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Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos, Vol. 6, No. 2, November 2009

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 2, NOVEMBER 2009

A Periodic Kaleidoscope on Education and Pedagogy in Hellas

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HellenicPedagogical

Cosmos


“Foloi”

Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos

A Periodic Kaleidoscope on Education and Pedagogy in Hellas

EditorDr Leonidas C. Bombas

ContributorsBombas VictoriaKolonia IreneKoraki, AnnaLevaki KaterinaPitterou Efie

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]

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http://www.hpcosmos.gr/

mailto:[email protected]


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

© 2009 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

HELLENIC PEDAGOGICAL COSMOS

Volume 6 Number 2, NOVEMBER 2009

Editor’s lexis …and

H.P.C. : Six (full) years, already

Another –new- Minister of Education around the corner

On the evaluation front…again!

The anthology from the press has things to say

Current developments from the Greek higher education

Mistakes and correction in foreign languages teaching

Let us think and let us talk about it: The educational/Pedagogical value of students’ mistakes

Meet contemporary Greek educationalists

The latest production of articles/papers in journals

Presenting a recently published book

Intercultural education in school praxis

Greek Ministers of Education and their …short life!

Listening to music…in Greek education

Money for the Greek education system is urgently needed

The comparative educationalist Dimitrios Mathaiou

Books on education and pedagogy

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A reminder for the Greeks in Diaspora

The valuable assistance of “Nea Ekpaideftiria-G.Malliaras” in realizing this HPC project is greatly

appreciated

The University of Crete is a multidisciplinary, research - oriented Institution, situated in the cities of Rethymnon and Heraklion.

It is a University with a well-known reputation both nationally and internationally, with state-of-the art curricula and graduate programmes, considerable research activity and initiatives that reflect its dynamic character.

University of Crete was established in 1973. Today, approximately 10628 students attend the University. The University's staff consists of 580 Teaching and Research Staff members. Its' operation is supported by more than 400 administrative staff.

The University of Crete is developed in two cities and three campuses:

Rethymnon Faculties operate in the recently constructed University Campus, located in the area of Gallos. The buildings cover an area of approximately 30,000 square meters.

At Heraklion the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Departments of Physics and Biology operate in the recently constructed facilities in Voutes, in an area of 49,000 square meters (Voutes Campus).

Faculties of the University of Crete - The following Faculties operate at Rethymnon, which is the seat of the University:

The Faculty of Letters consisting of the Departments: Philology, History-Archaeology, Philosophy and Social Studies.

The Faculty of Social Sciences consisting of the Departments: Sociology, Economics, Psychology and Political Science.

The Faculty of Education consisting of the Departments: Primary Education and pre-School Education.

- The following Faculties operate at Heraklion:

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The Faculty of Science consisting of the Departments: Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Sciences, Applied Mathematics and Material Science and Technology.

The Faculty of Health Sciences consisting of the Department of Medicine.

Editor’s Lexis Upon the completion of the 6th year of publication of the Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos and following the rather commonly adopted tradition of most similar endeavours to look back for a while at ‘our roots’ as a kind of ‘memorabilia’ and, also, as a necessary retrospective process for future planning and action, this column of the “Editor’s Lexis” makes room for such a reminiscence. In all frankness, it should be stressed that, of course, the reader is in no way obliged to share or to follow all this ‘nostalgic’ introductory footnote. Anyway… When back in 2004 I decided to make ‘praxis’ a long time aspiration within the field of the then existing plethora of educational and pedagogical publications in the form of a rather ‘different periodic presence, the introductory comments recorded in the first issue of the Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos, among others, were explaining the very ‘raison d’etre’ of this Anglophone publication in the Greek journalistic arena:

“Editor’s lexis as a prologue Expectedly, the non-Greek speaking audience world wide, by definition, has limited access (quite often, no access at all due to the obvious language barrier) and direct information as to what really ‘goes on’ in contemporary Greece. Whatever information crosses the Greek borders and becomes available to ‘foreigners’ in the form of another language (of course English predominates by far in such settings) is not only limited but quite selective as well. No one would doubt that the formal ‘Greek voice-case’ presented by the Greek government and other state officials to interested parties outside Greece with regard to a variety of different issues and topics, does not necessarily (always) reflect the entire spectrum of daily life activities and the sense of a specific reality that the so-called man in the street lives through and experiences. And, certainly, this is not an exclusively Greek phenomenon. In the field of educational and pedagogical developments of one kind or another, this seems to be the case even more so. Among other things, and for a variety of reasons that do no not concern us here, the perennial Greek educational discourse has traditionally confined itself to views, counterviews and antitheses for esoteric –mainly- consumption. What is being said, discussed, published in both Greek academic journals/books and the daily press and what basically occupies interested scholars, students, parents and the public at large concerning Greek education as whole, for its greatest part, continues to remain within the realm of what is usually called ‘it’s all Greek to me’, whenever non-Greeks are called upon to approach and understand the

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Greek educational events. Assuming that such developments (or non-developments, for that matter) in the Greek educational and pedagogical scene could be of interest to several groups of Anglophone specialists (e.g. professional educationalists, policy makers, teachers, consultants, researchers, etc.), it would be both useful and instructive to prepare a synoptic selection of related themes and issues and present them in the form of a published anthology in the English language. Thus, this Anglophone ‘corpus’, including an epigrammatic mosaic of a relatively wide spectrum of educational and pedagogical themes from Greek society -along with all other Anglophone sources on similar issues that already exist- aspires to attract the attention and the interest of the reader everywhere. The very fact that this particular publication combines and merges approximately twenty different educational themes –even if a fragmentary and telegraphic approach seems to characterize the format and the content of these themes- may entitle the publication at hand to legitimately claim to be a contribution in itself. In addition, the periodic nature of the publication (twice per year) ‘Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos’ recording its parthenic presence in May 2004, is expected to provide some sort of ‘additional value’ to this aspiring initiative. The conscientious ‘interference’ of Greek words into the English texts functions not only as an interesting reminder but as a multidimensional challenge as well. ‘Chronos (time) will tell’, as often said in both Greek and English. A final lexis about the specific contents-sections of this ‘Cosmos’. As can be seen in the table of contents of this first issue, among others, the reader may get a rough idea of: the topics of conferences/seminars and of papers published in academic journals, the titles of latest books along with the names of contemporary Greek educationalists and their teaching/research interests, a briefing of press publications concerning education in general and intercultural education issues in particular, indicative statistics, notes from the history of Greek education and informative bits from Greeks abroad, the views of the teachers’ association and the Greek political parties along with an indicative profile of well- known Greek educationalists. Furthermore, particular attention is paid to foreign language teaching and to personal and professional experiences from primary schooling. The synopsis of a selected research and the central theme of this issue focusing on a specific topic for each issue complete this presentation of our ‘Cosmos’.Dr Leonidas C. Bombas, Athens, May 30 2004”

One word about the central theme of this November 2009 issue. In close collaboration with my associate and colleague Anna Koraki we decided that the time is right to ‘open the dialogue’ on the important theme of the educational/pedagogical value of students’ mistakes. A theme that, undoubtedly, as a daily school praxis constitutes integral part of the agenda of each single school classroom. The few pages of the HPC devoted to this rather neglected topic amidst all other developments in the Greek educational arena with the newly elected PASOK government of George Papandreou and the new Minister of Education Life Long Learning & Religious Affairs, Anna Diamantopoulou, may be seen as both as a constructive stimulus and a necessary reminder to the educational community at large. On the optimistic side of this argument, it is comforting and encouraging that, at least, everyone involved in the actual schooling process appears to unequivocally endorse the

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teaching/learning importance of the “errors” that students make and agrees on the urgent need to explore all related aspects of this multifaceted issue.

Leonidas C. BombasComparative EducationalistDirector of Studies, “Nea Ekpaideftiria-G.Malliaras”

Athens, November 200

Anthology of educational/pedagogical issues as presented via the press

Computers to 126,000 students Computers (Laptops) take the place of blackboards in first year classes of all Greek junior high schools (gymnasio). Parents of all students are to receive a special 450 euro voucher from the Ministry of Education in order to buy a computer that students may use at both the school and their home. The screen of the computer substitutes the ‘content’ of the school bag, students communicate electronically among themselves and with their teachers, comments and corrections are written on interactive boards and lessons are conducted via internet. This is, of course, the classroom of the future, the first step of which in the Greek case is the specific initiative.

The new school year…without teachers! Lack of teaching staff, lack of school textbooks and absence of ‘central coordination’ constitute very serious problems with the beginning of the school year 2009-10 according to primary and secondary school teachers’ representatives. The president of Primary Teachers’ Association of Greece (DOE) D. Bratis claims that almost 10,000 teachers (permanently and/or temporarily employed) are needed to fill in the vacancies in primary school across Greece. Furthermore, the president of Secondary Teachers Federation (OLME) D. Pepes stressed that only 70% of all schoolbooks have been received by junior (Gymnasio) and senior (Lyceum) high school. The Teachers’ representatives also asked from the Minister of Education to reduce the number of students per classroom to 25.(‘To Vima’, 9/9/2009)

90% graduating from secondary education As the most recent OECD Report notes more and more Greek students complete their secondary schooling. From 78% in 1995 the

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percentage of secondary education graduates has already reached the 90% figure. Thus Greece is presently at the third place of the list with the OECD countries (Germany being at the first place of the list followed by Finland). However the whole picture changes when examining the corresponding percentages at the tertiary level of education. Although 65% of the Greek secondary graduates enter tertiary education, a great number of those university/TEI students are forced to “delay” their graduation or even to quit and abandon their studies. Greece is at the very last place of the OECD countries with the fewest graduates as a percentage of the total university student population.

Not a single primary school teacher unemployed From the graduation ceremony directly to the school classroom to teach for all graduates of the Greek University Primary Education Departments. According to existing data the number of teaching places in primary schools (Dimotiko) are considerably more than the teachers available/appointed and the Ministry of Education has called all this year’s graduates to submit their applications in order to be appointed to specific schools. Thus, being a primary school teacher in Greece today is considered as the most ‘wanted” profession given the fact of the rather high unemployment rate –especially among the youth- and the apparent “easiness” of securing a job in a problematic labour market.(‘Ta Nea’, 03/09/2009)

Ministry of Education: Looking (in vain) for the lists… The newly appointed Minister of Education, Life Long Learning and Religious Affairs Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou, upon entering the building housing the Ministry, was confronted with a ‘liquidation picture’, without internet in any of the offices of the Ministry and all hard disks of the computers erased by the previous administration. It is very characteristic the comment made by Mrs Diamantopoulou that they could not even locate the catalogues with the local (internal) telephone numbers of the public servants employed there. (‘To Vima’, 19/10/2009)

The cleaning staff of public schools Thousands of women who work as cleaners in Greek primary and secondary public schools have not received their salary for almost a year now. The president of the Association Mrs Stella Gerasimatou voiced her concern for all those very low paid workers who most often than become ‘victims’ of partisan politics at both than national and the local levels of government. The grand total number of cleaning women employed is far below the actual number needed to maintain all public schools clean, especially nowadays that the so-called ‘new flew’ seems

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to be at the doorsteps of our schools. It is noted that these permanent or seasonal workers (all of them women) have a monthly salary of only 150-300 Euro, often without any social security benefits and they receive their salary after several months that this salary is due…(‘Kathimerini’, 05/09/2009)

Family spending for (state) kindergarten to university Approximately 4,4 million euros are spent by the Greek families for the education of their children starting from kindergarten all the way up to university studies. More specifically, according to GSEE (General Confederation of Workers in Greece), this total spending of 4,371.3 million euros are ‘allocated’ as follows: a) For primary education the total amount spent reaches 804 million euros. The comparatively largest amount from this money goes for learning foreign languages (248.7 million), whereas another 167.7 million are spent for private schooling; b) For secondary education students (both junior and senior schooling) Greek parents spent 1.345.9 million euros, of which a total 503.6 million are paid to ‘Frontistiria’ (out of school ‘regular’ classes for virtually all students) and to private-tutorial lessons; and c) For university studies the respective amount is 1.441.8 million euros, 342.1 of which are spent for tertiary studies abroad.(‘Kathimerini’, 19/08/2009)

One foreign language for Greek students Nine out ten Greek students learn one foreign language, whereas a percentage of 43% of all Greek adults do not speak any foreign language. Up to their junior secondary studying, 91.8% of Greek students are taught one foreign language. Only a percentage of 6.9% learn two languages and another 1.4% no foreign language at all, according to the data provided by Eurostat on the European Day of Languages (September 26). Greece is at the very top of the list with countries where students learn only one foreign language with a percentage of 92%, followed by Italy (74%, Ireland (73%) and by Spain (68%). In Great Britain more than half of the students (51%) there do not learn any foreign language.(‘Eleftherotypia’, 25/09/2009)

They want their schools like ‘frontistiria’ A recent survey conducted by the Greek Ministry of Education concerning the perceptions/viewpoints of secondary students and their demands/request from the Ministry, revealed a rather interesting picture: Greek students want a noticeable change in the way they are taught, more attention on the part of their teachers, new-modern school textbooks, less teaching material and more educational activities. It is

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worth mentioning the fact that a large number of the students surveyed described the ‘Frontistiria’ (out of school tutorial classes for three or four hours a day –after school paid by their families) as the ‘model’ for their state school. Furthermore, 23% of those questioned said that they do not remember any pleasant moment in their school during the teaching of ‘demanding’ school subjects, whereas 7% of the students find all school moments unpleasant. As a whole, students characterize the subjects of Physics and that of the Ancient Greek as the most difficult, something that seems to find in complete agreement both their parents and their teachers.(‘To Vima’, 19/09/2009)

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Pursuing the apotheosis of school praxis

The orientation of the Greek educational system is obvious in lessons and the way of teaching them. For example, in the lesson of religion Christianism is projected as the biggest religion, whereas the others are rejected as dogmatic or primitive or of lower quality and consequently, they are ignored. Furthermore, the lesson of history focuses on west European civilization, whereas the African and Asian civilizations arc ignored and, somewhat, rejected. In the lesson of geography too emphasis is given to the European countries.

