Dr Myria Pieridou

Professional biography

Myria’s main research interests focus on the policy and practice of special and inclusive education, home-school relations and parental engagement, and education and training of early years and primary school teachers regarding inclusive pedagogy and practice. Her PhD focused on the enactment of the special education law (113(I)/99) in Cyprus, and its implications on the educational and social progress of children with disabilities. 

Over the last years Myria has developed, implemented and coordinated a number of research programmes aiming at enhancing children’s participation and learning, while communicating with teachers the principles of inclusive education and discussing issues of social justice.

• Principal Investigator, Santander Funded Project (2015-16): Phase 2: Learning Greek vocabulary as an additional language through drama techniques: Teachers' perceptions and Teacher-Training. This project investigates pedagogy and cross-curricular approached to language learning from the teachers' perspective, organises teacher-training seminars, and facilitates sharing good practices. (Co-Investigator - Dr Maria Kambouri, University of Reading).
• Co-Investigator for a University of Reading Project (2015-2016): Children's Play-based Science and Mathematics Learning Opportunities in the Early Years and the potential Gender and Socio-economic Differences (Principal Investigator: Dr Maria Kambouri, Co-Investigator: Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai, University of Reading).
• Principal Investigator, Santander Funded Project (2014-15): Phase 1: Evaluate the effects of employing drama for the teaching of Greek vocabulary to a group of early years (English) children. This project explored pedagogy and cross-curricular approaches to language learning, and seeks to evaluate the results of employing drama for the teaching Greek vocabulary to a group of early years English children. (Co-Investigator - Dr Maria Kambouri, University of Reading).
• Principal Investigator and Coordinator, Intervention Programme (Sep. 2013 – Feb. 2014): Respecting and Accepting Diversity. This programme took place as an action research in a primary school in Cyprus, and functioned on two levels, a) informing colleagues about the principles of inclusive education in order to develop a set of teaching strategies for enhancing inclusive practice, and b) implementing these strategies and activities in the school and documenting children’s attitudes and participation. The positive results of this project resulted in continuing its implementation during the following year (2014 - 2015).
• Principal Investigator and Coordinator, Support Teaching Programme (April – June 2013). This project was concerned the educational support of twenty seven children from immigrant families and children with learning disabilities at a primary school in Nicosia, Cyprus, and had the support of the University of Cyprus and the approval of the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus.The successful implementation of the programme led to its continuation in the following academic years. 

Myria is keen to continue the development and implementation of inter-disciplinary collaborative projects in the areas of social justice, special and inclusive education, participation, and literacy and drama.

Myria has taught in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in modules regarding special and inclusive education, special needs in mainstream schools, and qualitative research.

At the OU she is chairing the following modules: 

• Postgraduate module, MA Ed Dissertation: Inclusive Practice (production and presentation)
• Postgraduate module E801: Difficulties in literacy development (presentation)
• Undergraduate module (co-chair), E214: Equality, Participation and Inclusion: Learning from each other (presentation)

Myria was also on the module team for the production of EE815: Understanding Literacy: social justice and inclusive practice (2014-2015), a compulsory module in the Inclusive Practice route of the Masters degree in Education.

Myria has given a number of invited lectures in the UK and Cyprus, as well as seminars to teachers and parents, and has disseminated her work via conference and journal publications.

Invited Lectures: 

Seminars (selection):

• “Differentiation and the use of Drama Techniques”, Goldsmiths, University of London, 29^th Feb. 2016.
• “Teaching Greek as an additional language through drama techniques”, in-service training seminar to teachers, Cyprus Educational Mission – UK, St. John the Baptist, 3^rd Dec. 2015.
• “Collaboration between teachers and parents to support children’s learning”, seminar to Parents, Cyprus Educational Mission - UK, St. John the Baptist, 23^rd May 2015.
• “Learning Greek as an additional language: Developing activities to enhance students’ participation”, in-service training seminar to teachers, Cyprus Educational Mission - UK, St. John the Baptist, 4^th April 2015.
• “Implementation of the 113(I)/99 Law in Educational Practice”, seminar given to undergraduate students of the specialisation of “Special and Inclusive Education”, Department of Education, University of Cyprus, 7^th Oct. 2013.
• “Special Units in Mainstream Primary Schools in Cyprus”, seminar given to postgraduate students of the MA Inclusive Education, Department of Education, University of Cyprus, 27^th Sep. 2012.
• Dyslexia Parents (DysPare) Project, an all day event with five presentations to parents; “Dyslexia for Parents”, “The causes and characteristics of Dyslexia”, “Parents: How to handle your children’s dyslexia”, “Reading”, “Spelling”, Latsia Municipality Hall, 25^th Feb. 2012.

Referred Journal Publications:

• Trakulphadetkrai, N. V., Kambouri, M., & Pieridou, M. (in process). Early Years Mathematics Learning Opportunities Through Play: From the Lens of Gender and Socio-economic Differences.
• Pieridou, M. & Kambouri. M. (in process). Encounters' Resulting from Implementing Qualitative Research in Educational Settings: Reflections of Two Early Career Researchers.
•  Pieridou, M. & Phtiaka, H. (in process), Multidisciplinary committees in Cyprus and parental engagement: Supporting students with special educational needs.
• Kambouri, M. & Pieridou, M. (accepted for publication), Symbols and their use in Early Years Science, Early Years Educator Journal.
• Kambouri, M., Pampoulou, S. E., Pieridou, M. and Allen, M. (2016). Early Years Teachers' Understanding and Use of Graphic Symbols: A Case Study for the Teaching of Science. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology.