Froebelian Leadership: Cultivating a Network of Greek-Speaking Educators (Bourdouvalli)
Nurturing collaborative learning communities for Froebelian practices
Associated Course:
Project summary:
In education’s dynamic landscape, collaborative networks are crucial. This project, “Froebelian Leadership: Cultivating a Network of Greek-Speaking Educators,” led by Vasiliki, Foteini and Ioanna, aimed to facilitate the co-design of a Network of Greek-speaking educators passionate about Froebelian ideas.
Introduction
The intention to create the Greek Froebel Network was born on our trip to Edinburgh in May 2023. After discussions, I along with Foteini and Ioanna decided to lead the idea of co-designing the ‘Froebelian Leadership: Cultivating a Network of Greek-Speaking Educators’ project, as part of our personal leadership development. The purpose of this project is to foster a sense of community and collaboration by emphasizing the importance of teamwork and shared goals.
Context
Our project emerged within a community of passionate Greek practitioners dedicated to Froebelian learning. The impact of Froebelian Futures courses and the Edinburgh Froebel Network conference served as catalysts, shaping the vision for a practitioners’ network in Greece.
Our initial aspirations, centered on regular meetings, mutual support, and collaborative resource creation, reflect a holistic approach to sustaining Froebelian principles in Greek education. The decision to focus on turning this vision into reality after completing the Leadership course demonstrates a strategic and purposeful commitment.
Navigating the diverse landscape of Greek-speaking educators, we recognized the unique challenges we face in translating Froebelian principles into practice. The acknowledgment of varied demographics and pedagogical approaches underscores the need for a tailored and inclusive network.
Our mission to transcend differences and create a shared space for Froebelian ideas to flourish aligns seamlessly with the principles we aim to promote. Our project captures the essence of fostering a collaborative environment rooted in Froebelian principles, emphasizing unity amidst the diverse challenges faced by practitioners.
In summary, by fostering an environment that embraces these principles, our network aims to unite practitioners and contribute to the flourishing of Froebelian ideas in the Greek educational landscape. This sets a solid foundation for the purpose, values, and objectives of our network.
Our methodology, which is based on Froebelian Principles, is focused on a participatory approach. First of all, we created a Google form and sent it through email to a community of Greek practitioners who attended a Froebelian course, and asked them to answer it so that we could collect their contact information and decide together on the platform for our meetings. In addition, they were asked about their availability and if they consent to share their personal data with the community. Finally, our first 3 meetings were scheduled and before each of them one of us sent a reminder email. Each meeting was co-led by us in different parts, fostering a diverse and collaborative leadership model.
During each meeting, we worked together to create the agenda for the next meeting, which made each participant feel important and part of the team. This shows the topics to focus on. Froebelian Principles, material translation, and network co-design were the main topics to discuss. Finally, after each meeting we asked for feedback and in our last meeting we asked the participants to lead our next meeting.
Ethics
As in any research involving human participants, so in ours, ethical considerations were paramount. It was crucial to ensure protection and well-being of the participants. Common ethical issues included obtaining informed consent, preserving participant confidentiality, and minimizing potential harm. Balancing the benefits with the rights and safety of participants was essential. Ethical considerations positively influenced the project by establishing a foundation of trust with participants, maintaining the project’s integrity, and contributing to responsible and respectful conduct.
"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."
Findings
This project revealed that there is a significant level of interest among Greek educators in Froebelian ideas, indicating a potential willingness to explore and implement these principles in their teaching practices. They were enthusiastic about collaborating to share Froebelian-inspired practices. This can lead to the formation of a collaborative network where teachers exchange ideas, resources and experiences related to implementing these principles. The project also uncovers challenges faced by educators when trying to implement Froebelian ideas in Greek classrooms including resistance to traditional practices and the need for additional support and resources.
Our project findings highlight a positive experience and collaboration within our online meetings. The feeling and excitement conveys the concept of positive team dynamics. The neutral position of the leaders and the possibility of each participant to express his ideas contribute to the activation of all members.
The creation of a team that promotes safety and trust has resulted in all members being encouraged to participate and take responsibility. This promotes community and collaboration.
It is important that the participants did not hesitate to add suggestions for improvement, showing an active interest in continuous improvement. This process of eliciting suggestions for improvement demonstrates not only the participants’ sense of self-worth, but also their dedication to running our meetings better.
Overall, this positive dynamic and sensitivity to improvement adds value to our team’s teamwork and development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our project underscored the importance of incorporating Froebelian principles in Greek education, revealing heightened interest among educators. The formation of a Froebelian network highlighted collaboration’s potential for sharing innovative practices. Challenges, such as curriculum alignment and cultural adaptation, were identified. The findings emphasize the need for professional development and ongoing support. The positive impact on participants’ engagement and creativity suggests the potential for broader educational reform. Moving forward, targeted initiatives addressing challenges and fostering network growth could enhance the integration of Froebelian ideas into the Greek educational landscape.
Research implications
To be completed
Practitioner enquiry
To be completed
Leadership learning
To be completed
Author and role
To be completed
Comments from other network members
What did you appreciate about this research? What forward-looking questions did it raise for you?