until today, was established by Law 1566 in 1985. This law has established the new procedure for drawing up new curricula and for the writing of the corresponding new textbooks. It has also set out the following principles: every pupil’s school book should be accompanied by a corresponding teacher’s book, the establishment of the single-accent system (monotoniko systema) in the modern Greek language, further education for teachers, etc. The above legislative framework has been supplemented with new laws and presidential decrees, chief among which are: Presidential Decree 8/10-01-1995 and its supplementary PD 121/18-04-1995 by which the method of assessing the pupils is differentiated; it is now treated as an on-going pedagogical process. Also, by PD 201/1998 issues related to the operation of Primary schools are regulated. Law 2327/1995 establishes the National Education Council (EOYD/ESYP), the Educational Research Center (KEE), the Institute for Continuing Adult Education (IAEKEIDEKE) and the Educational Centers Supporting Education (MOKEOE/MOKESE). Law 2341/1995 regarding education of the Muslim minority, Law 2413/1996 by which the new method of education for children from abroad was instituted and Law 2525/1997 by which Oloimera Demotika Scholeia were established, are still in force and a unified viewpoint of the Analytical Curricula for Primary and Secondary Education, through the Uniform Curriculum Framework, is foreseen.

The private sector Private primary and secondary schools come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs (YPEPTH) and more particularly of the Directorate for Private Education, which supervises and inspects them by means of the same regional bodies that inspect public schools. Control is exercised mainly in matters of the

Nomothetic arrangements and legislative morphology in education


curriculum (content and timetable), the competence of teaching staff and school premises, number of pupils per class, composition of the examination boards that conduct the upper secondary school-leaving examinations, issue of school leaving certificates and financial control, especially in connection with fee collection and increases in fees. There are also private schools which belong to the category of legal entities of a non-profit nature and are recognized as equivalent to state schools. Teachers of such schools receive pensions from the state, while teachers of “ordinary” private schools may receive pensions from the Social Security Fund. There is no difference between private and public schools as far as the curriculum and administrative structure is concerned; that is private schools are recognized as providing equivalent services to public ones. Moreover, private school teachers enjoy the same service status, including salary structure, promotion and evaluation procedures as their colleagues in public education. Both the relevant laws (Laws 682/77 and 1566/85) and regulations governing the working and professional status of private teachers present stability over years, and enjoy political and social recognition. Finally, private schools are financially independent organizations, and do not receive any state subsidies. They charge tuition fees, the level of which is regulated annually by the government in consultation with the Association of Private School Owners. In fact one of the major issues of negotiations between this association and the government is the freeing of tuition fees from state control. A thousandth of the tuition fees goes to a special fund managed by YPEPETH and is used to cover the expenses for in-service training and educational leave of private teachers. (OECD)


According to the Greek Ministry of Education, the following training programs for public school teachers are underway (either already in their implementation stage or scheduled to begin within the next few months):

1.Certification of basic skills of school teachers in the use of computers (total estimated budget: 4088272 Euros)2.In-service training of primary and secondary school teachers in basic skills pertaining to Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC) in education (39662500 Euros)3.In-service training of teachers in the use and exploitation of Technologies of Information and Communication in the educational/teaching process (33996391)4.Professional software in TIC: In-service training and applications (19098530)5.Special in-service training for newly appointed/hired teachers (3000000)6.‘Crash courses/seminars’ about the European Union (500000)7.Creating an educational portal for primary and secondary education (576050)8.‘Crash courses/seminars’ dealing with aspects of classroom management (1500000)9.In-service training of School Counselors and teachers employed in primary education and in pre-school education on the cross-thematic approach and the school curricula/courses of study (530000)10.How to implement special programs that promote equality in society (8500000)11.Special services for training and supporting the promotion of psychic health and the prevention of behavior problems, psychological imbalances and addiction of drugs (1500000)12. In-service training of secondary education officials in the cross-thematic approach, school curricula and the teaching material used in the Greek junior high school (670000)13. Special curricula for learning disabilities: Informing and sensitizing teachers (187000)14. In-service training of teachers via distance learning programs (25000000)15. In-service training of teachers on contemporary teaching approaches (1100000)

