The Other Person’s Inclusion: Labels, Stereotypes and Prejudice
Athens, 24/11/2018
Stelios Vgages, primary school teacher, theatrical play animator, Greece
Valia Kalogridi, kindergarten teacher, special education kindergarten teacher, theatrical play animator, Greece
Workshop 2,5 hours
Part of the 2018 ATHENS GREECE INTERNATIONAL THEATRE/DRAMA & EDUCATION CONFERENCE
organised by the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr)
Language: Greek
This workshop aims to give participants the opportunity to deal with and, possibly,eradicate stereotypes and prejudice surrounding the issues of Disability and diversity through experiential learning procedures. Furthermore, it seeks to showcase the effect of attitudes and practices embraced by those involved in the educational reality and, consequently, in social life. The stereotypical and deeply rooted notions and prejudice about the aforementioned issues, as well as the established traditional teaching practices of educators in combination with the lack of adequate additional training constitute a fundamental barrier in the implementation of inclusion and the International UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Eradicating prejudice, changing attitudes, raising awareness amongpeople involved in inclusive education in order to develop and promote an inclusive culture is without a shadow of doubt a fundamental prerequisite for the creation of schools for all. Through acquaintance, communication and interaction games and through theatrical improvisations we will try to bring all these questions into the spotlight in order to give another (theatrical) perspective.
Stelios Vgages is a teacher and a Theatrical Play animator. He is currently positioned at the 15th Public Elementary School of Kallithea and he has been implementing Theatrical Play in the learning process. He participates as an instructor in seminars organized by Universities, School Counselors, Environmental Education Centers, City Services and Cultural Agencies. He took part in the teachers’ training and in the development of programs and events of the “Melina- education and culture” project (1995-2003).He is a member of the Hellenic Theater/ Drama education Network and a speaker in many events of the aforementioned association. He was a member of the group that designed the training of the Music, Arts and Theatre Teachers at 800 Elementary Schools, within the framework of a unified program of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs (Organization for the Training of Education Professionals), in which program he was also the main speaker of the introduction seminar for the Theatrical education teaching professionals.As an outsourced scientific collaborator of the Center for Intercultural Education of the Philosophical School of the University of Athens, Vgages has been an instructor of Theatrical Education teachers for the “Inclusion of repatriated and foreign children” program, in elementary schools and in the “Education of Romani Children” program. As an author, he has participated in collective volumes of magazines and books referring to Theatre/Drama in Education. Since 2017, he has been one of the subject matter experts in the project “Universal Planning and Development of Accessible Digital Educational Material”, by the Institute of Educational Policy. Specifically, he is responsible for the creation of “Educational Material with activities for the acceptance of diversity for students and adults, as well as for the development of an inclusive culture through the art of Theatre/ Drama”. Vgagkes is one of the founders of the “Scholio Pechnidiou” (Play School) Cultural Education Workshop.
Valia Kalogridi is a kindergarten teacher, a special kindergarten educator, a theatrical play animatorand a psychodrama trainee. In 2006, she graduated from the Faculty of Early Childhood Education of the University of Athens. She continued her post graduate studies on Special Education at the University of Athens following that at the Institute of Education on the University of London. In addition, in June 2014, she concluded the studies offered at the “Scholio Pechnidiou” (Play School) Cultural Education Workshop. She has worked as an adult educator in the Lifelong Learning Program for Persons with Severe Disabilities and Multiple Dependency Needs in Social Skills implemented by the National Confederation of Disabled People (ESAMEA) within the framework of Subproject 1, Action 5 of the LIFELONG EDUCATION PROGRAMS ON DISABILITY, from November 2014 to May 2015. She has also taken part as a subject matter expert in the authorship of a differentiated instruction guide to be included in the new curriculum of early childhood education. Kalogridi has worked with the Institute of Educational Policy for the “Planning and Development of Accessible Educational and Monitoring Tools for Students with Disabilities”, as part of the authoring group of the “Watch and Learn- My first skills in Greek Sign Language” manual. Since 2017, she has been participating as a subject matter expert in the authorship of educational material aimed at promoting awareness of both educational professionals and students on matters of accepting disability and diversity and at developing an inclusive culture within schools, in collaboration with the Institute of Educational Policy.