Modern Greek as a Second Language: A Proposal for Professional Development.

Alexandros Haidas, Ioannis Karras, Julia Athena SpinthourakisPlease note: this article is written in Greek. The aim of this paper is to present the results of a case study conducted to identify the educational/training needs of primary school teachers teaching Greek as a foreign/second language (GFL/GSL). We focus on the use of computer aided language learning and other technologies. The findings of this study revealed the lack of training teachers have in the aforementioned area. The training programme that has been created to cover these needs is based on both a distance learning format and in-house seminars. The goal of the training programme is to equip teachers with the necessary tools and skills, both theoretical and practical, so as to more effectively teach GFL/GSL. The programme endeavours to cover the needs of all involved (pre-service, in-service teachers and postgraduate students)

Young Europeans’ constructions and discussions of migrancy and racism

This chapter [9] considers how young people in Europe - of both migrant and non-migrant origins - construct attitudes towards migrants and refugees. We argue that accessing the voices of young people may provide necessary and significant starting points for the development of systems of policy and practice for migrant education. We are particularly focused on how these young people articulated their discussions about migrancy and racism, and how they utilised contextual resources to develop and elaborate their arguments, rather than what particular view they came to. We focus on the necessity of supporting young people in discussing their values and experiences in a deliberative context, following their specific contingent concerns, and using the vocabulary and terms they use. Deliberation with peers promotes the growth of personal development and an inclusive culture, respecting and including heritages and the marginalised groups. We argue that simply having discussions improves understanding and awareness, leading to personal development. We thus suggest there needs to be a greater focus on the processes and structures that ensure group discussion, and a curricular requirement to discuss issues of migrancy and racism, at least within the European context. We illustrate how such discussions can be developed and supported to focus on issues of social justice and equality, particularly in the data analysed with reference to racism in society, and the treatment of refugees and migrants. We shows the immediacy and news-led focus of the subjects of discussion, but also demonstrate in many cases that young people can analyse their own and their family’s experiences, or will listen to, and appreciate, the experiences of members of their discussion group and friends who have experiences of racism and discrimination, and that many young people – clearly a substantial majority – empathise with them

Can educational programmes address social inequity?

What are the characteristics of educational intervention programmes that appear more successful in attempting to address social inequalities? This chapter reflects on the conclusions and recommendations of a study made by a seven-country team that in 2006–2009 investigated policies relating to different kinds of inequality and disadvantage in 14 states, locating them within the educational cultures, structures and policy discourses in each state. This chapter examines changes over the last decade in four particular areas: socioeconomic disadvantage, gender, migration and ethnicity, together with the intersectionalities between these. We then review changes in the policy discourse in three of these states: Greece, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We identify particular organisational approaches and perspectives that appear to correlate with more positive and lasting outcomes. This chapter offers some significant analysis of what might be understood by ‘the public good’ with reference to educational policies, and prioritises equity over efficiencies