Thomai Alexiou comes from Kastoria and she is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She holds a BA in Preschool Education from the University of Ioannina, an MA in TEFL from Canterbury Christ Church University and a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Wales Swansea, UK (full scholarship).
Her research interests concern young learners’ language and cognitive development while her expertise is on early foreign language learning, methodology of teaching languages to young learners (preschool and primary education) and material development for young learners. She has participated in research projects abroad and in Greece, such as PEAP (English for young learners educational project), DysTEFL2, KPG (National foreign language exam system) and others. She has also written and edited textbooks for children learning English as a foreign language (e.g. Magic Books). She has been invited as a speaker and trainer at various Universities in Greece, Europe and Australia. More recently, in 2016 and 2018, the Ministry of Education of the Arab Emirates invited her to offer training seminars for teachers and the staff of the Ministry of Education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. . She is a graduate of the Pedagogical Department for Kindergarten teachers of the University of Ioannina. She has a Master in Teaching English as second/foreign language (Canterbury Christ Church University) and a PhD on Applied Linguistics (University of Wales, Swansea, Great Britain, full scholarship).
Her research interests focus on the field of learning and teaching second / foreign language in pre-school and childhood, cognitive development of children, bilingual education and the development of educational material. He has participated in research projects abroad and in Greece, such as ΠΕΑΠ (ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM IN PRIMARY CHILD AGE), DysTEFL2, ΚΠΓ (state certificate of linguistics) and others. She has been invited as a rapporteur and trainer at various Universities in Greece, Europe and Australia. More recently, in 2016 and 2018, the Ministry of Education of the Arab Emirates invited her to offer training seminars for teachers and staff of the Ministry of Education. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx