Autism and classical myth pilot study: breaking the news and introducing the researcher!

This is the second consecutive posting sharing good news relevant to my autism and classical myth work. As with the previous posting, this one concerns what I am now seeking to do, namely to start taking the activities around the Choice of Hercules that I have drafted into schools, where autistic children will have an opportunity to try them out.

The news is this. The University of Roehampton has provided funds for a pilot study of the resources. The study will be conducted by Effrosyni (Effie) Kostara, who has just been appointed as the Research Assistant for the project. It is my pleasure to introduce Effie!

Effie has a background both in Classics and in Education. Her first degree is in Classical Philology from the University of Athens. She then went on to gain a master’s degree in Applied Pedagogy from Athens. She is currently a PhD candidate in Adult Education at the Hellenic Open University writing a thesis that draws on both of her fields. The title is: Teachers’ Training in the Educational Use of Ancient Greek Tragedy for the Development of Learners’ Critical Reflection.

Effie has published papers, and delivered conference presentations, on the importance of critical reflection in adult education. She also has a role in training teachers in the use of ancient drama as an educational tool. She is currently working on a project involving the connection of pedagogy with the ideas of Socrates and Aristotle.

Effie is the co-editor of a forthcoming Routledge volume on transformative learning and is the translator, into Greek, of Knud Illeris’ How we Learn. She participated in an event at Roehampton on diversity, inclusivity and classics in autumn 2017 and is the author of a report of the event, published just a few days ago in CUCD Bulletin.

Effie is deeply interested in the use of classical texts for the development of more inclusive teaching approaches. Her work includes using drama for teaching people from ‘marginalised’ groups including prisoners and addicts. She is about to start work, on Monday 16^th July, in a different – though not unrelated – capacity at Roehampton as ERASMUS+ fellow to develop a module provisionally titled ‘Diversity in Ancient Greek Drama.’

I look forward to sharing further news about Effie and the pilot study!