Name and function

1
Name and function

• Koulouras George, Teacher of Ancient and Modern
  Greek, History and Latin

2
Country/region

• Region of Larissa, Thessaly (central Greece)
• SCHOOL
• Upper Secondary school of Gonnoi (the age of
  pupils in between 15-18)

3
Historical landmarks of Greece

• 1821-1828 War of independence
• 1830 Greece becomes an independent state after 4
  centuries under the Ottoman rule
• 1833 Greece turns into a monarchy (the first king
  Otto came from Bavaria and the second king George
  I from Denmark)
• 1844 First constitution
• 1864, 1881 Integration of the Ionian islands and
  Thessaly respectively
• 1893 Bankruptcy
• 1896 The First Olympic Games in Athens
• 1912-13 Integration of Crete, Epirus, Macedonia
  and the Aegean islands
• 1920 Treaty of Sevres (Paris) Greece becomes
  greater
• 1922 Failure of the Greek campaign in Asia Minor.
  Over one million native Greeks of Turkey had to
  leave for Greece as a population exchange between
  Greece and Turkey
• 1941-1944 German occupation
• 1946-1949 Civil War between the governmental
  forces of Greece supported by the UK/USA and the
  Democratic army of Greece, the military branch of
  the Greek Communist Party
• 1967-1974 Military coup leads to a military junta
  (Regime of the Colonels). Abolition of monarchy
• 1974 Restoration of democracy. Karamanlis becomes
  prime-minister
• 1981 Greece joins the European Union
• 1981-2009 Alternation of the two major political
  parties in power (Pasok, New Democracy)
• 2010 After Greeces inability to meet its debt
  obligations the Eurozone countries and the IMF
  agrred on a loan for Greece, conditional on the
  implementation of harsh austerity measures

4
The main aim of my countrys history curriculum

• General aim of History is the development of
  historical thinking and historical consciousness

5
The reality in Greece

• History curriculum does little to promote
  historical understanding in classrooms of mixed
  abilities and diverse backgrounds

6
What do you do in your school to promote
historical understanding in classrooms of mixed
abilities and diverse backgrounds

• Full understanding of obscure-abstract historical
  terms such as time and changeover
• Use of reasoning and critical thinking
• Dramatization
• Inspection and critical approach of the
  historical sources (formulation of historical
  questions from encounters with historical
  documents, photos, visits to historical sites)
• Emphasis in economic, social and political
  history
• Chronological as well as horizontal approach
• Encouragement for free dialogue
• Encouragement to get engaged in active
  questioning and learning
• No passive absorption of facts, names, dates