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Introduction
During the last two decades, migration ows from Eastern Europe and Asia to
Cyprus have led to an increased awareness of the sociocultural, religious, and
linguistic diversity in schools. This impacted school structure and organization,
teaching methodology, as well as social aspects of learning. This kind of immigration and growing diversity is an issue faced by many other countries in Europe and
worldwide. The successful integration of migrant children in European schools and
societies is both an economic necessity and a pre-condition for democratic stability
and for social cohesion. Investing in quality early childhood education and care is
crucial, as it is at this stage that the foundations are laid for the subsequent development of learning skills and achievements, and also because, as shown by research,
this contributes signicantly to breaking the cycle of disadvantage (NESSE 2008).
One main topic in this discourse concerns linguistic diversity, since language is
part of identity and at the same time a tool for developing identity (Portes and
Rumbaut 2001). It also plays a central role in the migrant pupils integration
process. Secondary analysis of the Program for International Student Assessment
results (OECD 2010) shows that pupils who have come to reception countries at a
younger age have better results than those that arrive later and pupils with a migrant
*Corresponding author. Email: mfokaidou@cytanet.com.cy
2014 Taylor & Francis
56
background who speak a different language at home than the one used at school
tend to have lower achievement scores in reading. However, language training
cannot be considered the unique support for the integration of migrant pupils in the
school system. Pupils should be supported in all dimensions of their personality
including their cultural prole, mother tongue, and their social needs (Holzwarth
and Maurer 2003; Van Avermaet and Gysen 2006; Bialystok 2009).
Apart from signicant differences in the achievement scores of migrant children
between different countries educational systems (OECD 2010), migrant pupils
results vary systematically between schools within the same educational system
(OECD 2010). Finally, individual and small group actors and their interrelation, their
denition of situations, their needs, goals, and resources (NESSE 2008) play an
important role in dealing with diversity and school achievement. Whichever level is
addressed, the teacher is always in focus (Angrist and Lavy 2001; Barber and
Mourshed 2007; Kyriakides, Creemers, and Antoniou 2009), since she/he is the
most crucial factor inuencing pupils achievement. According to the Mc Kinsey
Report (Barber and Mourshed 2007), the nature of the curriculum is critical,
however. Without an effective system for delivering it through the teachers, any
changes to content or learning objectives will have limited impact. Therefore, the
focus should be on teachers who develop professionally in order to inuence their
pupils performance.
Teacher professional programs, whether initial or in-service, constitute an important component of educational improvement, only if the professional development is
focused on specic changes in teacher classroom behaviors and particularly if it is
aligned with other changes in the educational system.
According to Gaible and Burns (2005), teacher professional development can be
divided into three broad categories:
Standardized TPD: The most centralized approach, best used to disseminate information and skills among large teacher populations, hovering on a one t for all
principle for upgrading teachers knowledge base that is independent of context.
Site-based TPD: Intensive learning by groups of teachers in a school or region,
taking place in schools, resource centers or teachers colleges promoting profound
and long-term changes in instructional methods which are most effective when
delivered in connection with a school development plan.
Self-directed TPD: Independent learning, sometimes initiated at the learners discretion, using available resources that may include computers and the Internet.
For the purpose of the program presented in this article, a site-based PTD model
was followed, adopting the Interconnected Model of teacher professional growth
(Clarke and Hollingsworth 2002).
The Interconnected Model focuses on the idea that change occurs through the
mediating processes of reection and enactment, in four distinct domains which
encompass the teachers world: the personal domain (teachers knowledge, beliefs,
and attitudes), the domain of practice (professional experimentation), the domain of
consequence (salient outcomes), and the external domain (sources of information,
stimulus, or support). The mediating processes of reection and enactment are
represented in the model as arrows linking the domains. What is important in this
model is that it recognizes the complexity of professional development through the
identication of multiple growth pathways between the domains, and that it locates
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change in any of the four domains. For example, a new approach to teaching a
second language could reside in the domain of practice, new knowledge or a new
belief about the approach. Effectiveness would reside in the personal domain and a
changed perception of salient outcomes related to classroom practice would reside in
the domain of consequences. Change in one domain is translated into change in
another through the mediating processes of reection and enactment. It should
also be mentioned that the term enactment can be differentiated from acting,
since acting occurs in the domain of practice, and each action represents the enactment of something a teacher knows. Although there are recent studies (Kyriakides,
Creemers, and Antoniou 2009) placing doubt on this notion of reection per se, in
the training program presented here reection focuses, and is closely related, to
specic actions in a nursery school. Action and knowledge, theory and practice are
not dichotomized as different parts of teachers development (Figure 1).