According to what we have analyzed above, Greek and foreign pupils should acquire and develop an ecumenical notion through the educational procedure. Primary role of intercultural education is to make pupils realize their rights and obligations, to act democratically and to become active citizens in a pluralistic, multicultural society. The structure of the school should also reflect children's different cultures. It should encourage them to speak about their language, customs and so on. The importance of learning foreign languages is also vital. One of the goals of the program of the European Union titled COMEN1US arc to encourage the learning of not so widespread languages in Europe, to improve the education of emigrants and gypsies and to combat racism. The communicative and cooperative method of teaching should also be promoted. It is worth mentioning that the Greek Ministry of Education has organized a program called "Olympic Education". This program has the ambition to inspire and motivate all pupils without discrimination and generally all young people who live in Greece to develop the spirit of cooperation, understanding and peace. One of the priorities of the program is "Fighting against social exclusion and racial discriminations and the multiculturalism". This program could also serve the goals of intercultural education.The Greek state must put into force educational programs, which will include features of the civilizations of all pupils. The implementation

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of such programs will stimulate the critical thought and the fantasy of the pupils and it will broaden its horizons and experiences. New lessons could be introduced in Greek schools, such as the history of civilizations etc. Such lessons strengthen cultural interaction and lead to abolishment of ethnic and racial stereotypes and prejudices. Training of teachers is also crucial. Teachers need further training in intercultural matters, in order to respond effectively to the challenges of a multicultural class. That's why seminars of this kind should be organized all over Greece. The creation of appropriate educational material is also a necessary prerequisite for the implementation of intercultural pedagogy in the school classes. Such targets however, cannot be reached without sufficient sources and they call for long-term planning. The Greek state should develop an action plan on national level, in order to transform intercultural educational policy into successful programmes. Therefore, there is a compelling need for the improvement and reform of the legal framework about the intercultural education. The law 2413/96 does not serve the meaning and traits of intercultural education. It is up to the Greek state to re-establish it and to improve it. So as to preserve the cultural identity and diversity of these ethnic minority groups that live and work in the Greek territory. Consequently, it will promote social cohesion, peaceful coexistence, tolerance and prosperity of the Greek society, which arc identified and acknowledged as urgent priorities. So, the clash of civilizations, which Huntington advocates, will be prevented. Cultural minorities and cultural diversity should be recognized and the uniqueness of each civilization should not be overwhelmed by global trends. It is true that globalization poses a serious threat to cultural diversity and heterogeneity.

According lo the system's theory, when a system is open to the challenges and influences of the surrounding environment, it is more sustainable. Therefore our society should adhere to cultural diversity and pluralism, in order to survive and flourish. After all, we ought to bear in mind that all the world's civilizations have emerged not out of isolated, self-sufficient models of development, but out of cross-connections, influences, out of the process that allowed everyone to contribute, which allowed synthesis and creative assimilation, and often out of contradictions. The major challenge of our civilization is to integrate cultural differences as organic elements of contemporary society.

V. Makri, (2003)

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Amorphous pedagogical enigmas amidst our analgesic educational

amnesty

Ministers for National Education and Religious Affairs (1981-2009) No doubt, aside from the specific individual serving at the crucial post of the Greek Minister of Education and the political party that he/she belongs to, the time spent as the Minister at this governmental post bears its own importance. Especially so when one is concerned with the Education Ministry, given the widely known fact that educational planning and implementation of educational policies, reforms and innovations need ample time to be actually incorporated into the daily school praxis and –hopefully- to ‘produce’ tangible and measurable outcomes. Thus, the list of names of Education Ministers over the last 18 years and their corresponding number months in office that follows, may provide an interesting departing point for further consideration and discussion along the educational arena of today’s Greece.

Name Period Months in officeVerivakis, E. (21/10/1981-5/7/82)………………………..8.5Kaklamanis, A. (5/7/82-25/4/86)………………………..45.5Tritsis, A. (25/4/86-9/5/88)………………………………24.5Kaklamanis, A. (9/5/88-22/6/88)……………………….....1.5Papandreou, G. (22/6/88-2/7/89)………………………….12.5Kontogannopoulos, V. (2/7/89-12/10/89)…………………3.5Despotopoulos, K. (12/10/89-23/11/89) (Interim)…………1.5Simitis, K. (23/11/89- 13/2/90)…………………………….2.5Despotopoulos, K. (13/2/90-11/4/90) (Interim)……………2Kontogannopoulos, V. (11/4/90-10/1/91)………………….9Souflias, G. (10/1/91-13/10/93)…………………………....33Fatouros, D. (13/10/93-8/7/94)……………………………..9Papandreou, G. (8/7/94-25/9/96)………………………….26.5Arsenis, G. (25/9/96-13/4/2000)…………………………. 43.5

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Efthimiou, P. 13/4/2000-10/3/2004)………………………47Giannakou, M. (10/3/2004-19/9/2007)…………………… 41Stylianidis, E. (19/9/2007-8/1/2009)……………………….15.5Spiliotopoulos, A. (8/1/2009-7/102009)……………………9Diamantopoulou, A. (7/10/2009-today)

As can be seen from the preceding list, (leaving aside in this particular context of the discussion the newly appointed Minister A. Diamantopoulou) a total number of 18 Ministers of Education and Religious Affairs have served at this post for the past 28 years period. Upon exploring a bit further this descriptive data, it becomes clear that all 18 Ministers of Education of that specific period served in office for a grand total of 336 months which corresponds to an average of 18.66 months in office for each Minister. The range of months ‘spent’ at the minister’s post extends from 1.5 (interim Minister K. Despotopoulos) to the longest serving Minister P. Efthimiou for 47 months. If one leaves out for a moment the five Ministers with the longest period in office (between 33 and 47 months), the average time served at the Ministry for the remaining 13 Ministers comes down to only 9.69 months. Evidently, these numbers and figures may not claim that provide persuasive answers to the perennial and persisting problems of the Greek education system as a whole, they may, however, portray a specific picture quite eloquently as to the ‘longevity’ of the Greek Education Ministers and the sheer time in their disposal to plan, develop and implement appropriate policies and practices at all levels. Interestingly and perhaps regrettably(?), this rather traditional ‘pattern’ of ‘short lived’ Ministers of Education that dates back to the years of the establishment of the formal education system in 1831, appears -much more than less- to transcend political parties and particular individuals holding power in Greece. In short, for he purposes of this synoptic presentation, several ‘lessons’ could readily be drawn for any future reference.

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Syndromes of lethargy and apocalypses of our schooling in Greece

today

On the evaluation front (Once again) Almost four years ago, under the “Editor’s Lexis” column of the Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos (May 2005), the crucial issue of the evaluation of the Greek education system as a whole and the systematic evaluation of its ‘individual components’ in particular had been the focus of special reminder, given the fact that the evaluation issue was at the forefront of our educational and political scene at that time. For those familiar with the educational history of Greece and the ‘idiosyncratic rhythm’ characterizing educational and pedagogical developments in our country, as most probably expected, the issue of evaluation –for its greatest part- continues to be a ‘pending matter’. Despite a number of ‘preliminary evaluation initiatives’ that appear to have taken place in several university faculties and departments, the overall evaluation landscape in the public education sector continues to be ‘cloudy’ and highly controversial with ‘no way out’ as of today. Especially so at the primary and secondary education level, where even the word evaluation finds no place whatsoever within the school walls –both literally and metaphorically speaking. Thus, a ‘second time evaluation reminder’ of those aspects underlined four years ago may be taken not only as a necessary element of the current public concerns over education, but also as a much needed stimulus for extensive and in-depth investigation of this whole issue of evaluation in the present context. In that sense, the particular points developed below should not go unnoticed: “The issue of evaluation of the so-called ‘educational/pedagogical ergo’ (work/task/outcome) in all its possible parameters and dimensions, for years now, has tantalized the Greek educational and the broader political scene. As often argued by those claiming to feel frustrated and highly disappointed by the Greek education system, the public system of education in its entirety has never been evaluated in a systematic and

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objective fashion and, more than that, our education system stands out as the only (perhaps) system in the EU which continues to ‘enjoy’ this idiomorphic type of ‘immunity’ vis-à-vis current assessment and evaluation demands world-wide. All side-effects and a pleiad of negative consequences produced by such a tradition, the argument goes, are of paramount importance for the system as such and the Greek society at large. Of course, the perennial debate (which surely is not a Greek phenomenon, only) as to the ‘exact meaning’ of the said evaluation as well as to the particular contents, methods and the individuals or groups involved in planning, carrying out and ‘exploiting’ (or capitalizing upon) the evaluation process/results, has never ceased to exist in an atmosphere full of tensions, conflicts and mutual accusations between the Ministry of Education and the educational community. The ‘hidden’ intentions behind the public statements of those officials/politicians advocating and promoting the evaluation process in the educational sector have always been under question and suspicion. As most probably expected, the assessment and the evaluation of school teachers and the school as a separate operational unit have attracted most of the attention and the ‘animosities’ involved. The school teachers themselves and their federations are strongly opposing such an evaluation as proposed by the Ministry, submitting their own ‘version’ of preferred evaluation accompanied by their own reasoning and arguments. Interestingly, a large segment (if not the majority) of all university professors/educationalists in respective Departments of Education seem to argue in favor and publicly support the evaluation procedure for primary and secondary teachers/education. It is true, however, that the teaching staff of Greek universities do not appear to be equally eager to accept/adopt ‘analogous’ evaluative mechanisms and procedures for themselves and the higher education institutions they work for. As a matter of fact the issue of evaluation in the tertiary education sector (for teaching/research staff and the institution as such) has already become the most controversial topic over the current educational atmosphere for the last few months. The evaluation issue constitutes a central and highly controversial theme within the framework of the so-called “National Dialogue” on education in contemporary Greece. Another, that is, broader ‘Sisyphian’ project characterizing our educational affairs, a project of paramount significance which ‘starts all over’ again every time there is a change of government (or even, Minister of Education, sometimes). Amongst others, the primary school teachers’ federation has already quitted this

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‘national dialogue forum’, accusing the Ministry for pretentious tactics and pseudo-dialogue procedures. On the other hand, lifelong/adult learning that has attracted our attention in many and different ways –at both the Greek and more so at the EU level- has been chosen as the central theme of this issue of the ‘Hellenic Pedagogical Cosmos’. The extremely synoptic references presented here may be taken as the necessary reminder for the extension and the deepening of pertinent discussions under way world-wide. No doubt, this very issue ought to be considered and adopted in real praxis as being among the very first priorities all across contemporary societies in an era of globalization and technology/communication explosion.”

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National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance

Established in the year 2000 under the supervision of the Ministry of Employment Labour & Social Protection and the Ministry of National Education & Religious Affairs, the National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance - Euroguidance Centre of Greece (EKEP- NRCVG) is a Private Law Body Corporate pursuant to Law 2525/97 and Presidential Decree 232/98 (Government Gazette 179A/29-7-1998). EKEP is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors consisting of representatives from the two supervising Ministries, the Pedagogical Institute, the Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) and social partners.

