Piloting in Greece
Premises of pre-school centre: Fully equipped kindergarten classroom- 1st Kindergarten School of Ano Liosia, Athens
Classes: 4 times/week, 16:30-19:15
Students: 15-20 Roma students, 4-8 years old
Teacher: Antigoni Zachou
Intercultural mediators: Vagelis Karagounis & Nektarios-Alexis Sainis
Mrs Antigoni Zachou, the teacher, played an active role in class. Her supportive as well as leading role in class was emphasized. The intercultural mediators (Vagelis & Nektarios) also played a vary important role during the piloting. They not only made sure that the children attended class (by bringing them to the pre-school center), but the also assisted and helped the teacher in class.
The teacher provided daily journals not only describing the learning topics and the everyday activities that took place in class, but she also presented the difficulties she encountered, as well as the methods she adopted to overcome them. The diaries also contained evidence such as photos.
In addition, prior to staring a new topic, the teacher provided us with a lesson (pedagogical) plan, followed by a pedagogical report for each topic covered in class. The pedagogical reports described in detail:
-the pedagogical methods applied,
-the learning objectives for every single topic,
-whether these objectives were achieved,
-the difficulties encountered & how did the teacher overcome them,
-the children's reactions/responses,
-the pedagogical materials/recourses used, etc.
A great deal of emphasis was given in providing evidence for the different learning activities that took place within this phase.
-During the last session of each teaching topic a video was produced. The videos portray the learning activities for each covered subject as well as the knowledge acquired by the children.
-Photos accompany the diaries/daily journals (drawings, crafts, group activities).
Teacher’s Diary-example
Tuesday 15/01/2013
“Today at the beginning of the lesson we dealt with the routines and then we read from a book of UNISEF the pages related to the diet ("what in the boiling pot”, p.22-25). We talked about distinguishing different categories of food: fruits versus vegetables, grains, legumes, meats, dairy products and oils. We discussed/analyzed distinctions in taste (e.g.: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and tasteless). The children tried several flavors and we discussed their findings.
A snack and break followed.
Then the children painted with watercolors fruits and vegetables. They also painted freely whatever they wanted. They quite enjoyed this new material. After painting we sang and played what we learned these past days”.
