ZBORNIK PRISPEVKOV Osnovna šola Gradec Litija, 21.10. 2022 Zbornik prispevkov, predstavljenih na konferenci Lifelong learning – future competences na OŠ Gradec v Litiji 21. 10. 2022 Uredniški odbor: Anja Knežević, Anita Mirjanić in Damjan Štrus Oblikovala: Anja Knežević Izdala: Osnovna šola Gradec Litija, 2023 Dosegljivo na: © Osnovna šola Gradec, Litija, 2022 Kataložni zapis o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani COBISS.SI-ID 168343043 ISBN 978-961-91575-7-2 (PDF) Uvodni nagovor ravnatelja Damjan Štrus Osnovna šola Gradec Petek, 21. oktober 2022, je za OŠ Gradec pomemben mejnik. Na šoli smo namreč ta dan organizirali uspešno mednarodno konferenco na temo vseživljenjskih kompetenc. S konferenco, ki smo jo poimenovali »Lifelong learning – future competences: digital, communicative, managerial, organisational and social competences«, smo zaključili projekt »Skupnosti, ki podpirajo mlade«. Pri organizaciji konference sta sodelovala Društvo Lojtra, društvo za osebni in poklicni razvoj mladih, ter OŠ Gradec. Gostili smo pedagoške delavce iz Velike Britanije, Hrvaške, Avstrije, Poljske, Srbije, Romunije ter iz različnih vzgojno-izobraževalnih zavodov in organizacij v Sloveniji. Našemu vabilu se je odzvalo sedem uglednih plenarnih govorcev, ki so predstavili svoj pogled na tematiko konference. Konferenca predstavlja pomemben doprinos k širokemu spektru dejavnosti, ki se jih loteva OŠ Gradec z namenom slediti sodobnim smernicam pouka in spremembam pri današnjih generacijah osnovnošolcev. Naši strokovni delavci se čedalje bolj odpirajo navzven, v lokalno skupnost, v državne inštitucije, nekateri sodelujejo tudi v projektih zunaj slovenskih meja. OŠ Gradec je postala eTwinning šola, učencem omogoča izmenjavo z učenci iz drugih držav (zaenkrat iz Romunije in s Poljske), zanje organizira večdnevni ekskurziji v nemško in angleško govorno območje. Trudimo se ponujati nekaj več na vseh predmetnih področjih. Za uspešno načrtovanje, organiziranje in izvedbo konference je najbolj zaslužna peščica izjemnih, delovnih članic našega kolektiva z zelo dobrimi zamislimi, ki so jih sposobne in pripravljene realizirati. Vedo, kako stopiti iz ustaljenih okvirov ter poskrbeti za prepoznavnost šole. Ob tej priložnosti se jim iskreno zahvaljujem za pripravljenost soočiti se z izzivom in uspešno realizacijo projekta. Damjan Štrus i IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD – ZA VZGOJO OTROKA JE POTREBNA VAS Aljaž Zupan Društvo Lojtra, društvo za osebni in poklicni razvoj mladih Projekt »Skupnosti, ki podpirajo mlade«, strateško partnerstvo v okviru programa Erasmus+, je povezal dve osnovni šoli in dve organizaciji za mlade iz Slovenije in Romunije z namenom vzpostavitve medsektorskega neformalnega izobraževalnega programa za aktivno državljanstvo najstnikov v lastni lokalni skupnosti. V projektu smo si prizadevali za vključevanje, ki je temeljilo na aktivni participaciji mladih preko različnih aktivnosti za krepitev lastnih kompetenc in sooblikovanje lastne lokalne skupnost. Mladi, ki so sodelovali v projektu, so bili stari 13–14 let. Primarna socializacija poteka v družini, ki otroka opremi s ključnimi življenjskimi kompetencami (znanji, veščinami, odnosi, vrednotami, prepričanji, vedenji). Ker družine niso ločeni otoki, ampak so del družbene celote oz. ena njenih osnovnih celic, otrok najkasneje pri šestih letih pride v stik z drugimi kompleksnimi družbenimi okolji, kot sta vrtec in šola. Še kasneje pa se tem okoljem začnejo pridruževati okolja različnih interesnih dejavnosti in prijateljske skupine. Vsa ta okolja in skupine igrajo (poleg družine) pomembno vlogo pri socializaciji, pri usmerjanju otroka na poti do funkcionalnega člana družbe. Z našim projektom smo nagovarjali in raziskovali obdobje najstništva, ko mladi pričenjajo biti tudi del lokalne skupnosti, v kateri živijo, in ne le del družine, šole, interesne dejavnosti, prijateljske skupine. Kako mlade vključiti v to skupnost, kakšne pravice in kakšne odgovornosti takšen proces prinaša, kaj bi takšno vključevanje dolgoročno prineslo, je bilo le nekaj vprašanj, na katera smo poskušali odgovoriti. Z željo po razumevanju obravnavanega področja smo se lotili študija relevantne literature in izvedbe lastne raziskave. Na podlagi ugotovitev smo oblikovali kompetenčni model, ki je določil, katere kompetence učenci potrebujejo za boljšo vključenost in sooblikovanje skupnosti. V naslednjem koraku smo oblikovali različne učne aktivnosti, preko katerih so učenci pridobivali identificirane kompetence. Učne aktivnosti so bile sestavljene iz delavnic in projektov na šoli, obiskov v lokalnih skupnostih, različnih izletov, mednarodnih izmenjav, delavnic v organizacijah za mlade in projektov v lokalnih skupnosti. Vse navedene učne aktivnosti smo testno izvedli v dveh skupinah najstnikov v Sloveniji in Romuniji in opazovali njihove učinke. Pristop se je izkazal kot uspešen, zato smo ga javnosti predstavili v priročniku, s pomočjo katerega ga je mogoče prenesti tudi v druge lokalne skupnosti. Priročnik je dosegljiv na povezavi https://www.drustvolojtra.si/spmprirocnik/. Po 28 mesecih raziskovanja lahko trdimo, da si mladi želijo biti vključeni; želijo biti del skupnosti, v katerih živijo; želijo se družiti, spoznavati pogovarjati, raziskovati, se smejati, delati, ii prispevati, biti koristni; želijo biti videni in slišani; želijo obstajati, biti prepoznani, biti vredni. Prvi in osnovni pogoj za zavestno in načrtno podpiranje česarkoli od naštetega v prejšnjem odstavku je, da si za mlade vzamemo čas. Potrebna so redna druženja s skupinami mladih skozi daljše časovno obdobje (vsaj 18 mesecev), pri čemer mentorji ostajajo iste osebe. Nadalje je potrebno poskrbeti za primeren prostor (to ni gostilna), ki ga mladi lahko vsaj delno oblikujejo po svojih željah, kjer veljajo jasna pravila (sooblikovana z mladimi) in kjer so lahko mladi tudi sami. Nadalje je pomembno, da so mentorji usposobljeni za vodenje ciljno usmerjenih srečanj. Včasih je druženje dovolj, dolgoročno pa mora vsaka skupina mladih v vsakem obdobju poiskati svoj cilj in mu slediti. Izrednega pomena je tudi, da ves čas izhajamo iz potreb, interesov in težav mladih. To je osnova za vsako aktivnost. Trdno verjamemo, da več spoznavanja, več sodelovanja, več sooblikovanja prinaša bolj povezane lokalne skupnosti. Te prinašajo bolj povezano in bolj solidarno družbo. To je dolgotrajen proces, ki mora koreniniti v vzgoji, da bo zares zaživel. Ponosni, veseli in hvaležni smo, da smo bili majcen delček tega procesa tudi sami. Partnerji v projektu: Društvo Lojtra, Osnovna Šola Gradec, Associatia Curba de Cultura, Scoala Gimnaziala »Dumitru Brezeanu« iii Kazalo vsebine Plenarni govorci .......................................................................................................... 1 The Importance of the Shift from Just Knowledge to Competences ....................... 2 Dr. Robert Repnik ................................................................................................ 2 The future of teachers and teacher of the future/Prihodnost učiteljev, učitelj prihodnosti .............................................................................................................. 3 Dr. Damijan Štefanc ............................................................................................ 3 Developing students' and teachers' digital competences for problem-solving/Razvoj digitalnih kompetenc učencev in učiteljev za reševanje problemov ......................... 5 Dr. Alenka Žerovnik ............................................................................................. 5 The role of artificial intelligence in development of students' and teachers' digital competencies/Vloga umetne inteligence pri razvoju digitalnih kompetenc učencev in učiteljev ................................................................................................................... 7 Dr. Irena Nančovska Šerbec ............................................................................... 7 Developing positive aspects of personality: character strengths of teachers and students/ Razvijanje pozitivnih vidikov osebnosti: vrline učiteljev in učencev ........ 10 Dr. Polona Gradišek .......................................................................................... 10 Education and/in the age of transition ................................................................... 12 Dr. Veronika Tašner .......................................................................................... 