Raising 'bilingual awareness' in Greek primary schools

This paper presents the results of a research project involving bilingual children in selected primary schools in Volos, Greece, focusing mainly on the findings that have led to the proposal of two class activities, with the aim of promoting 'bilingual awareness' in primary schools. The activities are the creation of 'The bilingual portrait' and the use of the children's book titled My First Book on Bilingitalistn, which was produced in order to help teachers in their efforts to raise awareness in relation to bilingualism in their multilingual classes. The research project in question took place during the school year 2002-2003, while co-operation with some of the teachers involved still continues, as the implementation of the research findings necessitates on-going efforts to turn theoretical issues on bilingualism into specific classroom activities. Both 'The bilingual portrait' and My First Book on Bilingualism, initiatives and practices suitable for first and second grade primary school children, provide an opportunity for teachers, children and parents alike to realise some of the important benefits of our multilingual Greek reality, both in and outside the school environment

Is translanguaging a possibility in a language class?: Theoretical issues and applications in an EFL class

[No abstract available

Beyond conventional borders of second language teachers’ education: A digital, interdisciplinary, and critical postgraduate curriculum

In this chapter we present and discuss aspects of the “Language Education for Refugees and Migrants (LRM)” Master’s program, which was launched by the Hellenic Open University in 2016. We focus on key elements of the curriculum design, such as digitality, criticality, interdisciplinarity, creativity, collaborative learning and a practice-oriented conceptualization. Our emphasis is on critical language teaching, digital and critical literacy skills that students are encouraged to develop through online collaboration that supports learning across age, race, culture, gender, ability and geography. Based on the pilot implementation of the program between October 2016 and February 2018, we present and discuss examples of activities and students’ responses to them. In addition, we reflect on and critically approach the challenges the LRM community had to face in order to facilitate the development of a new academic culture among all the agents involved in this endeavor. We conclude by reflecting on how open and distance higher education can play a major role in expanding the physical boundaries of communities who work with and for refugees in cross-disciplinary encounters that build on and go beyond the conventional perspectives of language education, and in facilitating refugees’ and migrant students’ access to higher education. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Language teachers' perceptions of multilingualism and language teaching: The case of the postgraduate programme "lRM"

This paper explores the language views and practices of postgraduate student-teachers attending a distance-learning Master's Programme of a Greek University, entitled "Language Education for Refugees and Migrants" (LRM). Teachers and professionals working with language learners in linguistically diverse contexts make up an interesting research sample in order to explore their perceptions and practices concerning bi/multilingualism and language learning. The study was conducted through an open-ended questionnaire, delivered and completed electronically by the student-teachers of two modules of the Programme (LRM 53: Language teaching for adult refugees and migrants and LRM54: Language teaching for children with refugee and migrant background) and included open-ended questions regarding their profile, their perceptions towards bi/multilingualism and translanguaging, language use in the school context, the first language and its relation to second language learning. Taking into account the students' sample profile, the data can provide insights into the ways student-teachers view and deal with language diversity in their classrooms. Issues of attitudes and practices towards multilingualism and language teaching are discussed in relation to students-teachers' professional development/education. Also, through comparisons between the two groups of students of the modules, the results are expected to explore some common ground assumptions on the differences between language teaching for children and adults (in the refugee context) but also potential nuances and elements of distinctiveness in the two areas. © 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Supporting inclusion and family involvement in early childhood education through 'ISOTIS': A case study in Greece

This article presents a case study, conducted in the Greek educational context, as part of the European collaborative project, called "ISOTIS", funded by the European Union, including 17 partners and 11 countries. The main aim of the case study was the support of students' first languages and cultures through home-based and classroom-based activities, family involvement and the professionalization of teachers using ICT environments in early childhood education. In this paper, we particularly focus on aspects of home-school partnership, as promoted through the support of children's heritage languages and cultures, drawing from the perspectives of the parents, teachers, and professionals, who participated in qualitative, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The research findings show that home-school partnership was fostered through the inclusion and support of the children's languages and cultures, the affirmation of their identities and the empowerment of their 'voices' and capitals. Last, they highlight that family involvement has a multiple impact not only for bi/multilingual families and their children, but also for teachers and all parts involved, shown to be benefited in a multidimensional way. © 2020 The authors and IJLTER.ORG. All rights reserved