Interview information
Organization responsible for the interview: p-consulting.gr
Country: Greece
Occupation: English teacher
Small bio / CV:
Amalia is an English teacher who specializes in teaching foreign languages to students with dyslexia. She is the founder and owner of Dyslexia Friendly ELS in Patras, Greece, an English school which primarily caters to dyslexic students’ needs in learning English, but not exclusively. She teaches students of all ages.
Date of the Interview: 15.04.2024
Short Summary of the interview:
90% of Amalia’s students has a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Amalia uses her own material which consists of videos, songs, kinesthetic activities, etc. and at her school, lessons are held with students sitting around a big table, which helps them feel like they are part of the team.
She recognizes that there is an attempt on the Publishing Houses’ side to adapt their books to also accommodate students with learning difficulties, but she believes that teachers who are not taught how to utilize this material, cannot really adapt and apply it to their lessons.
Handling emotional challenges is an everyday task for Amalia and her team. She says they handle these ups-and-downs with respect and they let students know they are there for them.
Lastly, she adds that constant testing, which is a big part of the Greek Educational System, needs to stop because it creates even higher stress levels to students with learning difficulties.
Most important statement
“We don’t point out mistakes which are not necessary to be highlighted. We focus on the effort and what the pupil is trying to convey. Grammatical and syntactical mistakes find their own way to be worked out in context since students tend to repeat them. We provide time when needed and respect by all team members. Students end up correcting mistakes on their own.”
Usefull links
Website: https://dyslexiafriendly.gr/