12 Dr. Slavko Gaber ............................................................................................... 12 “Not all Readers are Leaders, but all Leaders are Readers.” ................................... 13 Tjaša Lemut Novak............................................................................................ 13 Lack of Social Skills – How to Untie This Gordian Knot? .......................................... 23 Sandra Železnik ................................................................................................ 23 Writing Your Own Short Story in English Lessons According to the Principles of Formative Assessment ............................................................................................. 30 Luka Lavrin ........................................................................................................ 30 The Support of Local Community in the 21st Century to Schools in Rural Areas ...... 37 Marko Protić ...................................................................................................... 37 ACTIVE ECOLOGICAL CITIZENSHIP ..................................................................... 42 Manca Poglajen ................................................................................................. 42 Vzgojna vloga in tipi avtoritete učitelja ...................................................................... 47 Lana Klopčič ...................................................................................................... 47 iv Enabling differences to unite and not to divide ......................................................... 56 Mateja Zupančič ................................................................................................ 56 Thinking with your head - the challenge of future generations.................................. 64 Jasna Colnerič ................................................................................................... 64 INCLUSION OF ERASMUS+ PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS Presentation of the Erasmus+ inclusion model at Gradec Primary School .............................................. 72 Barbara Toš ....................................................................................................... 72 I am a Teacher, what is your super power? .............................................................. 79 Sabina Dobršek Mladkovič ................................................................................ 79 v Plenarni govorci Dr. Robert Repnik, Fakulteta za naravoslovje in matematiko, UM - The Importance of the Shift from Just Knowledge to Competences invited keynote lecture Dr. Damijan Štefanc, Filozofska fakulteta, UL - The future of teachers and teacher of the future invited keynote lecture Dr. Alenka Žerovnik, Pedagoška fakulteta, UL - Developing students' and teachers' digital competences for problem-solving invited keynote lecture Dr. Irena Nančovska Šerbec, Pedagoška fakulteta, UL - The role of artificial intelligence in development of students' and teachers' digital competencies invited keynote lecture Dr. Polona Gradišek, Pedagoška fakulteta, UL - Developing positive aspects of personality: character strengths of teachers and students invited keynote lecture Dr. Slavko Gaber, Pedagoška fakulteta, UL - Future of education and/in age of transition invited keynote lecture Sašo Kronegger, 3P izobraževanje in svetovanje - The role of comunity in education of youth invited keynote lecture 1 The Importance of the Shift from Just Knowledge to Competences Dr. Robert Repnik Fakulteta za naravoslovje in matematiko, Univerza v Mariboru Povzetek Živimo v času hitrih sprememb, kar je velik izziv za izobraževanje. V šolah poučujemo učence, ki bodo v odraslosti opravljali poklice, ki jih morda danes še sploh ni. Zato učiteljeva osredotočenost zgolj na znanja, ki so praviloma hitro pozabljiva, ni dovolj. Potreben je prehod k sistematičnemu razvoju kompetenc, ki poleg znanj zaobjemajo še mnogo več. Že kar nekaj let se pomembnosti različnih kompetenc v znanosti in v izobraževalnih politikah zavedamo, še vedno pa šepa njihova implementacija v izobraževalno vertikalo. Nekaj nepreglednosti prinaša tudi raznolikost in množičnost kompetenc. V prispevku bom kontekstualno povezal ključne, generične in za naravoslovna področja predmetno specifične kompetence. Poudarjeno bom pojasnil generične, kakor smo jih opredelili v projektu Razvoj naravoslovnih kompetenc. V zadnjem času pa se poleg omenjenih kot pomembne izkazujejo še podjetnostne kompetence, ki jih bom predstavil skozi prizmo reševanja problemov in učinkovitosti v poučevanju. 2 The future of teachers and teacher of the future/Prihodnost učiteljev, učitelj prihodnosti Dr. Damijan Štefanc Filozofska fakulteta, Univeza v Ljubljani Abstract On the one hand, the question is: what does the future hold for teachers? A few decades ago, when computer technology began to enter the classroom, there were expectations that the role of teachers would change, that modern technology would take over an important part of teaching: these expectations did not materialise during the so-called 'programmed instruction' and 'semi-programmed instruction' of the 1960s and 1970s, but today, with the emergence of increasingly advanced computer technologies and artificial intelligence, they seem to be enjoying something of a renaissance. The real question is whether teachers will gradually become more and more obsolete, negligible and marginal players in the educational process. Just think of how a discourse is gradually gaining ground that defends teachers from performing the role that teachers have performed for centuries - i.e. teaching. Today, we no longer expect teachers to teach explicitly, we see direct teaching as a kind of relic of the past. Today, a good teacher is an invisible, hidden, behind-the-scenes teacher who, at most, makes sure that pupils learn, that learning takes place in accordance with modern psychological knowledge, that they master the 'learning to learn'. Gert Biesta calls this process the 'learnification of education'. So perhaps we need to ask ourselves what the teacher of the future will be like, do we really imagine him or her only as someone who will guide learning and reinforce competences, as they are perceived at the level of global education policy? What will we expect of a teacher in a world where technology is advancing to such an extent that every word and every image can be convincingly falsified (just think of fake news, deep fake, etc.), a world where every knowledge can be called into question, where knowledge is declared to be only an 'individual construct of each person', and where information can be manipulated and, as a result, people's behaviour and responses controlled and their well-being influenced? Povzetek Po eni strani se zastavlja vprašanje, kakšna prihodnost čaka učitelje? Že pred nekaj desetletji, ko je začela računalniška tehnologija vstopati v šolski prostor, smo bili deležni pričakovanj, da se bo vloga učiteljev spremenila, da bo pomemben del 3 pedagoških dejavnosti prevzela sodobna tehnologija: ta pričakovanja se v času t. i. »programiranega pouka« in »polprogramiranega pouka« v 60. in 70. letih niso uresničila, danes pa se zdi, da ob vzniku vse naprednejših računalniških tehnologij in umetne inteligence na nek način doživljajo svojo renesanso. Čisto zares se nam zastavlja vprašanje, ali bodo učitelji postopoma postajali v učnem procesu vse bolj obsoletni, zanemarljivi, obrobni akterji. Pomislimo samo, kako se postopoma krepi diskurz, ki učiteljem brani opravljati vlogo, ki so jo opravljali stoletja: poučevati. Danes od učiteljev ne pričakujemo več, da bodo poučevali, to razumemo kot nekakšno ostalino preteklosti. Dober učitelj je danes neviden, prikrit, učitelj v zaodrju, ki kvečjemu popazi na to, da se učenci učijo, da učenje poteka skladno s sodobnimi psihološkimi dognanji, da obvladajo »učenje učenja«. Gert Biesta, znani nizozemski pedagog, temu pravi »poučenjenje izobraževanja« (learnification of education). Zato se najbrž moramo vprašati, kakšen bo učitelj prihodnosti, si ga res predstavljamo samo kot nekoga, ki bo usmerjal učenje in krepil kompetence, kot si jih bodo vsakič znova zamislili na ravni globalne šolske politike? Kaj bomo pričakovali od učitelja v svetu, kjer tehnologija tako napreduje, da je mogoče prepričljivo potvoriti vsako besedo in vsako podobo (pomislite samo na fake news, deep fake ipd.), torej v svetu, kjer je mogoče zasejati dvom v vsako znanje, kjer znanje razglašamo le za »individualni konstrukt vsakega posameznika«, in kjer je mogoče manipulirati z informacijami in posledično upravljati z vedenjem ljudi, nadzorovati njihove odzive in vplivati na njihovo počutje? 