INNOVATIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES ON THE DIACHRONIC VIEW OF GREEK AS MOTHER TONGUE: FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN GREEK LANGUAGE

In this chapter we present the implementation of new technologies in mother tongue learning and teaching based on the principles of cooperative learning. The data quoted come from an educational project named ‘Nereides', which involved the creation of educational software in support of mother tongue teaching in both obligatory and non-obligatory Greek secondary education, and thus addressed schoolchildren aged from 12 to 18 years. Aiming at the optimization of the learning and teaching procedure, the educational tool presented here has sought to combine elements from mother tongue didactics and the use of new technologies in education. At first, educational scenarios were designed based on cooperative learning and teaching of mother tongue in combination with new technologies. This tool was then tested, first, and implemented, after, in the framework of an empirical research, in the school year 2007-2008 in certain Athens schools. The results of this empirical research were encouraging for the research team: pupils responded positively to the learning software, working groups were effective and Greek language teachers highlighted the participation even of students not particularly active in a conventional learning and teaching environment.