My learning diary by Jenny Karoumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s Jenny (Evgenia) Karoumpali's learning diary for the course "Introducing Project Based Learning in your classroom" en-us 2017-10-17 16:30:38 UTC 2025-11-29 23:41:05 UTC hello@padlet.com jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/197898122 2017-10-17 16:41:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/197898122 1.1. Share some reactions to the video, in particular identifying any questions you have about PBL, what you hope to learn on this course and what challenges you anticipate in adopting PBL in your school. jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/197998857 PBL sounds very interesting. On the other hand, I believe that I have the following challenges to anticipate:

1) Is PBL compatible to the current Curriculum which exists in Greece?
2)  Do schools in Greece have the necessary infrastructure for PBL?

]]> 2017-10-17 19:36:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/197998857 1.3. Reflections on our current teaching practice jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/198108829 I teach music in both primary and secondary education. In primary education I learn the pupils play Orff instruments, how to sing and some declarative knowledge. I try to use the experience as much as I can (eg. When I teach morphology of a song) so that pupil’s learning is more effective. Pupils’ singing in less in secondary education on accounts of the males’ changing voice, but I try to develop their critical thinking more (than in primary education). The critical thinking skill that I develop more is the skill of comparison, as I find that this is crucial for a further development of critical thinking. The material I use to develop my pupils’ critical thinking is very carefully chosen, in order to attract the interest of my pupils the more possible.

Although there is Project Based Learning action research programme in the subject of music in secondary education (“Musical Futures”, introduced by Lucy Green) it is impossible for me to use it (as it is)  for the following reasons:

-If I used “Musical Futures” in class, I would have to neglect a number of other aspects of the current curriculum (and the teaching manual) for the subject of music in Greece.

-the infrastructure for the lesson of music in Greek secondary schools is too poor (inadequate) for “Musical Futures”.

Of course I use projects as a part of my teaching but this has nothing to do with Project-Based Learning.

I could probably teach popular music by using PBL experimentally.

]]> 2017-10-18 07:00:43 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/198108829 1.4. Components of Good PBLShare your view on which of the 5 components (or keys as they are called in the video) you feel will be the most challenging for you to realize and why. Is it effective collaboration because your classroom space does not lend itself well to group work? Or is it assessment because your curriculum requires very regular and rigid summative assessments that you are worried will get in the way of PBL? Or maybe you are more concerned about the passivity of your students in lessons and getting them to take the initiative? jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/198118585 An issue of the PBL in Greece is the effective collaboration of the pupils. As the biggest part of the learning in Greece is teacher-centered, there are difficulties in pupils’ collaboration. During the usual projects of the pupils in Greece, when it comes to collaboration, those usually happen:

-The low-achieved pupils do not work at all hoping that the whole job will be done by the high-achieved pupils.

-Collaboration is a skill which is not sufficiently practiced in Greece, therefore a substantial amount of pupils (especially high-achieved pupils) prefer working on their own.

Furthermore, rigid summative assessment prevails in Greek educational system. A suggestion about qualitative assessment was proposed by the Ministry of Education recently in Greece, but the majority of the Greek educators found that too unclear to work in practice.

]]> 2017-10-18 07:45:20 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/198118585 2. Share a picture that shows or represents collaboration for you, together with a brief explanation of why you have chosen this picture. jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/199663665 I chose this photo (which I found on the internet) as it shows the interaction needed for an effective collaboration]]> 2017-10-23 16:26:26 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/199663665 2.4 Finding collaboration partners outside the classroomAdd an entry to your Learning Diary reflecting on which people from your community you or your students could engage with. Think about if you have contacts to or knowledge of networks of local professionals? Which organisations or people engage with the school on a regular basis? Are there any businesses working with the school such as caterers, IT companies, or sports organisations? Who are your school's neighbours? Could they be approached? What about school alumni? And who could you or your students ask for support in identifying the right people? jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202219123 In the school's area (Aitolikon, Aitolia & Akarnania, Grecce) there are professionals such as fishermen, agriculturists, farmers etc, who could cooperate with the school. Nevertheless there are difficultioes in such cooperations. In case that a non-state professional or business cooperate with the school, a substantial amount of colleagues and parents would disapprove it and would protest against it. It is noteworthy that such cooperations with the school (non-state ones) are currently registrated in Greece, therefore there are still prejudices with regard to such cooperations.
On the other hand there are state institutions which cooperate with the school (the local hospital, the local forestry authority and the Technological Institute of Education, which is at 15 km far from the school). This cooperation could be a better one.
Bringing an expert to the classroom is a procedure which requires a lot of buraucracy in Greece, therefore it is more simple to visit the expert in the context of an excursion.
Parents are not very willing to cooperate with the school in such issues]]> 2017-10-31 16:17:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202219123 2.5 Collaboration ToolsShare with your peers other collaboration tools out there by posting their name, a brief description and a link. Before posting any suggestions however, make sure you take a browse through the Padlet to check the tool you would like to suggest isn't already there. Vote for those tools that are your personal favourites. jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202256987 Although I am informed of Google, Edmondo and Padlet, I have never used these tools in class for a number of reasons. I will try as soon as possible. Two years ago the parents of a class at the Primary school of Antirrion (Aitolia & Akarnania, Greece) created a facebook group for that reason. Thius group worked great!]]> 2017-10-31 17:35:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202256987 3. Briefly describe a situation in your professional or personal life where you were first unsuccessful but because you stuck with it you succeeded in the end. Finish by identifying why you stuck with the problem/task and did not give up jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202299294 I did not pass the exams for admission at Universities at the first time. I realized that I should study more and in another way that I used to. I did it, I took these exams for second time and I succeded!]]> 2017-10-31 19:04:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202299294 3.2 Identify how we as teachers can weaken our student's confidence and independence. Use your own and others' reflections to help you create a classroom environment that supports students to become confident and independent learners. jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202328856 Teachers can weaken students' confidence by emphasising on their mistakes and their diasdvantages. 
On the other hand students become confident, when emphasis is placed on their advantages and their abilities.]]> 2017-10-31 20:55:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/202328856 4. Briefly share your assessment context. Are you free to assess students in any way you want? Or do you have to follow a strict testing system with regular standardised tests every few months? What types of assessment are common at your school/in your country? Do you collaborate with colleagues when it comes to assessment? jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/204031298 There is not a strict testing system in primary education but the testing system is more strict in secondary education (in Greece) There are no regular standardized tests, neither in primary education nor in secondary education.

Teachers should bear in mind both pupils’ effort and pupils’ learning outcomes, according to the current legislation (in Greece) with regard to the assessment. This is vague. Therefore teachers in primary education place more emphasis on pupils’ effort, whereas teachers in secondary education place more emphasis on pupils’ learning outcomes. 

Although a teacher can use a variety of assessment tools (rubric, journal etc) the final / official assessment, which is documented officially, is summative. This is sometimes dysfunctional.

]]> 2017-11-06 18:08:06 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/204031298 4.3 Share your experiences with peer assessment, either as someone participating in peer assessment type activities like on this course or as a teacher organizing peer assessment activities with your students. jennykaroumpali https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/204107432 I experienced peer assessment for the first time as a pupil about 30 years ago in an English lesson. It looked weird to me as peer assessment was not usual in Greece that period.

I record sometimes the music my pupils make ( I teach music), so that to assess both themselves and their other classmates. The first time I did it they shocked. I do it often and they like it. They like assessing not only their own work but also their peers’ work.

]]> 2017-11-06 20:20:12 UTC https://padlet.com/jennykaroumpali/kq2ou67nwd5s/wish/204107432