4 Developing students' and teachers' digital competences for problem-solving/Razvoj digitalnih kompetenc učencev in učiteljev za reševanje problemov Dr. Alenka Žerovnik Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta, Katedra za računalništvo in didaktiko računalništva Abstract Lifelong learning is the guiding principle of all educational and learning processes and is established in Slovenia as a fundamental social and developmental strategy. The key competences for lifelong learning are defined in eight core competences that all citizens need in the knowledge society for personal development, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability. One of the important competences is digital literacy, which encompasses the confident, critical and responsible use of digital technology and its integration into learning, teaching, work and social participation. It includes information and data literacy, the ability to communicate and collaborate in a digital environment, media literacy, digital content creation, security, intellectual property issues, problem solving, and critical thinking (Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, 2019). The effective use of digital technologies and the development of teachers' and students' digital literacies are also related to the skills that students and teachers need to acquire, and in the past we have too often mistakenly assumed that today's generations of children are "digital natives." Confident and responsible use and integration of digital technologies in the classroom and integration of active learning techniques helps students develop their digital literacy. At the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana, we have been developing students' digital literacy for many years using a teaching model based on project- and problem-based learning. Using practical examples of problem-based projects, students, future teachers, acquire the basic knowledge to develop their digital literacy. The paper includes an explanation of the model from conception to assessment and evaluation of student learning outcomes. The model can be used at different levels of instruction and in relation to any subject area. Povzetek Vseživljenjskost učenja je vodilno načelo vsega izobraževanja in učenja in je uveljavljeno kot temeljna družbeno-razvojna strategija v Sloveniji. Ključne kompetence za vseživljenjsko učenje so opredeljene v osmih temeljnih zmožnostih, ki jih vsi državljani potrebujemo za svojo osebno izpolnitev, socialno vključenost, aktivno 5 državljanstvo in zaposljivost v družbi znanja. Ena od pomembnih kompetenc je digitalna kompetenca, ki vključuje samozavestno, kritično in odgovorno uporabo digitalne tehnologije in njeno vključevanje v učenje, poučevanje, delo in sodelovanje v družbi. Vključuje informacijsko in podatkovno pismenost, spretnost komuniciranja in sodelovanja v digitalnem okolju, medijsko pismenost, ustvarjanje digitalnih vsebin, varnost, vprašanja, povezana z intelektualno lastnino, reševanje problemov in kritično razmišljanje (Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, 2019). Z učinkovito uporabo digitalne tehnologije in razvijanjem digitalnih spretnosti učiteljev in učencev so povezane tudi spretnosti in znanja, ki jih morajo učenci in učitelji usvojiti, pri čemer smo v preteklosti prevečkrat izhajali iz napačne predpostavke, da so današnje generacije otrok »digitalni domorodci«. Učiteljeva samozavestna in odgovorna raba ter vključevanje digitalne tehnologije v poučevanje in načrtovanje aktivnega učenja pomaga učencem pri razvoju njihove digitalne kompetence. Na Pedagoški fakulteti v Ljubljani že vrsto let pri študentih razvijamo digitalno kompetenco z modelom poučevanja, ki temelji na projektnem problemskem učenju. Študenti, bodoči učitelji, skozi praktične primere problemsko zasnovanih projektnih nalog usvajajo temeljna znanja, s pomočjo katerih razvijajo svojo digitalno kompetenco. Prispevek vključuje razlago modela od zasnove do vrednotenja in ocenjevanja študentovih učnih dosežkov. Model lahko uporabimo na različnih ravneh poučevanja in v povezavi s poljubnim predmetnim področjem. 6 The role of artificial intelligence in development of students' and teachers' digital competencies/Vloga umetne inteligence pri razvoju digitalnih kompetenc učencev in učiteljev Dr. Irena Nančovska Šerbec Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta Povzetek Digitalna vključenost je družbeno-tehnološki proces, ki omogoča vsem posameznikom in skupinam, še posebej najbolj ranljivim, dostop do digitalnih tehnologij, pridobivanje in razvoj znanj in spretnosti za uporabo le-teh, ter sodelovanje in vključitev v rastočo informacijsko družbo (Reisdorf in Rhinesmith, 2020). Zato Evropska komisija (2020) v Akcijskem načrtu za digitalno izobraževanje (2021–2027) poudarja pomen zgodnjega pridobivanja osnovnih digitalnih spretnosti, razvoj digitalne pismenosti, vključno z bojem proti dezinformacijam, računalniško vzgojo, dobro poznavanje in razumevanje podatkovno intenzivnih tehnologij, kot je umetna inteligenca, zagotavljanje enake zastopanosti deklet in mladih v digitalnih študijskih programih in na poklicnih poteh ter zelene in trajnostne vidike interakcije z digitalnimi tehnologijami. Okvir digitalnih kompetenc za državljane (DigComp) že več kot desetletje zagotavlja skupno razumevanje digitalnih kompetenc v EU in zunaj nje ter s tem podlago za oblikovanje politike digitalnih spretnosti, razvoj učnih načrtov in ocenjevanje digitalnih spretnosti tako na področju izobraževanja kot na trgu dela. Posodobitev DigComp 2.2 (2022) upošteva nastajajoče tehnologije, kot so umetna inteligenca, internet stvari in datafikacija, ter nove pojave, kot so pogoji učenja in dela na daljavo, ki so poudarili potrebo po razvoju digitalnih kompetenc deležnikov. V prispevku se bomo ukvarjali z razumevanjem, kaj je umetna inteligenca (UI) danes in kaj lahko prinese prihodnost. Podali bomo primere uporabe UI v izobraževanju. UI ponuja široko paleto možnosti, s katerimi učni prostor lahko postane vključujoč, prilagojen posamezniku in sloneč na učnih metodah, osredotočenih na učenca. Pri tem nas zanima, kako podpirati učitelje pri vključevanju dejavnosti, povezanih z UI, v pouk. Učitelji morajo biti tudi vešči prepoznati in ozaveščati o nevarnostih UI ter razmišljati o etični uporabi UI. Večja ozaveščenost bo pripomogla tudi k večji občutljivosti za morebitna vprašanja, povezana z varstvom podatkov in zasebnostjo, etiko, pravicami otrok in pristranskostjo – vključno z dostopnostjo, spolno pristranskostjo in invalidnostjo. Če razvijalci UI izobraževalnih tehnologij ne posvečajo pozornosti posameznikom s posebnimi potrebami, manjšinam, algoritmi UI, ki usmerjajo učenje, 7 lahko delujejo pristransko. Pri spodbujanju raznolikosti morajo biti sistemi UI dostopni vsem in vključevati vse deležnike. Odprli bomo vprašanja, kot so: - Katerim poklicem v bližnji prihodnosti grozi izginotje zaradi avtomatizacije? - Ali naj bo v učilnicah dovoljeno spremljanje čustev učencev v realnem času? - Ali lahko UI pošteno oceni učence? - Ali UI zmanjšuje vpliv disleksije, diskalkulije ali drugih učnih težav na učenje? UI ne bo vplivala le na učinkovitosti obstoječega izobraževanja, temveč bo spremenila tudi kontekst, v katerem poteka učenje in v katerem postane le-to družbeno pomembno. Zato je pomembno razumeti vpliv UI v kontekstu prihodnjega izobraževanja skozi prizmo uresničevanja človeških potencialov. Abstract Digital inclusion is a socio-technological process that enables all individuals and groups, especially the most vulnerable, to access digital technologies, acquire and develop the skills to use them, and participate and integrate in the growing information society (Reisdorf and Rhinesmith, 2020). For this reason, the European Commission (2020) emphasises in its Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) the importance of early acquisition of basic digital skills, development of digital literacy, including combating misinformation, computer literacy, a good knowledge and understanding of data-intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence, ensuring equal representation of women and young people in digital studies and careers, and the green and sustainable aspects of interaction with digital technologies. For more than a decade, the Digital