Meet the Team: Lesvos
During the last years a considerable number of refugees and asylum seekers arrived by sea in Lesvos, mostly from Asian or African countries. A key issue is their integration in Greek society. One essential aspect of integration is access to the education system. This concerns not only refugee children but also adults. Even though integration measures were for facilitating refugee children to access the Greek education system with the prospective of their gradual integration to the Greek classes, the low number of refugee children attending Greek schools is very discouraging.
A particular issue which requires further attention is the integration of skilled adults that used to be educators in their countries of origin to the Greek education system as teachers by perhaps additional training, a measure which would further facilitate their integration in a new employment environment.
The following questions arise
- What are the problems of teachers coming from different cultural and educational environments?
- How convenient would be for them to access the Greek education system and being integrated into schools?
Vana and Electra , both members of staff of the Department of Geography at the University of the Aegean, based in Lesvos, will cooperate with other ITTS partners investigating and discussing matters concerning international teachers and their integration in schools. The ITTS case of Greece and Aegean Sea Region is a challenge!
 Vana Chiou is currently member of the Laboratory Teaching Staff (EDIP) at the Department of Geography at the University of the Aegean in Educational Psychology. She teaches Didactics and Educational Psychology at the undergraduate level and Methods of Teaching and Promoting Human Geography at the post-graduate level. Her research interests include: contemporary methods of teaching, teacher training, differentiated instruction in mixed-ability andmulticultural classrooms, inclusion and education. | Electra Petracou is Associate Professor in Political Geography, Department of Geography of the University of the Aegean. Her teaching experience, research work and interests focus on movements of populations, asylum, refugee and migration issues, global, European and national policies on borders and migration, decision making on social, political and international issues. She is co-director of the Laboratory of Movements on Borders in the Department of Geography of the University of the Aegean. |