Magda Vitsou holds a degree from the Department of Early Childhood Education of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1996). She has a Master’s Degree in Education from the postgraduate program “Educational Play and Educational Material in Early Childhood Education” of the Department of Preschool Education at the University of Thessaly (2007). In 2016, she gained her PhD in Theatre Pedagogy with distinction from the Department of Theatre Studies of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Peloponnese, with the dissertation titled “Puppet Theatre as an Intercultural and Communicative Tool in Teaching Greek as a Second Language: A Case Study of Preschool Students in Greek Language Learning Programs in Stockholm.” In 2022, she completed her postdoctoral research focusing on “The Contribution of Puppetry and Dramatic Art to the Education of Inmates: An Action Research at a prison in Volos,” conducted within the Department of Early Childhood Education at the University of Thessaly. Her expertise has been further enriched by her specialization in Therapeutic Puppetry from “The School of Puppet Therapy-Chile” under UNIMA-CHILE, and Puppetry in Education from the “London School of Puppetry.” Her research interests are concentrated on the application of drama and puppetry in preschool and early primary education, as well as the education of socially vulnerable groups.

Since 2019, she has served as a member of the Laboratory Teaching Staff  at the Department of Early Childhood Education, where she specializes in “Applied Early Childhood Pedagogy in Practical Training.” She is responsible for delivering both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Her academic contributions include participation in the project team of the “Step Up Program (Student Teachers Practice for Democratic Culture – STEP UP-DC),” sponsored by IKY. She played a pivotal role in developing educational materials for unit 7A, PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION: Teaching Strategies for Democratic Values, available in both Greek and English. Dr. Vitsou also has facilitated numerous training programs focusing on Democratic Culture Education, the inclusion of refugee and migrant children, and has developed educational materials tailored to these groups. She has presented her research at various scientific conferences and has published extensively in academic journals. Moreover, she is actively engaged in European research initiatives focused on Democracy in Education.

Indicative Publications

• Dania, A., Koukounaras Liagkis, M., Gogoulou, A., Karavas, E., Vlachos, K., Magos, K., & Vitsou, M. (2024). Supporting Preservice Teachers’ Civic Competence as a Strategy for Internationalisation in the Digital Era. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1676
• Gkaintartzi, A., Kostoulas, A., Vitsou, M. (2024). Multilingualising’ Language Education: A Teacher Training Programme for English as a ‘Bridge Language’ in Early Childhood Education. Journal of Education and Training 11(1), 59-78. https://doi.org/10.5296/jet.v11i1.21645
• Vitsou M., Papadopoulou, Μ. (2023). At first it was like a bridge closed from both sides: Pre-service teachers participate in a drama-based project with refugee children. Education for Refugees and Forced (Im)Migrants Across Time and Context. Επιμέλεια:Wiseman,W., & Damaschke-Deitrick, L.-. Bingley.
• Vitsou, M. & Magos, K. (2023). Fostering inmates’ self-identity and communication via Drama in Education and puppetry An action research study at the Volos Youth Detention Centre. Education & Theatre 24, 20–31. https://doi.org/10.12681/edth.36298.
• Παπαδοπούλου Μ., Βίτσου Μ., & Γκανά Ε. (2022). Ο χειρισμός της κούκλας για τη δημιουργία νοήματος: ένα πλαίσιο ανάλυσης πολυτροπικών αλληλεπιδράσεων παιδιών με προσφυγική εμπειρία. Διάλογοι! Θεωρία και πράξη στις επιστήμες αγωγής και εκπαίδευσης, 8, 4–19. https://doi.org/10.12681/dial.28249 (Original work published 18 Φεβρουάριος 2022).