Competences Framework for Citizens (DigComp) has provided a common understanding of digital competences in the EU and beyond, as well as a basis for policy-making on digital competences, curriculum development, and assessment of digital competences in both education and the labour market. The DigComp 2.2 (2022) update takes into account new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and datafication, as well as new phenomena such as teleworking and distance learning, which have led to new and higher demands on citizens' digital competences. In this paper, we will focus on understanding what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is today and what the future might bring. We will provide examples of the use of AI in education. AI offers a variety of opportunities to make the learning space inclusive, personalised, and focused on learner-centred instructional practise. We are interested in how teachers can be supported to integrate AI-related activities into the classroom. Teachers also need to be able to recognise and raise awareness of the dangers of AI and reflect on the ethical use of AI. Increased awareness will also help raise sensitivity to potential issues related to data protection and privacy, ethics, children's rights, and bias-including accessibility, gender bias, and disability. If developers of AI educational technologies do not consider people with disabilities and minorities, AI algorithms that 8 guide learning may operate in biassed ways. To promote diversity, AI systems must be accessible to all and inclusive of all stakeholders. We will raise questions like the following: - Which professions are at risk of disappearing in the near future due to automation? - Should real-time monitoring of students' emotions be allowed in the classroom? - Can AI fairly assess students? - Does AI reduce the impact of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or other learning difficulties on learning? AI will not only impact the effectiveness of existing education, but will also change the context in which learning occurs and becomes socially relevant. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of AI in the context of future learning and education through the prism of realising human potential. [1] Reisdorf, B., & Rhinesmith, C. (2020). Digital inclusion as a Core Component of social inclusion.  Social inclusion,  8(2), 132-137. [2] European Commission. (2020). Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027): https://education.ec.europa.eu/sl/focus-topics/digital-education/digital-education- action-plan [3] Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S. and Punie, Y., DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens - With new examples of knowledge, skills and attitudes, EUR 31006 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022, ISBN 978-92-76-48882-8 (online),978-92-76-48883-5 (print), doi:10.2760/115376 (online),10.2760/490274 (print), JRC128415. 9 Developing positive aspects of personality: character strengths of teachers and students/ Razvijanje pozitivnih vidikov osebnosti: vrline učiteljev in učencev Dr. Polona Gradišek Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani Povzetek Na področju pozitivne psihologije preučujemo pozitivne lastnosti, pozitivna čustva in pozitivne inštitucije. Šola bi morala biti t. i. pozitivna inštitucija, v kateri bi si prizadevali za sistematično razvijanje pozitivnih lastnosti učiteljev, učencev, strokovnih delavcev in drugih zaposlenih ter jim v čim večji meri omogočiti doživljanje pozitivnih čustev oz. pozitivne izkušnje. K temu lahko prispevamo s poznavanjem strokovnih in znanstvenih spoznanj o vrlinah, ki so opredeljene kot pozitivne lastnosti z visoko moralno vrednostjo. V prispevku bom predstavila klasifikacijo vrlin, v kateri je opredeljenih 24 vrlin, prisotnih in zaželenih v večini kultur. V prispevku bom utemeljila, zakaj je smiselno in potrebno poznavanje lastnih t. i. osebnih vrlin, tj. tistih, ki jih pri sebi visoko vrednotimo, pogosto ravnamo v skladu z njimi ter se ob tem počutimo pristne in izpolnjene. Številne empirične raziskave kažejo, da lahko pomembno pozitivno vplivamo na kakovost svojega življenja, če usmerjamo pozornost na svoje vrline in jih poskušamo v svojem življenju čim bolj udejanjati. Še posebej je to pomembno za učitelje, saj aktivnosti v smeri prepoznavanja in spodbujanja vrlin pri otrocih ponujajo odlično izhodišče za načrtno pedagoško delo v smeri izboljšanja samopodobe in psihičnega blagostanja učencev. Poznavanje lastnih vrlin pri učiteljih prispeva tudi k njihovemu osebnostnemu in profesionalnemu razvoju. Abstract Research in positive psychology focuses on three main areas: positive personality traits, positive emotions and positive institutions. Schools should be model positive institutions with systematic emphasis on nurturing and developing positive traits of students and teachers, and with an environment which enables experiencing positive emotions. We can build towards this goal with educating about character strengths, defined as positive personality traits that are morally valuable. Classification of character strengths and virtues, which includes 24 universal and positively-valued character strengths, will be presented. I will highlight the importance of identifying signature strengths – those that we own, highly value, frequently exercise and feel fulfilled when using them. Empirical research shows positive impact on well-being when individuals are aware of their character strengths and apply them in their 10 everyday lives. This is especially important for teachers. Teachers’ pedagogical activities, directed towards identification, nurturing and developing character strengths can result in students’ positive self-concept and well-being. Moreover, teachers’ awareness of their own character strengths contributes to their personal and professional development. 11 Education and/in the age of transition Dr. Veronika Tašner Dr. Slavko Gaber Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoška fakulteta Abstract We believe, following conceptualisation of Emile Durkheim, that we can claim close relation between the needs and challenges of modern societies and structuring and functioning of education in particular societies. While challenges of present western societies are numerous and they span from economic, eco to political and institutional ones (including wars) all the way to the ones coming as promise and threat with artificial intelligence, neuroscience and new materials, one, we suggest, should try to engage in careful consideration of needed shifts in present and future education in our nations. Following selected lines of international debate addressing the above mentioned challenges and their correlation/transaction with the field of education we try to present some ideas analysing 1. shifts in meritocratic rationality in times of neoliberal economic and discursive practices; 2. the dilemmas of future economies as possibly hybrid ones (E. Ostrom, J. Rifkin…) and in 3. parallel ideas of future education searching for the arenas beyond the ones stressing mainly individual readiness for competitive wage labour and market economy all the way to the hybrid teaching and learning enabling individuals and cooperating citizens of the planet earth for the sustainable cohabitation and cooperation having in mind wellbeing of our and future generations and our capabilities for free functioning (Sen, Unesco 2021, Biesta…). We believe that social and pedagogic innovations – problematizations of new in competing relations with the old, are already demonstrating that our generations entered The Age of Transition (J.S. Mill). 