IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GRUNDTVIG PROJECT IN POLAND

In the project the Polish partner was netEDUKACJA, a training centre from Gliwice that concentrates its activity in the areas of adult education and e-learning.

Within the framework of the project execution in Poland the Internet training courses designed for educators, and entitled (1) "How to prepare and conduct an e-learning course with use of the moodle platform" and (2) "How to Publish Your Own Educational Material as a Professionally Designed E-Book", were prepared and started. That activity aimed at implementation of the project target, i.e. development of skills of the educators of adult persons in the scope of application of the courses at a distance. The course is available in the netEDUKACJA Internet Platform at http://moodle.netedukacja.com. During execution of the project a lot of attention was also brought to citizenship education, including the question how to be an active citizen of the European Union.

At the local level one undertook cooperation with the local circle, in particular with the Upper-Silesian Educational Centre (i.e. GCE - Gornoslaskie Centrum Edukacyjne) in Gliwice that was one of the biggest public schools in the territory of Silesian Region. Experiences of GCE in teaching at a distance were presented by the Polish side as an example of Good Practice. During the international meeting of the project partners in Poland in June 2010, which was devoted mainly to usage of ICT and the methods of teaching at a distance in education, the participants had the opportunity to visit GCE and get to know how e-learning courses (blended learning type) were conducted there. 

The Polish partner has also developed the project website 

 

INNOVATION

The Internet courses for educators entitled: (1) "How to prepare and conduct an e-learning course with use of the moodle platform" and (2) "How to Publish Your Own Educational Material as a Professionally Designed E-Book" (the second course is an online course for teachers of various professions who wish to publish their own educational material as a professionally designed e-book and make it available to their students).

 

Currently the netEDUKACJA Training Centre conducts English language courses online, whereas the other training courses are conducted as stationary ones, including in-service  educators/teachers trainings (in  the scope of evaluation, modular education in school practice and accreditation of pupils’/ learners' competences). 

The Grundtvig Project as the consequence of the specific needs of adult education

As the project "Development of good practice and innovative teaching methods of adult and citizenship education" refers to the problems connected with the adult education; the main emphasis is placed upon the possibility of increasing the competence and the resource of tools and methods which would improve the work of educators (teachers, consultants, tutors) with adult learners. 

Choice of the Tools

Such chance is provided by making use of the Internet training courses based on the educational platform. In the consequence of the diagnosis of the changing educational situation (adult person emigration, need for life-long education, among other things) the concept of making use of a training at a distance has arisen. This type of courses may be used as the supplement to the traditionally conducted (stationary) courses or as a sole form. The sole form (exclusively e-learning) has been chosen. The advantage of such solution is optionality of time and place of making use of the course resources by all its users.

Good Practices

The starting point was the experience of two teachers from the Upper-Silesian Educational Centre in Gliwice who, since 2004, have implemented the blended learning courses in the process of education of students from the teenage schools and learners of the adult schools at the post- secondary level. Thus the developed and executed teaching innovations may be considered the basis of knowledge and skills necessary to prepare, implement and execute e-learning courses. The good practices concerning creation of educational courses in the relationship of a teacher (a course creator, a consultant and an educator) and a student/a learner became a set of experiences that may be shared with other educators who want to develop their competences in the scope of adult education. 

Innovative teaching methods

In the consequence of the idea of helping future creators of e-learning courses the idea of creating the exclusively Internet course for teachers themselves has arisen. The experience and the already proven methods have formed the basis for creation of the innovative course-guide for educators - “How to prepare and conduct an e-learning course with use of the moodle platform”. The form of the Internet course was applied, without the option of so-called ‘blended learning’ (as a supplement to stationary courses), to enable newly created tool to become an universal, independent of extrinsic factors (time, place, economy among other things) improvement in the educator’s work.

Innovative Character of the Content

- introduction of new problems,

- individually considered recipient orientation of the content,

- transfer of the content, making use of multimedia techniques.

The Course prepared by Teachers for Teachers

The guide has been prepared by teachers and its recipients were to be other educators – future creators of e-learning courses. It aimers at facilitating and improving work of a teacher having the idea for an Internet course and the necessary preparation and providing the sufficient and adequate content-related materials. The guide takes a form of a short study that includes indispensable directions, advices and practical suggestions how to work step by step, making use of the moodle platform.

The Course Form

The course for teachers provided the capabilities offered by the moodle education platform – the authors decided to choose it because of its availability (moodle is free of charge) and functionality (simplicity of the moodle operation). 

In effect the formal priority became its easiness and clarity because its users were the persons who did not have the advanced competence in using a computer. Thus it was not necessary for the users to have any skills to use HTML, to create web pages and to write computer programs, etc.. It was enough to have basic computer literacy, skill of working with texts and graphic materials and mailing messages together with enclosures, and, of course, passion and commitment.

