The interdisciplinary teaching, , the collaborative learning, the collaboration with the wider community, the technologically innovative teaching and learning are mentioned in the General part of the current Curriculum for the primary and lower secondary education in Greece (the so-called “Diathematikon Programma”). 

On the other hand the Current Curriculum does not encourage much task based teaching. The tasks proposed do not attract pupils much, especially in secondary education. 

The use of ICT in classroom is problematic in Greece, as in the majority of schools there is not the necessary infrastructure (in some cases the infrastructure is obsolete).

The current legislation and the bureaucracy in Greece are not helpful for the schools’ collaboration with the wider community. The legislation has to change and the bureaucracy has to be diminished, so that schools’ collaboration with the wider community becomes more effective.

In my opinion the assessing of key competences should be aligned with the exam system which is legislated in secondary education in Greece. There is no accordance between them at all. 

The legislation with regard to the assessment is not aligned with the assessing procedure which is proposed in the current curriculum. 

Although the current curriculum places emphasis on qualitative assessment, the school reports consist exclusively of quantitative assessment. There are no rubrics which could help with the assessment of key competences.

The majority of parents in Greece are interested in their children’s exams (especially in the exams for the access at the Universities), so they are interested in the key competences which have to do with the exams (Mathematical competence & basic competences in science and technology, communication in foreign languages, communication in mother tongue).

 

Greek educational system is too centralized for PBL to work, at least in secondary education. Although projects can be accomplished in Greek schools, there are practical issues with regard to PBL. 

The current exam system in secondary education (especially the exams for the admission in Universities) should be aligned with PBL, which does not happen nowadays. Moreover there is not the necessary infrastructure for PBL in the majority of (public) schools in Greece (libraries, ICT etc)

The syllabus could be redesigned.

The school support was excellent

The leadership was supportive as well.

Project Maths confirms the English saying “it takes two to tango”.

Could this project work in a centralized educational system (like the Greek one) where teachers are not allowed to design their own curricula?

Could this project work in a strict exam system (like the one which exists in Greek secondary education), with a non-flexible curriculum?

Could this project work in inadequate infrastructure?

I agree that participation and contribution in PBL are very significant. In “classical” projects (in Greece) is very usual that high achieved pupils contribute and collaborate much more than low achieved pupils (in secondary education). I have such an experience as parent of my 13 and 14 year-old children, which that complain that few pupils work in their school (“classical”) projects.

A lot of work should be done on the social regulation of group work in the context of PBL (at least in Greece).

Although I have heard of entrepreneurial projects that take place in Greece (not very often, let me say). I thought that entrepreneurial learning has to do with teachers that teach economics exclusively. Therefore I thought that entrepreneurial learning was not my business (I teach music).

There is a gap between the mode of assessment between in primary and in secondary education in Greece. In primary education emphasis on placed on pupils’ effort, whereas in secondary education emphasis is placed on summative assessment. Therefore there is much difference between pupils’ grades in primary and in secondary education.

The portfolios (either analogue or digital) are a very good assessment tools. On the other hand the assessment in Greece is (still) quantitative (in the last classes of primary education and in secondary education), which is not helpful.