On a national level, EKEP is body for the coordination, support, certification and enhancement of the actions taken by those offering Counselling and Vocational Guidance services in education, training and employment. In addition, EKEP is an information resource centre for education and vocational guidance. In view of its role, EKEP cares for the development of a unified strategy with respect to the aims and orientation of Vocational Guidance in Greece. Acting as an executive agency of the State, EKEP endeavours to contribute, along with other competent bodies, to harmonization of the content and orientation of education and training with the requirements of the labour market to meet the demands of employers and employees in the light of current socio-economic concerns. EKEP's scope of activities is nationwide and also tied to the web of Counselling & Vocational Guidance activities of the E.U..

On a European level, and in the context of the Leonardo da Vinci Programme, EKEP has been authorized by the Ministers of Education and Labour to operate as the National Resource Centre for Vocational Guidance within the Euroguidance Network. To this end, EKEP is financed to meet its relevant tasks. The aims of the Euroguidance Network are to promote communication, production and dissemination of information, training, employment, vocational guidance and certification of qualifications in order to enhance mobility and promote

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http://www.euroguidance.org.uk/

http://www.ekep.gr/english/ekep/euroguidance.asp

http://www.ekep.gr/english/ekep/euroguidance.asp

http://www.ekep.gr/english/ekep/sunthesiDS.asp

http://www.ypepth.gr/

http://www.ypepth.gr/

http://www.ypergka.gr/

http://www.ypergka.gr/


the European dimension in the national structures of education and in the vocational guidance services.

Foreign Language teaching: thesis and antithesis

Mistakes-Correction-Pedagogical value Generally speaking, errors are part of the students “interlanguage”, that is the version of the language which a learner has at any one stage of development and which is continually reshaped. When responding to errors, teachers should be seen as providing feedback, helping that reshaping process rather that telling students off because they are wrong. It is within this frame of reference that I, as an English language teacher in a Greek primary school, try to operate during our daily classroom teaching-learning sessions. The pedagogical and educational value of my Greek students’ errors when learning English as a foreign language at school, sometimes explicitly other times in a more subtle way, is always there. Thus, correction is usually made up of two distinct stages: In the first, teachers show students that a mistake has been made, and in the second they help the students to do something about it. Showing incorrectness can be done in a number of different ways:

I. Repeating: here we can ask the student to repeat what he/ she has said, perhaps by saying “Again?” which coupled with intonation and expression will indicate that something in not clear.

II. Echoing: this can be a precise way of pin-pointing an error. We repeat what the student has said, emphasizing the part of the utterance that was wrong, said with questioning intonation.

III. Statement-Question: We can, of course, simply say “That’s not quite right” or “Do you agree?” to indicate that something has not quite worked.

IV. Expression: A simple facial expression or a gesture may be enough to indicate that something does not work. This needs to be done with care as the wrong expression or gesture can, in some circumstances, appear to be mocking or cruel.

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V. Hinting: A quick way of helping students to activate rules that already know is to give a quiet hint. We might just say the word “tense” to make them think that perhaps they should have used the paste simple rather than the present perfect.

VI. Reformulation: An underrated correction is for the teacher to repeat what the student has said correctly, reformulating the sentence.

In all the procedures above, teachers hope that students will be able to correct themselves once the teacher has indicated that something was wrong. If the student is unable to correct himself, or respond to reformulation, we need to focus on the correct version in more detail. If necessary, we can explain the grammar, or a lexical issue. Sometimes we ask students to correct each other. Student-to-student correction works well in classes where there is genuinely cooperative atmosphere; the idea of the group helping all of its members is a powerful concept. We need to be exceptionally sensitive, only encouraging the technique where it does not undermine some students. On the other hand, we (the teachers) should keep the pedagogical value virtually inherent in all errors made by our students into perspective at all times.

Efie Pitterou

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The ecosystem of conferences, seminars, symposia, workshops

June 2009“The multifaceted use of pictures in education”Experiential workshop (Athens)GPSeminars and Association of Greek Physicists

“Compulsory education in Greece: The situation today –Prospects”One-day meeting (Athens)Group Undertaking Initiatives for the Hellenic Paideia

The physiognomy of the graduate program of the Primary Education Teachers Department and its contribution in the shaping of contemporary teachers”One-day meeting (Athens)Association of Graduate Students, Department of Primary Education, Univ. Of Athens

“Intercultural education-Migration-Conflict management and pedagogy of democracy” International Conference (City of Patras)Centre of Intercultural Education, Univ. of Patras

“Intercultural Education: Paideia, Polity, Demoi”International Conference (Athens)International Association for Intercultural Education, Institute of Migration Policy (Greece) in collaboration with the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education and the Department of Early Childhood Education of the Univ. of Macedonia

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July 2009“Looking for theories in mathematical education”International Conference (Thessaloniki)International Group for the Psychology of the Mathematical Education

“Summer educational meeting for life values”International meeting (Island of Andros)Life Values in Education Organization

September 2009“The teaching of Greek as the first/mother/second/foreign language”Pan-Hellenic Conference (Nymfeo, Florinas)Department of Early Childhood Education, Univ. of Western Macedonia

October 2009“6th Pan-Hellenic Conference: Information and Communication Technology and Education”ConferenceScientific Association of Primary School Teachers for the Dissemination of Information & Communication in Education

“Learning practices and interpersonal relationships at school”One-day- meeting (Athens)Panhellenic Association of State School English Teachers

“Dyslexia, dysorthography & mental retardation: Causes, prognosis, diagnosis”One-day meeting (Thessaloniki)‘Employ’ Consultants

“Didactic innovations in the teaching of philological school subjects”One-day meeting (Thessaloniki)‘Employ’ Consultants

“Theory, methodology and didactics of History”Scientific Symposium (Athens)Society of Theory, Research and Didactics of History & Primary Education Department of the Univ. of Athens

“Experiences of primary school teachers pertaining to the use of the new textbooks”Scientific Conference (Municipality of Karpenisi)Federation of Primary School Teachers of Greece

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“Teaching French as a second language in Greek schools”One-day meeting (Peiraias)Pan-Hellenic Association of French Language and Philology Teachers University Graduates

November 2009“Childhood and mass media”7th Panhellenic Conference (Athens)The Hellenic Committee of the World Organization for Pre-School Education (OMEP) & the Department of Pre-School Education of the Univ. of Athens

“Music: Educates, heals”6th International Conference (Athens)Hellenic Association for Music Education

“Integrating children with special educational needs into the general school”Two-days meeting (Athens)Magazine & Parents’ Movement ‘Child-Special Rights’ in collaboration with the Association for the Rights of Autistic Individuals

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GREEK EDUCATION STRUCTUREEducation in Greece is compulsory for all children 6-15 years old and includes Primary and Lower Secondary Education. The school life of the students, however, can start from the age of 2.5 years (pre-school education) in institutions (private and public). Attendance at Primary Education lasts for six years, and children are admitted at the age of 6. All-day primary schools are in operation, with an extended timetable and an enriched Curriculum.

Post-compulsory Secondary Education consists of two school types: Unified Upper Secondary Schools and the Technical Vocational Educational Schools.

Post-compulsory Secondary Education also includes the Vocational Training Institutes (IEK) , which provide formal but unclassified level of education. These Institutes are not classified as an educational level, because they accept both Gymnasio (lower secondary school) and Lykeio (upper secondary school) graduates according to the relevant specializations they provide.

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Public higher education is divided into Universities and Technological Education Institutes (TEI). Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place at the second and third grade of Lykeio. Additionally, students are admitted to the Hellenic Open University upon the completion of the 22 year of age by drawing lots.

Agonies and ecstasies within the educational liturgy

A new (political) administration at the Greek Ministry of Education Exactly half way through the normal four year period since last general elections in September 2007, the (then) governing conservative party of “Nea Dimokratia’ went –once more- to the ballots, by provoking national elections in October 4, 2009 on the grounds of the ailing economy of the country and the hyperbolic pressure of the official opposition of the socialist party of PASOK. Without delving into the many peculiarities of the current political scene and all the pertinent issues developed and presented during this pre-electoral campaign/period by all political parties, the party of PASOK under the leadership of George Papandreou (the son and grand son of former prime ministers of Greece George and Andreas Papandreou) won the elections and secured 160 members out of the total 300 members of the Greek parliament. In this context Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou, as expected on the basis of her previous shadow portfolio when in opposition, was appointed as the new Minister of Education (by the way, the Ministry was renamed to the “Greek Ministry of Education, Life long Learning and Religious Affairs” , adding thus to the title the “Life Long Learning” in order to signify the emphasis given by the new government to this important aspect of present day learning). The new Education Minister and the two Deputy Ministers (Mr John Panaretos and Mrs Evi Christofilopoulou) have already made public their first priorities in dealing with the many problems facing the public education sector at all levels by underlining in all tones that transparency

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and meritocracy will be the main guiding principles of their policies and praxis. Among those current issues that have to be dealt with immediately is the issue of the so-called recognition of “Colleges” (‘Kolegia’), 40 of which have already secured their recognition as private tertiary education institutions by the previous government within the framework of a specific directive of the European Commission. The present PASOK government has said that it intends to re-examine the files of all those Colleges concerning heir official recognition on the basis of a number of criteria and prerequisites. Digressing from the present argument for a moment, it is of interest to remind a rather similar comment presented via the HPC review five years ago, when the then newly elected government of the conservative party of “Nea Dimocratia” was in the process to deal with the perennial issues tantalizing the Greek educational system. A comment which may sound quite relevant (and) in the present context with the new PASOK government in power and the respective new Education Minister in office:“As expected, the entire educational ‘climate’ in Greece over the last six months has been characterized by mixed feelings of expectations and anxiety as to the exact course that the education system will follow after the March 2004 General Elections and the coming to power of the right wing/conservative party of ‘Nea Dimokratia’. The main proposals and the educational platform of ‘Nea Dimokratia’ have already been presented in brief in H.P.C. (Vol. 1, no.1) and in a rather more revised form are presented in this issue. Thus far, however, eight months after the elections and the ensuing change of government very little -if any- concrete action in the educational affairs may be recorded. Replacing officials at almost all educational levels of the education hierarchy centrally and locally has been seen by many sceptics as another round of appointing ‘our own children’ indiscriminately -a very old and well known tradition/practice each time there is a new government and a new Minister of Education in Greece. Of course it is quite early for major reforms to take place and one has to admit that there have been a series of public declarations for upcoming educational reforms across the education system. We will see in due time!” Nonetheless, another chronically controversial and ‘touchy’ issue that is already at the ‘doorstep’ of the new administration has to do with the tertiary education entrance of all those interested and the specific procedure/framework/examinations for entering Greek universities and TEI’s (Technological Education Institutes).As known the pressure of Greek families for their children to continue studies at the university level, the relatively fewer tertiary education places available than the entire demand and the intense critique directed by virtually all quarters

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at the existing system of entrance examinations have already set the pace for (yet) another change to that system. The educational community in its entirety appears to be in the process of developing and proposing “alternative” scenarios based on both the previous Greek experience and the international experience concerning university entrance, while the Education Minister has already stated that the existing entrance examination system is going to be changed pretty soon. The rather old “moto” of allocating more (much needed) funds to the public education sector has been reinstated in the new parliament by Prime Minister George Papandreou, funds which, as said, will eventually equal the 5% figure of the GNP -a promise that has been made by almost previous governments over the last 50 years and still remains at the level…of promises!!!.. Nonetheless, new school curricula and new textbooks have also been promised combining traditional schoolbooks with the most recent technologically advanced digital books, the extension and the consolidation of the so-called “Oloimero Sxoleio” (Extended School) as the main formal educational arrangement for all Greek children, and the drastic reform of the ‘content and methods’ of education at the secondary level so that the Lyceum (upper secondary) becomes an autonomous educational unit on its own and not a kind of ‘preparatory’ educational phase for pursuing entrance at tertiary institutions. Of course, as the new element in the very title of the Education Ministry implies, lifelong learning is to acquire a pivotal place and role in the Greek society at large. Hopes, wishes and expectations seem to be quite high among the vast majority of Greek people “waiting and seeing” the actual praxis of this new and highly promising Greek government, even among individuals who did not vote for the ruling party of PASOK in the October, 4 2009 general elections. As always, time will tell…and we should be here and… there to see and listen to!…

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Difficulties in reading and writing of the non-Greek origin, primary school, pupils(Vlachos, Ph. & A. Papadimitriou : Department of Special Education, Univ. of Thessaly)

Αbstract: The last year there has been an intense presence of foreign,

repatriation and bilingual students in the Greek educational system. Pupil with cross-cultural features often show difficulties in oral and written language, decreased school performance and low participation in the

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educational procedure and generally present an educational behavior, which is often considered as belonging to the field of special education.

