MariaVlachopoulou

I've been meaning to write about TESOL Macedonia-Thrace 2015 Convention for some weeks now, because I want my experience to be recorded. It's been some years since my last convention-back in 2012-and I felt I had to do everything possible to attend this one. When it was all over I realized I had done the right thing. It was just then that it occured to me that the last time I attended a TESOL convention I learnt so much for the years to follow and a whole lot I had been using since. I realised that this happens with every TESOL convention. And I made the promise to myself to try and attend every TESOL every year. I hope I will be able to keep it! A significant fact that made the difference for me at this convention this year is the people I met. First of all, old and dear friends. Then, people I knew from the social media but had never met. The feeling was unique! It was as if I had already known them in person for years. Last but not least, the new people I met at the...

Children in Greece strive for grades. They study to do well in tests. They study to pass the exams. And when they don't do well in tests or exams they are disappointed,  disheartened. They often give up! They don't believe in themselves. This is because our educational system rewards intelligence and not effort. It's the binary trap of success and failure that is the aim. Nobody has ever taught them that the aim of education is learning not grades. We see children with good grades as smart children, we tend to praise ability rather than effort. We say "You did it! Look how smart you are"! And if the ability isn't good enough, what can you do? If you fail, in spite of being smart, then what? Where can you go from there? So what should we do? It is my firm belief that as educators we can always make a difference! In this case we should try to create growth mindset environments for our students. And if the system doesn't promote such a mindset let's...

I have always said that I want my classes to be noisy! What I can't handle is demotivated students that are quiet and withdrawn. But when I say noisy, I mean noisy for a reason. I mean the buzzing of meaningful engagement, the creative kind of noise! So here are some tips on how to transform a noisy-without-a-reason class to a creative-noisy class. Tip 1: Never teach by the book- literally and metaphorically . Books address to a general audience. They cannot be tailored to your students' needs. Yoy are the one who knows their needs, this is why you have to make choices as to what should be taught and how you should teach it. Don't be afraid to be inventive and flexible. Supplement your book with your own material. Tip 2: Give your students a variety of activities.  A certain everyday routine is said to give students a feeling of security as to what they should expect in every lesson. Apart from this, though, try to vary the kind of activities you give your stude...

Anyone who has taught a fifth grade in a Greek state Primary School would agree that choosing to do an Etwinning project would be the ideal thing to do with students of this age. I don't mean to sound harsh but it is a common secret that the book for this class is completely inappropriate both for the age and the knowledge level of the students. It is difficult and if you don't supplement it according to the class you teach students are bound to either lose interest early or feel discouraged because they will be unable to follow you. So this year I have decided to try Etwinning with my students. I was amazed myself about how good this decision really was! I can only start listing the advantages and at the moment it would only be fair to say that there are a few disadvantages and these are not even worth considering. So, first of all, MOTIVE! This must be the key word. Students are motivated to look up, find, write and create because they are really interested! They want to...

http://www.amara.org/el/videos/rujwqXkBlYw6/info/anti-bullying-film-gets-shorter-every-time-you-share-it/?tab=video

ΜΕΡΑ ΑΣΦΑΛΟΥΣ ΔΙΑΔΙΚΤΥΟΥ 1ο Δ/Σ ΑΜΥΝΤΑΙΟΥ         ΠΡΕΣΒΕΥΤΗΣ: ΒΛΑΧΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ ΜΑΡΙΑ Στα πλαίσια του εορτασμού της Ημέρας ασφαλούς Διαδικτύου, το 1ο Δ/Σ Αμυνταίου, όντας από φέτος πρεσβευτής του www.saferinternet.gr  πραγματοποίησε δράσεις με τις τάξεις Γ, Ε και Στ.  Οι μαθητές της Ε και Στ παρακολούθησαν βίντεο και παρουσιάσεις prezi ,από το υλικό που διατίθεται στην επίσημη ιστοσελίδα και ακολούθησε συζήτηση κατά την οποία οι μαθητές μοιράστηκαν τις εμπειρίες τους από την χρήση του διαδικτύου και αντάλλαξαν απόψεις πάνω στις έννοιες του κυβερνοεκφοβισμού και της προστασίας των προσωπικών δεδομένων στο διαδίκτυο. Στο τέλος μοιράστηκε ενημερωτικό υλικό σχετικά με την ιδιωτική ζωή στο διαδίκτυο. Οι μικρότεροι μαθητές της Γ συμπλήρωσαν φυλλάδια εργασίας από το βιβλίο "Παίζω και μαθαίνω"(safer internet) σχετικά με την προστασία της ιδιωτικής ζωής, (σελ. 16,17,21) με σκοπό την εξοικείωση τους με έννοιες όπως ασφάλεια στο διαδίκτυο,προστασία των προσωπικ...

I have been spending time on courses about web tools 2.0, online learning, virtual learning, blended learning, flipped classrooms etc. for about a year now. I have to admit this has been the best thing I have done for my professional development for ages! What I have learnt has open new horizons for me. It has changed my perspective as a teacher no matter how exaggerated this may sound! The way I see it now, the role of the teacher should change or at least adapt to the new conditions.  Times change and we, as educators, should change, too, if we wish to stay close to our students. The place of the teacher among a group of students should change as well. The teacher should act more as a  facilitator, a helping hand in the students' journey of dicovering the knowledge. Let's face it. We are not the only source of knowledge for our students any more, neither we nor our textbooks! Students are bombardised with loads of information everywhere, everyday. So we have to take advan...