Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Language and Teaching Methodology, Department of Primary Education, University of Crete
University of Crete
Vasia Tsami
- 1 What is your research about?
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My research focuses on fostering students’ critical literacy and on how education can contribute to the development of critical thinking. I am particularly interested in how students can learn to recognize social inequalities and discrimination that are often presented as “natural” or taken for granted, to question them, and, through knowledge and action, to contribute to transforming social reality.
- 2 Why is it important?
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Through the development of critical consciousness, education can contribute to shaping more active and socially aware citizens who do not passively accept social inequalities, but are able to question them and contribute to building a more just and inclusive society.
- 3 What inspired you to pursue this path?
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The inequalities I encounter in everyday life, and how often they are treated as something natural, fixed, or simply taken for granted, were a major source of inspiration for me. I wanted to better understand how, through education, we can recognize different forms of racism and sexism that are often reproduced implicitly, question them, and ultimately work toward changing them.
- 4 What do you like most about research?
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What I enjoy most about research is that it gives me the opportunity to question things we often take for granted and to look at them from a different perspective. I am especially interested in how this knowledge can be connected to education and have a meaningful impact on everyday life.
- 5 What advice would you give to a child who loves science?
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I would tell them not to let the fear of being wrong hold them back. The very notion of “being wrong” is not neutral; it is often tied to social expectations, power relations, stereotypes, and unequal opportunities. Every day, it is important to claim our freedom to try, to fail, and to try again. Science, after all, moves forward through questions, experimentation, and revision. So I would tell them: stay curious, keep questioning, and keep moving forward.
- 6 Fun fact: Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
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I tend to look for the “why” not only in what is said, but also in what is left unspoken.