The study
The purpose of the study presented in the following pages was to investigate
whether the interconnected model of site-based teacher development could become
THE ENVIRONMENT
(e.g. Cyprus educational system
policies on migrant students
reception, directives on
implementing intercultural
education teaching Greek as a
second language etc)
PERSONAL DOMAIN
The teacher knows,
believes, experiences
EXTERNAL DOMAIN
The teacher experiences
new knowledge in the
teacher training aiming
at influencing both the
personal and the
practical domain
PRACTICAL DOMAIN
The teacher puts into
action new knowledge
structured on what was
conducted while
encouraging change in the
personal and external
domain the personal
domain
DOMAIN OF
CONSEQUENCES
The teacher draws
conclusions about the
new knowledge and
its impact on students
enactment
reflection
based on Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002)
58
Category
Personal domain
Practical domain
Domain of consequences
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groups, but, also, to provide an education that helps bilingual pupils learn Greek as
their second language for a smoother transition into the Greek Cypriot society
(Ministry of Education and Culture, Cyprus 2011).
To succeed in this, various forms of support measures have been taken. One of
these includes parallel language instruction for teaching Greek as a second language.
Migrant pupils join classrooms along with the native Greek-speaking pupils, but
they also receive intensive Greek language instruction according to their specic
needs in a separate class for some hours of the week based on a pullout language
teaching system, although there are cases where two teachers may work in the same
class. However, all efforts have been under scrutiny and new proposals have been
handed to the Ministry of Education and Culture in order to promote a holistic
approach to the integration of migrant students.
In public preschools, where the training program took place, pupils aged 36
years formed ve classes. The population of the pupils was diverse, both culturally
and linguistically. Some 60% of the students came from different countries around
the globe, such as Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran, and their rst
language was not Greek. Another 20% of the pupils were children of mixed
marriages (usually the mother came from another country) and at home they mostly
spoke another language. Only 20% of the pupils were Greek native speakers. Most
of the pupils were from low socioeconomic status backgrounds and did not attend
school regularly, or they arrived very late in the morning. There were many
newcomers during the year, and many others left the school. School hours were
from 7.30 in the morning until 5.30 in the afternoon.
Structuring teacher change on dealing with linguistic diversity
Training session 1: focusing on the personal domain discussions in the staff
room
The rst training session took place at the beginning of the school year. A meeting
with the school director and members of the teaching staff was organized upon their
request for professional support on issues related to intercultural education and
language teaching vis--vis the inadequate preparation during the teachers initial
training. During the rst meeting it was admitted that the teaching staff had been
facing communication problems with children and parents, mostly because of
language and cultural differences. During the meeting there were opportunities to
share with all teachers, ideas and feelings about their pupils, as well as their own
image of self-efcacy, interest, and commitment in order to improve their pupils
achievement and personal growth, as well as to get to know them. Many teachers
seemed open and willing to try new approaches in order to be more effective and to
implement various methods so as to improve their work. At the same time, there
were some teachers who seemed, and sometimes even admitted, not feeling very
comfortable with the issue of cultural diversity in the school and classroom due to
lack of experience.
I feel that Ive been punished by the system Why do I have to work in this school?
These teachers were very concerned and anxious. They felt helpless and more
distanced to the situation and did not take actions in order to encourage and support
their pupils. By trying to manage their own professional stress they turned to a
60
stereotypical way of thinking, without trying to reect on their own self. There was
a need for structuring change to acquire the skills, in inquiring about these and about
different sociocultural issues (Arnensen et al. 2010) and, thus, it was necessary to
move on to the external domain.
I use very often these kinds of activities in the classroom, but I never thought of
keeping a diary
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62
For the pupils with a migrant background and limited knowledge of the Greek
language, the tasks were modied and differentiated. Thus, it was particularly
expected that they would be able to:
understand the basic scenes and facts of the story
learn and use in narration basic vocabulary related to:
temporal adverbs (before, now, after)
basic adjectives which are used for narration and description of scenes of the
story (good, bad, happy, sad, angry).
nouns that are presented in the story and also used in the daily life of
children (Winter, Spring, children, boys, girls, owers, birds).