This research was designed aiming to find out if the difficulties in written language of pupils living in a bilingual familiar context continue to show nowadays, about ten years after the main stream of immigration and repatriation in our country. For this purpose we examined the difficulties shown in written language (reading and writing) by 2nd -and 4th

grade pupils living in a bilingual familiar context with at least a five-year stay in Greece, compared to their native Greek classmates who made up the control group. In the research the participants were tested with regard to reading ability (text comprehension and reading errors) and writing ability (quality of writing and errors during writing), abilities, which are particularly important for school success. Our results showed that pupils living in a bilingual familiar context present significant differences in written language with regard to the control group and they continue to need special support in specific learning fields.

A current informative panorama of higher education

Too many …vacancies… A record number of 19,468 Greek university student places have been ‘vacant’ after the publication of the panhellenic entrance examination results, a number which is higher than last year’s (18,500) high number. And that development has stirred up heated debates and controversies among the entire educational community, considering the “struggle” of Greek families to secure a tertiary education place for their children. The opening up of additional university and TEI places by the government this academic year did not benefit anyone since most of them remained vacant. Approximately 30 TEI across the country are expected to close down several -if not all- of their departments due to the dramatic decrease of new students.

A new University A little before its recent electoral defeat (Oct. 4, 2009) the conservative government of the “New Democracy” right wing party legislated the establishment of yet another tertiary education institution in the city of Agrinio, the “University of Western Greece”. The new University will be fully self-governed and it will have the authority to establish new faculties and departments in several other Greek cities. Four of the existing departments of the University of Ioannina operating up to now in the city of Agrinio are to be integrated into the new

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University of Western Greece (The Departments of: Management of Environment & Natural Resources; Business Administration of Agricultural Products & Foods; Management of Cultural Environment & New Technologies; Marketing of Agricultural Products).

Greece: In the first place of countries “exporting” students Greece, along with Austria, Brazil, Chile, Italy and Spain are in the list of countries that offer the fewest or none under-graduate and graduate programs of studies in English language. It is not only the so-called ‘strong and big” countries like the U.K., Germany, Italy and the USA which attract Greek students. Over the last years more and more Greek students choose to continue their studies in neighbouring Eastern to Greece countries where they can follow the course of studies they like in English with lower fees. Nonetheless, Great Britain continues to be the most popular destination for Greek university students (42.2% of all those Greek studying abroad), followed by Germany (16%), Italy (13,3%), the USA (5.3%), and France (5.1%). Among the OECD countries Greece continues to be the big “exporter” of university students based on the total population of the countries concerned, spending (annually) one billion Euros for studies abroad.

Only three out of five graduate According to the most recent data provided be the Greek Ministry of Education, of the five new students that enter TEI (Technological Educational Institutions) across Greece, only three of them manage to graduate. The TEI places which are considered as ‘privileged’ (TEI operating in large cities) are taken by girls and, as a matter of fact, girls are the ones who graduate faster. Today a grand total of 16 TEI with 213 Departments operate all over Greece. The total number of TEI students for the academic year 2007-8 was 230,374 of which first year students were 26,385. The graduates for the same year were only 16,163 students, a number that corresponds to the percentage of 61% of those entering TEI.Furthermore, in 2007 there were TEI Departments in several geographical areas of the country that did not ‘produce’ a single graduate. On the other hand, it should be mentioned that TEI have already started to ‘enter’ the graduate programs of study ‘arena’, a development that is reflected in the growing number of graduate students (1,083) across all 16 TEI.

50,000 euros for studying away from hometown “I hope that finally my son will manage to secure entrance at a University Faculty/Department located in Athens. In case that he finds

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himself to a university outside Athens, of course he is going to register, but we are going to think about if he will attend the program of studies there or he will retry entrance examinations next year”. These are the words of Mrs S. Triantafyllou, the son of whose participated in this year’s university entrance examinations. And these concerns are very common and absolutely real among many Greek parents who have to face two problems: a) The total cost of their child’s living and studying in another city, away from home, a cost that is comparatively quite high for many Greek households; and b) The prospect of a university degree from a so-called ‘regional’ institution which continues to hold a relatively lower status/professional value in the highly demanding labour market. The annual cost for studying away from the hometown (within…Greece) is estimated to approximately 10,000 euros per year, a total amount of 50,000 euros, that is, for the five-year university study period.

Fifty per cent increase in graduate studies Almost 80,000 students are presently attending the 500 graduate programs operating in Greek universities. In the academic year 2001-2002, the total number of graduate students was 50,057 whereas in 2007-2008 that number climbed to 77,167 students. Of those graduate students, 37,712 are candidates for doctoral diplomas. On the basis of information released by the Ministry of Education, most of the graduate programs (130) in operation fall under the ‘theoretical sciences’ category, followed by ‘positive sciences’ and Medicine-Biology. At the very top of the list one finds the graduate program in Business Administration (the well-known MBA). Most business consultants and those in charge of human resources departments in large companies in Greece, recommend to the youth that they should work –first- for a few years, before they decide to start attending a graduate program.

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The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad (GSGA

Physiognomy

The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad (GSGA) was founded in 1983.Its competences were determined with the presidential decree 104/1983. The structure and its organisational structure were determined with the presidential decree 131/1989.

Today, the GSGA depends on the Ministry of Foreign Affaires and it's supervised by each Substitute Minister of Foreign Affaires or the Undersecretary.

The GSGA constitutes an autonomous public Service, leaded by the General Secretary. It allocates separate regular budget, by which are covered exclusively all the expenses.

Objectives

Fundamental objectives of GSGA are :

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the maintenance of the national and cultural identity of greeks in the world. the maintenance and reinforcement of the relations of the emigrant greeks

with the homeland. the maintenance and reinforcement of the relations of the emigrant greeks

between them. the improvement of terms of work, conditions of life as well as the defence of

the rights of the emigrants in the place they live. the harmonious rehabilitation in the greek society of those wishing to return. the reinforcement of filhellenism around the world.

For the realisation of this objectives the GSGA develops independent and completed activities, it materialises programs, and it collaborates with other Ministries and Organisations when it comes to special subjects, as i.e subjects of insurance, tax exemptions, etc.

The central theme of this issue

On the educational value of students’ mistakes Traditionally, among many other things that one may quite easily point to, formal schooling (informal too, to be exact) has been associated with a wide range of mistakes that students make during their school day as integral part of their learning process. A highly familiar and absolutely expected, that is, ‘phenomenon’ which crosses nations and cultures, races and genders, religions or ethnic backgrounds in school systems of any type of structural organization and daily functioning. At the same time the perennial, and quite often, painstaking effort on the part of the teachers to ‘correct’ those students’ mistakes at school under a variety of specific circumstances, could readily be said that constitute the daily ‘bread and butter’ of the entire schooling enterprise. Both professional teachers and students, at any level of their teaching/studying careers and at any point in time, know very well and constantly live through this ‘mistakes making-correcting’ process that dates back –uninterrupted and always strong- hundreds of years. Classroom without a pantheon of different -in format, content and ‘authenticity’- mistakes made by the students of that classroom is virtually a non-existent

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entity. Put it differently, the overall dynamic interactions between students and their teachers during the daily teaching-learning processes hardly may be observed and recorded, without direct references to the errors made by the students and the subsequent ‘corrective interventions’ made (imposed?...) by their teachers in action. In short, this is a universal ‘scenery’ of the daily reality in all schools, individual differences and whatever alternatives and differentiations from one case to another granted. Stating the obvious in an attempt to draw the attention of the reader, we may emphatically stress that, beyond any conceivable doubt, the preceding points in themselves are perfectly clear and widely known among all those who are directly involved with the education process. No one could take a stand on this issue and argue otherwise vis-à-vis this “students’ making-teachers’ correcting mistakes practice”. What has not been that clear, however, is the extent and the depth of investigating such a daily practice. The apparent need, that is, to systematically scrutinize –both theoretically and, principally, via empirical studies- this ‘mistakes making-correcting’ phase of our daily schooling routine and the possible (undeclared?, yet widely accepted) pedagogical value of those highly persisting students’ mistakes at any point in time and at any place. If nothing else, the limited literature that may hardly be located worldwide –let alone in Greece, for that matter- on this important aspect of the students’ mistakes-teachers’ correcting practice during their daily learning process, presents itself as the most persuasive testimony in that respect. Thus, very briefly, being the case concerning this particular issue in the present context, we decided to take a ‘first-close look’ on aspects related to the pedagogical and/or the educational value of the errors made by our students, upon responding to the plethora of their teachers’ questions, assignments and exercises –homework also included . To be more exact, our initiative here does not claim to serve as an extensive review of the pertinent literature or as an elaborate presentation of existing arguments and counter-arguments from different quarters, but rather as mere

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reminder of a rather ‘forgotten issue’ of our educational and pedagogical world. Within this vein of argument, the “central theme” of this issue of the HPC, with its limited and by definition synoptic and –inevitably- fragmented presentations here, aspires to ‘open the dialogue’ and set the pace for further ‘dealings’ with our students’ mistakes and the way we, their teachers, ‘use’ those mistakes. This is the principal aim of ours here –at least, for the moment. Obviously, from the perspective of this Anglophone journal and its collaborators, the interesting journey into the ‘errors making-correction’ practice characterizing our education systems as a whole and the learning processes of our students in particular, has just began. That, of course, implies that the ‘road’ ahead of us is both long and promising. The exploration of the educational and pedagogical value inherent into those mistakes that students make day-after-day in ‘tackling’ their school work/experience, could shed considerable more light on the entire teaching-learning process, while furnishing additional evidence and knowledge by revealing seemingly ‘hidden’ dynamics in the classroom. On the optimistic side of this approach, it may be argued that ‘these mistakes’ –in the long run- are expected to act as very concrete and substantial ‘facilitating mechanisms’ for both teachers and students and, ultimately, for the education provided to our youth. One more word in this introductory note. Understandably, the specific overall context across different continents and nations is of paramount importance, when investigating educational and pedagogical phenomena of one kind or another. Accordingly, the specific characteristics of our own globalized era in general and the multifaceted educational and pedagogical developments in particular, as is the case with any other similar issue along the education continuum, constitute an inevitable and at the same time a guiding framework within which one should approach (and) the students’ mistakes parameter. Let us conclude our epigrammatic prologue here by alluding, in brief, to a number of related developments that appear to register their presence in our current agenda. It appears that, over the last few decades, a

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rather growing number of educationalists in their theorizing attempts have started turning their attention to the “errors” that students make during the daily educational process/praxis and to the extent that these students’ mistakes may be conceived and treated as an interesting and useful variable on their own. Although these educational analysts are –yet- far away from constituting the most vocal or influential group of experts in the field of education, their emerging interest, however, and their respective arguments on the educational and the pedagogical value of students’ mistakes could not and should not go unnoticed. At least, ‘something is moving’ along this important and traditionally neglected front. Likewise, more and more school teachers have come to realize that they ought to take a deeper and more careful look, they should re-examine their own overall ‘stand’ with regard to these daily mistakes made by their students. Those teachers who, by definition, become the immediate “recipients” of all those daily mistakes by their students in all classrooms (mistakes that they, themselves, have ‘provoked’ as part of their daily teaching practice and their ensuing assignment of ‘school work’ to their students) have already begun to reflect on those mistakes as a recurring and integral pattern of the teaching/learning process itself with ‘special value’. At the same time, they have started feeling the need to try to “exploit” the presence of those mistakes and capitalize on them in order to re-organize and thereafter improve their teaching procedure as a whole. As already pointed out in the preceding paragraph and one –logically- might have expected, this is one side of the “coin”. Regrettable as it might be, the fact of the matter is that many educational analysts and even many more classroom teachers, functioning a kind of “hostages of the long tradition in education, caught in the power of their own daily routine and the elusive charm of inertia”, do not look ahead for alternatives. They, more than less, continue to see and treat the mistakes that their students make as (only) the student’s inability to find the “correct answer” that the teacher expects and, also, as the “objective” criterion for assessing and grading the student in school tests -in

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general academic performance for that matter. Meanwhile, all students, sometimes more sometimes less, continue to ‘offer’ their classroom mistakes to their teachers, teachers are always trying to keep up with their good work by correcting those mistakes –almost routinely- while the vast majority of parents who, supposedly, constitute one of the pillars of their children’s education, seem rather OK and satisfied with this highly persisting school practice. The educational and the pedagogical value of the mistakes that students make, regardless of strong traditions and persisting routines in the daily school praxis, despite wide reluctance, hesitation or even ignorance and negligence on the part of those professionals making their living from the education enterprise, against the physical law of human inertia that often is also used as an educational alibi by many in the field, constitutes a highly discernable ‘surplus value’ that is always out there to be explored and constructively used.

L.C.B.

