1. MULTILATERAL PROJECT: Strengthening Activity – Oriented Interaction and Growth iN the EArLy Years and TransitionS WORK PACKAGE: Exploitation Kalliope Vrinioti, Jeny Kopsachili Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 University of Western Macedonia Greece

2. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 THE GREEK SIGNALS' APPROACH An introductory note In recent years there has been a strong controversy between the state and a large number of teachers, because of an attempt from the part of the state to apply the law for teacher evaluation, despite teachers’ strong reaction against evaluation.

3. A climate of division and “suspicion” This strong contradiction has created a climate of division and suspicion in many Greek schools, which results into teachers’ considering as "suspect" any researcher wishing to work and collaborate with them in the school environment, because of their fear of being evaluated indirectly. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015

4. Teachers’ hesitation to cooperate This abovementioned situation has limited the number of schools that were available to cooperate with us in relation to SIGNALS project. Thus, instead of cooperating with two different schools and four classes, as we had originally planned, we were ‘obliged’ to carry out our project in only one class with 25 children.

5. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 The Innovative Interventions The Greek SIGNALS project was designed on the basis of Conducting a record and analysis of 45 1 st grade children’s perceptions and preferences regarding classroom interactiona record and analysis of 45 first grade children’s perceptions and preferences regarding classroom interaction record and analysis of 45 first grade childa record and analysis of 45 first grade children’s perceptions and preferences regarding classroom interactionren’s perceptions and preferences regarding classroom interaction Content analysis of the Greek Language Curriculum of primary education.(1st and 2nd grade) Interviews conducted with children, parents and teachers

6. “School and Social Life” Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 12 interventions carried out in an “task - based” framework Decision making Active participation Cooperation Solving problems Cooperative activities

7. The signals-interventions have been included in the school weekly timetable. In this way, it could be tested whether our project is generally applicable to the second grade of Greek schools, despite the expected difficulties.

8. Difficulties experienced while implementing the interventions A number of teachers are familiar with modern concepts, such as ''Participation", "Co desision", "Communication", "Cooperation", "Activity-Oriented Interaction“, namely that they constitute an educational process and a tool for democracy. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015

9. Difficulties: A two-faced and contradictory procedure On the one hand, teachers agree, on a theoretical basis on the other hand, in their teaching practice they fall back to old habits, because they believe that the modern conception of participation is time consuming. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015

10. Encountering problems/difficulties In an attempt to reduce this contradiction, we focus on group work with the purpose to develop children’s cooperative and interactive skills, and to create an enjoyable and playful environment resulting into immediate outcomes. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015

11. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 GROUP WORK develop children’s cooperative and interactive skills create an enjoyable and playful environment

12. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 Pre – task stage a problem solving activity is presented to the children Cycle stage the children- in groups- have to work together on a common task, interact with each other during “problem-solving” negotiation, and find solutions Completion of the task the leader of each group announces their decision and presents the process of solving the problem to the teacher and the classmates

13. Budapest Meeting February 3-4, 2015 Collaborative learning and interaction The children had a lot of discussion and found a way to work things out to their mutual understanding and cooperation. “George and I had an argument on how we could build a pyramid. I suggested that we should do it both ways in order to see which is the better one, and George found it fair enough. After having built the pyramid, we realized that George's idea was not so good, because the pyramid was unstable,so we did it my way”.

14. Conclusion Concluding, we mention that the class teacher, who cooperates with us in realising SIGNALS objectives, had never implemented such a cooperative approach in a task-based framework in her teaching context, because she believed that it is time consuming and does not promote cognitive skills.

15. Conclusion However, she declared that during our fifth month cooperation she has been so satisfied with the outcomes of the interventions that she has been implementing this cooperative approach in a task-based framework to other school subjects, apart from SIGNALS interventions.

16. Thank you for your attention!