5th INTERNATIONAL CULTURE, ART and LITERATURE CONGRESS Greek language educational practices at digital time Zoi T. Apostolou, PhD in Educational Studies

1. 5th INTERNATIONAL
CULTURE, ART and LITERATURE CONGRESS
Greek language educational practices at digital time
Zoi T. Apostolou, PhD in Educational Studies
apostolo@upatras.gr
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4359-397X
Department of Preschool Education Sciences and Educational Design,
University of the Aegean
Abstract
This paper reports educational practices in Greek language education
from kindergarten to primary school during digital time of Covid-19, as to
ensure the smooth transition from one level to another. The Covid-19 world
health crisis has profound implications and its consequences throughout
the world had social, cultural, economic and educational ramifications.
Worldwide, teachers were invited to develop the students' learning
experience in a new digital environment. In a recently new educational
setting, in which all educators ‘forced’ to continue their educational
practices as to ensure for their students a smooth transition from one level
to another, two transitions processes implemented. The first one concerns
the move from face-to-face teaching to remote teaching and the second one
concern the transition from one grade to another. In this context, primary
school teachers’ views were collected with semi-structured interviews
about educational practices of language teaching during digital time and
students' literacy abilities after remote teaching. These data were analyzed
using thematic analysis and the results showed that transition practises
from one grade to another and literacy development of young children was
inevitably affected into this new educational environment. Also, results,
based on evaluations of experiences, showed that a smooth transition from
one level to another could be also facilitated and intermediated by
collaboration of preschool and primary school teachers and other
stakeholders. The knowledge of current practice, priorities, challenges, and
opportunities will help language educators to adjust their education offer,
their syllabi, expectations, or pedagogical approaches to facilitate a more
positive and smooth transition process for each and every learner.
Keywords: early childhood education, transition, language, literacy,
educational practises, remote teaching, Covid-19.