Experiential In-service Teachers’ Training for the Pilot of the New Geography Curriculum in Greece: A Different Experience with Tangible Results

Abstract

Τhe aim of this paper is to present the design and the results of the In-service Elementary Teacher (IET) training seminars, in Geography for primary education, during the pilot of the New Geography Curriculum (NGC) in Greek schools, the school year 2011-2012. The design of this training was based on the documented needs of teachers for training in a practical and experiential way and to meet with teamwork. Teachers, who participated in these training sessions, reviewed positively the experiential nature of the training courses, created 36 new Geography lesson plans on a voluntary basis, and most of them incorporated tools and teaching methods they had experienced in the seminars. These results could provide guidance for a successful in-service teacher training course in all subjects and not just for Geography.