Eleftheria Koutroufini

Having been fascinated by Education and focused on pursuing a career in Special Education, I am doing my postgraduate studies in Inclusive Education in University of Glasgow.  After completing the four-year Bachelor degree in Science of Primary Education at the Athens National and Kapodistrian University and gaining thorough insight on child development, my target was to acquire theoretical and practical expertise in Inclusive Education. My degree provided me with great practical knowledge and social, problem-solving and teamwork skills, as well as discipline and time-management which are important skills I will be able to apply during my job.     

Furthermore, my professional experience has given me the opportunity to delve deeply in the field of Education and interact with children in need of additional support. My great interest in Differentiated Instruction and Special Education initially began when I undertook the training of a ten- year old boy presenting behavioural problems and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That experience motivated me to attend the annual training seminar and programme of specialisation in Special Education at the Athens National and Kapodistrian University, in which I had the unique chance to gain interdisciplinary knowledge in theoretical and practical basis; Pervasive Developmental Disorders-Autism, Counselling and Career Guidance for People with Special Needs, Psycho-emotional disorders and Anxiety disorders. I was given the opportunity to prepare projects related to the fields of Collaboration of Special and General Education, Speech Therapy Intervention, Pervasive Developmental Disorders – Autism.

Over the past years, I was working as a private teacher for students with and without additional support needs. At the same time, I was a babysitter looking after a bilingual one-year old baby. Moreover, during my internships in primary mainstream and special schools, I had the opportunity to offer meaningful learning experiences and equitable opportunities to all students, regardless of their differences. In order to be more reliable teacher, I attended seminars with professionals of the field who have enriched my knowledge on Differentiated Instruction and General and Specific Learning Disabilities. Overall, my work experience has helped me enhance my creativity and transmissibility, and build excellent social skills, taking into consideration my interaction and cooperation with children and their parents. All the aforementioned have cultivated my strong determination to broaden my horizons, specialising in different approaches of teaching in various social environments.