This study examines drama education from the perspective of aretaic pedagogy. It concentrates on the enquiry of pedagogical virtues that a group of student primary teachers applied in their drama teaching. This investigation is conducted in conjunction with the notion of artistry. Research findings demonstrate a series of critical issues that,…

This paper draws on ethnographic data from a project on peace education and reconciliation pedagogies in the conflict-affected context of Cyprus. Following a primary school teacher over the period of eight months in peace education workshops and in her classroom before and after the workshops, we trace critical moments that seem to have an impact…

In this paper, two case studies of elementary school teachers in the Republic of Cyprus are constructed to discuss how curriculum making relates to teacher biographies and sense of professionalism, as those are shaped at the intersection of their professional history and projections for the future, informed by and informing their constitution as…

The aim of the article is to describe and analyze the strategies used by teachers in their everyday encounters with those who express concerns towards peace education--parents, colleagues, head teachers, and students. The analysis uses a theoretical framework that builds upon critical peace education and brings into conversation the notions of…

Several recent studies in mathematics education have argued that, for reforms to be implemented effectively, teachers need to have appropriate support through high-quality professional development programs. Most programs, however, typically prepared by policymakers, focus on how to prepare teachers to use the intended curriculum. In this paper,…

This article investigates Greek-Cypriot primary school teachers' challenges to enact critical hermeneutics in religious education (RE) within a confessional context. Critical hermeneutics combines elements from critical and hermeneutical theories, emphasising the importance of grounding the conceptualisation of religious and secular truth-claims…

The present paper takes the approach of critical hermeneutics in human rights education (HRE) that has been developed theoretically and tries to operationalize it in pedagogical practice. In particular, a group of Greek-Cypriot teachers were trained in a series of workshops on how critical hermeneutical approach (CHA) could be taught in the…

This study aimed to investigate the two primary school science teachers' conceptions of professional development, their perceptions of self-improvement and the factors influencing their professional development. In this investigation, a case study approach was adopted. The participant teachers were given a semi-structured interview and the data…

During the last two decades, the Cyprus Education System has been undergoing systematic reform efforts. Within the spirit of change, efforts have been made to equip all public schools with computers and provide them with access to the internet. Compared with other European Union countries, Cyprus infrastructure is one of the most developed.…

In this article, the author presents and discusses findings from a small-scale qualitative project that included Greek-Cypriot elementary mathematics teachers working in schools with high percentages of immigrant pupils. Working in three neighbouring schools in the same underprivileged urban area, 16 teachers were individually interviewed…

Research in diverse mathematics classrooms suggests that pupils' learning is influenced by both linguistic and cultural factors. In recent years, the demographics of Cypriot (mathematics) classrooms have become very diverse. In 2003, the Ministry of Education and Culture introduced the Zones of Educational Priorities, a UNESCO strategy for…

This article aims to explore what changes two Cypriot primary school teachers brought in their teaching in order to help students with learning difficulties improve in their classes. The study was qualitative and used non-participant observation in two primary classrooms in different primary schools and semi-structured interviews with the main…

This research aimed to evaluate the opinions of Ministry of Education, teachers, parents, and unions regarding to the main problems of education in North Cyprus in order to contribute for the development of education system of the North Cyprus. It was also believed that this research could make a greater contribution to the comprehension of the…

In a previous paper (Loizou, F. 2011. How Cypriot primary school teachers promote their professional development through reflective practice. "Education 3-13" 39, no. 3: 233--247.) I explored the concept of theories-in-use within a qualitative research study in order to analyse the role of reflection in bringing about change in the…

This multinational research study was carried out between 2004 and 2006 in four teacher education institutions in Cyprus, England, Switzerland, and Germany. With the help of a written questionnaire, the confidence and perceived competence of preservice primary teachers (N = 690) to deliver biodiversity education in school were investigated. Data…