Pedagogical/educational trainingand meta-morphosis of teachers


16. The influence of the family and the cultural environment on the learning ability of children (800000)17. In-service training of teachers and of Directors of regional educational units (3500000)18. In-service training of information technology teachers concerning the exploitation and the support of school laboratories and the integrated application of TIC (4000000)19. Supply of special and accessible educational software for supporting students and the in-service training of their teachers (8000000)20. Integrated application of TIC in education and full exploitation/use (13000000)

All these above mentioned in-service programs and seminars are implemented under the aegis of the Greek Ministry of Education and the Pedagogical Institute, are expected to last up the end of 2008 and are primarily funded by the European Commission.

Arion study visits for education specialists, school year 2005-2006 The Hellenic Ministry of Education organizes four Arion Study Visits in Greece for the school year 2005- 2006.Aesthetic Education: An Introduction to Artistic (Musical) Expression.Early Teaching of Languages.Environment Education.Introducing Innovative Actions in Greek Primary and Secondary Education.Organization: All four Study Visits are organized centrally by the Socrates/ Arion Office at the Hellenic Ministry of Education in close collaboration with local educational bodies, schools and education experts. Nevertheless, only the first study visit (Aesthetic Education) takes place in Athens. The study visit on Early Teaching of languages will be held at the city of Kalamata, South Peloponnese, Environmental Education will be held in Ioannina, capital city of Epirus (Northern Greece) and Introducing Innovative Actions in Patras, North Peloponnese. Programme: The weekly Arion study visit programme covers the period from Monday morning to Friday early afternoon (study visits terminate at 15:00 hrs). On Monday morning the participants receive a detailed introduction on the specific subject of the study visit. The participants are also invited to introduce themselves and make brief presentations in connection with


the theme of the study visit. Facilities of power point presentation are available. As a general rule, “lectures” are avoided and participants are invited to talk about their experiences, talk about problems or good practices and discuss with the Greek colleagues and among themselves. During the rest of the week the participants visit schools related to the theme of their study visit. The Arion group is invited to enter classes and observe teaching. Usually two classes are visited daily. At the end of each class Arion visitors are invited to have discussion with pupils and teachers either in class or in the school’s teacher’s offices. The schools to be visited represent the average situation in the country; “model” schools, private ones or education establishment depending from university departments are avoided. Participant’s individual requests expressed in their application forms will be satisfied as long as they comply with the general programme (unfortunately it is not possible for us to take them into account when planning the programme because we have access to application forms considerably late). During afternoons round table discussions are held (usually at the hotel) where participants have the chance to meet and exchange views with experts, administrators, pedagogical advisers, teachers etc. In the evening, group members get together to discuss the group report. Flow of Information: Participants selected for one of the GR Study Visits will receive information from the organizer two months before the visit takes place. Working language: The working language of the study visits is English and an effort is made to ensure that Greek educators who are invited to meet the Arion group have a sufficient command of the English language. In case this is not possible translation is always assured. Some visits are conducted in two working languages (English and French). Selection of Participants: Selection of individual participants is made by their NA and placement in a study visit is made by the SOCRATES & Youth Technical Assistance Office. Group Report: The European Commission requires a group report for each study visit. A group rapporteur should be appointed to prepare, on the basis of discussion with all group members, a report summarizing the main points of the study visit and the organizational aspects. The aim of this report is not to evaluate the programme of the establishments visited, let alone the education system of the country visited. Such evaluations are obtainable from OECD country reports,


