Webinar will take place on the 6th May 2021 at 13.00-15.15 (Greek time)

We are happy to announce that Training of the Trainers is organising its 7th webinar this year on Inclusion and Inclusivity in Higher Education. For the first part, workshop facilitators are Mrs Abby Osborne and Dr Robert Eaton from the University of Bath, UK. In the second part, the speaker is Ms Paraskevi Koutsaidi. The webinar will take place on the 6th May 2021 at 13.00-15.15 (Greek time). The medium of communication will be in English. 

We will be inviting Faculty from three more Universities (TUC, Demokritus of Thrace and Patras) as we believe that raising Faculty members’ awareness on issues of inclusion and equity will have a positive impact on diverse student populations in all universities in Greece.

Part 1: Patterns Beyond Labels: reframing inclusive learning and teaching (duration 75 min)

Workshop facilitators:Abby Osborne and Robert Eaton (Centre for Learning and Teaching, University of Bath)

Whilst many academics are committed to developing their inclusive practice, practitioners can often feel overwhelmed or uncertain about where to begin. This workshop will introduce participants to a framework enabling them to implement practical and sustainable approaches to supporting a diverse range of student needs. The framework will also support practitioners to actively explore how inclusive design can benefit all students and contribute to an institution-wide approach to embedding inclusivity at the heart of teaching and learning practice.

Current practices relating to inclusion frequently perpetuate notions of individual ‘difference’ through diagnosis and labelling as a way of legitimising support. If we move beyond labels of individual difference to instead identify patterns of difficulty, we find that many students face similar barriers in learning and teaching. Looking through the lenses of physical, cognitive and cultural inclusion, this interactive workshop will allow participants to frame their learning and teaching practice and identify practical and tangible solutions with impact.

This 75 minute workshop will enable participants to:  

• Critique current definitions of inclusion and reframe the inclusive narrative by focusing on patterns rather than individual labels.

• Apply a framework to identify ‘patterns’ in student needs, contextualised to their respective discipline.

• Identify practical and tangible interventions which will support all learners.

Part 2: inclusive learning and teaching practices for students with disabilities (duration: 20 min)

Speaker: Paraskevi Koutsaidi

1. Inclusion and Inclusivity values

2. Outreach and Adaptations: 

a. The University level

b. The Departmental level

c. Course/Module level

Speaker BIOs:

Abby Osborne

Abby currently works at the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the University of Bath. She has experience of curriculum development across a range of subjects and has a particular interest in supporting staff to develop inclusive teaching and learning practice.

Abby has extensive experience in supporting learners with Special Educational Needs, as well as in lecturing in English Language. She also works as an Inclusive Education Consultant and Trainer for Cambridge Assessment International Education. Abby is particularly passionate about developing solution-focused, practical approaches to inclusive teaching and learning which are embedded and are sustainable for teachers.

Robert Eaton

Robert leads the Curriculum Development team within the University of Bath’s Centre for Learning and Teaching, supporting academic staff across all disciplines in the design and development of their courses, as well as the implementation of innovations in learning and teaching practice. Robert is passionate about education, stemming from initial training as a primary teacher, before moving into the area of political sociology, with his PhD examining the nature of UK education policy reform under the New Labour government. He has experience in a range of Higher Education roles, and his current interests involve working with staff and students to embed new approaches to assessment, inclusion, and sustainability within the curriculum. Robert is also a member of the University of Bath’s International Centre for Higher Education Management, contributing to teaching and supervision on their unique part-time DBA research programme for higher education leaders.

Paraskevi Koutaidi

Ms. Paraskevi-Konstantina Koutsaidi  graduated with a distinction from the Department of French Language and Literature of the Kapodistrian University of Athens, with a major interest in translation. She studied for a semester at the University of Avignon in France, under the “Erasmus + Studies” program. Since 2012, she is a member of the Greek mission of ICC Camp (International Camp on Communication and Computers for blind and partially sighted youth), initially as a participant and now as a staff member. As part of the ICC Camp, she has presented workshops on “Studies abroad for students with visual impairment” and “Language exchange”. Professionally, she is involved in the teaching of French as a foreign language and translation.