Our team

Zoi Nikiforidou is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education and Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education and Care at the University of Ioannina. For the past 15 years, she has taught in undergraduate and postgraduate programs in England and Greece. Her research interests focus on aspects of young children’s cognition and well-being, as well as issues related to contemporary pedagogical trends, risk, technology, and children’s rights. Her work has been published in international scientific journals and edited volumes, and she has participated in nationally and internationally funded research projects.

Maria Papandreou is a Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh). Her academic career is built on a solid foundation of field experience as a public-school educator, followed by faculty positions at the University of Patras and AUTh. She is currently the Director of the Postgraduate Program “Education Sciences: Changing Learning Environments” and brings extensive expertise in the continuous professional development of in-service teachers.
Her scholarly work explores the intersection of play pedagogy, participatory research, children’s funds of knowledge, and early mathematics learning. Her work is complemented by significant experience in designing educational programs and curricula that bridge pedagogical theory with classroom practice. She has published extensively in leading international peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes.

Maria Kampeza is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education at the University of Patras (UP). She is currently the Director of Theoretical and Applied Pedagogy Division. Since 2009, she has coordinated the teaching practicum of university students in Greek public kindergartens, contributing to the professional training of future early childhood educators.
Her research interests focus on young children’s learning and development in early science education, participatory research and learning processes (such as play and drawing), differentiated instruction, and pre-service and in-service teacher education. Her research work has been published in peer-reviewed international journals and edited volumes as well as presented at both international and national conferences. She has also participated in funded research and educational projects, including Voicing Children: Opportunities, Interaction, and Collective Decision Making in Education, Teaching Experimentation in Science and Technology, and The Fibonacci Project: Disseminating Inquiry-Based Science and Mathematics Education in Europe. In addition, she has served as a tutor in Professional Development Programs for Early Childhood Teachers, supporting ongoing professional development and pedagogical innovation.

Angeliki Vellopoulou is a kindergarten teacher and a laboratory teaching member staff at the Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education (DESECE) of the University of Patras. She currently serves as President of the Executive Committee of OMEP Greece (Organisation Mondiale pour l’Education Prescolaire), a scientific, non-governmental organization.
Her academic work and research interests focus on applied pedagogy and educational design, the study of curriculum frameworks and didactical transposition, play-learning and teaching in kindergarten education, as well as the initial training and continuing education of preschool teachers. She has published studies in national and international peer-reviewed scientific journals and edited volumes.

Alexandra Gkloumpou, is a member of Laboratory Teaching Staff, in the School of Early Childhood Education, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has worked as a preschool teacher for 19 years.
Her teaching and research interests focus on the contribution of the school environment and materials to instruction and learning, cooperative learning environments, children’s geographies, and innovative teaching approaches in early childhood education. She has edited a book and a conference proceedings volume and has published studies in national and international peer- reviewed scientific journals and volumes.

Αnastasia Kalogiannidou is Director of a public preschool.  She holds a PhD from the School of Early Childhood Education (SECEd) at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) and possesses extensive experience in public education. 
Her research interests focus  on Distance Education and Teacher professional development through Online Communities of Practice and Learning. She has authored papers published in national and international peer-reviewed journals and  conference proceedings.

Maria Kanaki is a PhD candidate in the Department of Early Childhood Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), specializing in the investigation of how preschool children construct the concept of learning. She works as a kindergarten teacher in public education. Her pedagogical and research interests focus on participatory approaches to learning and research, as well as on children’s funds of knowledge. She has participated in a funded research project entitled: «Exploring alternative practicum models in teacher education: Classroom teachers as mentors». She has also published in scientific journals, and she has presented her research at national and international conferences.

Zoe Konstantinidou is a kindergarten teacher and an educational researcher with postdoctoral and PhD research experience at the School of Early Childhood Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her research and scholarly work focus on the social inclusion of children from both vulnerable and non-vulnerable social groups. In particular, her interests center on tools and strategies that act as mediators to enhance interactions among children, highlight their cultural backgrounds, promote the adoption of contemporary educational approaches, and support the active involvement of families in the learning process. 

Antonis Natsis is a Laboratory Teaching Staff Member in the Early Years Learning and Care Department, School of Social Sciences, at the University of Ioannina. He holds a PhD from the Department of Primary Education at the University of Ioannina in the field of “ICT in Education”. He also completed a three-year postdoctoral research project at Aarhus University (Denmark) in the area of innovative and emerging technologies in education. He has 15 years of teaching experience as an Informatics teacher in primary and secondary education and has also served as a trainer in professional development programs focusing on the integration of digital technologies into teaching practice

Maria Tsigkrou is a preschool teacher, a graduate of the Department of Early Childhood Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a master’s degree in “Educational Sciences: Research and Practice in Changing Learning Environments” from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. As part of her graduate studies, she wrote a thesis exploring creative play using open-ended materials. During the last three years, she has been working in private preschool education settings as the lead teacher of the pre-kindergarten level and as a member of collaborative teaching teams, designing and implementing educational experiences for young learners. She actively engages in volunteer initiatives supporting children in community shelters and participates in educational projects focusing on outdoor-based learning. Her educational interests focus on sensory and creative play, participatory pedagogical approaches, education through art, and practices inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. She has also completed training programs on sensory play, special education, art-based pedagogy, and pediatric first aid.

Sotiria Tsoultsidou is an IT specialist in the field of primary health care and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Ioannina. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Informatics and three master’s degrees in the fields of education, curriculum development, and distance learning. Her research interests focus on educational technology, STEAM, educational robotics, and the development of probabilistic thinking in preschool-aged children. She is a certified adult educator and robotics instructor, and has participated as a presenter at conferences, in professional development programs, and in scientific publications.