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“Mistakes” and their pedagogical exploitation and use

Throughout the developmental phases of the pedagogical and educational sciences, the mistakes made by students have been widely used as direct indicators of both quantitative and qualitative assessment of knowledge that students have gained from their classroom teaching. In behaviouristic models and traditional teaching methods, however, students’ mistakes are identified and used in the assessment of students and of the assessment teaching in a different way than is the case with modern teaching models, which are –mainly- governed by the principles of constructivism. According to the early behaviouristic models, a “mistake” may be described as the student's response which deviates from rules and forms of knowledge set by the teacher and the student is required to follow precisely, accepting their correctness in a passive way, as these rules originate from the teacher-master who represents the sole source of knowledge. In this sense, on one hand, the teacher carries the identity of an unmistakeable person, a person who is not allowed to make mistakes, a person who must know everything and be always ready to answer all questions correctly to his students, when these questions are posed in the classroom. In addition, the student stands in awe in front of the ‘teacher-model’ and his knowledge, the student is afraid of the possibility of making mistakes, feels uncomfortable when he makes mistakes and, thus, he opts for a type of passive learning. Thus, the accuracy/correctness of their answers is given such a ‘standardized’ format which, as far as the teacher is concerned, limits his evaluation of the student to a mere quantitative assessment, based on the number of mistakes recorded, whereas, as far as the students themselves are concerned, they are trapped into providing only one (unique) correct response, which, in its turn, may be the result of sterile rote memorization and not of a deep and substantial cognitive process. As a result, the wording of any answer which deviates from

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the correct one places students into the two well-known categories of “good” and “bad” students, cultivating and reinforcing competition and antagonism among themselves, while at the same significantly affecting the overall climate in the classroom. In contemporary teaching theories and practices, one finds concrete references to the so-called pedagogical use of students’ mistakes. "Mistakes" are no longer considered as a ‘crime’ committed by the student, but they often can be purposely provoked by the teacher in such a way so that a "cognitive conflict" may be invoked (“produced”). A “conflict” which contradicts and runs against existing concepts and ideas of students concerning the content of a specific school subject or the body of school knowledge taught. A mistake is not the final result of the acquisition process of knowledge, but the beginning of its birth. It introduces students to new ways of thinking, and broaden the framework of cognitive horizons. Students through their mistakes 'build' knowledge by themselves, taking into account factors that, quite likely, they were unaware before, cultivating their ability to combine and their critical capacity. Knowledge is not static, it is constantly shaped and developed and, therefore, it is not an unattainable privilege of the few and "capable", but something that everyone is able to gain by involving him/herself in active learning. This involvement is achieved when the possibility of "mistake" is freed of guilt, a daily school process during which the contribution of the teacher is particularly important. Thus, a teacher, freeing himself from the burden of traditional pedagogical and educational restrains, should be able to:

• evaluate the reasons that led students to the "mistake". A wrong answer may hide a student’s thought and thinking process, which the teacher should be able to assume and discover through his interaction with his student, while the student should be given the opportunity to justify his answer. Thus, the teacher has useful information available for his student's thinking, information which helps both qualitative assessment and

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the educational goals redefinition for each individual student, and his teaching process as well.

• involve students in problem-solving processes. Thus, students, upon seeking solutions, exercise themselves in: a) formulating and expressing their viewpoints; b) planning a strategy to solve the problems; and c) in implementing the strategies that they themselves reject or accept as appropriate. At the same time, they realize that problematic situations are not resolved only in a certain way, but it is possible to use alternative ways and approaches. Consequently, the deviation from the one (suggested) way to the solution of the problem it is not, necessarily, the wrong way to tackle the problem. • to encourage students in their self-assessment. Through this metacognitive process students approach knowledge as a personal matter, responsibly, and they are creatively involved in a continuous search. • enhance the cooperation among students. Through cooperative teaching methods knowledge is not a solitary process, but a product of interaction and free expression of ideas. At the same time, cooperation reduces competition among students and "mistakes" function as a stimulus for debate and reflection and not as a kind of "weapon" (or “tool”), on the basis of which some of the students are placed into categories and are often isolated. As a matter of fact, within this line of reasoning, one should also consider the assessment that a student makes concerning his fellow classmates.

• cultivate a positive climate in the classroom. It is important that students feel secure and comfortable to express their thoughts freely and spontaneously, without a fear that they will receive a reprimand from the teacher or the derision of their peers. The teacher, therefore, with his attitude and behaviour may exert a key role in such a climate of trust and mutual respect.

• accept that he is (also) entitled to making "mistakes". In an era of continuous change of

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knowledge it is not possible for the teacher to claim the infallibility and “the title holder” of absolute knowledge. His attitude to new knowledge and the way that he approaches it could be a powerful example for his students, in shaping their own attitudes and perceptions.

However, it is important to stress the significance of the personality of the teacher as well in this process of pedagogical and educational exploitation of "students’ mistakes, as part of a broader educational framework which is related to the choice of teaching style and the teacher’s overall presence in the classroom.

Anna Koraki

The educational value of mistakes

The educational value of our students’ mistakes or the wrong pedagogical values? The wrong perception about mistakes or the mistaken perceptions? The educational mistakes or the mistaken teacher? Whichever the question might be, that tantalizes both the mind and the thought of an individual, the mistake reigns all aspects of our life. One very important question, however, has to do with the place that mistakes occupy in the daily lives of people and what is the role attributed to that. It is not in our intention here to attempt a more general analysis and elaborate explorations into the concept of mistakes and its meaning. This presentation aims at revealing and underlining the value of mistakes from the perspective of a very specific field, the field of Pedagogical Sciences. At the basis of its consideration, the educational space is bipolar. It is comprised by the teacher and his

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students. This relationship is characterized by a long and common process/route through the ‘students desks’ and the school classrooms, a specific relationship that is far from being easy and without difficulties, given the fact that action is observed and any action entails the danger of mistakes, something that will be discussed in subsequent paragraphs. Thus, whoever acts makes mistakes, whereas the one who does not act…succeeds (?). Within both the student and the educational community the prevalent view has been the negative critique of students’ mistakes, that these mistakes constitute “major error” that characterizes and punishes the student (in its broader sense) either by using verbal expressions or by low grades. And here is the question: How a school teacher (a teacher in general, for that matter) should deal with his student’s “fault”? What strategy and what “salvation” route he ought to follow so that he may prevent similar situation in the future, keeping in perspective that the role of the teacher is to guide, to show the way, and not to criticize. Upon reviewing the international literature one finds out that “mistakes function in beneficial manner since they constitute a way of securing access to success” (Gire, 1994; Rapti, 2002; and others). I tend to agree with this view because any mistake may lead us to examine what has happened, what went wrong and it gives us the impetus to retry from the beginning or to modify existing circumstances. The ‘treatment’ of mistakes, however, is not a single person’s task. A task, that is, which should be dealt with only by the teacher or only by the student himself. The most appropriate and most effective practice is the joint dealing of mistakes, so that they may be avoided in the future. Although there is a whole variety of mistakes –morphological, syntactical, lexical, punctuation, etc- (Vamvoukas, 2007), the “route” of a mistake implies a “cognitive route” which the teacher ought to cross, so that he may listen to the weakness of this mistake and, thus, to prevent its re-appearance. Consequently, the role of the teacher perhaps acquires the greatest value that may achieve through his professional career, since it is more difficult to ‘un-learn’

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the mistake and be taught how to avoid or to correct it, than the teaching of even the most prepared/perfect student audience, astrophysics. The fore-mentioned parallelism denotes and prescribes the ability of the teacher to “teach how students may correct their mistakes” and not “how not to make mistakes”, something that –unfortunately- may be readily observed as the prevailing reality among the educational world in general. The approach, however, as to how to deal with mistakes at school does not stop here. The intervention of the student himself is also needed. He should have been familiarized with the concept/meaning of mistakes, so that the existence of mistakes should not negate his personality and not underrate his self-esteem. Each student should realize that mistakes in life make him a better person. Through his mistakes he learns to pinpoint his weakness, to modify his learning strategies as well as to analyze and process his way of thinking, every time developing and consolidating new foundations and new data in his mental horizon. The change in dealing with mistakes is not an easy undertaking because involves the uprooting of perceptions and life attitudes which accompany generations upon generations. The time has come, nonetheless, to start our revolution, beginning from our own self. To embrace the mistakes of people next to us, to exorcize their negative ‘color’ and to use all mistakes as stimuli for reflection but not as our leading force.

Katerina Levaki

An indicative recording of work of General Secretary for Greeks Abroad

It economically strengthens the emigrant organisations. Organises congresses of emigrant greeks in Greece and abroad.

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It supports and it economically strengthens congresses and meetings made by homogenous institutions.

Promotes contacts with institutions of emigrant greeks, via visits of official levels of GSGA in the various hearths of emigrant hellenism for the direct recording of their problems, exchange of opinions, tightening of human relations, and promotion of solutions in the problems with other responsible carriers in Greece.

It publishes informative booklets on subjects actuarial, fiscal, economical, that then sends abroad in the Greek Embassies, Consulates, organisations, associations, etc.

It dispatches in Greek institutions abroad, informative audiovisual material. It works out programs of training for homogenous teachers. It dispatches literary and pedagogic books and magazines, as well as folklore

material on the foundation and the enrichment of libraries in schools of emigrant hellenism or Centres of Modern Greek Study in Universities abroad.

It finances and publishes researches on issues emigration-repatriation, contributing thus in the deepening of study of history of Immigration.

It supervises the educational subjects of emigrants and proposes to the Ministry of Education metres and proposals for the improvement of education of emigrants children.

It watches the educational policy of countries of reception to the emigrants and proposes metres for its improvement, in collaboration with the mass institutions.

It organises cultural events abroad in collaboration with the homogenous institutions, with the form of Greek month or Greek weeks.

It organises events in Greece for the presentation of work of emigrant artists, musicians, painters, writers, etc.

It dispatches in institutions of emigrants cultural material (books, films, videotapes).

It subsidises homogenous institutions for the aid of their cultural activities. It organises congresses relevant to economic subjects. It organises training programs for candidate investors in various sectors of

the greek economy. It promotes built-up emigrant Associations for the creation of seasonal

residences in various cities of Greece. It provides information in the repatriated for all the subjects that concern

them (retirement, insurance, work, legislation, taxation, education, etc ). It participates in Committees and collaborates with other Ministries for the

promotion of special metres and favourable regulations for the repatriated. It subsidises associations of repatriated for the aid of their activities for their smooth rehabilitation in the greek society.

It watches the issues of emigrant hellenism via the various organisms as the U.N , the E.U the European Council, the International Office of Labour etc. while it is represented in three (3) International Organisms (European Council, Organism of Economic Collaboration and Growth, International Organism of Immigration

Calligraphic protocols of new books on education and pedagogy

Alachiotis, S. & H. Karatzia-Stavlioti

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Cross-thematic and Bio-pedagogical consideration of learning and assessment (“Diathematiki ke Viopedagogiki theorisi tis mathisis ke tis aksiologisis”), ‘Livanis’.

Matsagouras. I. 7 J. HadjigeorgiouIntroduction to the Science of Education (“Isagogi stis Epistimes tis Agogis”), ‘Gutenberg’.

Michailidis, K. Co-education and disability: Theoretical and empirical socio-psychological approach (“Synekpaidefsi ke anapiria: Theoritiki ke empiriki kinoniologiki prosegisi”), ‘Papasotiriou’.

Blionis, G.In the pathways of Environmental Education (“Sta monopatia tis Perivallontikis Ekpaidefsis”), ‘Kedros’.

Papazoglou, M. (ed.)Strategy for the Greek higher education: Alternative approaches (“Stratigiki gia tin elliniki anotati ekpaidefsi: Enallaktikes prosegiseis”, ‘Papazisis’.

Bereris, P. & E. TroukiSpeech and communication in the educational praxis (“Logos ke epikinonia stin ekpaideftiki praxi”), ‘Kastaniotis’.

Mylonakou-Keke, H.Cooperation between school-family and the community (“Synergasia scholiou-ikogenias ke kinotitas”), ‘Self-publication’.

Stamatis, P.Pedagogical communication in pre-school and primary education (“Paidagogiki epikinonia stin proscholiki ke protoscholiki ekpaidefsi”), ‘Atrapos’.

Govaris, C. (ed.)Texts for teaching and learning in intercultural schools (“Kimena gia ti didaskalia ke ti mathisis sto polypolitismiko scholio”), ‘Atrapos’.

Kontakos, A. & F. Kalavasis (eds)Themes of educational planning (“Themata ekpaideftikou schediasmou”), ‘Atrapos’.