12 “Not all Readers are Leaders, but all Leaders are Readers.” ― Harry S. Truman Tjaša Lemut Novak Osnovna šola Gradec V sodobnem svetu postaja želja po branju zastarela, odvečna; njeno izvajanje pa vse bolj redko, površno in pospremljeno z nejevoljo in negativnimi čustvi. Tudi pri poučevanju tujega jezika učitelji spremljajo kako le ta usiha pri mladih in kako se spretnosti in veščine, ki jih krepi zmanjšujejo, namesto da bi nenehno rasle, se izboljševale. Zaradi tega je pomembno izboljšanje bralnega razumevanja pri učencih in razvijanje bralnih navad, ki so vseživljenjskega pomena. Bralna pismenost skupaj s funkcionalno pismenostjo omogoča učinkovito vseživljenjsko učenje. Predstavljene so izkušnje za približevanje branja učencem v različnih oblikah in z različnim namenom (na primer: spodbudne misli na stolih, odprte revije, učila na stenah, Book Bag 2-9). Nenehno se učimo – kako hitro in kako učinkovito je odvisno tudi od naših bralnih navad. Ključne besede: branje, bralna navada, približevanje branja učencem, motivacija, bralno razumevanje, Book Bag Abstract The desire to read is becoming obsolete, unnecessary in this modern world. Reading itself is rarer, more superficial and often accompanied by ill will and negative emotions. This is evident also in teaching English as a foreign language – students’ motivation to read and their reading competences and skills and decreasing instead of increasing, improving. Thus, it is important to improve student’s reading comprehension and developing reading habits, which are of lifelong importance. Reading literacy together with functional literacy enables effective lifelong learning. Some experience to approach reading to students in different forms and with different purposes are presented here (e. g. encouraging thoughts on the chairs, open magazines, “lessons” on the walls, Book Bag 2-9). We are constantly learning – how fast and how efficient depends also on our reading habits. Key words: reading, reading habit, to approach reading to students, motivation, reading comprehension, Book Bag 13 Bralne navade – ključ do boljšega razumevanja in učenja 1 Brati ali ne brati – stanje Iz leta v leto spremljam stanje bralnih navad in tekočnost branja pri učencih. Hkrati pa opažam tudi stalen in naraščajoč upad želje po branju in s tem – tako mi vsaj predstavljajo stanje učenci sami – tudi potreb po branju. Zakaj bi nekdo sploh začutil potrebo po branju, če pa je vse dosegljivo s kliki ter prilagojeno tako, da je narejeno na hitro in zelo preprosto? Zakaj bi si kdo želel brati, če pa je toliko bolj priljubljenih stvari (igrice, objave itd.), ki jih lahko počneš? Odgovor 'Zaradi napredka.' je sicer preprost, a zelo težko razumljiv mladim na splošno. O kakšnem napredku se govori, saj je branje vendar zelo zastarela, nemoderna in na vso moč dolgočasna aktivnost. Napredek tu je mišljen v najširšem možnem pomenu besede in je viden/merljiv na več različnih področjih. Ko razvijamo svoje bralne navade, napredujemo kot učenci (ne glede na našo starost), saj je hitrost in učinkovitost učenja odvisna tudi od naših bralnih navad. Z branjem pridobimo in razvijamo tudi mnoge spretnosti (sklepanje, razumevanje, povezovanje pojmov itd.) ter osvajamo različna znanja. Branje samo pokriva zelo širok spekter področij (npr. besedni zaklad, razvoj domišljije), kjer lahko napredujemo ob razvoju in skrbi za naše bralne navade. Ko pa tega ne razvijamo, se upad naših spretnosti in znanj opazi tudi na drugih področjih. Zadnja leta je največji problem upad branja daljših besedil – torej časovno in vsebinsko zahtevnejših gradiv. Ob tem pa ne smemo zanemariti niti nižanja želje po branju. 1.1 Spodbujanje želje in prepoznavanje potrebe po branju Ker sem opažala, da postaja želja po branju učencem zastarela, odvečna; njeno izvajanje pa je bilo vse bolj redko, površno in pospremljeno z nejevoljo in negativnimi čustvi, sem se odločila poiskati načine, kako to spremeniti. Leta 2004 sem poleg angleške bralne značke dodala tudi različne bralne aktivnosti, od šal, kratkih zgodb, ugank, stripov, skupnega branja do kulturnega dneva – kjer so učenci isto literarno delo spoznali kot knjigo, film in gledališko predstavo. Skozi leta sem opažala padce in majhne občasne vzpone v branju v tujem jeziku ter kar nekaj težav in ovir na poti razvijanja bralnih navad. Dve največji oviri sta bili – omejena, maloštevilna gradiva, ki smo jih imeli na voljo v šoli (tako v učilnicah kot šolski knjižnici) ter manjko želje po branju v tujem jeziku pri učencih. Prvo smo skozi leta večkrat naslovili, tako da smo dopolnili obstoječa gradiva in ponudili tudi novejša gradiva. Drugo smo skušali reševati na zelo različne bolj ali manj uspešne načine. Z letom 2018 smo uvedli 14 tudi 'catering' pri branju v tujem jeziku oziroma 'dostavo gradiv na dom' (Book Bag 2 – 9). Zdaj pa skoraj 20-ih letih spremljanja in uvajanja aktivnosti lahko rečem, da sta bili zelo uspešni predvsem dve izboljšavi, in sicer: - projekt Book Bag (ki vključuje vse razrede od 2. do 9. – prvošolci pa večinoma berejo skupaj z učiteljico in ne nosijo gradiv domov; ter je del našega dela že šest let), - pristop 'Trick, Tempt and Teach by example' (ta model 3T je prisoten v učilnicah za angleščino ter spodbuja željo in potrebo po branju). Ker so bralne navade vseživljenjskega pomena, jih je potrebno razvijati in krepiti ves čas. Bralna pismenost skupaj s funkcionalno pismenostjo omogoča učinkovito vseživljenjsko učenje. Zgoraj omenjena pristopa/projekta priporočam tudi drugim, saj sta učinkovita, dobro sprejeta ter prilagodljiva različnim skupinam, situacijam in potrebam. 2 Berem, bereš, bere … Zgled je najboljši učitelj. Dovolimo, da nas vidijo brati, uživati ob branju in doživeti željo po branju. Delimo drug z drugim svoje izkušnje ob branju, morebitne ovire ali dileme. Vzemimo si čas za branje – da lahko vsak bere s svojim tempom in na sebi prilagojen način. Pri pouku pogosto beremo, veliko je tihega branja, ko vsak bere s svojim tempom in tako, da mu/ji je branje lažje, razumljivejše. V učilnici so vedno na voljo slovarji (enojezični in dvojezični), ravnila in listki (za lažje sledenje/zbranost) ter dodatna besedila za branje (npr. članki, revije, knjige, 'readerji', plakati). Poslužujemo se tudi glasnega branja kot 'odmev', torej skupnega in hkratnega, da ni nihče izpostavljen, kasneje pa je vadeno oziroma ponovljeno težje besedilo/struktura. Pogosto imamo 'prostovoljce' za glasno branje ter tudi manjše skupine znotraj katerih se bere npr. po delih ali vlogah. Imeli smo tudi bralne minutke, ko so si gradiva za branje prinesli od doma ali pa dobili v šoli. Čas, ki jim ostane lahko namenijo tudi branju besedil, ki jih potem povedo za angleško bralno značko ali pa naredijo predstavitev. Preverjamo tudi stanje branja oziroma napredek pri branju in se pogovorimo o možnostih in načinih izboljšav. Za dodatno motivacijo želje po branju smo v tem šolskem letu dodali tri udobne stole v bralni kotiček, da je užitek ob branju pospremljen tudi z užitkom na oblazinjenem sedežu. 15 2.1 Posledice nebranja Branje je tako kompleksno in vseprisotno, da so posledice nebranja lahko vidne kjerkoli oziroma povsod. Tista posledica nebranja, ki je po mojem mnenju najbolj skrb vzbujajoča, je pomanjkanje domišljije. Upad v uporabi in razvijanju domišljije pri mladih je iz leta v leto večji. Ko dobijo nalogo, kjer morajo biti ustvarjalni ali se izraziti na svoj način … uporabiti domišljijo, je stavek, ki ga pogosto slišim 'Nič nimam za povedat.' ali pa 'Kaj pa naj sploh naredim?' Knjige odpirajo svetove domišljiji, zgodbe odpirajo vrata novim zgodbam, književni junaki prebujajo čustva, ideje, reakcije pri bralcu – vendar mora bralec brati. To je edina pot. Bližnjic ni. Kadar namesto branja pogledamo npr. film, namesto svoje domišljije opazujemo domišljijo mnogih drugih – režiserjev, scenaristov, kostumografov itd. Tudi to je nekaj, vendar nam da branje mnogo več – naš pogled, naše doživljanje, naše ideje. Živimo v svetu, kjer je skoraj samoumevno, da zna vsak brati. Slika 1: 'Oh thank God, I'm safe. God I wish I'd learnt to read' Vir: https://themancalledkenny.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/a-divine-assistance/ (26. 12. 