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Staff

Katsenou Rena

Katsenou Rena

Member of the Node for Hybrid Arts
Post Doc researcher (2022-present)

Education

  • 2021: Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Ioannina
    Dissertation Title: Everyday rituals in Kindergarten: Shaping social reality and preschoolers’ agency

  • 2008: Master’s in Philosophy, University of Ioannina
    Thesis Title: School prayer in Greek schools

  • 2002: Degree in Early Childhood Education, University of Ioannina

Training Courses

  • 2016: Athens Summer School on Visual Ethnography
    Organized by the Netherlands Institute at Athens (NIA) & Athens Ethnographic Film Festival (Ethnofest), in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam and the University of Leiden.

  • 2015-2016: Photography courses, Corfu Alternative Cultural Workshop (Enallaktiko Politistiko Ergastiri Kerkyras)

  • 2013: Diapolis Intercultural Education Program (January – June)
    University of the Aegean

Teaching Experience

  • 2006-2022: Kindergarten Teacher in Greek Kindergartens (Corfu and Crete)

Publications

  • Katsenou, R. (2015). Ritual Communication in Kindergarten. In Research in the Sociology of Education, Present and Perspectives, Proceedings of the 1st Panhellenic Conference on the Sociology of Education. Athens: Gutenberg. ISBN: 978-960-233-216-0. Available online

Presentations as a Guest Speaker

  • The Ethnographic Interview: Theory and Reflections from Personal Engagement with the Technique
    Course: “Introduction to Pedagogical Research Methodology” (Winter Semester), Department of Philosophy, Pedagogy, and Psychology, University of Ioannina, with Assistant Professor Luciana Benincaza

Conference Presentations

  • 2022: Feeling Safe and Accepted in Kindergarten: The Role of Everyday Rituals in Shaping the Sense of "Belonging" and Ontological Security
    Intercultural Education Equality, Acceptance, and Inclusion Conference, Athens, October 19-22, 2022

Presentations of Artistic Work

  • 2016: Beaver Bar (Documentary), with Lore Janssen, Vera Van Rossum
    Ethnofeast Festival, Athens. Available online

  • 2016: Participation in Photography Exhibition
    Corfu Alternative Cultural Workshop

Research Interests

  • Cyberpsychology
  • Phenomenology
  • Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)
  • Cultural Anthropology

Post Doc research: Robots go to Kindergarten: visions of artificial intelligence in preschool education

Supervisor: Prof. Dalila Honorato

Abstract: My research focuses on the field of human-robot interaction in kindergarten. The theoretical background of the research steams from the sociology of everyday life, the structuration theory, the philosophy of mind, the theory of constructivism, semiotic theory, multimedia semiotics, communication theory and phenomenology. The concepts "embodiment", "daily rituals" and "routines" will be the basic filters of the research focus lens through which I will approach the research field. I decide to adopt those specific concepts because at my doctoral research, I observed that kindergarten children, having made an electronic game with Lego Ninjago characters a home routine, incorporated attitudes and behaviors from their favorite characters, which differed and came into conflict with the normative system of the kindergarten (Katsenou 2021). In other words, kindergarten children, imitating the dynamic behavior of Lego Ninjago, tried to resist to the teacher-centered program of the kindergarten, reacting dynamically and in unison to the organized activities of the school program and seeking to extend the time of free play activities, during which they were organizing their own play without the guidance of the teacher. According to the statements made by many parents and teachers, children have become addicted to their parents’ tablets and mobile phones. Hence, if Kindergarten children became intimately connected to their parents' tablets and cell phones by playing an electronic game as a daily routine, then perhaps they could be attached to a robot or artificial intelligence program that would provide more interaction feedback than electronic games do. Focusing the research in the field of preschool education, I will seek to highlight the characteristics that favor human-robot interaction in the specific educational context. Research in the field of human-robot interaction would be incomplete without a gender perspective. Alesich & Righy 2017 argue that humanoid robots are likely to change our idea of ​​gender and the human body.


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