LIFE AND SUCCESS SKILLS
THEMATIC AREA 4
Offered in Greek
The thematic cycle “Personal Life and Success Skills” is addressed with experiential seminars for adults, in the context of lifelong learning.
It contains the following Thematic Units: 1. Knowing Myself – Influencing the World, 2. Practicing Critical Thinking, 3. Quality in Education, 4. Me and My Child and 5. Resistance to Social Injustice.
THEMATIC UNITS
1.1. Who am I?
1.2. Who are the significant others in my life?
1.3. How will I live friendly for myself and with others?
2.1. The distinction between critical and passive thinking: the demand for liberation
2.2. Critical thinking and realistic thinking
2.3. Humanism and critical thinking
2.4. Critical thinking and education
2.5. The exercise of judgment
2.6. The crisis in times of individual and collective crisis
3.1. The teacher as an educator
3.2. The parent as an educator
3.3. The claim procedure
3.4. The pedagogy of dialogue
3.5. Education and the virtual world
3.6. Education as higher knowledge
4.1. The game: The children’s world – a natural way of learning and a main means for all-round development
4.2. Children’s voice: Pedagogy of listening
4.3. The socialization of the child – The role of the family
Resistance to Social Injustice
THEMATIC UNIT 1 - KNOWING MYSELF – INFLUENCING THE WORLD
Dr. Ioannis S. Christodoulou
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Limassol
The thematic section “Knowing Myself – Influencing the World” refers to three axes vital to human existence: 1. Who am I? 2. Who are the important others in my life? 3. How will I live friendly for myself and with others? The purpose of the Thematic Unit is: a) to cover the areas in which concerns, concerns and problems develop in human life, and b) to shield those who participate with abilities to perceive and manage concerns and problems.
The Thematic Unit “Knowing Myself – Influencing the World” consists of 3 experiential seminars, each of which is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend a complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
The process of self-knowledge is vital for every self-respecting person. How can I know or discover myself? What are the dimensions in which I develop in my life? What are my characteristics when communicating with others? How can I tell the difference between what I want and what I can? How can I be able to do more, want as much as I can, and not want what I can’t?
Of the many people I associate with, the important ones are specific. Who are they for each of us? What are their characteristics? Why are they important? Are we equally important to them? If not, why not? What is the value of our important people for life and success in our lives?
The only source of lasting satisfaction in our lives is our friendly feelings for ourselves and the friendly relationships we have with others. Am I friends enough for myself? Do others see me as a friend? Me those? How can I ensure a) that I am not hostile to myself, and b) that I do not cause unnecessary tension in my relationships with others even when they sometimes provoke me?
THEMATIC UNIT 2 - EXERCISE IN CRITICAL THINKING
Dr. Ioannis S. Christodoulou
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Limassol
Critical thinking is put forward as an issue for the free man and the active citizen. There is, however, a lack of a systematic approach to both the method of criticism and its substance. Professor I. Christodoulou’s seminars combine original theory with exercise in critical thinking. They are an innovative proposal for Cyprus and internationally.
The Thematic Unit “Exercise in Critical Thinking” consists of 6 seminars, each of which is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend a complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
Critique is a release. Liberation involves criticism. Critical thinking is contrasted, as active, by passive or uninvolved or automatic thinking, which favors enslavement. In what cases do we think passively? How can passive be transformed into active or critical thinking?
People are influenced by their social environment, by their coexistence with other people, their own or strangers. How does the individual depend on the collective perception? How is self-perception, too, determined by the impressions cultivated in our environment of us? What is the role of critical thinking in separating the illusory from the realistic perception of oneself and others?
Critical thinking is not just a method of thinking, an antidote to passive thinking. It is a thought that highlights the peculiarity and identity of the individual person. It preserves his dignity and humanity. How is dignity and humanity defined in the light of critical thinking?
What is the place of critical thinking in education? Do the curricula adequately define the content that critical thinking can take? Can teachers act independently in the direction of constructing teaching examples of critical thinking, depending on the curriculum?
Judgment is competence. All abilities are exercised to consolidate and maintain themselves. How is the crisis exercised? How does critical thinking become competence and how is it maintained? On what occasions and in what cases is the crisis exercised? What does exercising our judgment of our ideas and decisions entail?
Do times of crisis favor critical thinking? Are times of crisis the result of times in which critical thinking is absent or lagging? How can critical thinking help overcome individual and collective crises?
THEMATIC UNIT 3 - QUALITY IN EDUCATION
Dr. Ioannis S. Christodoulou
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Limassol
Quality in education is a constant demand in pedagogical practice and a key cultural imperative. The many years of experience of Professor I. Christodoulou in quality education, his expertise and his demanding approach to Education guarantee the highest level of the Seminars, which combine original theory and experiential practice.
The Thematic Unit “Quality in Education” consists of 6 seminars, each of which is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend a complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
What are the characteristics of a teacher as an educator? What are the challenges and limitations on the pedagogical function of the teacher? The personality of the child and the personality of the teacher.
Just a parent or an educator? The status of the parent as an educator and other qualities of the parent. Children’s pedagogical expectations of parents. The help that children offer to parents in their pedagogical work. The family home as a pedagogical environment. How important is the child’s pedagogical age for his adult life and relationships with his parents?
Forms and strategy of the pedagogical process. The method of pedagogical communication. The positions of educator and pedagogue. The duration of treatment. Skills and requirements of pedagogical management. Preparation and performance of pedagogical work.