2022) Vendar je pomembno več kot le znati brati. Pomembno je razumevanje prebranega, povezovanje predznanj in novih znanj, razvijanje bralnih navad in zavedanje, da je branje samo izrednega pomena. Kot razlog 'za' branje naj bo tudi izogib najhujšim posledicam nebranja: 16 - brez/malo domišljije - brez/malo ustvarjalnosti - slab/omejen besedni zaklad - slab/omejen nabor slovničnih struktur - zapravljena modrost (ki je dostopna in na voljo vsem, ki posegajo po knjigah) 2.2 Prednosti branja Kot pedagoginja in tudi kot zaprisežena bralka sem prišla do naslednje ugotovitve: če ne storimo ničesar, da bi spremenili trenutno stanje – ko ljudje berejo manj in manj ter nimajo niti želje, da bi brali – bo šlo od tu vse samo še navzdol. Kdo si kaj takega sploh želi? Svet polpismenih posameznikov in narodov? Kakšna prihodnost! Ker si takšne prihodnosti ne želim, dnevno ukrepam – motiviram, kažem zgled, skušam približati branje vsakemu vsaj na nek način in vsaj v nekem obsegu. Poudarjam največje prednosti branja, ki so: - izboljšanje koncentracije - hranjenje (naše) domišljije - obogatitev besedišča, slovničnih struktur … - razvoj empatije - pridobivanje globljega/boljšega razumevanje sveta Nazadnje omenjena, a nikakor ne najmanj pomembna, prednost branja je sproščanje. Živimo v svetu, kjer je veliko stresa, ki se kar kopiči in je zato sprostitev še toliko bolj potrebna, zaželena. Obstajajo številne študije, kjer so rezultati pokazali, da je branje izredno učinkovito pri odpravi stresa. Študija iz leta 2009 (Univerza v Sussexu) navaja, da lahko že 6 minut branja dnevno zmanjša stres do 68%. Ta in njej podobne študije so od leta 2010 in vse do danes sprožile številne projekte bralnih minutk tudi na šolah po Sloveniji. V prejšnjem desetletju sem tudi v svojih razredih imela enkrat tedensko prvih deset minut bralne minutke (revijo, knjigo, strip so si prinesli od doma, ter po vnaprej določenem času označili do kam so prebrali). V nekaterih oddelkih nisem dolgo vztrajala, ker sem ugotovila, da moram predhodno narediti še nekaj drugih korakov. Tako je počasi zrasel projekt Book Bag, ki je na polno zaživel na šoli leta 2018. Hkrati z njim pa sem v različne učilnice po šoli vnašala tudi elemente svojega pristopa 3T. Zdaj sta oba že dobro poznana pri učencih. Imata rezultate in se ju da prilagoditi – starosti, skupinam, potrebam, željam itd. 17 3 Branje kot 'catering business' Število učencev, ki so uspešno opravili angleško bralno značko je upadalo, prav tako tudi izposoja tujejezične literature na šoli. Manjšala se je tudi želja po branju in vsak poskus je deloval le kratek čas in zelo omejeno. V pogovoru s sodelavkami sem se jezila, da je škoda, ki bo s tem narejena prevelika in da moramo najti način, kako približati branje in zasaditi željo po branju. Rekla sem, da so učenci že navajeni, da je vse narejeno in prineseno, da smo 'catering' družba. Ugotovile smo, da je to nova realnost, da jo je treba sprejeti in iz nje potegniti učni moment. Takrat je moj otrok domov prinesel bralni nahrbtnik v prvi triadi skupaj z zajčkom. Opazovala sem ga kako je užival z zajčkom, mu bral in prosil, da smo šli na družinski izlet, da je lahko šel zajček z nami. Rodila se je ideja za Book Bag. Vzela sem idejo, ki so jo imeli tisti pred menoj in jo prilagodila, da je ustrezala potrebam in željam, ki smo jih opažale in imele učiteljice tujega jezika angleščine na šoli. Imele smo veliko ciljev in želja, predvsem pa smo želele, da bi se v tem projektu našlo nekaj za vsakogar. Da bi bilo dovolj raznoliko tako po temah, zahtevnosti, bralnih veščinah kot zvrsteh, da bi vsak našel nekaj zase. Po mnogih urah raziskovanj in iskanj, pisanja in prilagajanja gradiv, dodajanja originalnih gradiv in sodelovanja tako s sodelavci kot učenci, so nastali Book Bag-i za vsak razred, razen za 1. razred, kjer učenci večinoma berejo pri pouku skupaj z učiteljico. Skelet vseh osmih Book Bag-ov je podoben, količina in vsebina pa prilagojena starosti, predznanju tujega jezika, potrebam in aktualnim temam. Vsako leto dodamo nekaj. S svojimi predlogi sodelujejo tudi učenci. 18 Slika 2: Book Bag 9; knjižne kazalke Prebrano vodijo v zbirniku – vsak bralec ima v zvezku na voljo dve strani za opis bralne 'catering' izkušnje. Na prvi strani je tabela/dnevnik prebranega z opažanji in mnenjem, druga stran pa je namenjena vtisom bralca oziroma njegovim/njenim predlogom za Book Bag. O vsem se pogovorijo tudi s svojo učiteljico ali učiteljem angleščine, vse prebrano se jim upošteva tudi pri opravljanju angleške bralne značke. Ob vrnitvi Book Baga prejmejo tudi personalizirano knjižno kazalko ter stisk roke, ker so uspešno in aktivno sodelovali pri spodbujanju branja in bralnih navad. Če želijo lahko berejo tudi v šoli po pouku, lahko pridejo tudi po pomoč, če jim kje kaj ni razumljivo ali pa bi se radi o čem pogovorili. Včasih jim je kakšna od knjig tako všeč, da pridejo po drugi ali tretji del zbirke. Včasih želijo prebrati vse kar je v Book Bagu (in ga imajo zato dalj časa), žal imamo le enega na vsak razred, zato se zgodi, da ne pridejo vsi učenci na vrsto za branje. V idealnih razmerah, ko bi vsak bral le teden dni, ne pozabil prinesti v šoli in takoj predati naprej in ko bi vsak z veseljem in tekoče bral, bi lahko vsako leto v vsakem razredu vsi učenci imeli možnost in izkušnjo branja Book Baga. Žal so še vedno tudi taki, ki preberejo le malo (npr. stripe, navodila za igre, besedila pesmi, eno poglavje knjige), vendar tudi ti ob pomoči 'catering' projekta Book Bag berejo več kot bi brali sicer. Model 3T – 'Trick, Tempt and Teach by example' – pa je prisoten skozi vse leto v učilnici, po hodnikih, šolski knjižnici … z raznimi mini obvestili, mislimi, letaki, ugankami itd. spodbuja k branju. 19 Slika 3: Spodbudne misli na stolih Ideja za razvijanje tega pristopa je rasla z opažanji skozi leta, vsako leto je dodano kaj novega, nekaj je spremenjeno/nadgrajeno. Mini delčki besedil so tam, da 'pretentajo' učenca k branju (trick), srednje dolgi delčki besedil so tam, da 'premamijo' učenca k branju (tempt), dolgi delčki besedil pa so tam, da 'učijo z zgledom' (teach by example). Nekaj takšnih primerov: - spodbudne misli na šolskih stolih - trapaste ali resne uganke, miselne igre na stenah, mizah, omarah - kratki stripi na vratih in ploščicah - zemljevidi s praznimi prostorčki in besede, ki jih je tja potrebno vstaviti (nekje blizu zemljevida) - slikovni slovarji - pregovori, reki - beseda ali fraza dneva/tedna na tabli - etikete/oznake na vsakdanjih predmetih - police polne knjig, revij, stripov (na njih piše: 'Read and return to TLN') 3.1 Refleksija z učenci in nadgradnja (sprotna, stalna, skupna) Učenci raje posegajo po branju kot so prej. Razlike med njimi so še vedno velike. Nekateri pogosteje odprejo omaro, vzamejo knjigo ali si izposodijo revijo, drugi že vnaprej povedo, da ne bodo veliko prebrali. Berejo pa. Spodbujam jih, da berejo kar jih veseli. Spodbujam jih, pa delijo to kar berejo z menoj. Svoje knjige, stripe prinesejo v šolo, mi o njih pripovedujejo ali pa jih beremo skupaj. 20 Nekateri bi si želeli še več takšnih stvari, drugim je že to veliko, celo preveč. Slika 4: Bralni dnevnik + refleksija 4 Zaključek Namen Book Bag-ov in pristopa 3T je približati branje učencem ter spodbujati željo po branju. Ker delujeta, ju bom obdržala. Hkrati pa se zavedam, da bi bilo lahko še boljše in da se ju da z opazovanjem, povratnimi informacijami in stalnimi dopolnitvami, izboljšavami nadgraditi. Cilj ostaja isti, in sicer 'razvijati bralne navade' ter hkrati krepiti željo po branju v tujem jeziku angleščini. Cilj učitelj doseže, ko je učenec boljši od učitelja in kar nekaj teh učencev je mnogo boljših bralcev, kot sem bila pri tej starosti jaz. Pri nekaterih pa me čaka še nekaj dela. 21 5 Viri in literatura “Reading Can Help Reduce Stress.” Telegraph. 2009. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/5070874/Reading-can-help- reduce-stress.html Book Bag (2-9). 2018. 22 Lack of Social Skills – How to Untie This Gordian Knot? Sandra Železnik Osnovna šola Gradec Abstract The purpose of writing the paper was to explore the concept of lifelong learning and the competences associated with acquiring skills to strengthen it. In the theoretical work we defined competences, social competences and their development in primary school pupils. We presented the thinking on the development of these competences and highlighted the important role that the teacher plays in this regard. Practical examples of working with pupils in grade 4 and 5 of primary school were presented. The activities presented aim to develop social competences as a key factor for the successful and satisfied development of the individual, who will also be a competitive participant in the labour market, regardless of the professions that will be available at the time. Keywords: key competence, social competence, competence development, school, lifelong learning 23 1 Competence development Over the years I noticed that many of my pupils are coping with lack of motivation. They are unwilling to study. They feel left to fate. I could sense passivity and melancholy. It's hard to find passion in them and they cannot see the perspective in what we do. I realized, that I have to make some changes. My plan was and still is to teach children how to take care of themselves during the learning process, so they could learn faster and more efficiently, to be more focused, motivated and to gain the joy of learning. My wish is not only to do this now, when they are in school, but for them to have the tools they could use when they are older. These mechanisms should help and support them with everyday tasks. I’m trying to teach them skills and give them tools they could use in the future. I want them to gain awareness they are the ones who have the power to manage their own life. And the more I read, the clearer my vision becomes about the importance of developing social skills and emotional intelligence. In a rapidly changing and closely connected world, everyone will need a wide range of skills and competences and will have to develop them throughout their lives. 