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Eleftherakis, T.Education, democracy and human rights (“Ekpaidefsi, dimikratia ke anthropina dikeomata”), ‘Atrapos’Papastamou, A.Promitheas in training: European universities in the industrial revolution era (“O Promitheas ekpaidevete: (“Ta evropaika panepistimia stin epochi tis viomichanikis epanastasis”), ‘Papazisis’.

Leontsinis, G.School History and Environment (“Scholiki Istoria ke Perivallon”), ‘Kardamitsas’.

Bounta, H.Historical knowledge and thought: A research into primary education curricula (“Istoriki gnosi ke skepsi: Erevna sta analytika programmata tou dimotikou scholiou”), ‘Opportuna’.

Anna Koraki

Chronic searching for classroom catalysts in the Hellenic pedagogical

arena

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Music in Education in Modern Greece

Prior to 1990, there was inadequate provision for aesthetics and arts education within the Greek education system. In 1990, a Presidential Decree for Aesthetics Education made significant proposals for the modernization of arts education in schools, particularly in reforming and regenerating art teaching. In 1995, the Ministries of Education and of Culture launched the Melina Project, a ten-year initiative that aims to raise the status and improve the quality of the cultural dimension in education and to "the revival of the everyday school activities with the help of the indissoluble power of art and culture."

This project aims to promote curriculum reform in and through the arts at all levels of education from pre-school to university. The project encourages a review of existing teaching methods and curriculum content in the arts - including theatre, visual arts, modern dance, music, photography and literature. It also proposes a wide development of practical links between schools, artists and cultural institutions both through well-planned visits by pupils to cultural centers, especially museums and other sites of historical or archaeological interest, and through residencies, and visits to schools by artists.

Music Education in Primary Schools: Music is an obligatory course in Grades 1-10. Curriculum includes exercises in getting to know the elements of music, Or ff instrumentation, singing, basic music theory and listening. Grades 1-2: students have music lessons only in some schools that are part of special programs. Grades 3-6: music is taught for two 45 minute periods per week.

Music Education in Secondary Schools: Music specialists are nearly sufficient in numbers. The curriculum includes music appreciation, history of music, singing. Usually there are choral groups and orchestras in all the schools that perform in different occasions and celebrations of the school life. Grades 7 – 10: music is always taught one 45 minute period per week.

Music Education in Universities: There are four university music departments in Greece. Subjects include musicology, ethnomusicology, music and general pedagogy, music education, traditional Greek music, Byzantine music, psychology, music history, form, harmony, analysis, counterpoint, fugue, choral conducting and acoustics.

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http://www.greeceindex.com/greece-education/EDUCATION.htm#universities_greece

http://www.greeceindex.com/greece-education/greek_education_system.html


Special Music Schools: Throughout Greece there are 28 special music schools for grades 7 to 12. The curriculum for these includes individual performance lessons (with an emphasis on Greek traditional instruments such as the kanonaki, santouri, oud, lute, percussions instruments), and lessons in the classical instruments. Also studies in theory, harmony, analysis, form and structure, history of music, solfeggio, counterpoint, and Byzantine music are taught as classroom subjects.

In Greece, especially in the towns, there are a lot of small wind and percussion orchestras "banda"1, that offer instrumental lessons for free. These orchestras perform mostly patriotic and traditional music on different occasions in the community life. Also there is a large number of community choirs, amateur and professional, that perform in festivals, various celebrations, concerts and competitions.

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

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The education system established shortly after Greece gained independence was the result of a combination of the French Elementary School Law of 1833, the Bavarian system of secondary education, and the pre-World War I German university system. Between Greece's independence in 1832 and the early 1990s, many elements of that system survived with very little change under a great variety of political leadership. The major factors in this stability were the obligatory use of Katharevousa, the artificial official state language; poor funding of education; centralization; and the influence of the Orthodox Church of Greece on secular schools. Until 1976 employment in business and the civil service required fluency in Katharevousa, creating a vicious cycle that sustained the language in schools spite of its distance from spoken, or demotic, Greek (see Language , this ch.). In the twentieth century, a half-dozen reform programs failed to make a significant impact on the system's reliance on traditional subjects and teaching methods. In 1974 the collapse of military rule and the Karamanlis government's quest for membership in the EC began a wave of new legislation aimed at closing the gap between Greece and other European countries, especially in the realm of technical education. Touching all levels of Greek education at varying depths, the reforms continued through the 1970s. The 1976 reform changed the number of compulsory years in the basic schooling cycle from six to nine and revamped the technical education program. The 1977 reform made technical education more widely available, with the aim of increasing the ratio of graduates with practical rather than academic expertise. Adult education was also decentralized in 1976. In the 1970s, there was a new emphasis on mathematics, the physical sciences, analytical thinking rather than rote learning, and individualized teaching. Meanwhile, the rapid urbanization of the 1950s through the 1970s put new strains on the schools. As the rural population decreased, schooling in many remote areas deteriorated further because normal classes could not be filled from the local population. And the urban influx at the other end of the process forced many city schools to operate double shifts--especially once attendance became compulsory in the gymnasia (sing., gymnasium), the initial stage of secondary school. The first PASOK government, which took office in 1981, increased education's share of the national budget by almost 50 percent in its first four years. The PASOK program also centralized primary and secondary education under the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs (the word national was dropped from the ministry name after 1993), standardized curricula and teaching

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methods, and assigned inspectors to ensure compliance. In the 1990s, demand for modernization of the Greek education system has accelerated as membership in the EC (now the EU) and continued urbanization have placed more emphasis on reaching West European standards.

In the aura of gnosis through the mosaic of titles in journals/reviews

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Nea Paideia (New Education), no. 130, April-June 2009Fardi. F.“Can we teach History in Kindergarten? History in the pre-school curriculum” (Mporoume na kanoume Istoria sto Nipiagogio? (I Istoria sta analytika programmata proscholikis agogis), p.19.Athanasiadis, I. & Ch. Syriopoulou“The attitude of primary school teachers vis-à-vis evaluation” ( I stasi ton ekpaideftikon protovathmias ekpaidefsis apenanti stin aksiologisi), p. 51.Agelopoulos, H. & N. Cholevas“Hellenic language education in Russia” (I ellinoglossi ekpaidefsi sti Rosia), p. 69.Patsouna, A.“Questions-works of textbooks (secondary junior and senior) of neo-hellenic literature: Characteristics and their didactic use” (I erotisis-ergasies ton K.N.L. (Gymnasiou & Lykiou): Charactiristika ke didaktiki aksiopiisi), p. 82.

Ta Ekpaideftika (Educational Issues), nos. 91-92, July-Dec. 2009Raptis, P.“Epistemological and methodological points/aspects of the school Historiography” ( Epistimologikes ke methodologikes simansis tis scholikis istoriografias), p.18.Koutouziadou, K.“Educational viewpoints and preferences of the benefactors of the 19th century and the early 20th” (Ekpaideftikes thesis ke protimisis ton evergeton tou 19ou & arches toy 20ou), p. 37.Zogopoulos, E. & A. Moschoudis“Communication and educational procedure/process. A rational approach” (Epikinonia ke ekpaideftiki diadikasia. Mia orthologiki prosegisi), p. 54.Papaioannou, K.‘The education of gifted and talented students” (I agogi ton charismatikon ke talantouchon mathiton), p.65.Drosinou-Korea, M.“Inter-disciplinary cooperation when dealing with children exhibiting delinquent behavior. The role of the special education teacher” (Diepistimoniki synergasia se pedia me provlimata paravatikis symperiforas. O rolos tou ekpaideftikou idikis agogis), p. 76.Kyritsis, D. & Cheliatsidou, Z.

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“ Senior secondary school (Lyceum) students’ free time” (O eleftheros chronos ton mathiton tou Lykiou), p. 107.

Education Sciences (Epistimes tis Agogis), no. 2/2009Filippatou, D.“Reading comprehension and its difficulties” ( I anagnostiki katanoisi ke I dyskolies tis), p. 45.Petrou, a. et al“Issues/concerns and needs of the newly appointed primary education teachers in Cyprus” (Provlimatismi ke anagkes ton neodioriston ekpaideftikon protobathmias ekpaidefsis stin Kypro), p. 59.Tsesmeli, S.“The development of morphological awareness in primary school children” (I anaptyksi tis morphologikis enimerotitas se pedia dimotikou scholiou), p. 75.Delikanaki, N.“Assessing pre-school children’s spatial ability” (Aksiologisi tis xorikis ikanotitas se pedia proscholikis ilikias), p. 145.Karantzis, J.“The development of a test for solving mathematical problems of the additive type for grade three of primary school pupils” (Anaptyksi enos test epilysis mathimatikon prosthetikou typou gia tous mathites tis tritis taksis tou dimotikou scholiou), p. 161.Rekalidou, G.“Assessment and self-assessment of the performance of primary school pupils: The participation strategies and their social relationships in the classroom” (Aksiologisi ke afto-aksiologisi tis epidosis mathiton dimotikou scholiou: I stratigikes symmetoxis ke I kinonikes schesis tous stin taksi), p. 185.

Epitheorisi Ekpaideftikon Thematon (Review of Educational Issues), no. 15, September 2009Vryonis, K. & T. Goupos“The philosophy of Mathematics and the new curricula” (I philosophia ton Mathimatikon ke ta nea analytika programmata spoudon), p. 5.Koptsis, A.“Basic principles of contemporary didactics and their application in the Project methodology” (Vasikes arches tis sygchronis didaktikis ke efarmogi tous sti methologia Project), p. 16.Spyropoulou, D.

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“The functional penetration of the multi-disciplinary and the inter-disciplinary model in the formation of environmental paideia of students” ( I litourgiki diisdytikotita toy polyepistimonikou ke diepistimonikou montelou sti diamorfosi tis perivallontikis paideias ton mathiton), p. 29.Papathanasiou, V.“Health education and promoting health within the school environment: Basic principles and methodology” (Agogi ke proagogi ygias sto scholiko perivallon: Vasikes arches ke methologia), p. 47.Giannakou, V.“On the software for teaching modern Greek as a foreign language” (To logismiko parousiasis sti didaskalia tis Neas Ellinikis os ksenis glossas), p. 79.Bogdanou, D.“Tracing and identifying children with high learning abilities” (Anagnorisi ke taftopiisi ton pedion ypsilon ikanotiton mathisis), p. 133.Christodoulou-Gliaou, N. & E. Gourgiotou“Attitudes of public and private kindergarten teachers concerning the use of computers in pre-school classrooms” (Stasis ton nipiagogon dimosion ke idiotikon nipiagogion gia ti chrisi tou ypologisti stin proscholiki taksi), p. 148. Loukeris, D. et al“On the evaluation of the work/ergo of the teacher” (Aksiologisi tou ekpaideftikou ergou), p. 180.

Mentor ( Mentoras), no. 11, 2009Karatasios, G. et al“The contribution of tele-education in continuing education programs” (I symvoli tis tile-ekpaidefsis sta programmata synechizomenis ekpaidefsis), p. 3.Matsagouras, I. et al“Relationships between the school and the family. A comparative presentation of teachers and parents’ viewpoints” ( Schesis scholiou ke ikogenias. Sygritiki parathesi apopseon ekpaideftikon ke goneon), p. 27.Karantzis, I. et al“Conceptual maps as a teaching and learning tool in primary schools” (I eniologiki chartes os ergalio didaskalias ke mathisis sto dimotiko scholio), p. 69.Kouloubaritsi, A.

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“The theory of educational planning: Towards a ‘Connecting Science’” (I theoria toy ekpaideftikou schediasmou: Pros mia ‘Syndetiki Epistimi’), p. 93Kyritsis, D. “Curricula and their receivers” (To analytiko programma ke I apodektes tou), p.112.Benekos, D. et al.“Evaluation of the teaching of the Greek language to Roma children based on the textbooks that were developed within the framework of the Program ‘Integration of Roma children into public schools’” (Apotimisi tis glossikis didaskalias se Tsiganopedes me vasi ta egchiridia pou ekponithikan sto plesio tou Programmatos ‘Entaksi Tsiganopedon sto scholio’), p.156.

Anna Koraki

New synergies, new promises and new enthusiasm in the horizon

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A View from Greece A recent contribution made by the Hellenic Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs to a comparative study published by the European Commission in May 2005, in the context of the Eurydice programme under the title Citizenship Education in Schools in Europe, refers to Article 16 of the Greek Constitution in relation to citizens' rights and obligations, which are defined as follows: 'Educating Greeks to become free and responsible citizens is one of the basic aims of education, which constitutes the main goal of the State'. The study continues: 'Greek policy aims to modernise the Greek curriculum. In particular, an educational reform aiming to make education universally available, raise all-round educational attainment and modernise education has been successfully implemented. This reform is contained in Law 1566/85, which has three components, namely "didactic" (practice-oriented), "pedagogic" and one concerned with participation'. Although no specific definition of 'responsible citizenship' exists as such in the Constitution, the term derives from the Constitution's reference (Part II) to 'individual and social rights' (Articles 4-25), 'civic rights' (Articles 51 and 52), as well as to 'civic obligations' (Article 120).

