The ELL Programme: Resistance to change
A huge army of people was involved in the implementation of the programme and materialised, despite resistance from teachers, parents and other stakeholders in education, a task which stood very few chances of success.
The first group of people – academics from the universities of Athens and Thessaloniki, researchers, ELT School advisors, teacher trainers and teachers- worked methodically.
Under the leadership of Prof. Bessie Dendrinos, they investigated and adopted ways to manage the programme, disseminate it in the best possible way, motivate the teaching community and involve as many as possible in the various stages of development.
The involvement of the many
This approach made teachers believe that change is not forced upon them; on the contrary they have a role in this change either as disseminators and multipliers and/or as material designers and providers.
A feeling of sharing was developed. Since there was no material for this age-group, teachers made their own and uploaded them on the PEAP’s website for evaluation.
Scientific research and articles in the arsenal
A series of articles was written to persuade the sceptical ones that learning a foreign language at a very early age does not affect the learning of the mother tongue; that children will not be confused; that English will be taught through games, songs and plays; that this approach, in a culturally sensitive context, has the potential to bridge between cultures, helping newcomer children develop bicultural competence; that children explore and express their understanding of aspects of diversity through games; that no writing or reading will be necessary at such an early stage; that children will be exposed to the sounds of the language in the same way they are exposed to the sounds of their mother tongue.