Therefore the transferred subject-related content covered exclusively the necessary range, and its layout was to improve a future course creator’s systematic increase in competence, to facilitate navigation and quick search and usage of the resources. The subject-oriented arrangement of the modules, the order of the discussed resources and the activities according to their degree of difficulty resulted from that aim.

The practical aim of the exercises was to improve the recipients’ self-assurance and satisfaction having resulted from the fact that knowledge was assimilated and the competences were appropriately applied.

The Content of the Course entitled “How to prepare and conduct an e-learning course with use of the moodle platform”

Within the framework of the project execution the e-learning course addressed to educators (teachers, consultants, tutors, etc.) was developed, prepared and implemented. Its informative part included some assumptions, targets and specification of the course form. Next, there appeared simple advices referring to the preparatory phase and the subsequent work comfort in the phase of the e-learning course execution. 

Two sorts of resources were used there and they included, as follows:

a) the theoretical part (lectures, charts, lessons, books) 

and

b) the practical part (various types of exercises to check the acquired competences). It should be stressed that both parts are closely interrelated and the originators first of all cared about the course participants’ own work.

The subject area of the particular parts (chapters of the course-guide) was subordinated to the following modules that contained both, as follows:

a) the condensed knowledge of the possibilities of application of the next ‘moodle’ tool in the situation of creating and conducting an e-learning course, 

and 

b) the manners of its application.

 

Usability

In accordance with the made assumptions the course “How to prepare and conduct an e-learning course with use of the moodle platform” is a useful tool that improves activity of the educators who cooperate with adult students. Its advantages are of two types:

a) it strengthens the competence and skill development and it simultaneously increases  experience of the teachers themselves, 

and also 

b) it prepares in a precursory manner the basis for future e-learning activities oriented to:

- efficient cooperation between the educator and the educated,

- usage of the proven and available teaching tools,

- leveling the dysfunction arising from the fact that the adult have more difficult access to education, extrinsic factors that demotivate the learners (like the environmental impact, change of the place of residence),

- motivation and positive evaluation of the teacher’s and student’s work with the Internet platform.

Such form of the course enables getting familiar with the general requirements concerning application of the primary tools and the auxiliary tools; it enables one to indicate what tools should be used and which should be avoided, and it enables making the teacher’s/educator’s competence more coherent in the scope of preparation of his/her own courses.

 

 

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

 

Within the framework of the project execution the report on the citizenship education in Poland, its history and its current situation was elaborated; in that report examples of the good practice were also presented. The full version of the study (in Polish language vesion) has been made available at the web page of the Grundtvig project www.adult.bazaprojektow.eu as a PDF in the "Results" part of website.

Previously and now

In Poland in various periods of its history the citizenship education took various forms according to the changing political and social conditions.

After 1989 two main directions of the civil education were formed: a conservative one that referred to the traditions that accepted the national and Christian values and the global citizenship direction that referred to the universal values. In 1995 during the 2nd National Teachers’ Meeting: “Democracy, and Education and Upbringing”, education for democracy was established as the basic aim. The effect of such oriented actions should be the civil society whose members are distinguished by their active participation in social life and their responsibility. One of the postulates of the Meeting was to change the orientation of civil education from the national orientation to the democratic one. According to that postulate many programs for the youth and the adult that included social, political and legal matters in Poland, Europe and in the world were developed. For example, one of them, selected by the Ministry of Education includes the following subjects: 1) Living with the others, 2) In the social scene, 3) Society of citizens, 4) Authority, state, politics, 5) Democracy in action, 6) Polish political system, 7) Legal system in Poland, 8) Legal rights, 9) Poland in Europe, 10) Problems of the modern world. This program, developed in the Civil Education Centre, constitutes a guide-book including tasks, exercises, evaluation criteria and manners of execution of the aims in practice on the basis of the rule of interaction between a teacher and a student/learner.

Main Factors of Citizenship Education

The important elements of citizenship education are, as follows: identity, participation, integration and memory. As the first step the introductory classes that aim at making the learners aware of the historical process common for the European nations that has resulted in the up-to-date notion of the active citizenship are proposed.

1st Element - Identity

The classes referring to identity may be conducted in a form of discussion that includes such matters as:

- religion, languages, geography – as the factors cooperating in creation of identity,

- identity hierarchy – why some identities are valued higher than others,

- national, European and international dimension of identity,

- possibility of creating the European identity on the basis of the community of interests and values.

2nd Element - Participation

It arises from the educational practice that good results of propagating civil participation are brought by:

- debates about the selected subject organized for diverse groups, connected with participants’ playing various parts in the discussion,

- encouraging activity in political parties and social organizations,

- writing applications, proposals and petitions to the authority and institutions,

- discussions about effectiveness of various forms of protests and demonstrations,

- instruction concerning initiation of new social movements.

The subjects proposed for discussions and debates may cover:

- the notion of the common good and the social responsibility,

- civil rights and liberties and their execution through participation in social movements, political parties, interest groups,

- social communication and knowledge,

- participation in the election process and its supporting,

- meaning of the voluntary service, including the voluntary service to the elderly.