As for the main orientations of Greek educational policy, the paper states, with reference to Law 1566/85: 'Article 1: The general aim of primary and secondary education is to contribute to full harmonious and balanced development of the emotional, psychological and physical capacities of pupils, in order for them to be given the opportunity to fully shape their personalities and be creative in their life irrespective of their origin or sex. One of the special objectives of primary and secondary education is "to help pupils become free, responsible and democratic citizens, as well as citizens capable of fighting for national independence and , democracy". Other special objectives are the cultivation of creative and critical thinking and the development of a spirit of friendliness and cooperation with people from all over the world. Freedom of religion is acknowledged as an inviolable right of citizens. Article 28 defines "further education and postgraduate studies" of teachers in such a way that they can be informed and functional within the spirit of contemporary society. Article 37 refers to the establishment of "school professional guidance", which aims to counsel and train pupils so that they can comprehend their skills and their responsibility

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for developing them and choosing a career, which will ensure their active participation in the labour market (emphasis on the original).

On the Greek approach to citizenship education as reflected in the curriculum, the paper states: 'In primary education, citizenship education is both a cross-curricular educational topic and a separate compulsory subject in its own right. The separate subject of social and civic education is taught for one period a week in the fifth and sixth years of primary education. In lower and upper secondary education, citizenship education is offered as a separate subject in its own right and also integrated into several subjects (see below) ... In the third year of lower secondary education, the separate subject social and civic education is taught in two periods a week. In the second year of upper secondary education, the separate subject of introduction to the law and civic institutions is taught in two periods a week' (emphasis in the original).

With reference to the aims and objectives of developing citizenship education in Greece, the paper in question states thus: 'In recent years, compulsory education curricula have been radically redesigned within a cross- curricular approach. This redesign is centred on an experiential approach to knowledge which, among other things, is also based on "education of the citizen" and aims to develop the social skills of students, namely the ability to acknowledge and accept differences, resolve conflicts without violence, assume responsibility, establish positive/creative (rather than oppressive) relations, and take part in decision-making and collective action. An attempt is made to adopt teaching models that focus on research, cooperation and action. The unified cross-curricular framework of primary education has the following aims for citizenship education: intellectual development through an understanding of the different values of human society; moral development through helping pupils to critically evaluate issues of equality, justice, and individual and other rights and obligations in different societies; and cultural development through helping pupils to acquire a national and cultural identity and understand the nature and role of different groups to which they belong, and the multiple identities they possess'.

D. Chryssochoou, (2006)

An eclectic autopsy of current phenomena at random

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The foremost topic of debate in recent years has been anagnorisi (αναγνώριση "recognition"): Private universities are forbidden by the 1975 constitution. Numerous private institutions, often franchises of European and American universities such as the University of Indianapolis and the State University of New York, but also non-profit accredited institutions, are operating legally as EES schools (translatable as "Laboratories of Free Study").

Nea Dimokratia (New Democracy), the Greek conservative right political party, claimed in the 2004 elections that it will change the law so that private universities will be recognized, a move opposed by the then-ruling PASOK. Without official recognition, students who have an EES degree are unable to work in the public sector. PASOK did take some action after EU intervention, such as the creation of a special government agency which certifies the vocational status of certain EES degree holders, but not the academic status. The issue of full recognition is still a debate among Greek politicians. A new constitutional amendment proposed in December 2005 is expected to end this debate by allowing the function of non-profit private universities.

Greek Universities have yet to meet the ever-growing demands of enrolling the most willing and able students to their rosters. As a result, a shortage in University-level education that is recognized in Greece, leads families and students to often look outside of Greece for a higher education. Countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States are priority choices for students who failed to be accepted to faculties, such as medicine, engineering or computer science, in Greece. In recent years, due to an increase and shift in the economy of Greece, students are less willing to study for an over-inflated medical or legal occupation. Instead, popular choices now are Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering. Some Greek Students have been attracted to universities in India, primarily (ISB), (IITs), (IISc), and the National Law School of India University in recent years, however students from Greece have been blamed for unfairly receiving the Rhodes Scholarship due to being a racial minority.

With few exceptions, the Greek government refuses to recognize three-year university degrees, thus failing to align itself with European

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_Scholarship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Law_School_of_India_University

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Law_School_of_India_University

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IISc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IITs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_sector

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panhellenic_Socialist_Movement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nea_Dimokratia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_University_of_New_York

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Indianapolis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Indianapolis


law and the Bologna process. Students who completed a Bachelor's degree in a foreign country find it difficult to secure employment in the public sector, unless they next obtain a Master's degree, in which case their academic qualifications are considered equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree conferred by a Greek university. Doctors and lawyers that come to Greece with degrees from abroad, must also go through an additional 6–9 months of testing and qualification before they are allowed to practice in Greece.

Bridging the metropolis of Hellenism with the Greeks in diaspora

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Modern Greek Teachers' Association of Victoria (MGTAV) The modern Greek Teachers' Association of Victoria, with the collaboration of the Greek Ministry of Education and the department of Education, Employment and Training, has been undertaken a range of initiatives to improve and promote the teaching of Greek in Victoria. These activities include:

Seconded teachers from Greece: There are currently 25 Greek teachers who have been seconded by the Greek Ministry of Education to support the maintenance and promotion of Greek in Victoria. These teachers teach up to 20 periods a week and participate in staff meetings and other school activities, including the organisation of cultural events. They are placed across the education sectors to support Greek, including in Greek independent schools, in after hours ethnic schools, university Greek departments and in government schools. In 2001, seconded teachers from Greece are providing support to eighteen government schools.

Greek Consultant and Adviser: DEET hosts the Greek Language Adviser funded by the Greek Ministry of Education (since 1990), and employs a local Greek Consultant to provide support to teachers of Greek across the State. Professional development: A range of professional development programs are provided by the Greek Adviser and Consultant. These are open to teachers of Greek across all sectors of education.

The Greek Ministry of Education and the University of Crete under the Greek Education Abroad Project, funds annual educational visits for 25 teachers from Australia (a number of whom are from Victoria) for three weeks, in Rethymno, Crete. The International Teaching Fellowship program with Greece which commenced in 1984 enables the exchange of a teacher between Greece and Victoria, for a year.

Joint Association of Classical Teachers JACT was founded in 1963 to improve and maintain the quality of the teaching of classics, and for this purpose to provide means by which teachers of classics may help one another and enabling them to reinterpret the traditional discipline in terms appropriate to the present day. The Association has a special program focused on Greek language of culture and among its activities it offers:

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http://www.jact.org/

http://www.mgtav.vic.edu.au/


Summer camps: Bryanston had a record 290 pupils (studying Greek for two weeks), including seventy-three who had been before, twenty-nine already at university, and over 25% from maintained schools. The Sunderland/Newcastle & JACT summer school at Durham was also the largest ever, with sixty-six students of all ages (studying Greek and/or Latin for a week). Both summer schools were again highly successful.

Open University: Greek language courses continue to thrive, with currently about 400 beginners, and a particularly high retention rate among the 200+ students doing the intermediate-level course. In addition to these programs, JACT counts with a Greek Committee which meets twice yearly (March and October) at Senate House, University of London. Membership is drawn from a wide range of schools and universities. The committee has a brief to support the teaching and learning of Greek in any way possible.

The recent 'Greek in Schools' initiative has been building up a picture of Greek teaching in schools and investigating ways of helping to increase pupil numbers. Various projects are under way to provide new teaching materials, and a collection of resources is being built up.

Synopsis of an article from the polymorphic publication agora of

Hellenic research

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“The attitude of primary school teachers vis-à-vis evaluation” (I stasi ton ekpaideftikon tis protovathmias ekpaidefsis apenanti stin aksiologisi)Athanasiadis, I. (Associate Professor, Dept. of Primary Education, Univ. of the Aegean & C. Syriopoulou (Primary School Teacher)

This paper examines the attitudes of primary school teachers concerning the issue of evaluation as it has been defined over the last few decades in the Greek educational context. The research reported here was conducted within the framework of the “Methodology of Educational Research” course at the Didaskalio (Institute of in-service training for primary school teachers affiliated with the University of the Aegean) based in the island of Rhodes. A grand total 942 teachers from several geographical regions of Greece served as the sample population of the research, responding to an especially constructed questionnaire. The majority (70%) of those participated in the study were university graduates (Dept. of Primary Education, four-years of studying), whereas the rest 30% were graduates of the so-called Pedagogical Academies (total study of only two years) which were replaced by the university departments in the 1980’s.The results of the research may be summarized as follows:= Most teachers (75%) that took part in this research endeavor believe that evaluation could be effective, beneficial and functional when it contributes to self-knowledge and to self-esteem;= A percentage of 70% of the respondents, if they are to accept evaluation to take place, ask for a full/complete pedagogical and scientific training of those assigned to act as the evaluators;= Approximately the same percentage of teachers asks for and expects that the preconditions, the terms of implementation and the consequences of evaluation to be perfectly clear and concrete;= An equally large segment of the sample (70%) places great emphasis and importance in stressing the consultative character of evaluation and they see evaluation in close connection to the operation of a well-organized in-service training;= Fifty per cent of the participants connects the necessity of evaluation with the professional development of those directly concerned, whereas one third of the respondents connects evaluation with a salary increase in case of a positive evaluation;= The person or ‘collectivity’ preferred by participant teachers to act as the evaluator, in a descending order, was: The local School Advisor

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(55% of the teachers), the Association of School Teachers (35%), the Head Teacher of the school (31%), the students themselves (28%), while a percentage of only 7% opted for the Association of the School Parents;= A very high percentage (84%) of the teachers questioned believe that the personality of the evaluator may influence the objective evaluation, whereas 52% believe that the total number of students in classroom may exert such influence;= More than half of the respondents (54%) believe that evaluation should have the form of self-evaluation, while 20% would prefer (wish) no evaluation whatsoever. Finally, upon analyzing the results of the research as a whole, the authors point to the following conclusions:- The teachers interviewed underline the necessity for evaluation which will lead to self-knowledge and self-esteem, thus undertaking for themselves –personally- the responsibility of their educational duty;- Teachers appear particularly sensitive to aspects and issues related to the scientific adequacy and specialization of the evaluator and, furthermore, they are very reluctant about the evaluator as individual by stressing that the personality of the evaluator plays important role in his evaluation;- The comparatively larger segment of the participants rejects the controlling character of evaluation that has so intensely characterized the Greek educational system for decades and they accept its consultative character;- The teachers of this research do not reject evaluation. They voice their concerns about the character, the scope and the ‘use’ of evaluation, along with their skepticism about the individual (s) who will be called upon to act as the evaluator.

Anna Koraki

Pedagogues in today’s Hellas: Their didactic/research interests and ergo

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Xohellis, Panagiotis “School Pedagogy and Didactic Research, Education and In-Service Training of Teachers, Educational Reform”

Kosmopoulos, Alexandros “Pedagogy (based on the dynamics of relationships), Child and Adolescent Psychology, Counseling, Philosophy of Education, Educational Policy”

Pyrgiotakis, Ioannis “Sociology of Education, Sociology of the Teaching Profession, Educational Policy”

Flouris, George “Teaching Methodology, Curricula”

Terzis, Nikolaos “History of Education, Educational Policy, Comparative Education, Sociology of Education, Adult Education”

Danassis-Afentakis, Antonios “Pedagogy”

Kassotakis, Michael “School/Vocational Guidance, Assessment“

Markou, George “Comparative Education, Intercultural Education”

Dellassoudas, Lavrentios “Special Education/Vocational Training, Education of Immigrants”

Spanos, George “Teaching Methodology”

Exarhakos, Theodoros “Mathematics, Teaching Methodology for Mathematics”

Koliadis, Emmanouil “General Pedagogy, Educational Psychology, Theories of Learning”

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Papas, Athanassios “Pedagogy, Teaching Methodology, Intercultural Education”

Haralambakis, Christoforos “Linguistics, Language Teaching”

Manos. Constantinos “Educational Psychology, Counseling”

Vrettos, Ioannis “Curricula, Education of Teachers”

Tzani, Maria “Sociology of Education”

Mathaiou, Dimitrios “Comparative/International Education, Development of Higher Education”

Kelpanidis, Michael “Methodology of Educational Research, Sociology of Education”

Papanaoum, Zoi “School Pedagogy, Continuous Education”

Hontolidou, Helen “Pedagogy, The Teaching of Literature”

Tsolakis, Christos “Teaching Neo-Hellenic Language”

Cultural pluralism in our xenophobic cosmos: contemporary philanthropists and stoics… in action

It was back in 1996 that the Ministry for National Education and Religious Matters laid the foundations of a system designed to meet the

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educational needs of social groups with a particular social, cultural or religious identity.The Ministry adopted cross-cultural education - a new form of education in Greece - as part of this policy.The aim of cross-curriculum education is to set up and run primary and secondary classes that provide education to young people with a specific educational, social or cultural identity.In cross-cultural schools, the standard curriculum is adapted to meet the specific educational, social or cultural needs of the students attending them

Cross-cultural schoolsA total of 26 cross-cultural schools have been set up throughout Greece since 1996. These schools, which will continue to increase in number, guarantee equality of opportunity to every student in the country, while the cutting-edge approaches to teaching and learning utilised in these schools have a positive knock-on effect on the Greek educational system as a whole.

