Teaching Practice

The new Teaching Practice Programme links scientific knowledge to educational practice and offers our students the opportunity of participation in the Nursery-School life. Furthermore, the necessary and effective blending of advanced educational theory with educational practice is achieved through the development of reflective strategies. We aspire to provide our students with professional ethos in the direction of the inquisitive and self-reflective educator. 

Teaching Practice (T.P.) extends over three semesters and encompasses three interdependent levels:

Level A

During the 3rd semester and in the context of the compulsory course “Systematic Observation of Pedagogic Procedure” students are trained in the method of systematic observation of the educational process, which aims at their gradual initiation into and acquaintance with the complex environment of the Nursery-School. This part of their training involves school-visits, watching videotaped classes, analysis of teaching sessions, critical discussion and reflection.

Level B

In the 7th semester, in the context of the compulsory module “The Process of Evaluation in Preschool Education”, the students take on both, an educational and a pedagogic role in a Nursery-School class, once a week, in order to become familiar with the general planning, implementation and assessment of the daily and weekly teaching programme, as well as the educational process as a whole, and prepare for the Teaching Practice of the 8th semester.

The successful completion of Levels A and B of T.P. is a requirement for moving on to Level C of the final semester.

Level C

During the 8th semester the students are exclusively involved in T.P., which now draws together all the previous actions. During six weeks, the students, working in pairs, take on complete responsibility of a Kindergarten class. Thus, they are given the opportunity of significant interaction with the children for an extended period of time and apply innovative teaching approaches in an all-rounded manner, tailored to the needs of their class; they are compelled to take the initiative and deal imaginatively with any problems that may occur.

Concurrently, Teaching Practice encompasses three compulsory modules of supportive character that relate the pedagogical, social and psychological dimensions of teaching to the educational practice: (1) Applied Pre-school Pedagogy (2) Teacher Practice (Seminar) and (3) Applications of School Psychology.

Assessment: The students prepare, organise and present in advance the portfolio with the activities they plan to use in class, so as to avoid potential mistakes and also to ensure the enhancement of the most innovative teaching approaches appropriate for Kindergarten.

Parallel to the departmental Teaching Practice Programme, and in relation to it, runs the EC-funded “Student’s Vocational Training Programme”, which was included in the Operational Programme for Education and Initial Vocational Training (O.P.E.I.V.T.) during the years 1998-2000, became associated with  the operations of the 2nd Community Support Framework (CSF) (2000-01) and later the 3rd CSF (2001-06). Currently, the Programme is being funded by the Education and Life-long Learning Programme (2007-2013), which prioritises the extension, institutionalisation and qualitative upgrading of Teaching Practice as well as an increase in the number of participants.

The ensuring effect for our Department is the addition to the T.P. Programme, which is described above and depends on Nursery-Schools of the public sector, on students’ training practice in private schools and nurseries, centres of creative occupation for children, children’s hospitals, museums, drama groups, camps, etc. More specifically, after they have completed the 8th semester, students may receive payment through the Student’s Vocational Training Programme, which motivates employers to employ them without the students having prior experience, in the first place, for two months. Thus, the University is linked to the job market and is able to facilitate the students’ access to various work environments related to their Degree.

Secretarial support for the funded Teaching Programme is provided by Ms Anna Karagianni (+302421074775).

The website of the University of Thessaly Office of the Student’s Vocational Training Programme is: http://pa.uth.gr