On February 9, 2020, teachers working in Alexandria Institute got together in our school’s facilites in Nea Ionia to sum up the 2019 educational courses and exchange views on ways to improve our Greek language and culture classes.
The multitude of interesting ideas exchanged really made time fly past quickly. Our associates not only came from Athens but some traveled all the way from Chios as well as from Italy!
We discussed modern techniques and ICT means directed at enriching learning and bettering our work. We conveyed the intercultural experience obtained during communicating, coexisting and interacting with students from foreign countries. We went through a fruitful debate as well as constructive and meaningful exchange of arguments with regard to incorporating new educational methods, employing existing material and combining the educational process with cultural input.
We traded views and suggestions on teaching while also discussing the following topics that can be implemented and exploited in teaching Greek and approaching Greek civilization:
- Teaching the subjunctive mood using role play: At the hairdresser’s.
- Teaching the imperative mood using food recipes.
- Portraying methodology aspects of employing songs aiming at conveying vocabulary, grammar and cultural elements. Employing the song “Sou tilefono” (“I’m calling you”) by Miltos Pashalidis for educational purposes.
- Teaching Greek to English speakers: nominative and accusative cases, subject and object.
- Employing a TV commercial titled “To Onoma” (“The Name”) for educational purposes, teaching vocabulary and correlating the ad with the Greek customs.
- Employing poems in promoting speaking skills as well as teaching grammar and vocabulary to novice and intermediate students; combining poems with Greek language manuals and Greek songs.
- Optimizing the ways to arrange on-line lessons while presenting an e-platform that can also help teachers form students groups.
- Making use of videos and short films to help teach novice, intermediate or advanced students. Creating exercises and work sheets particularly intended to developing basic students skills.
- Presenting teaching scripts using everyday life dialogues.
On leaving, we committed to keeping in touch and sharing ideas and suggestions aiming at covering our students’ needs, also promising to meet again soon!
