PARKSKOLAN
A Summery of the National report of ECCE – European Citizens Challenging Education, Comenius 1 School development project, year 1 2003-2004
3.29 Special measures have been taken for
1) Equal rights for women and men
2) Promotion of Intecultural Education
Description of measures
Representatives from both sex were picked to the project meeting.
A Social Science class with a majority of girls worked together with a class of boys in the Electrical Program in the Local Youth Parliament.
For Year 2 we are planning a more equal spread of boys and girls.
Cooperation with a group studying Swedish for immigrants.
A special theme in History: Racism and hostility towards foreigners.
A special day about different religions for year 3 students.
3.32 In what way the project have been integrated in teaching at school
Year 1 – the examination and planning year - we made some experiments to strengthen student democracy and active citizenship. Year 2 we aim to have more pilot projects and year 3 full implantation.
Year 1 activities:
Experiments to strengthen student democracy and active citizenship through extended program council for students in two different programs : all students in these programs participated in the council in stead of some representatives.
One issue of the Internet Magazine Freeway, which the four schools are running together had ECCE as a theme: ”To be a Citizen in a global world” (http//:www.freeway.org). Students in the respective schools contributed with articels.
A new category in Freeway called ECCE to present and to collect ECCE activities.
A video conference where students, teachers and headteachers from three schools talked to each other and exchanged experiencies.
Experiments to widen students influence in the local community through a ”Youth Parliament” where two classes of students from Parkskolan, one from an academical program and one from a vocational program, worked together.
One class of students also participated in a School Board meeting which for this purpose was held at Parkskolan.
A group of students got the opportunity to have opinions on the new structure planning of the town.
A group of students participated for two days in ”Open Space”, an activity run by Vision 2008, the development group in Örnsköldsvik. A cooperation between the local community, local organizations and industry with the aim to strengthen young people´s engagement and influence in the local community.
Some groups of students have in the cource “Projektarbete” worked with local partners for instance ”The Friends of Latvia” and ABF (the workers study alliance).
3.34 In what way the project have influenced management, organization and way of working at school
A management group – with headteacher, vice principal and three teachers - have had regular meetings. This group have worked with examination of the existing situation for student democracy and involvement in school and in society. They have also presented ideas for pilot projects and intensified contacts with local partners.
They have encouraged experiments for instance extended program councils and participating in the local democratic process.
Meetings have been held with personal in school and with representatives for the local community and organizations.
3.38 In what way the project have influenced students and teachers motivation and ability
The cooperation in the management group has strengthen the consciousnes about issues of democracy and citizenship. The ECCE project is a way to fulfill the local school planning and the national school goals. The international dimension and the close contact with our partner schools increase the motivation and competence. It is stimulating to give good citizenship ideas to our partners and to receive good practise from them.
Some more groups of teachers at Parkskolan have through the activities been motivated to run pilot projects year 2. For example the Industry Program started to prepare for a project about increasing student responsibility.
Students have been motivated to participate in the process through extended program council and Open Space. Hopefully this process will be widen through pilot projects Year 2.
3.40 In what way the project have cooperated with the local community
The cooperation have been through:
Information and planning meeting with the local school authority and invited organizations.
Students´ work with the Youth parliament.
Students participating in the school committee.
Students´ remittence activity.
Open-air meeting on the Human Rights Day together with Amnesty and the local United Nations organization.
Aid project with The Friends of Latvia.
Exchange with Zimbabwe together with the workers study organization (ABF). Groups of students have been responsible.
3.42 If there were any problems
Year 1 – the year of examination and planning – has not caused specific problems. We have mostly encouraged and strengthened our ways of working with student influence as well as contact with organizations in the local community and the local organizations.
The planning for year 2 also included efforts to involve more groups of teachers to run pilot projects and some have been decided ( see the planning scheme for year 2). The ECCE activities will widen and it will demand management and co-ordinating.
3.43 Project goals
The project goals for year 1 were:
To examine issues of teaching active citizenship.
To develope strategies aiming to strengthen active citizenship in school and to organize suitable structures.
To cooperate with parents and the local community to develope a program for active citizenship.
To identify and spread good practise of teaching active citizenship for students in the twentyfirst century.
Examples of fulfilling the goals:
We have examined the existing teaching of active citizenship and put stress on and carried out some good practise for instance the open – air meeting on The Human Rights Day and the Youth Parliament activities and discussed how those activities could be developed and spread.
We have had a pilot project about how to develop student involvement through ”extended program council” and proposed a change of the student council to get more students involved.
We have met the leaders of the local community local organizations to discuss ideas of cooperation.
We have identified and spread good practise for instance through articles in Freeway.
3.44 Positive effekts
The cooperation in the management group between school leaders and teachers has been of great value. Issues of democracy has been in focus which means a lot as we are a learning organization. Teacher in service training concerning democracy is planned.
The rizing contact with the local municipality and the local organizations has improved the teaching situation.We have also recognized that the ECCE activities well suits the goals for Parkskolan.
The bonds between the partner schools have been stronger through this project. The involvement of the Bulgarian school in the project promotes the group of schools.
The visit of the headteacher of Malbank School was of big value.
Through ECCE a group of teachers – and also two students – got the possibility to study Italian.
3.45 How to involve teachers and students
To involve teachers at Parkskolan we organized a ”Pedagogical Café” when the management group and some students informed about ECCE. The different groups of teachers discussed and tried to propose pilot projects for year 2.
Four students participated in the project meeting in Malpas which was very stimulating for them. They informed later about it through articles in the local newspaper, the school magazine, the local school authorities magazine and Freeway.
Two groups of students participated in the video conference.
One group of students participated in the “Open Space” activities outside school.
and some students were able to cooperate with local organizations for meetings and visits – even abroad – all of which inspired and developed the students.
3.46 Evaluation and dissemination
The local activities have been evaluated in discussions. In Social Science program some parts of 2 EQBS benchmarking were used.
The outcome has been informed through meetings about ECCE and through articles written by students in the local newspaper, the school magazine, the local school authorities magazine and Freeway.