EURYDICE information material and scientific studies. The focus should be on the theme of the visit, the European dimension, the additional European value, the continuation of contacts with one another and the schools visited as well as future European cooperation. The report should not just describe but also evaluate the theme. Instead of a chronological description of events, it should take the form of summary analysis. Participants should comment on the organization of the study visit and suggest any ways in which visits could be improved. The reports should comment on both negative and positive aspects of the study visit. In addition to a brief description of the theme in the country visited, the report should make a European comparison.Contact Person: Mr. Joachim – Kimon KolyvasARION National Liaison OfficerDirectorate for EU AffairsDivision B’ “Programmes”15 Mitropoleos Str.GR – 101 85 AthensTel.: + 30 210 32 20 950+ 30 210 32 43 513Fax: + 30 32 28 060/ + 30 32 48 264E-mail: [email protected]

Informing and raising teaching awareness by Lambrakis Research Foundation Parallel to the production of this pioneering education material, an effort is being made to provide improved and more productive teaching methods. Studies are being conducted for the introduction of innovations to the educational system and for the experimental training of teachers with one-day events and special distance education programmes using telematics. Thus, the LRF is the coordinator of 240 schools from six European countries which participate in the "TRENDS" project that deals with the distance training of teachers. At the same time, LRF has been organising a series of training events aimed at informing and raising the awareness of teachers so that they can meet the demands made on them by their new upgraded roles in a productive and scientifically consistent way.

Cultural pluralism and intercultural paideia in our heterogeneous politeia



Comparison of European and Intercultural Dimension Comparison on the political-institutional level Concerning the institutional measures on European and intercultural education, there are the following points of reference. At the beginning of the 1980s the Ministry of Education imposed separate legislation measures for repatriated and foreign students and for the ones coming from EU-member countries. The transformation of Greece into a host country in the 1990s led to the enactment of Law 2413 in 1996, which refers to the education of culturally different pupils. In the 1990s European and inter cultural education seemed to run in parallel, the one alongside the other, though they were not ‘compatible’. In 2003, criticism of this situation led the Ministry of Education to link and incorporate the European and intercultural dimensions into the new curriculum, under the general principle of ‘strengthening cultural and linguistic identity within a multicultural society’. Comparison on the theoretical level To summarise and simplify the various theoretical tendencies within theoretical dialogue on the European and intercultural dimension in Greece, we could reach a series of statements and provisional conclusions. If we looked thoroughly into the Greek scientific literature, we could see that the arguments that appear quite often there are also cited in the texts of other European scientists. Therefore the thoughts that follow concern not only Greece and the Greek literature. More specifically, the intercultural debate focuses on the individual or the group with its own cultural characteristics. The debate also refers to the relation between individuals and groups with different cultural backgrounds. In other words this is a purely pedagogical approach, as the person is both the starting point and the objective of it. In contrast to the above, institutions and the market, together with their rules and demands, lie at the centre of the European debate. This fundamental difference is mainly due to the origin and projected aim of the two educational programmes. With regard to the projected aim, we would agree with Professor Hans H.


Reich (1997, pp. 68ff.) that the two programmes target different types of persons and different identities The individual at the centre of the European programme is a mobile, highly qualified worker, equipped with rights and self-confidence – a European citizen whose national identity is not affected, but complemented. On the other hand, the person at the centre of the intercultural programme is a person sensitised to cultural differences and socio-cultural inconsistencies, who efficaciously moves among civilisations, negotiates and manipulates rules for living together with others and learns through these processes how to bring them about of their own accord. In other words, in the first case, priority is given to individuals with professional qualifications, while in the second it is accorded to individuals with intercultural communicative skills. To be more comprehensive, homo economicus vs homo interculturalis et communicativus European and intercultural dimension in Greek education As to their origins, the European programme is imposed de ex supero, i.e. from EU bureaucracy. In contrast, the intercultural programme comes from grass roots level, i.e. from the social and educational needs that have arisen following the movement of economic migrants. European politics, economic power and support lie behind the first programme, while the second depends on the social involvement of individuals and groups, as well as on the goodwill of governments in each national state. The European programme is not only predefined, but also geographically, institutionally and politically confined, whereas its intercultural counterpart is more open and flexible. The European programme is in essence political, while the intercultural one is a pedagogical proposal. In the former case politicians set the projected aim and contents, and call upon teachers to put them into practice. In contrast, in the latter, educators formulate the projected aim and contents in the expectation that politicians will adopt them. Lastly, the intercultural programme is more critical and keeps a distance from the national model, whereas its European equivalent is more affirmative. On the theoretical level there are of course numerous similarities, such as the pluralistic character of the programmes, their stance to ethnocentrism etc. Yet time limitations do not permit us to offer further theoretical analysis. Nevertheless, we shall address one final question: Can the two programmes be linked and integrated into a more general theoretical framework?


