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PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION |
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Coherence
of school knowledge Supervision Self
learning Research
Self evaluation Method Result Feedback
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The
development of our programme is the result of both research and practice
in the frame of various European and international programmes.
Innovative aspects of these programmes include the cross-curricular
approach to learning, the adoption of research projects, the expanded
use of novel technologies, and the exploitation of results and
methodologies obtained by other European projects such as Comenius,
Virtual School, Gruntdvig, Springday, etc. With our method of choice,
namely the projects, we implement the cross scientific approach to
learning via a harmonious confluence of natural and human sciences. The
attempted changes are not related only to the method for developing the
programme but also to the re-adjustment of the educational target (full
development of student skills, formation of attitude, taking
initiatives, promotion of cooperation among people and nations,
development of a system of self assessment, founding of principles of
continuing education etc). Of particular importance is the use of new
technology which facilitates the research, promotes the cooperation,
exploits the results of the programme, and ensures improved access to
knowledge for students with learning difficulties. Upon
completion of the programme, we will submit a series of proposals for
changes in the educational systems of Greece and Italy. Finally, all the
teachers who are involved in the programme hope to bring forward a
radical proposal for a unified European educational system, which will
respect the cultural differences of the nations but will also promote a
unified education frame in the European Union. Key words: Cross-scientific, Cross-curricular approach of knowledge, independent-exploratory learning, promotion of projects, cooperation of students and teachers of different countries, expanded use of new technologies, creation of a system for self-assessment, suggestions for structural changes in the educational system of the countries in the European Union.
CROSS–CURRICULUM,
INTERDISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE For
the development of our “Magna Graecia” programme, we combine a
cross-curricular together with an interdisciplinary approach to
learning. It is widely agreed that cross-curricular learning can not be
easily implemented unless teachers are trained appropriately. Moreover,
it has not yet been proven that cross-curriculum is feasible or even
acceptable. Thus, complementary to the interdisciplinary approach, which
does not abolish the independence of each individual discipline, we can
notice the inter-relations among different sciences and their use in our
effort to better understand reality through the main concepts that are
common to all domains of scientific research. According
to the above, the subjects of our programme (Language, Literature,
Religion, Political Institutions, Traditions, Art, History, Technology
etc) are approached by using almost all disciplines thus exploiting the
students’ knowledge obtained from their courses. The cross-curriculum
dimension of our project is proved by working on concepts such as
individual-group, communication, interaction, system. For example, the
cultural achievements of Magna Graecia may be approached by all
disciplines the connection of which will be proved by the consideration
of concepts such as the behavior of an individual in a wider social
group, the interaction of civilizations, the relations that are
developed in a close or wider political system.
The
coherence of school learning
There
are many objections from time to time to the lack of coherence of school
learning. The courses of the curriculum offer the basic knowledge of the
disciplines following the arrangement of academic society for the
framework of disciplinary knowledge, a fact that causes the lack of
connection of the various courses.
The student easily gets tired and is difficult to him to memorize
the knowledge that is offered to. An additional difficulty in learning
is the lack of proximity of the offered knowledge to the every day life.
The student is requested to memorize information that is not related to
the problems of daily routine. Mr.
J. Dewey (1938-1952) and the supporters of pragmatism were the
first who disputed the origin of school learning that is restricted to
the disciplinary knowledge and emphasized the importance of experience
and the knowledge that comes out of it. There are many who suggest that
the experience is the beginning of learning process although there are
other more radical who suggest the development of life learning without
reference to the corresponding individual disciplines. For
the development of our project “Magna Grecia”, a model of
development of European Union, we followed the basic principles of
cross-curriculum course studies on the understanding that is proven
unified and student-focused. On the progress of the project the students
develop all their skills (natural, social, Gnostic and sentimental), by
exploiting their experience and interests. Thus our starting point is
the subject, the problem, the issue and the process is student-focused
and inter-searching. The student is not a lying down receiver of the
teaching of the teachers involved but is the one who takes initiatives
to get the informative material, almost independently.
The
development of our project is deeply radical as we abolish the margins
of the standard teaching methods and the learning is reconstructed
around subjects and issues that are of prime importance for the
students, the society, the science and civilization. This
dimension is very obvious during the consideration of issues and aspects
that apparently have a remote relation to the subject of our project
which is the civilization of Magna Grecia but are evident as logical
result of our work on the project. The elaboration of these issues is
recorded in ‘’Activities in place and in time’’ and is a
research on issues that arise from the experience and interests of the
students. According to the
above the research on the art of Magna Grecia, the historical findings
and the culture beyond that encouraged students to study the pieces of
art that exist in Greece (the study of Acropolis from Greek and Italian
students is an example of the broadening of our project. Starting with
the work and the personality of Phedias, the creator of the bronze
statutes of Reggio, the students examined Acropolis and the Greek
civilization of that era). There
are many who believe that the curriculum focused on the subjects will
prevail in the future and the framework of our project is a radical
practice of all the above as we unite the experimental learning to the
various disciplines and the learning gets a coherence. (An example was
the work of our students on the metalwork. In the beginning the students
of both schools visited the bronze statutes of Phedias. The aesthetic
experience encouraged the students to learn more on the process of
metalwork and aesthetic rules. The subject became interdisciplinary as
the students wanted to learn the history of the statutes and the history
of the era in general that gave such masterpiece. The transportation of
the statutes in South Italy has as logical consequence the expansion of
economical and commercial relations of these areas. The political
statute that allowed and encouraged such exchanges as well as the social
changes that affected these relations were considered by the students
who consequently ended to a holistic approach of the learning object). The teachers in cooperation with the students who participate in the project set up the sections and the activities that were based on the interests of the students. That resulted to the understanding of basic information and elaboration of concepts, generalization and manners of reality. The disciplinary knowledge is validated only when it helps for the understanding and facing of these issues. The possess of disciplinary knowledge is not an end of itself but remains a mean to the student’s attempt to understand himself, the world and to adjust accordingly his manners and his interests. Educational
principles of cross-curriculum unification The principles we went through are summarized as follows: The learning from teacher-focused turns to student-focused as the student is no longer a lying down receiver but an active receiver of the teaching. The learning is based on self-action and the student is free to investigate the subjects that are guided to by his interests. The role of the teacher is supportive and decisive as he is the one who ensures the quality and the methodology of the research. Our subject was considered holistically with the assistance of almost all the disciplines and covering the most courses of our curriculum. Simultaneously we aimed and developed a lot the principle of cooperation and group work. The students work in groups, made of Greek and Italian students. This new experience has filled with enthusiasm the students who do not only have partners but friends also in the collaborating country. The same happened to the teachers. The frequency of contacted through the new technology has overcome any previous experience of students and teachers (during the previous working months the contact was almost daily and many students decided to have their holidays together with the students of the collaborating school as the cooperation turned to friendship between the nations).
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