Eureka! Institutional Repository

The purpose of this research was to identify the main parameters for the development of a successful co-operative teaching and an effective learning environment in Greece’s primary schools. To this end, the specific objectives of the research, beyond the theoretical examination of both co-operative teaching and flexible learning spaces, was to reveal the viewpoint of primary school teachers on a) the skills they need to have for the application of a successful cooperative teaching, b) the benefits and barriers of teaching in flexible learning spaces, and c) the parameters that make the most of a successful cooperative teaching, and an effective learning environment in primary schools in the country. To meet the three above objectives, 105 teachers from the prefecture of Thessaloniki, all of whom teach in primary schools, participated in a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included three sections beyond the general section of demographic questions that responded to the above three objectives. In summary, the teachers’ responses revealed that under certain conditions co-operative teaching can be successfully applied to primary schools in the country, and that flexible learning spaces can serve as a facilitator to this application with the, of course, that the correct application of these spaces is not limited to issues related to students, teachers, parents or even to the state.