1. Of the 26 schools, 13 are primary schools, while there are 9 junior high schools and 4 senior high schools.2. A school can only be described as cross-cultural when repatriated Greek and/or foreign students account for at least 45% of the total student body.3. The educators in these schools receive special training, and are selected on the basis of their knowledge on the subject of cross-cultural education and teaching Greek as a second or foreign language.

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The Montessori school

was founded in 1956. It was running in Kalamaki until 1960 and later in Patissia. Since September 1976 it is running in Tatoi-Varibobi.

The Montessori school has received the authorization of the Ministry of Education to run according to the Montessori method. It also employs all teaching aids and material for both Primary and Nursery school, which are (were) produced in special factories in Europe.

It is directed by Mr. A. Zachopoulo and Ms. Zachopoulou, who have both completed their post graduate studies abroad in order to succeed the best application of the Montessori system in Greece. Children of 2 1/2 up to 12 years of age are accepted in the school.

The teaching staff is carefully selected, specifically trained and directed by the Principals of the school so that a united formula is followed in children's Culture and Education.

Montessori School is approved by the Association Montessori International (A.M.I). (International organization of promotion and supervision of the Montessori system). It is also the representative of this organization in our country. It is informed by the scientific forms which are distributed in all Montessori schools in the World by the A.M.I. It also attends relative conferences and seminars. It follows the Montessori principle a) adjustment in development b) avoidance of huge school buildings that are not suitable for young ages

Our school follows the Montessori system and works according to the principles of schools of projects.

The teaching aids used have considered the scientific way of consolidation of knowledge. Everyday during the first two hours, children work with the material individually or in small groups. They are given the opportunity to fully comprehend what the teacher has taught them, and they also solve all their problems by themselves. As a result, they achieve to organise their perception. Through material, children are given the opportunity to practice and also to correct themselves.

This is considered to be one of the major differences of the Montessori method of teaching, in contrast with those applied in ordinary schools. (Kindergardens - Nursery schools).

The irony of authentic comparative data as an exodus from the crisis

Greece at the…bottom…steadily and consistently! Once more, the latest figures released by the Greek Ministry of Education and which are based on the “Key-Numbers in Education” provided by the Eurydice network are disappointing as far as the overall

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funding of Greek education is concerned. In 2005 the money allocated for the operation of the entire Greek education system represented a percentage of 4% of the Greek G.N.P., whereas the corresponding (mean) figure for the 27 member states of the European Union was 5%. Furthermore, in 2006 Greece spent 9.2% for education compared to the mean spending of 10.9% for the 27 member states of the EU. As a matter of fact Greece appears to have the lowest amount of money for all levels of public education among all EU membership. According to the individual figures of the Eurydice survey, Greece allocated 4.600 euros per student (primary/secondary/tertiary education) during the academic year 2005-2006. During the same period the mean spending for each student in the “15 members Europe” was 7.150 euros, while the corresponding spending by the “12” members of the Union was only 3.700 euros. Another interesting information that comes out from this European report about the “Greek case” in the field of education concerns the amount of money ‘returned’ to students in the form of bursaries and loans as a percentage of the grand total of spending for education. Thus, whereas the mean percentage in the European Union is 5.9%, the corresponding figure in Greece remains at only the 0.6% level. Of course, these comparative statistics and the respective figures portraying the overall profile of Greece in the field of education in general and the allocation of public spending for education at all levels in particular, are widely known to everyone and well documented for years and years now. In that sense, the data presented by Eurydice concerning Greece and its comparative standing within the European Union framework, do not add much to our collective knowledge, except its ‘reminding force’ for serious consideration and concrete action on the part of those responsible for ‘managing’ state education in Greece. Rationalizations of one sort or another, justifications and excuses for this highly persisting comparative ‘deficiencies’, various types and forms of alibis for this apparent under-funding of the Greek education system, are not good enough public policies -especially so in today’s extremely demanding and competitive era of ours. Those being said, however, one should not be misled to the conclusion that ‘more money’ will solve all chronic problems of the Greek education system (of any education system, for that matter). More money would definitely make ‘a positive difference’ in many aspects of the education system in Greece, but more money alone it is not ‘enough’ so that all shortcomings of the system (structurally and functionally) may be dealt with lasting success and effectiveness. Several other initiatives in long-term educational planning are urgently needed along

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with concerted efforts to change traditionally persisting attitudes and behaviors at all quarters and all levels of the Greek education system.

P.S. In the meantime, the pre-electoral promise made by our new prime minister George Papandreou for considerably more money for the state education system, constitutes a public declaration that is more than welcome. Waiting to see the actual realization of this aspiring promise into our daily education praxis.

L.C.B.

Prosopography of a synchronous hellenic educationalist

Dimitrios MathaiouProfessor of Comparative EducationDepartment of Primary Education,University of Athens20 Ippokratous Street

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106 60 AthensTel. +30-2103688479Fax: +30-2103688482E-mail: [email protected]

Dimitrios Mathaiou was born in Athens and studied Physics at the Department of Physics-Mathematics of the University of Athens. He was awarded a scholarship and continued his studies in Comparative Education at the London Institute of Education where, in 1978, he was awarded the Lawyreys Prize and received his Doctoral Degree in 1980. He was employed as a teacher and a little later as the director of the Tositsio-Arsakio Lyceum in Ekali. Since 1989 he is works as professor of Comparative Education at the Department of Primary Education of the Athens University.Professor Mathaiou has served in different administrative posts, among which at the Pedagogical Institute (1997-2000) and as President of the Teachers’ in Service Training Unit, as the Director of the 2nd Regional In-Service Training Center of Athens. He has also participated in several Working Groups for developing educational policy. Presently he is the Director of the Comparative Education and International Educational Policy & Communication Laboratory, Scientific Director of the Graduate Program in ‘Comparative Education’, President of the Greek Comparative Education Society and Scientific Director of the academic review ‘Comparative and International Educational Review’. He is also member of the editorial board of the ‘Open Education’ journal, member of the Advisory Board of the ‘European Education’ journal and member of the International Scientific Council of the Revista Espanola de Education Comparada’ review. His publications include several books, many papers and articles published in academic journal in Greece and abroad as well as numerous presentations in Seminars and Conferences at home and internationally. Among his books, the following titles are of particular interest:a) Comparative study of education. Issues of international educational policy – Historical origin, contemporary trends and prospects; b) Policies of access to tertiary education. Unjustified certainties and dangerous illusions;c) Trends in the shaping of the European space of education. The transformation of a tool for analysis to a medium of controlling educational policy.

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Vivlioparousia as an aromatic antidote to the panoply of apathy

Cooperation between the School, the Family and the Community – Theoretical Approaches and Practical ApprilationsBy: Iro Mylonakou-Keke

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(Athens, Papazisis Publications, 2009, pp. 624)

The basic aim of the author focuses on an attempt to reveal the necessity of cooperation between the School, the Family and the Community in our contemporary era, taking into account the close relationship of inter-dependence and inter-influence of those three functional systems, as this relationship gets shaped into a model of “dynamic cyclical causality”, from the very first moment of the child’s birth. It is for this reason that Mylonakou places particular emphasis at the systemic method of approaching and analyzing these three systems, so that a linear correlation among them in the interpretation of phenomena within and outside of those systems may be avoided, while achieving a more effective communication aiming at the highest possible performance of al three. The book is divided into three parts. The first part refers to issues related to the role of the school, the family and the role of the social capital in shaping the communication network and, therefore, in the shaping of the relationships among them. The second part of the book includes theoretical approaches and issues of application with regard to the communication between the School, the Family and the Community, whereas the third part presents research and projects/programs that have been conducted internationally within the framework of studies aiming at a more fruitful cooperation between schools, families and communities. In the first chapter (part I), among others, one finds: a) topics and issues on the re-definition and re-formulation of goals for the education of the 21st century; b) specification of four basic axes around which these new goals are developed; c) an examination of the role of Social Pedagogy as a co-between in the harmonious relationship and co-existence of the individual and society in our contemporary social reality. Furthermore, this chapter examines the school as a system of “high complexity/perplexity” which is made of sub-systems and hyper-systems in dynamic interdependence, as well as the community as a sub-system of our society which may function in a supportive fashion vis-à-vis both the school and the family. The family as a primary social group where, among others, each child’s attitudes and perceptions about the school and the teacher are shaped, constitutes the topic of the second chapter. The contemporary forms of families are presented, the typology of the paternal and the maternal roles are analyzed and their role in the shaping of the dynamics of the family are examined. In addition, the factors which, positively or negatively, affect the quality of family life are also examined. Chapter three deals with developing and presenting the concept and the indicative forms of the social capital according to modern theorizing

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and the contribution of the school in the development of this capital, towards which capital the school should be oriented, given the fact that the School-Family-Community is not possible to function isolated but only through collectivity. Views about “communication” are included in chapter four as a basic ingredient of this three-part relationship. The phases and the process of “communication” as well as the factors hindering its quality and its effectiveness are also examined. In chapter one of the second part of the book the author presents four contemporary theoretical models in the filed of communication between the School, the Family and the Community, while attempting a critical approach to each one of those models. Issues pertaining to the application of the above models are discussed in the second chapter, where the factors that facilitate or prevent the communication and the positive cooperation of this ‘trio’ are examined. In the next three chapters the readers finds detailed research findings related to factors that make their contribution felt in improving communication and, also, proposals of programs that have been implemented with success. Particular emphasis is placed in Co-education as a revealing research field aiming at the simultaneous education of both children and adults to new topics/subjects –unknown and of crucial importance- for all in a constantly transforming environment. Finally, five co-educational programs and their methodology are presented which were implemented with encouraging results as far as the strengthening and the improvement of the relationships between teachers-students and parents are concerned.

Anna Koraki

The central theme of this

issue

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On the educational value of students’ mistakes Traditionally, among many other things that one may quite easily point to, formal schooling (informal too, to be exact) has been associated with a wide range of mistakes that students make during their school day as integral part of their learning process. A highly familiar and absolutely expected, that is, ‘phenomenon’ which crosses nations and cultures, races and genders, religions or ethnic backgrounds in school systems of any type of structural organization and daily functioning. At the same time the perennial, and quite often, painstaking effort on the part of the teachers to ‘correct’ those students’ mistakes at school under a variety of specific circumstances, could readily be said that constitute the daily ‘bread and butter’ of the entire schooling enterprise. Both professional teachers and students, at any level of their teaching/studying careers and at any point in time, know very well and constantly live through this ‘mistakes making-correcting’ process that dates back –uninterrupted and always strong- hundreds of years. Classroom without a pantheon of different -in format, content and ‘authenticity’- mistakes made by the students of that classroom is virtually a non-existent entity. Put it differently, the overall dynamic interactions between students and their teachers during the daily teaching-learning processes hardly may be observed and recorded, without direct references to the errors made by the students and the subsequent ‘corrective interventions’ made (imposed?...) by their teachers in action. In short, this is a universal ‘scenery’ of the daily reality in all schools, individual differences and whatever alternatives and differentiations from one case to another granted. Stating the obvious in an attempt to draw the attention of the reader, we may emphatically stress that, beyond any conceivable doubt, the preceding points in themselves are perfectly clear and widely known among all those who are directly involved with the education process. No one could take a stand on this issue and argue otherwise vis-à-vis this “students’ making-teachers’ correcting mistakes practice”. What has not been that clear, however, is the extent and the depth of investigating such a daily practice. The apparent need, that is, to systematically scrutinize –both theoretically and, principally, via empirical studies- this ‘mistakes making-correcting’ phase of our daily schooling routine and the possible (undeclared?, yet widely accepted) pedagogical value of those highly persisting students’ mistakes at any point in time and at any place.

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volume 6, number 2, november 2009€¦ · web viewa periodic kaleidoscope on education and...

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