Prospects If we are to answer the above question we must first have a clear idea of the situation in hand. The first fact is that contemporary Europe is multicultural, multilingual and is becoming ever more so, due to the cultural and linguistic diversities of its own peoples and the mass influx of migrants from non-European countries. We are thus dealing with a classic case of encounter and exchange of cultures, not all of which are European in origin. If we agree that a common European cultural tradition and a potential European identity exist, then the European dimension refers to them and is restricted to them. Combined with the legal dimension of European nationality, to which only citizens of Member States are entitled, the European nationality and identity can lead to the exclusion and marginalisation or assimilation of individuals coming from non-European countries It is obvious that a European dimension framed in these terms goes against the principles of democracy and human rights as they have evolved and become established within the European cultural tradition itself. The intercultural education promises to offer a way out of this impasse. The intercultural education addresses all cultures represented within a given society without exception, its aim being to remove obstacles in the way of cultural encounter and thus to facilitate cultural exchange and enrichment, as well as the peaceful coexistence of individuals and groups of differing cultural origin. If the ultimate goal of a multicultural society is to achieve mutual understanding and the peaceful coexistence of all of its members, then each individual must develop skills and abilities that contribute to the achievement of this goal. If we were to summarise these skills and abilities under the general term ‘intercultural communicative competence’, we would arrive at a general principle or general educational tenet common to all members of society, regardless of socio-cultural, religious or racial origin. Such reasoning does of course point towards the European educational tradition known as ‘general education’, ‘culture generale’ in France, ‘Allgemeine Bildung’ in German , ‘Γενική Παιδεία’ in Greek. In other words, if European and intercultural education are dimensions of education (in the wider sense), then their projected pedagogical aim must be incorporated into the framework of a more general projected aim for education in Europe and be discussed within it, under the multicultural and supra-national circumstances now arising. The above proposal could be criticised as being Eurocentric. Yet such


criticism would only be valid with regard to its epistemological and methodological dimension. Inclusion of the European and intercultural dimensions in the discussion on General Education in contemporary Europe is proposed for epistemological and methodological reasons, but does not touch on the content of General Education. On the epistemological and methodological level, linking the European and intercultural dimension with the European pedagogical tradition under the terminus General Education may give new impetus to pedagogical theory in Europe. As to the educational content, General Education implies, among other things, the creation of a common code, which at least rudimentarily guarantees communication among the members of a society, a minimum of social consensus and, of course, social cohesion. Yet what should the contents of this common code be? With regard to education, what should the norm of curricula and school life in general be, in the multi-ethnic, multilingual and religiously diverse societies now arising? Could it be the pre-existing norm, which aimed at national homogeneity, or should it perhaps be a new one, which will arise through cultural encounter and intercultural dialogue in the spirit of cultural exchange and mutual cultural enrichment? These fundamental political questions remain to be answered on the political level.