The session started in a plenary with an introduction of the basic hero of the
story the giant in the picture. The children rst engaged in a discussion about his
external characteristics (what do we see, what does he look like, etc.). The story was
read aloud by the teacher and during this time, the pictures of the different scenes
were shown in a power point presentation. During the narration, every scene of the
story was accompanied by pictures and classical music pieces in the same emotional
context (Mozart classical music suitable for young children). The story was divided
into six scenes related to six pictures.
During and after the narration, a plenary discussion was held about the story
which resulted in interesting observations and points which were used in the nal
session of reection. Teachers were asked to focus on the reactions of pupils from
the rst and second group. With respect to the migrant pupils with a low level of
Greek knowledge the following remarks can be made:
Description of the garden at the beginning of the story
Most pupils with little knowledge of the Greek language understood the
questions where and why children were playing In the cases where there were
difculties, the use of pictures and music functioned well.
In addition to the transfer of already known or heard words in a new context, i.e.
the timed session that revolved around another theme helped the children to react
positively.
Discussion about the reaction of the giant after returning in his garden.
Discussion on how the garden changed when the children had been expelled?
Role playing and discussion focused on feelings, landscape, and seasons, using
words like cold, snow, empty garden, and sad giant. There was a comparison of the
giants garden in full bloom with the picture of the garden under the winter spell
and pupils attempted to understand the giants mistake. The music functioned in a
way that children could connect the words describing the metaphorical connection
of outside and inside words and emotions.
Discussion about the end of the story and the messages for the children
For this scene, pupils used and recycled vocabulary and expressions of the
previous scenes. In addition, it was interesting to see the way in which they
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63
attempted to give their own interpretations and judgments using comparisons and
expressions like: Now it is good, now he is happy and the garden is beautiful
again
The narration and discussion of the story were followed by certain group
activities to enable both active individual participation and cooperation/collaboration
among children in drawing outcomes and conclusions. The aim was to work on the
vocabulary learnt, to develop critical thinking and encourage interaction. In all
groups, each single child played an active role, holding one or two pictures which
played a crucial role in completing the activity successfully. In this manner, they
had to understand how to cooperate and complete the task. Each pupil had the
chance to talk and express him/her-self, either in full sentences or simple words. For
example, in activity 1 (placing pictures in time sequence), children expressed
themselves in ways like: My picture ts after the picture of x because the giant here
is left alone after the children ran away.
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65
This was actually the starting point for this training and, consequently, actions for
change in different domains were aimed at this.
Although the teacher training program offered a strong basis for reection and
discussion within the group of the involved teaching staff, there were some limitations as well. The purpose of the instruction was to allow an understanding and
reection on how specic strategies and simple pedagogical tools could function in
order to yield positive reactions by the migrant pupils. This was achieved to some
extent. According to Lin (2005), future research should explore multiple sources to
assist prospective early childhood teachers to develop a repertoire of instructional
approaches that include skills in direct instruction, inquiry methods, and cooperative
learning methodologies such as group work, peer centered education, and reciprocal
teaching. Therefore, instructional approaches like the one presented above should be
systematically applied in order to evaluate long-lasting effects on childrens
development and learning. This particular session focused only on the actions of the
teacher and a model for teacher development. Factors related to the school, family,
community, and child can also mediate the impact of instructional practices
on language and social development. According to Schtz and Wmann, a
well-developed system of preschool education and socialization is important for
integration on the local level, but the major goals have to be set on the national
level.
Notes on contributors
Marianna Fokaidou has been a teacher trainer in Intercultural Education at the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute since 2008. She received her MA in Education (1998) at the University of
Nancy 2, France, and her PhD in Education at the University of Saarland, Germany (2004).
She has worked as a researcher at the Institute for Intercultural Education at the University
Koblenz Landau in Germany (20022003) and as an external lecturer at the European
University Cyprus (20102011).
Pavlina Hadjitheodoulou-Loizidou has been a teacher trainer in Intercultural Education at the
Cyprus Pedagogical Institute since 2000. She received her MA in Education and Society
(19891990) at the University of Reading, UK and her PhD in Pedagogics at the University
of Ioannina (1996). She has worked at ASPAITE Pedagogy School in Athens (19962000)
and as a tutor at the Greek Open University (19982009). She has worked as a post doc
researcher for the Education of Roma Children project of the Greek Ministry of Education
and the University of Ioannina, (19962000). She has worked for the Council of Europe
Project on Teaching Socio-cultural Diversity and the Pestalozzi Modules on Intercultural
Education.
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