In this presentation we will shortly introduce the main and most innovative features of the EAN project in Greece, a national and European funded programme.
The EAN project aims to support the introduction of the English language through specially designed educational scenarios and creative activities for preschool children. This is an innovative action taking place in the context of the reforms introduced in the country's education system and the priorities of the educational policy aimed at upgrading this system at all levels of education.
The EAN team is an interdisciplinary team consisting of university faculty members, and special teaching staff, technical personnel, researchers, and external collaborators.
The main goals of the project are:
- the design and implementation of the necessary training programme for English language teachers, pre-primary teachers and the school administrators involved
- monitoring and supervising the introduction of the English language in pre-primary schools and the collection of evidence from all the key stakeholders in the implementation of the programme
- the development of educational material in order to provide teacher support and,
- the design of the finalised form of teacher training educational material based on the needs of the participants and utilising the data that will be collected in the process of introducing the English language in pre-primary schools.
The educational strategic design of EAN is based on a top-down and bottom-up approach, actively involving all stakeholders (policymakers, academics, education leaders, teachers, parents and children) in the process. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methodology has been designed to gather data from all stakeholders for the assessment and evaluation of the programme.
A MOOC methodology was used for the training of the EFL and pre-primary teachers. The emphasis on cultivating a 'culture of co-operation' within the local but also intercultural society through EFL can become a paradigm shift towards a more humanistic view of educational practices.
In designing educational materials, EFL in pre-primary schools is not treated as a separate or an isolated subject in the Greek curriculum but is integrated in the existing school programme and therefore CLIL educational scenarios are devised for the project. The materials are developed in the form of CLIL educational scenarios often using a puppet that creates the communication need for learning and communicating in English, thus providing context and purpose. The aim is to devise and inspire quality-learning experiences so as to promote children's holistic development in a meaningful way.