(from M. Damanakis’ paper published in European Educational Research JournalVolume 4, number 1, 2005)


Periphrastic presentation of a recently published book

Kousoulas, FotisPlanning and application of cross curricular/thematic approach(Sxediasmos ki efarmogi diathematikis didaskalias)Athens, Atrapos publication, 2004 (pp. 182)

The content of Fotis Kousoulas’ monography is concerned with the cross curricular/thematic approach of school knowledge. The first part of the book elaborates on theoretical aspects of the issue, whereas, in the second part, the author provides practical examples, application tips and specific guidance for the classroom teacher, in order to facilitate students in their effort for knowledge’s achievements.

Furthermore, the author claims that this approach helps school itself, to play a significant role in teaching practices, reacting positively to the requirements of ‘Society of Knowledge’.

The theoretical part is concerned with the main issues connected to cross curricular/thematic approach. It attempts a historical review of related developments. Kousoulas, then, discusses at relative length the conceptual confusion that surrounds cross curricular/thematic terminology. In addition, he focuses on ‘interdisciplinary’ term –which in Greek language- has a wider content, a fact that advocate to the adoption of a combined approach (interdisciplinary and cross curricular/thematic) in Greek education system. Furthermore, the author introduces the reader to the scientific, psychological, pedagogic, instructive and socio-economic reasons that have brought cross curricular/thematic approach once again, at the forefront. Particular significance is given to the presentation of theoretical bases of cross curricular/thematic approach, which are:a. the typology of the so-called ‘eight types of intelligence’ as presented by H. Gardner;b. scientific research of neurology;c. cognitive theory of constructivism;d. the scary increase of knowledge;

The theoretical part of the book stresses the importance of a remarkable contradiction. On the one hand there is obviously a wide support of cross curricular/thematic approaches –mainly in the U.S.A.


but also in Europe-on the other it is pointed out the scarcity of related research results. Relative bibliography mainly provides presentations of actual school settings, valuations/estimates, theoretical hypothesis and practical tips. Getting over this lack, the author presents advantages and difficulties on the application of cross curricular/thematic approaches for both the teachers and the students.

This part concludes with an analysis of various types/forms of cross curricular/thematic approaches, such as: integrated approach, thematic instruction, cross-disciplinary teaching, interdisciplinary teaching.

The second part of this book is concerned with the planning and application of a cross curricular/thematic teaching approach.

At the beginning, the author attempts to provide the reader with the information needed in order to sensitise (and prepare) him about a main issue: ‘Which are the changes in everyday teaching after the application of cross curricular/thematic approach’.

Afterwards, a flow diagram of general use that aims at the effective organisation of all phases of a thematic instruction is presented.

Specific stages of this diagram are the following:1. 1.choice of the issue2. 2.brainstorming3. 3.research of sources – ideas reframing4. 4.instructive questions5. 5.organisation of students’ actions and teaching objects6. 6.introductory and final (terminal) activities and evaluation’s

methods7. 7.organisation of application’s conditions (time, space,

equipments/material)8. 8.points of cross thematic interconnection

There is an extensive analysis of its stage with several examples based on the techniques and principals outlined in preceding chapters.

This part concludes with a remarkable (on behalf of the author) attempt to give answers to questions of practical interest such as: how are students trained with integrated programs been evaluated, etc.

Finally, there is an objective criticism of cross curricular/thematic approaches by the author.

The annex of this book presents an exemplar project which has been supervised by teachers in actual school settings and is addressed to children of 5th grade of elementary school.

This book constitutes a remarkable effort that sensitises, provides


interesting ideas and proposals, but does not offer ‘final solutions’. Cross curricular thematic approach is not presented as panacea for each teaching problem, but as an effort for applying an authentic approach of knowledge as it emerges from everyday life in school. ‘Recipes’ are not proposed, but on the contrary the author presents ideas and projects which could help teacher in special circumstances. The reader realises that the need for authentic and natural communication between school and environment dictated the choice of cross curricular/thematic approaches and it was not just a matter of using another method.

Prepared by Anna Kritikou

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