The 2011-12 School Year
The Project continued its training meetings for teachers who work at kindergartens with either exclusively or mainly minority children. The goal of the meetings is the examination of pedagogical issues pertaining to the management of linguistic diversity at kindergartens, and the formation of a network of kindergarten teachers through which these teachers will participate in action research on how to successfully integrate minority children into pres-school education.

The first training meeting, in cooperation with the education counselors, Eleni Kolikidou in the Xanthi prefecture and Kikí Velkou in the Rhodope prefecture, took place on November 19, 2011, in Xanthi (further info).

Second Training Meeting
The second meeting of the network of kindergarten teachers of Xanthi and Rhodope who take part in the action research for the management of linguistic and cultural diversity at kindergartens was held on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the 10^th Kindergarten of Komotini (further info).

Third Training Meeting

The 1^st Kindergarten of Kimméria hosted, on Friday, March 30^th, 2012, the third meeting of the network of kindergarten teachers of Xanthi and Rhodope who participate in the action research for the management of linguistic and cultural diversity at kindergartens. (further info).

Fourth Training Meeting
The fourth meeting of the network of kindergarten teachers of Xanthi and Komotini took place at the 10^th Kindergarten of Komotini, on Saturday, May 19^th 2012 (further info). 

The 2010-11 School Year

Training of Kindergarten Teachers, in Cooperation with the Pre-School Education Counselors of Xanthi and Rhodope.
The Project for the Education of Muslim Minority Children in Thrace, in cooperation with the Pre-School Education Counselors of the Xanthi and the Rhodope prefectures, summoned the teachers of kindergartens with minority children for a mandatory training seminar that took place on Monday, February 28, 2011 in Komotini, and on Tuesday, March 1, 2011, in Xanthi.
In Komotini, at the 10^th Kindergarten, on 02/28/2011.
In Xanthi, at the 13^th Kindergarten, on 03/01/2011.

Participants:
In Komotini: 54 kindergarten teachers
In Xanthi: 108 kindergarten teachers.

Trainers:  A. Androussou (scientific supervisor), K. Agapitoú, N. Askouni, K. Boutsi, S. Dimitriou, A. Gotsi, M. Grigoréa, M. Kalafati, O. Katsiani, F. Kostoudi, V. Lagopoulou, S. Stavrou.

Goals of the Training Seminar:
• Building awareness of the difficulties in the educational process that are posed by linguistic diversity.
• Introducing the teachers to new viewpoints and communication methods in the pedagogical practice.
• Processing examples of managing linguistic diversity in multicultural classrooms at kindergartens.

The seminar ran from 9:00 to 14:00 and had three parts. In the first two, participants were divided into groups and each group worked separately, while the third part took place in the form of a plenary session. After the trainers introduced themselves and a brief presentation, there followed an experiential game of empathy that participants played in groups. The game was accompanied by a discussion on the position of the “other” in the classroom. Emphasis was given on language difficulties faced by kindergarten children in an environment with few, if any, familiar contexts. In the next stage, participants were introduced to, and motivated to participate in, an active multi-level action, whose main feature was non-verbal communication, conducted through improvised presentations that involved picture drawing and theatrical play. Participants listened to a sequence of sounds and were asked to represent them visually through any of the appropriate means of expression that each group chose. The workshops concluded with an evaluation and discussion of the process by the participants.

In the plenary session, guest kindergarten teachers, who cooperate with the Project, presented examples of management of linguistic diversity at kindergartens in Athens. The discussion that followed focused on issues of pedagogical practice and of identity. At the end of the meeting, the kindergarten teachers who underwent the training completed questionnaires for its evaluation. A significant number of these teachers stated that they wished to participate in voluntary/optional training that would be organized by the Project in the next school year.