GOOD PRACTICES IN INTERCULTURAL

EDUCATION TRAINING OF TEACHERS, GREEK-ALBANIAN SCHOOL “OMIROS”

16 DECEMBER 2016, KORCA, ALBANIA

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE OF THE VISIT

• Education is always an answer in times of crisis and sociopolitical turbulence. Intercultural learning is a suitable tool for fostering peace, tolerance and cultural awareness, especially in multicultural communities. In an attempt to build bridges of friendship and set the ground for future shared projects in the field of youth, human rights and research, a team of Greek and Albanian educational practitioners & youth workers visited the bilingual school “Omiros” in Korca and shared with their colleague practitioners learning and mobility resources, educational methods and success stories in multicultural and multilingual environments.

AIM OF THE VISIT

• To share good practices in the field of intercultural and human rights

education that can be employed by teachers working with children from bilingual and bicultural environments and set the ground for future shared projects in the field of education, research, youth and culture.

OBJECTIVES

• To explore new tools and techniques in the field of HRE and intercultural education for children, by sharing educational resources, links and methods.

• To facilitate teachers’ access to education tools and training opportunities.• To present training and development opportunities offered within the Erasmus Plus Program and the

Council of Europe Directorate of Youth and Democratic Participation. • To create partnerships and bonds of friendship between practitioners living and working in Greece and

Albania, respectively. • To contribute to the eradication of stereotypes and prejudice which have led to the creation of reciprocal

mistrust between Albanian and Greek youth. • To explore the role that educational practitioners can play in the promotion of youth, education and culture

in a geographical area suffering from unemployment, poverty and lack of opportunities for young people.

TRAINERS

• Mary Drosopulos, PhD (c ), trainer/consultant in the field of youth and education.

• Aurela Konduri, Albanian language tutor in Greece and researcher. • Saimira Gjapi, PhD (c ), Greek language tutor in Albania and researcher. • Marianna Dourtme, MA, educational practitioner and youth worker.

PROGRAMME

FIRST PART: WORKSHOPS WITH CHILDREN OF THE “OMIROS” SCHOOL“Building the ideal school” . Interactive workshop with children, based on an activity adopted by the Compass manual for Human Rights Education of the Council of Europe. SECOND PART: SEMINAR FOR TEACHERS WORKING AT THE “OMIROS” SCHOOL“Intercultural and human rights education for children: tools and techniques”.“Good education practices in multicultural and multilingual environments”.“Employing differentiated learning strategies in a bilingual classroom” .“Teachers’ mobility and self-development opportunities within the Erasmus Plus Program and the Council of Europe projects”. *All activities were conducted in the Greek and Albanian language with simultaneous interpreting by Saimira Gjapi.

REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES

• “Building the ideal school” . Interactive workshop with children, based on an activity adopted by the Compass manual for Human Rights Education of the Council of Europe.

• Trainer: Mary Drosopulos. Facilitators: Saimira Gjapi, Marianna Dourtme, Aurela Konduri.• Aim: To explore the role of school and education in developing active citizenship,

democracy, critical thinking and solidarity. To promote communication, listening and public speaking skills.

• The activity involved 55 students of the Omiros School, of the 5 th and the 6th grade. • Outcomes: the students worked in groups, where they exhibited spirit of collaboration,

critical thinking and imagination in building their ideal school with recyclable materials.

TRAINING OF TEACHERS

• “Intercultural and human rights education for children: tools and techniques”

• Mary Drosopulos. • Aim: To debrief the activity that was conducted with children, to

present the methodology used and the rationale conducted and to share relevant tools and educational resources.

• “Good educational practices in multicultural and multilingual environments”

• Aurela Konduri. • Aim: To present successful projects that have taken place in Greece in bilingual and bicultural settings, using the project method, HRE and creative writing.

• “Employing differentiated learning strategies in a multilingual and/or multicultural classroom”

• Marianna Dourtme • Aim: To present differentiating learning strategies • and tools as a method to work with children • from different ethnic of linguistic backgrounds, • by making good use of their cultural uniqueness.

• “Teachers’ mobility and self-development opportunities within the Erasmus Plus Program and the Council of Europe projects”

• Mary Drosopulos • Aim: To introduce non formal learning techniques as an educational tool combined with formal • education and to share resources, and links for • mobility and training opportunities.

USEFUL LINKS

• Youth Social Rights Network: http://ysrnetwork.weebly.com/• United Societies of Balkans: www.usbngo.gr • Polydromo Group for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism:

www.polydromo.gr