3rd Element - Integration

Integration in the period when Europe is uniting itself and the progressive globalization takes place is of special significance for new members and candidates for the European Union. It is an indispensable requirement for friendly coexistence and harmonious cooperation of various national and social groups. A basic tool of the integration activities is education of both the youth and the adult, taking into consideration wide access to information and social communication means.

The practical manners of supporting the integration process may include, as follows:

- foreign language education, provision of foreign language information and cultural heritage of various states,

- organizing the international cultural events: book fairs, festivals, supporting the frontier trade,

- organizing and supporting various forms of exchange and voluntary services.

Important subjects of the European and global integration are the problems connected with migration of people, religious minorities, sexual minorities, national minorities, such as: racism, xenophobia, intolerance, segregation and isolation, marginalization. The discussion subject area may be the ways of preventing these phenomena: propagating the advantages of multiculturalism, tolerance, pluralism, assimilation and social welfare.

4th Element - Memory

Memory and history find their natural place in civil education and they constitute a good interpersonal connection at the international level. The appropriate subjects for discussion are both individual and collective historical identity in the aspect of victories and defeats, hierarchy of historical events from the point of view of various communities (societies, nations) and controversial matters. Practical manners of realizing such subject area may consist in interviews and discussions with the persons – witnesses to history, help with recording the oral pieces of information and collecting the historic documents. Very special and irreplaceable part in these actions is played by elderly persons.

An Example of Good Practice – Gliwice

“The Adaptation Course for Repatriates and Their Immediate Family Members” from Silesian Voivodship realized in the Upper-Silesian Education Centre of Lifelong Learning in Gliwice (Polish language courses and the adaptation course for repatriates and their families  from Kazakhstan and Ukraine executed in 2005).

Participants of the adaptation course took part in the weekend free meetings with specialists in the scope of, among other things: adaptation in a new environment, the legal regulations in Poland, the labour legislation, the repatriates’ rights, the insurance system and types of the insurance, the tax system and the health care system. During the workshops repatriates made use also of consultation concerning solving their personal problems, e.g. pension entitlement after years of work in Kazakhstan or possibility of gaining a new profession by the adult. The Polish Language Course, on a 100-hour basis, dealt with writing and understanding of written texts in particular non-literary texts. A lot of classes were devoted to pronunciation and conversation exercises referring to the everyday life subjects, during which the previously acknowledged subjects were strengthened. The classes dealing with Polish culture were enriched with interesting materials (in particular the multimedia presentations showing cultural and historic monuments evoked in elderly repatriates not only interest but true emotions). The course participants received a set of teaching materials and Polish language orthographic dictionaries. The classes were conducted with use of various methods, however, mainly activating ones. The organized meetings resulted not only in acquired knowledge and language skills but also friendships established between the repatriates who had arrived to Poland.

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Active citizenship in the Grundtvig "Development of good practice and innovative teaching methods of adult and citizenship education" current project 

 

In the taken actions the main focus was on cultural dialogue and integration with the participants from other countries. All persons involved in execution of the project on the Polish side, with use of the Internet sources, books and albums, enriched their knowledge of the partner countries: Lithuania and Turkey.

The following practical manners of supporting the integration processes were used:

- Teaching the foreign languages

Within the framework of the project the materials for self-education and learning Lithuanian and Turkish were provided, i.e. audio-courses for beginners comprising the most important words and expressions, exercises, dialogues and the basic grammar. All persons involved in execution of the project within the framework of self-education obligated themselves to learn some basic words, including polite expressions in a given language.

- Internet sources of information on the partner countries and their cultural heritage. 

Those sources were used to get to know the information on history, culture and customs of the state that we visited within the framework of mobility. 

- Organization of the international meeting of the project partners in Poland, 

including cultural activities, e.g. sightseeing in Cracow and visiting Polish cultural and historic monuments.

- Participation in the partner meetings: in Lithuania and in Turkey

Joint work during the workshop part, visits in the local education objects and more behind-the-scene talks turned out to be extraordinary opportunity of integration of the Grundtvig project participants. Discussions in English, Lithuanian, Turkish and Polish resulted in mutual exchange of remarks, impressions, and attempts to learn some basic words from the interlocutor’s native language. Extraordinary warmth and openness of the hosts encouraged the guests – music, singing, dancing, tasting of original dishes became a pretext for telling the stories of the native culture and customs by each of the partners. So in effect satisfaction was found in every word that turned out to sound similar in different languages, in synonymous customs, in making new acquaintances that often transformed into friendships. 

 

The persons involved in the project implementation in Poland:

- Grażyna Król

- Barbara Dzik

- Aleksandra Maliszewska

- Piotr Maliszewski

- and the educators/learners/consultants who participated in the testing phase of the Internet course that was started within the framework of the Grundtvig present project.

 

 

 

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