2 Key competences Key competences are those needed by all individuals for personal fulfilment and development, employability, social inclusion, successful living in peaceful societies, a sustainable and healthy lifestyle and active citizenship. They develop in the context of lifelong learning, from an early age through adulthood, through formal, non-formal and informal learning in all settings, including family, school, workplace, neighbourhood and other communities. All key competences are equally important, as each of them contributes to a successful life in society. Skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication and negotiating skills, analytical skills, creativity and intercultural skills are part of all key competences (Ključne kompetence za vseživljenjsko učenje, b. d.). Social competences are among the key competences of individuals, and we develop them when we enter in a wide range of relationships. Their development is reflected in an individual's ability to participate constructively in life, in the ability to enter into interpersonal relationships, to understand different views, tolerance and empathy (Kranjec, 2013). In the book Key factor social competence, the author defines it as a competence that combines two important abilities of human life. Getting along with yourself optimally and be in harmony with the surroundings (Adler, 2012). 24 In the first place therefore, it covers the essence of each individual, his inner strength, self-discipline, self-confidence, internal balance, internal motivation, hard work, organisation, positive attitude and mental strength (Adler, 2012). In relation to others, this is seen as attention, respect, tolerance, empathy, communication skills and the ability to compromise and overcome conflicts (ibid.). What we do know is that the development of empathy takes place gradually and is one of the key components of emotional intelligence. "People with highly developed emotional skills tend to be more satisfied with life and also more efficient, as they manage their mental habits to promote constructive thinking" (Goleman, 2010, p. 64). The author talks about another type of intelligence, emotional intelligence, but we do not pay too much attention to it in schools. Our focus is on gaining knowledge and education. Development of emotional intelligence runs parallel as a covert curriculum and also through teacher's way of work, the values and beliefs he possesses. 3 Development of social competences in school It is the teachers who, in addition to teaching children and promoting the development of their potential, are also expected to compensate for the shortfalls in the social development of individuals. There is no doubt that the social competences of parents should also be strengthened (Adler, 2012). First, they have the greatest influence on the development of social competences on their children. Second there is the environment and peers. Third, when children enter the school system there are also professional workers (Kranjec, 2013). We need to be aware that we are quite limited in our impact on parents, so let's try to focus on what we can influence and these are the kids who sit in front of us every day. We interact with them more time every day than their parents. Many deficits can be alleviated, many can be eliminated. That We support them where their primary environment has not been able to. Teachers have the privilege of being the ones who can alleviate the deficits in social development created in the primary socialisation process. Teaching is a profession that requires continuous training, lifelong learning, continuous acquisition of new skills and, as a way of upgrading all professional, pedagogical and psychological skills. Teachers have to take care of their own development. No one can do that except the teachers themselves. They need to work on personal growth, strengthening personality relationships, develop the ability to teach more effectively, train asertive communication, and improve in leadership or organization. 25 And how does one start? How can one present to children and develop in them those soft skills that are so highly important? I use some braingym content and tactile integration in my work. Braingym stimulates the functioning and participation of both brain hemispheres, improves certain movement deficits or stimulates the formation of new correct brain connections that trigger appropriate physical responses. Tactile integration helps to relax defensive reflexes and promote the security from which trust arises throughout the body system. Through the process of performing exercises I realised that most of the children are struggling with keeping peace with themselves. Kids in class had problems even with the basic morning protocol we call PACE. PACE stands for P-positive, A-active, C-clear, E-energetic. Challenges came with doing the exercises and also with the approach. They found it hard to calm down, to focus on exercises, to do them quietly, not to disturb others. They had problems in interacting with each other, with working in pairs, being touched by a schoolmate, making eye contact etc. That was the moment when I realised I need to find time and space to include more social evolving activities in our classroom. I was searching for tools and approaches to help them find momentum to start their journey towards social competence learning. Sometimes it was hard to move them out of their comfort zone. But only out of our comfort zone evolution is possible (Goleman, 2020). With this in my mind I stayed persistent and refused to give up. I collected some activities that I had done in the classroom which I believe promotes social competences. I performed all activities in the combined classroom of the 4th and 5th grades of elementary school. They were performed during the course of the class in addition to the content of the curriculum as part of class hours or relaxation activities. Afterwords I wrote down the students' reactions to the exercises and their comments. Their responses were mostly positive, I also noticed changes in attitude towards classmates and themselves, they improved their internal speech and often approach to school work. 4 Reading 10 minutes every morning after breakfast Why? Because when we run out of words, when we can't find comparisons, we don't know how to describe or explain it. Consequently it's hard to tell what we want. Speech is the basis for every human being. The more vocabulary we have, the better we function in society, and present our views. And after all, we learn through reading. Every year we read a book called Different (Cave, Riddel, 2001) and talk about it. It talks about being different, accepting everyone, being tolerant. 26 5 How do I see myself? What would I like to become? Guided visualisation. First, we did guided visualization so they were relaxed and focused on their inner experience. They paid attention on their thoughts, their feelings and emotions. We talked about their reflection, how they see themselves. What influences their thoughts through the years? What kind of person do they want to become? They were thinking about their limitations and how they gained them. Then they drew themselves. 