Training of Teachers for the Literature Class

The 2011-12 School Year

For the Literature class, the Project conducted two training seminars on general issues and two training meetings with the exclusive agenda the monitoring and support of Compensatory Classes. The training program. 

The aim of the first training seminar was to look, in depth, at what comprehension of a literary text by pupils who are not native Greek speakers means. To examine critically the view, expressed many times by teachers, that the Muslim pupils do not comprehend at all the literary texts, due to language difficulties.

The aim of the second training seminar was to familiarize the teachers, through an experiential workshop, with the method of dramatization, so they can use it in their teaching.

The content of the two training meetings for the monitoring of Compensatory Classes was:

(a) To give directions on the ways to teach Literature in these classes and on how to use correctly the materials produced by the Project, to identify and discuss problems that have occurred so far, to encourage teachers exchange views among each other and work through their experiences.

(b) To review and to evaluate the work done in the Compensatory Classes of Literature throughout the year, and particularly to look in depth into, to understand and to assess the progress of pupils -- to decide on what improvement of their performance in the Literature class means and how it can be substantiated.

 The 2010-11 School Year

Four training meetings for the Literature Class were organized in the 2010-11 school year.

Introduction to the Education Material for the Literature Class

On January 13, 2011, in Xanthi, and on January 14, 2011, in Komotini

Trainers: Venetía Apostolidou and Eleni Chontolidou

Within the framework of the general training, the Literature teachers were informed on the Project’s educational materials for the Literature class. After the trainers briefly presented the teachers with the materials that had been produced and were going to be distributed by OEDB (the Education Ministry’s “Organization for the Publication of Educational Books”), and introduced them to the methodology with which these new materials should be used, there followed a discussion on the special difficulties that minority pupils face in the Literature class.

2^nd Training Meeting for the Literature Class

On February 17, 2011, in Xanthi, and on February 18, 2011, in Alexandroupolis.

Trainers: Venetía Apostolidou, Grigoris Paschalidis, Antigone Tsarbopoulou & Eleni Chontolidou.

Trainees: In Xanthi: 37 teachers. In Alexandroupolis: 46 teachers.

Topic: New Teaching Practices in the Literature Class. Presentation of the Teaching Materials.

This training meeting aimed at familiarizing the teachers who attended with the new teaching practices (collaborative team teaching, the project method, dramatization) in the Literature Class, and at introducing them with a portion of the teaching materials specially produced by the Project. Emphasis was given in the presentation of the very notion of a teaching unit, which constitutes an organizational unit of the teaching material. This presentation combined theory with specific examples. Some of these units, namely “comics”, “poetry and song”, and “voyage”, were analyzed as examples. The training also included a presentation of the principles of the Project, and also of those principles the teaching of Literature class should be based. In addition, and finally, there was a presentation of the dramatization method.

3^rd Training Meeting for the Literature Class

The third training meeting for the Literature Class took place on the 30^th and the 31^st of March, 2011, in Xanthi and in Komotini, respectively. Its main topic was the new teaching methods in the Literature class. In addition, the new teaching materials were presented in detail to the teachers. Further info.

4^th Training Meeting for the Literature Class

The fourth training meeting for the Literature class took place on the 13^th and 14^th of April, 2011, in Xanthi and in Komotini, respectively. Its objective was the monitoring of the implementation of the teaching of Compensatory classes organized by the Project. Further info.