Experiences and Impressions of

teaching the Greek language to

young refugees

Strouni Chrysoula
Mpampitsa Efi
 Key features of
Curriculum
the Education highly
unified System centralised

Teaching
non-
mostly selective
Compulsory
traditional,
teacher-centered Education
exam-oriented for all children
from the age
of 5 to 15
 Intercultural Education
is considered as the most appropriate response to
the new context of globalisation and the increasing
convergence of different languages, religions,
cultural behaviour and ways of thinking.
 Principles

4.
2. 3.
1. Education
Education Education
Education against the
for for
for ethno-
Intercultural
Empathy Solidarity centric way
Respect
of thinking
 Axioms

2.
The equality 3.
1. of the Equal
The equality cultural capital opportunities
οf of individuals in education
Civilizations from a language and for all
culturally diverse children
background
 Intercultural Education in Greece
LEGISLATION

• The aim of intercultural education is to organize and

run primary and secondary schools to provide
Article 34 of the education to young people who are educationally,
Law 2413/96 socially, culturally or instructionally distinct’.

• Intercultural Education is defined as building

relationships between different cultural groups in
Law 4415/2016
order to eliminate inequalities and social exclusion
 The redesigning and
the reconstruction of
The organization of the School Curricula
intercultural and school text books The establishment of
education training the interdisciplinary
seminars for teachers approach
in primary and
secondary schools.

INTERVENTIONS

The integration of
The establishment of
intercultural education
partnerships between
into the curricula of
Greek and foreign
University teacher
schools
education
departments.
Provision for pupils from a language
and culturally diverse background

Intercultural Reception
Schools Classes
 Intercultural Schools

Article 35 of Law • In the beginning were thought as schools

2413/1996 with a significant number of pupils from a
linguistically and culturally diverse
background with a curriculum adapted to
the educational needs of these pupils

Law • Intercultural Schools are to be transformed

4415/2016 into ‘Experimental Intercultural Education
Schools’.
 Reception Classes

During Phase I
• pupils attend separate classes for intensive language instruction in Greek or
receive help in other subjects of the curriculum especially the language
embedded. In subject areas where Greek language skills are less demanding
such as music, gymnastics, art and another foreign language, pupils
participate in classes together with all other pupils in the mainstream
classroom.

During Phase II

• pupils are mainstreamed into the school curriculum and participate in regular
classes with their peers but receive additional support in the form of
individualized instruction
My work in the
Reception Class
 Number of pupils: 13

Age: 12-15

Syria
Country of origin Iraq
Iran
 GOALS

Main Goal
• learn Greek as a second language
• develop Basic Communication Language Skills (BICS) in
Greek
• emphasis on production and understanding of spoken
language
Personal Goal
• the integration of these pupils into the school
 Content of Instruction

Refugee pupils should be taught topics

that would respond directly to their
daily needs both inside and outside the school.

• Greek alphabet, writing and reading

• Communicative and Thematic Approach
• Thematic Units
 Home
Colors School
Market
Daily
Conversation
Basic Local
Concepts
Daily
Activities
Thematic Units
Basic Time
Concepts
Clothes

Means of Food
transportation
Human
Body Professions
 Working Method

We checked the homework

During my
FIRST PART

I introduced them in the new topic

(picture or question)
instruction the use
of my pupils'
mother tongue was
I taught vocabulary
(photocopies, PowerPoint)
my basic tool.
 The main goal was to consolidate the
newly acquired knowledge
Whatever we did
SECOND PART

was based on the

Use of a variety of methods pupil’s experience
(utilization of their
cultural capital)
The new matter always connected with
the old one

in this part of lesson pupils looked for and showed me images on the
Internet related to the topic that we were studying
This process helps me
gather information in
order to trace their
profile
 Something both relaxing and beneficial
THIRD PART

We saw movies in Greek I observed that in

this specific part
pupils learned and
We played games used simple Greek
(pantomime, the game of the hidden treasure,
volleyball in the yard of the school etc.)
words in an
unconscious way.
 Difficulties
C. Lack of school A. Different
culture combined
language code
with the
emergence of of
violent behaviors communication

B. Different learning
speeds in the
classroom
 A. Different language code
of communication

In the classroom multilingualism prevailed

(Arabic, Greek, Farsi, English, German,
Kurdish), a fact that I tried at least to use in a
fertile way for the benefit of all.

It was not a few times that the pupils

themselves took the role of the teacher trying
to teach me Arabic and Farsi.
 Period of B. Different learning
"experimentation" speeds in the classroom

Teaching the same topic in plenary

Internal differentiation within the teaching

hour

Internal grouping of the Reception Class to

two subgroups and teaching them separately

Co-teaching
 C. Lack of school culture combined
with the emergence of violent
behaviors

Causes

The lack of previous school

Low motivation attendance in their homeland,
which led to a wider lack of
school culture
 Interventions

The rules of the

“Classroom
Dialogue classroom
Contract"
(in three languages)
 Conclusions
In any case, I believe that whether in a Reception or a typical class, a teacher who aspires to celebrate and
handle cultural diversity in an appropriate way, should, among others,:

1. trace the profile of each student

2. avoid traditional teaching practices

3. teach topics in a way that responds to the interests of each pupil and strengthen their motivation to
learn

4. focus on the development of a collaborative climate in class and, last but not the least,

5. respect and utilize the cultural capital of all children.