The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of visual art to thedevelopment of oral language and creative thinking of toddlers in the context of a targeted teaching intervention in a kindergarten classroom in Athens. The pupils came in contact with artworks based on Perkins’ methodical art observation model. The intervention lasted for three months and involved 20 children (15 toddlers aged 5-years-old and 5 toddlers aged 4-years-old). Language skills and creative thinking were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Data was collected through group discussion, interviews and children’s personal artworks. The results showed that after the intervention, substantial changes were observed in both the language skills and creative thinking of the children. In particular, children’s narratives were better in structure and quality, vocabulary was richer, and more children participated in a discussion in comparison with the beginning of the intervention. In terms of creative thinking, a higher level of hypothesis was made, more ideas were produced, and mainly more visual works based on the observed works of art were produced by the children. This paper contributes to research into the development of oral language skills and creative thinking, highlighting the relationship between visual arts and the development of toddlers’ basic preschool skills.

Teachers face many challenges in a wide range of areas, mainly related to student behavioral problems, dealing with parents’ demands/expectations, educational/ teaching practices, as well as personal/professional development opportunities. International research indicates the high rates of young teachers’ drop-out. Stress/burnout, lack of adequate training, and support are the most common reasons why young teachers quit the profession. This paper will present findings from a counseling teacher program based on the theory/model of Resilience, Communities of Practice (CoP), and psychodynamic-systemic perspective, insofar as the teaching process involves a strong emotional/ relational component. The program was implemented over a two- year period in two groups of teachers of all grades. The program aimed to enhance teachers’ understanding of the psychology of “problematic” students (professional knowledge), teachers’ psychosocial skills (personal development/ resilience), and the development of techniques and methods (professional gain) through collective processes for the management of critical situations. The evaluation of the intervention was based on pre- and postintervention measures, using the Teacher Resilience Scale (individual motivation, ability to associate with colleagues), the Burn-out Scale, and an open-ended questionnaire. The data show a positive impact of the program on all teachers, as well as significant personal gains (resilience).

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