We were amazed by Scandinavian interior perfectly blended with creative accents. This is how we met The Global Teacher Prize finalist, Mrs. Aggeliki Pappa. The impressive interior appears to be not an office or co-working space, but the first edu-organization for holistic English language learning for students with dyslexia and learning differences in the world called “I love Dyslexia”. The innovator and visioner established it in her native country, Athens, Greece. This year she was recognized as Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert but before that is was a long way to go. Mrs. Aggeliki said that everything started as decided to be a teacher, but not the simple one. The teacher with superpowers to educate students special needs needed space and at first invited her students to a tiny playing room in friends’ house. Now she is recognized by education superstars, Microsoft develops a special learning platform for her and her student makes a presentation at the United Nations
At TEDx Patras conference Mrs. Aggeliki has confessed that before founding her own school she faced the resistance from old-fashioned colleagues at her previous schools while working as an English teacher. Even though the stuff was much more into the outdated methods than eager meet innovation, Mrs. Aggeliki’s students were keen to try something new. “They said that they really learn a lot while working with me and pleased not to leave them,” remembers the educator. She was fired from these schools but never stopped to seek for changes in education system. The teacher was driven by the idea that the holistic learning approach could shatter the world of dyslexia and bring changes to the one-fifth of humanity.
One fifth! According to the International Dyslexia Association, between 15 % and 20 % of the population have a language-based difficulty-difference, dyslexia being the most common of these. Learning a foreign language becomes a chain of tough tasks, especially, learning the language where the pronunciation and writing of the words differ. Children and adults with dyslexia struggle to read fluently, spell words correctly and learn a second language, among other challenges. But these difficulties have no connection to their overall intelligence. “These children are exceptionally creative - they helped me to learn a lot about how human brain works. It enrolled me into finding new learning methods and developed a new point of view at the learning process,” says Mrs. Aggeliki.
The future belongs to those who prepare for it, believes the innovator. She strived to learn more and find the best working methods for her students. After studies in the UK and the USA, Mrs. Aggeliki and her friend established a workshop room and at present, the educator has an entire team of English teachers and external experts who work at her school. Her innovative English learning programme for children and adults contains the holistic educational experience finding out the abilities, advantages of creativity and encouraging self-esteem. Learning English language children and teens develop personal, social and psycho-cognitive skills such as organization, responsibility, creative critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Children participate in Yoga and aikido in for classroom activities to increase focus, uplift energy, release stress and develop self-empowerment. “We love dyslexia and do not correct or expel it because it is not a problem. On the contrary, we approach the real nature of an intelligent mind, “one” that thinks differently, predominantly with the right brain and we focus both on its abilities and its needs. We do accept dyslexia as diversity,” says Mrs. Aggeliki. A great variety of learning tools, attractive interior accents, interactive blackboards, tablets and electronic devices engage and catches attention in 5 learning classes.
“We cooperate with businesses - one of furniture manufacturers designed an innovative chair for hyperactive children. A student can swing on a chair in a safe way without getting injured,” says the educator showing us the chair in the meeting room. For school activities, students use augmented reality tools and digital books to create a 3D world of literacy, see and touch words. For instance, mobile app “Bricks Augmented Reality ABC” displays the alphabet in 3D, allows to hear the pronunciation and practice writing. Another app for tablet transforms children paintings into the magical world of superheroes and fairy tales.
These tools help to gain knowledge about the world not only learn English. The educator based her methodology on international pedagogic standards, H. Gardner, M. Wolf, M. Hardiman and other European and American researchers in dyslexia, neuroscience and other fields. Children and adults are keen on creative project-based activities developed on differentiated instruction menus. Students use mind-maps, develop design-thinking, attend drama theater and sometimes studies outside the school. For example, they volunteer at refugee camps, teach English and grows plants. At first glance, it seems like a creative chaos, but that is the best conditions to learn about the world and learn… words.
Mrs. Aggeliki has developed learning material as attractive videos, interactive mind-maps, and gamified exercises. Microsoft is interested in creating a learning platform combining all these material. Even though the platform would be optimized for the ones facing reading and writing difficulties, education experts find it useful for all students. Education expert, consultant, the external auditor also working with the students with special needs in Lithuania, Renata Dudzinskienė, says that this kind of platform could definitely find a place at European schools.
“To tell the truth, learning using the platform would make the learning process more engaging and interesting for all students. Students with dyslexia are eager to touch the world they want to be acquainted with, involve into a dynamic environment. The trick is that is exactly the same GenZ wants. Some of the methods Mrs. Pappa uses are also incorporated into the group of innovative teachers in Lithuanian as well. These principles should be adapted to the whole education system. Working with different pedagogic principles we could create conditions in education that every student could feel encouraged and grow, fall in love with learning and gain knowledge, as we, teachers, could reach greater goals creating the joy of learning and influential pedagogy as well,” says Mrs. Renata.
One of Mrs. Aggeliki learning tools - interactive 3Dleksia mind maps were presented at Kaunas Simonas Daukantas progymnasium by English teacher Mrs. Alma Rimkevičė. The 5th-grade students learned Present Simple case related to Superman legend. “The result was impressive - students evaluated this case as the part of the lesson. Popular hero combined with songs, specific sounds, related to grammar issues was well appreciated by students. In my opinion, students would like the whole platform created this way”, - says Mrs. Alma. The teacher hopes, that such learning tool would be strongly welcomed at teachers’ community.
Free The 3Dlexia Mind Maps can be found: https://goo.gl/wM9hpJ
On November 9-11 Kaunas STP international projects team, Folksuniversiteit Uppsala, Simonas Daukantas Progymnasium and Lithuanian education experts representatives visited education innovators in Athens.