Enlarged partial agreement

Observatory on History Teaching in Europe

Primary school students begin to take the compulsory course “History” in the third grade (age 8). At the lower secondary level, “History” remains compulsory for all students (with a final assessment) throughout lower secondary education and the first two years of upper secondary education. In the final year of school, “History” as well as an additional course “Themes of Modern Greek history” are compulsory only for students wishing to study humanities at university; both courses have a final assessment. Students in vocational education are required to take the course “History of the newer and modern world (1453-today)” for one year (age 15), including a final assessment.

Private schools, religious schools and schools for minorities follow the same history curricula as the public system. History is taught only in the Greek language.

The Institute of Educational Policy is responsible for the introduction of timetables, curricula and course syllabi. In terms of teaching methodologies, every year the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports issues a directive setting out the context and the ways in which history should be taught in all Greek schools, which are to be followed by teachers. The education authorities report that neither civil society organisations nor minority groups participate in curriculum development.
 

The authorities report that minority groups (cultural, ethnic, linguistic, national, religious or sexual/gender) are included in the history curriculum. These do not include Roma and Travellers.

 Curricula workstation by GEI (History curricula search by country)

The assessment methods teachers are required to use are essays, oral presentations/exams, knowledge-based questions, source-based questions and multiple-choice questions.

End-of-stage exams are taken for the compulsory lower secondary course “History”, the upper secondary course “History” (which is compulsory in the first two years for all students and in the final year for students following the humanities strand), the third-year upper secondary course “Themes in modern Greek history” (which is compulsory for students following the humanities strand) and the compulsory course “History of the newer and modern world from 1453 to the present” for students in vocational upper secondary education.

At the lower secondary level, exams are set only at the school level, while at the upper secondary level, they are also partially set at the national level; in addition, there are national-level examinations (Panhellenic exams) for students progressing to tertiary education.

End-of-stage examinations assess the following fields of knowledge: historical content knowledge, historical thinking competences (e.g., critical analysis and evaluation of evidence, formulation and justification of historical arguments, consideration of different perspectives).

End-of-stage examinations are oral and written. Oral examinations include openended and close-ended questions. Written examinations include open-ended questions, close-ended questions, source-based questions and multiple-choice questions.

The Institute of Educational Policy is responsible for the introduction of textbooks and other educational materials. It collaborates with teachers and educational institutions in Greece and abroad. Textbooks are approved by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.

Policies on the use of different types of educational resources are as follows:

REQUIRED

ALLOWED

History textbooks

Apps for smartphones and tablets with historical content Artefacts (e.g., paintings, architecture, sculptures, contemporary art) Audio sources (e.g., music, the sound of a steam engine) Audiovisual sources (e.g., newsreels, private archives, commercials) Cinema and documentaries with historical themes Historiographical bibliography Literature (e.g., historical novels, graphic novels) Local cultural heritage (e.g., costumes, food traditions, celebrations) Local and regional festivals and traditions related to historical events Museums and other places of heritage interpretation Oral sources (interviews with grandparents, relatives, neighbours, etc.) Primary documentary sources Printed or digital press (newspapers and magazines) Reports on historical topics in popular magazines Search engines and websites with historical content not necessarily validated by the education authorities Teacher notes Video games Visual sources (e.g., paintings, photographs, drawings) Websites and databases with historical content approved by the educational authorities

 International TextbookCat (GEI collection of Textbooks and Educational Media)

History teachers are required to complete an initial teacher-training programme, the duration of which depends on pre-existing relevant experience and/or education and may take up to 100 hours. All teachers who hold a university degree in a humanities subject are eligible to teach history. No entrance examination is required.

At both the primary and secondary levels, teachers receive general training to teach across a range of disciplines.

In-service professional development courses are optional and limited to 15 days per calendar year. They are provided by the Institute of Educational Policy. Additionally, history teachers may seek further professional development through attending courses provided by lifelong learning centres, university departments, online courses and so on.

 Association for History Education in Greece (presentation by EuroClio)

 Association for History Education in Greece (official website)

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