Abstract:

The present economic crisis and the continuous immigration influx led to the rise of the unemployment rate, the increase in poverty level and the drop in the standard of living of Greek people. The school, as a space of education and social integration, tries to support pupils facing social exclusion. This study shows how secondary schools in Edessa, the Pella Region, in Northern Greece, strive to provide students with equal opportunities regardless their national origin and social class, with the use of innovative educational actions.
In order to integrate in school communites and local society immigrants' children as well as pupils belonging to low social levels, a wide variety of innovative actions were set up by the teachers of the region. Foreign languages were tought with the help of Comenius Language Assistants and practiced through pupils' exchange programs, video sessions and visits of native speakers' institutions in the area. Intradispiplinarity was promoted in all the educational steps. New technologies like e-books, educational platforms and videoconferences were used in order to encourage team work, project based learning and development of social sensitivity.

Keywords:

Social exclusion, innovative actions.