Promoting critical awareness in the initial training of preschool teachers in Greece: resistance and perspectives

Abstract

This article focuses on the development of future preschool teachers' critical awareness through the introduction of two ‘new’ subjects – intercultural education and media education – in the curriculum of an early childhood department in Greece. The current social and political context, the structure of preschool teachers' training in Greece and the design and evaluation of the operation of these courses that are designed to raise students' critical awareness are discussed. Particular attention is given to students' resistance to the specific issues taught, which appears to result from their personal beliefs and the institutional inertia of the education system.

Keywords:

• critical awareness
• media education
• intercultural education
• preschool teachers' training

Notes

1. Data from the 2011 Census is not yet available.

2. At the end of 2009, the Greek economy faced the highest budget deficit and government debt to GDP ratios in the European Union. This, and rising debt levels, led to rising borrowing costs, resulting in a severe economic crisis and a crisis in international confidence in Greece's ability to repay its sovereign debt. In May 2010 the International Monetary Fund and other Eurozone nations agreed a rescue package. Greece was required to adopt harsh austerity measures to bring its deficit under control. The economic and political situation in Greece is extremely complex. In 2013, the Greek economy remains in deficit, stringent austerity measures continue to be imposed and there is considerable political unrest amongst its citizens.

3. The media education course is described in the curriculum as ‘Issues on Audiovisual Communication’.

4. Presidential Decrees are regulations voted in Parliament and signed by the President of the Hellenic Republic, in order to acquire the status of a law.

5. Since 1997, the Ministry of Education through European funding programs has run under NSRF (National Strategic Reference Framework) four major educational programs – interventions targeted at ‘vulnerable groups’ (immigrants, gypsies, Muslim minority in Thrace, Greek immigrants abroad). Also, in recent years the Ministry of Education has promoted activities that encourage students and teachers to engage with media education. The recent proposal for a media education curriculum (called Audiovisual Expression) in the broader context of Aesthetic Education for all levels of compulsory education (2011), demonstrates that the Recommendation of the European Commission (20 October 2009) is accepted by the Greek State.

6. These courses are optional and can be chosen by the third year (intercultural education) or fourth year (media education) students. Thus, students have already attended – according to the Department curriculum – the theoretical courses related to the official curriculum and have been trained for at least two semesters in kindergartens.

7. See the case of the 132nd Primary School of Athens where there is an important number of migrant children. The school is renowned all over the country as un example of educational methods directed towards respect and integration of different school populations, students’ achievement, participation of parents and antiracist education despite the lack of support, strong distrust and polemic by populist press and political parties or part of the educational authorities (Varnava-Skoura 2008). The example of ‘132’ illustrates the contradictions of the Greek system: while this effort was also opposed by the education authorities, simultaneously it received a award from the Children's Ombudsman for educational proposals against discrimination (2011) and was presented in Brussels as a Greek ‘good practice’ in a relevant conference (see the published report ‘Good Practice Exchange Seminar’, 2012, on Public Policies on combating discrimination and fostering diversity in education, and the school web site www.132grava.net).