Dialogue as a factor of family development. Dialogue as a means of developing the pedagogical and educational process. The time of dialogue: beginning and end. The content of dialogical pedagogical practice. Shareholders in the pedagogical dialogue. The anti-dogmatic and dialectical nature of dialectical pedagogy. Exercises and examples.
Virtual and real world in the light of Education. How much do the experiences of virtual reality affect pedagogical effort? Can information technology enhance Pedagogy? Modern means of virtual communication and Pedagogy.
To transform pedagogical theory into practice, theory is assumed as higher knowledge. What are the characteristics of higher knowledge? What is the content of higher pedagogical knowledge that is translated into pedagogical practice?
THEMATIC UNIT 4 - ME AND MY CHILD
Anastasia Kapsali
Kindergarten Teacher and Sociologist
Addressed to Parents, teachers, students and generally to those who are interested in enriching their knowledge on this subject.
Period: TBA
Days & hours: TBA
Cost: 40€ / lecture or 120€ / complete three lecture-seminar
Information / reservation: anastasiak@uol.ac.cy
The Thematic Unit “Me and my Child” consists of three seminars, each of which is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend a complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
Seminar 1 - The game: The world of children – a natural way of learning and a main means for all-round development
Play is a means of preparation for the subsequent important activities and challenges of the child’s life, it is the natural way of learning and developing, the means for emotional empowerment, management of daily experiences, socialization, active involvement in activities, development of imagination and ingenuity, perseverance and experimentation, critical and creative thinking. It is a colored paper full of information, from the feelings, thoughts, mental world, and voices of children that many times we do not hear or unwittingly ignore.
Upon completion of the seminar, participants will enrich their knowledge about the role and value of the game as they will discover:
- The importance in the operation of the game
- Basic game categories
- What developmental theories tell us about the importance of the game
- What is the social side of the game
The “The game: The world of children – a natural way of learning and the main means for all-round development” seminar, is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend the complete series of three 90-minute lectures, receive a certificate of attendance.
Seminar 2 - Children's Voice: Pedagogy of Listening
Anastasia Kapsali
Kindergarten Teacher and Sociologist
It is addressed to: Parents, teachers, students and generally to those who are interested in enriching their knowledge of this subject.
Duration: TBA
Days & hours: TBA
Cost: 40€ / lecture or 120€ / complete three lecture-seminar
Information / reservation: anastasiak@uol.ac.cy
“The most basic human need is to understand and be understood. The best way to understand is to listen to others.” Nicols, R. (1980)
The pedagogy of listening recognizes the right of children to have their “voice” heard. Listening actively means trying to understand, to listen to my interlocutor, the one I have towards me, considering his experiences and beliefs.
In this way, his self-confidence and emotional development are strengthened, which in turn leads to creative development and successful communication. At the same time, the recognition and evaluation of diversity and diversity is achieved, elements that we encounter nowadays intensely in school environments.
Upon completion of the seminar, participants will recognize:
- The role of listening for successful and constructive communication as a democratic practice
- The right of children to express themselves freely and to be active participants in matters that concern them
- The connection of active listening with the educational process
The “The children’s voice: Pedagogy of listening” seminar, is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend the complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
Seminar 3 - The socialization of the child – The role of the family
Anastasia Kapsali
Kindergarten Teacher and Sociologist
It is addressed to: Parents, teachers, students and generally to those who are interested in enriching their knowledge of this subject.
Period: TBA
Days & hours: TBA
Cost: 40€ / lecture or 120€ / complete three lecture-seminar
Information / reservation: anastasiak@uol.ac.cy
Socialization is a continuous, dynamic, and changing process that takes place through specific psychosocial mechanisms. In this process, the individual learns, internalizes, and embraces values, culture and accepted behavioral patterns, elements that help him in his smooth integration, the formation of his personality, the development of his social roles. Family as a primary vector of socialization is initially characterized by the interactions and emotional connection between its members. The family, from the birth of the child, sets the values, rules, and standards of behavior that it adopts, supporting and facilitating in this way its smooth social integration. From the family, through the imitation mechanism the child learns to speak, to behave, to accept rules of behavior, culture and civilization, morality, and values. Effects that in turn contribute to the development of the child.
Upon completion of the seminar, participants will enrich their knowledge about the value of the Socialization Process and will recognize:
- The role of the family as a primary vector of socialization.
- The basic psychosocial mechanisms through which the process of Socialization takes place. and how these contribute to the integration and development of children.
- The concept of sociability and the importance it has in our lives.
Kyriakidou O. and Salavou E. (2014). Social Entrepreneurship. Athens: Rosili Publications.
Brooks, A.C. (2010). Social Entrepreneurship, translated by Sokodimos A. Athens: Elliniko Publications.
The “The socialization of the child – The role of the family” seminar, is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend the complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
THEMATIC UNIT 5 - RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Dr. Ioannis S. Christodoulou
Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Limassol
The need to provide individuals with a living space for social existence is imperative. This is what all individuals aspire to. Not everyone succeeds in the same way, for various reasons. This is how the demand for justice arises. We understand what justice is when we talk about injustice. Issues of social injustice concern conflicts to safeguard individual dignity.
This is a seminar that is completed in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who will attend the completed lecture series will receive a certificate of attendance.
In the seminar, the following are studied:
- Economic and class inequality
- Prejudices based on origin, religion, color, age, and gender
- Prejudices and inequalities in the Cypriot social system
- Actions to promote social justice
- Individual forms of resistance to social injustice
The seminar Resistance to Social Injustice concludes in three 90-minute lectures. Participants who attend the complete series of three 90-minute lectures receive a certificate of attendance.
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