The critical thinking of students needs to be strengthened. It came from the first Greek PISA competition (so called because it is implemented according to the standards of the same name OECD competition), which was held in May 2022 in 554 schools – primary (grade 5) and high (grade 3) – of all types of the country, with the participation of 11,411 students.

Yesterday it Ministry of Education the conclusion of the competent scientific committee of the competition was published, which presented exclusively by “K” (October 8, 2022). According to the announcement, the main points of conclusion by subjects and levels of education are as follows:

– With regard to the language course, it is considered necessary to strengthen the text-centric approach of the course with emphasis on the pedagogy of polyliteracy and the importance of linguistic diversity and otherness. Emphasis should be placed on the management and organization of information, on techniques for thickening discourse, on the use of deepening actions.

– Accordingly, in relation to the course of mathematics, the need to consolidate basic mathematical concepts through systematic practice in problem solving, as well as to strengthen mathematical reasoning and argumentation through shifts in pedagogical practice, emphasizing the inclusion and connection of mathematics, is highlighted by the real world.

However, while the 30-page summary includes findings on student performance in each subject and recommendations from the committee, the ministry grouped them by subject for both grades (5th grade, 3rd high school). The conclusion, among other things, involves reducing the material, changing its structure in each lesson, the correct distribution of subjects and focusing on the main thing, communication and comments in the lessons and on current affairs, cultivating students’ skills. with modern teaching methods.

New curricula

The Ministry of Education indicates that an attempt is being made to turn the tide on the ongoing changes in the Greek education system, starting with the development of new curricula.

Finally, the ministry announced that this year a “Greek PISA” will be organized once again with a representative sample of at least 6,000 students on an anonymous basis from at least 600 school units.