Τeachers in our school and the roles we undertake

OUR CORE CLASSROOM PRINCIPLES: THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND OUR WORK HAS BEEN:

  • 1. Passion for learning and teaching
  • 2. Love for the children as learners but more importantly as young people full of hopes and dreams
  • 3. Prepare our students for their future academic and professional lives

According to Mr James (Senior Teacher in our school for a number of years) all Agnes Katsianos School teachers fulfill the following criteria:

  • Above all, Agnes Katsianos School teachers are passionate about language teaching and equally passionate about their students.
  • Agnes Katsianos School teachers are dynamic, kind and always approachable so that the students feel that they can confide in their teacher if there is anything that they don’t understand.
  • Of equal importance Agnes Katsianos School teachers are effective teachers, are always enthusiastic about embracing new techniques, ideas and of course technology as a means of making their lessons more productive and meaningful for their students.

 Finally, and perhaps most importantly teachers treat every student equally from the most talented to the weakest student.

To sum up, Agnes Katsianos School teachers are willing to collaborate with their colleagues and to share ideas and techniques as a means of helping their students to fulfill their ability.

AS TEACHERS WE KNOW:

Ακολουθούμε μια συνεχιζόμενη ενδοσχολική προσέγγιση και τα ερευνητικά μας εργαλεία περιλαμβάνουν: ημερολόγια στην τάξη, παρατήρηση από συναδέλφους και την teacher trainer Dr. Agnes Katsianos, έργα αυτοεκτίμησης, έργα έρευνας, συνεργασίας, δράσης κ.λπ. , συζήτηση των ανησυχιών μας και στρατηγικές κοινής χρήσης.

  • 1. that we have to develop our sense of identity as language teachers. To use the knowledge of the foreign language and the knowledge of teaching in an integrated manner.
  • 2. that we should not see our classrooms ( both online and real) as a private place but as a place collaborating with others
  • 3. That "every time learners speak, listen , read and write they are not only engaged in an exchange of information ; they are organizing and recognizing a SENSE OF WHO THEY ARE and HOW THEY RELATE TO THE SOCIAL WORLD" ( Norton , 2014)
  • 4. It is really important to us to train our students how to develop a proficiency identity and make sure that all of their actions emphasize a safe environment

In other words, we teach our students how to disagree respectfully in a debate, how to present a topic in class, how to approach a controversial topic orally and in writing and how to appreciate one another’s class contributions.

OUR TEACHERS AS CLASSROOM RESEARCHERS

We are following an ongoing in- school approach and our research tools include: classroom diaries, peer observation, self- reflection projects, collaborative Action Research projects etc…At the same time in-school meetings and workshops are scheduled to discuss our findings, our concerns and share strategies.

Our research projects:

2006-07

Case study on motivation; autobiography project

2007-08

Mediation and autonomous learning; case study

2008-09

Error correction project; case study

2009-10

Reflection and self-assessment; recorded lesson

2010-11

Reflection: CARG; questionnaires and diary keeping

2011-12

Indifferent student: research projects conducted by students; case study

2012-13

TEFL reading community: teachers present TEFL topics of their choice

2013-14

Peer observation: powerful tool for development

2014-15

Methods and approaches in TEFL: PowerPoint presentations

2015-16

Fostering LA in our school: reflection through questionnaire

2016-17

Fostering LA in CARGs: Focus on error correction in readings and listening

2017-18

LA in the classroom: Students’ film presentations of their autonomous work

2018-19

Classroom research through teacher evaluation questionnaires

2019-20

Teacher development through peer observation/ reflection reports

2020-21

Self-evaluation project via self-evaluation checklists (remedial teachers)

British teachers have said:

"I will talk about the core classroom principles which I will keep from my training and classroom experiences in Agnes Katsianos School. There are many messages I have gained through Mrs Agnes' training, received in the form of both feedback and meetings. In no particular order, I have learnt: The need to strive constantly towards professional development, the importance of self-reflection in facilitating this development , the VALUE OF COLLABORATION WITH COLLEAGUES in the workplace , the use of enthusiasm when approaching any given task, and much more. I did not expect anything more from Mrs Agnes, as she always made it very clear that she was willing to provide advice and assistance whenever required"
Mr. M.
"In every meeting I've had with you , Mrs Agnes, your love for the topic and for your teachers and students has come loud and clear and is always very engaging and endearing ."
Mr. Α.
Dear Mrs Agnes, Thank you for your letter. Words might not be enough to describe how immensely I have come to appreciate our school's principles and system in general. In the one year after my CELTA I've seen it all: schools with no books and no homework, schools with no syllabus, promises of acquiring an ECPE after a month's preparation, all of which - and many more - are experiences that have been accumulated from places like the British Council to schools in Japan. I knew we had excellent training and organisation but I probably couldn't fully appreciate it until I found myself thinking "I've done this before/ I already knew that, we definitely used to do it much much better." As a person I feel that job satisfaction comes above all else, which can't be achieved if I have to be dishonest towards children, their parents or myself even, by supporting a system consisting of gibberish methods. Our school has values, structure, and meaningful principles and rules which, in essence, I couldn't have forgotten since it's what I believe in. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon, too. Kind Regards P.S. The significance of our teacher training should really be accentuated; teachers have been paying small fortunes for what you provide!
Miss. Α.
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How do I see my role in the classroom as an Agnes Katsianos School teacher?

The images we have for ourselves:

 A model: providing examples of how language is used and giving feedback on students’ language use

Resource: providing information about English

Performer: creating lessons that reflect careful planning and execution

Manager: controlling and managing learner behaviour to maximize learners’ opportunities and to minimize disruption

Learner: learning more about teaching through the experience of teaching

Reflective practitioner: thinking about my teaching practices and modifying them

Mentor: guiding my students towards successful learning strategies and methods

Motivator: providing experiences that motivate and engage learners

Κnow my students’ details, students’ 9 types of Intelligence (Howard Gardner):

  • Naturalistic (e.g hunters, farmers)
  • Musical
  • Mathematical (e.g mathematician, detective)
  • Existential (capacity to tackle deep questions about the meaning of life)
  • Interpersonal (the ability to interact effectively with others (e.g teachers, actors, politicians)
  • Bodily- Kinesthetic Intelligence (e.g athletes, dancers, surgeons)
  • Linguistic intelligence (e.g novelists, poets, public speakers, journalists ..)
  • Intra-personal intelligence (the capacity to understand myself and my thoughts and feelings)
  • Spatial intelligence (the ability to think in dimensions – e.g sailors , pilots , architects exhibit spatial intelligence