Exploring the Greek Kindergarten Teachers’ Views and Practices during the Implementation of Educational Programs

Introduction

Educational programs play an important role in the educational system of many European countries, including Greece. The design and implementation of educational programs have created new opportunities and prospects, as the project method was applied not only in the U.S but also in many European countries (Prawat, 1995; Helm & Katz, 2002; Van Ausdal, 1988, as cited in Katz & Chard, 2004). Specifically, the key concepts concerning the implementation of educational programs, the Interdisciplinary and Cross-curricular Programs, have to do with the following subjects (Fogarty, 1991):

• •

  Combination of topics-subjects;

• •

  Emphasis on projects;

• •

  Access to extra teaching equipment and devices beyond the schoolbooks;

• •

  Interrelated concepts creation;

• •

  Establishment of thematic units as a part of the structural principles;

• •

  Flexibility of the school timetable;

• •

  Flexibility in the schooling group work.

Besides, the development of social knowledge and skills is very important for children (French, 1985), and if the children do not develop social skills during the first five or six years, they run the risk of not doing so sufficiently, in their adulthood (Katz & McClellan, 1997; Parker & Asher, 1987). Specifically, the importance of developing children’s communication skills requires children to be in small groups and participate in discussions with or without the presence of adults (Nelson, 1985; Wells, 1983, 1986).

Besides, it should be clear that it is difficult to improve social skills through traditional teaching methods, so teachers ought to implement a wide range of methods, practices and strategies in their teaching (Katz & McClellan, 1997).

So, in this paper we hold as important and we are trying to explore the Greek kindergarten teachers’ views about their training needs, concerning the implementation of educational programs, the school/classroom settings and conditions under which these educational programs take place in our country (types of programs, school premises, school partnerships, available teaching hours), the emphasis on the project method, including the learning sources and teaching aids and materials.

Main Issues Concerning The Design And Implementation Of Educational Programs

There are different types of educational programs being implemented all over Europe, including Greece (Carida, 2006).

• Type I: European educational programs.

In recent years, various programs have been conducted. Initially, the Interdisciplinary and Cross-curricular Programs have been carried out by the Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe (CIDREE, 1999, 2001). Later on, some other programs were also implemented in Europe and in our country, such as: (a) The European Educational Programs in cooperation with the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (GLOBE, COMENIUS, etc., available on http://www.minedu.gov.gr); and (c) The Educational Programs of international or Non Governmental Organizations (i.e., Unicef, etc).