6 What defines me? Emotional, social, intellectual and physical self-image. We talked about their drawings and how they saw themselves. We continued with discovering four types of self-image: physical, emotional, social and intellectual. They saw a pig nose on their schoolmate’s face and immediately knew that his physical self-image was not so good. They noticed a proud pose of their colleague and noticed a confident pose they don’t usually see in her. Later they were exploring their strengths and thinking about those that were not so strong and how they could improve them. They were searching for a role model, pointing out the role model’s strengths and trying to identify which strengths they have. They werw thinking about how to obtain characteristics their role model has. 7 Positive inner speech Our activity was based on words we say to ourselves in everyday situations and also words we say to others. We discovered that many times we say words to ourselves that are not as kind as those we say to other people. I decided to do a guided visualization and let children think about an event in which they were proud of themselves. What words did they say to themselves? Then they wrote them down on an apple tree. They have them in their folder and check them when they feel a need to lift them up. 27 8 Lifelong learning I agree with the argument that one of the key tasks and, at the same time, the challenges of overhauling the education system is to develop joy and passion for learning. This is precisely the direction that we must pursue in the education of children in the 21st century. Now perhaps more than ever in history. It is not just about what and how much we know, and also not just what and how much we will do, but above all how we exist and coexist with others (Kristovič et al., 2022). One author says that knowledge obtained in class has little or maybe even nothing to do with emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2010). I don’t agree with him. I believe that we have the power to do things different. But it is on us. Positive approach and orientation are crucial. Not only with words, mostly with an example and action. This is how we can help our future generations to co-create their personality and make them find balance with their outer environment and help them to develop tools for a happy and fulfilling life. That’s how they could be competitive in a world they are entering with no regard of the professions we are about to invent and develop. We don’t know what the next decades will bring us. But despite all we are social beings, no matter what kind of occupation we choose in our future. “And social competence is crucial factor for satisfied and successful life” (Adler, 2012, p. 20). The professional excellence of the individual in the future will mainly be due to a meaningful and continuous upgrade of his 'input capital', which will be the result of an individual's lifelong learning. The fact is that only those who are clearly aware of the importance of lifelong learning are and will be competitive on the labour market (Žnidaršič, 2020). 9 Literature Adler, E. (2012). Ključni dejavnik socialna kompetenca. Kaj vse nam manjka in česa se lahko naučimo. Novi Sad: Psihopolis. Cave, K., Riddel, C. (2001). Drugačen. Ljubljana: Educy. Goleman, D. (2010). Čustvena inteligenca. Zakaj je lahko pomembnejša od IQ? Priročnik. Ljubljana. Ključne kompetence za vseživljenjsko učenje. (b. d.) 2018_Kljucne_kompetence_za_vsezivljenjsko_ucenje.pdf (movit.si) (7. 1. 2023) Kranjec, T. (2013). Razvitost socialnih kompetenc pri učencih z vidika strokovnih delavcev. Magistrsko delo, Koper: Pedagoška fakulteta. 28 Kristovič, S., Pangeršič, P., Kristovič, J. (2022). Holistični vzgojno-izobraževalni pristop za 21. stoletje. Znanstvena monografija. Maribor. Ridderstrale, J., Wilcox, M. (2020). Nova energija organizacije. Kako vodje dosegajo spremembe. Škofja Loka. Žnidaršič, S. (2020). Vseživljenjsko učenje bo ključna kompetenca 21. stoletja. Vseživljenjsko učenje bo ključna kompetenca 21. stoletja (mqportal.si) (7. 1. 2023) 29 Writing Your Own Short Story in English Lessons According to the Principles of Formative Assessment Luka Lavrin Osnovna šola Gradec Povzetek Namen pisanja kratke zgodbe je bilo raziskovanje in vpogled, kako lahko učenci izkažejo čim bolj praktično znanje, ki jim bo tudi v ustrezen izziv na različnih ravneh znanja. Učenci so preučevali sestavne dele kratkih zgodb s pomočjo primerov odličnosti in meril uspešnosti za vsak posamezen del. Najpogostejši obliki dela sta bili branje krajših besedil in razprava o kakovosti teh izdelkov. S tem so lahko začeli s samostojnim pisanjem. Nato so prejeli – in tudi podali – povratno informacijo na njihovo delo. S tem so imeli možnost za refleksijo in izboljšavo izdelkov. Ker je bil celoten proces izveden v razredu, so učenci prejeli pisno oceno. Učenci so med urami izkazovali visoko raven motivacije in znanja. Največji izziv je bil primerno izkoriščen čas med poukom. To so opazili tudi učenci, ko so podelili svoje videnje procesa pisanja. Izrazili so tudi željo po nadgradnji procesa za prihodnje šolsko leto v obliki pisanja dialogov. Abstract The purpose of writing the short story was research and insight into how students can demonstrate as practical knowledge as possible, which will also be an appropriate challenge for them at different levels of knowledge. Students studied the components of short stories using examples of excellence and success criteria for each component. The most common forms of work were reading short texts and discussing the quality of these products. This allowed them to start independent writing. They then received – and also gave – feedback on their work. This gave them the opportunity to reflect and improve the products. Since the entire process was conducted in class, students received a written assessment. The students demonstrated a high level of motivation and knowledge during the lessons. The biggest challenge was the proper use of time during classes. This was also noticed by the students when they shared their view of the writing process. They also expressed the desire to upgrade the process for the next school year in the form of writing dialogues. Key words: practical knowledge, example of excellence, success criterion, reflection, improvement, motivation 30 1 The development of learning unit on short story writing The development of this course began in September 2018, when I attended a lecture by Math teacher Mateja Peršolja at Ivan Skvarča Elementary School in Zagorje ob Savi. The main topic was formative assessment. I was very impressed with the teaching style she presented. Over the next 3 years, I formulated goals and success criteria for teaching English in a language students could understand. Then I started thinking about how students can demonstrate their knowledge in the most practical way possible, so that they too will see it as useful and valuable. In October 2021, I attended a follow-up seminar on the sharing of good teaching practices for formative assessment. Kristina Ferel presented an excellent example of writing a descriptive essay in the 5th grade. I asked her to share her process because I wanted to transfer it to the foreign language classroom. In conjunction with this, I used a short activity from the Messages 3 textbook as a cue to teach students in depth how to write a short story. I spent 20 hours outside of class preparing the set. I started by researching the criteria for a successful short story. There are plenty of examples on the web of how to write them down clearly. At the same time, I paid attention to the appropriate complexity of the performance criteria. The goal at the end of the preparation was: "I am learning to write a short story. An excellent short story has: title, author, meaningful literary characters, place and time of the event, story plot, plot resolution, experienced descriptions (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory), diverse vocabulary, appropriate spelling and punctuation, I write in 1st or 3rd person." 2 The learning process of writing a short story For the success criteria, I prepared a series of activities for the students that guided and upgraded them and deepened their knowledge. I used the first activity from Kristina Ferel, what a great title was like. I prepared several titles for the same story. The students studied them and gave their opinion on which title is the best, which is the worst, and how they would arrange the titles into groups. This is where I made the mistake of making the challenge easier for the students by color coding the headings that went together. This made it much easier to spot a pattern that was common to certain titles. Nevertheless, they got the necessary insight for their title. The next example was a description of a literary character, where adjectives were first divided into groups describing appearance and describing personality. I used 2 familiar literary characters, the Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella, and an authentic description of a literary character less familiar to eighth graders - Huckleberry Finn. They then used them as an example to describe the appearance of the king from the website www.twinkl.si The example can be seen below: 31 Picture 1: King for appearance description. Source: https://www.twinkl.si/resource/writing-a-character-description-ks2-resource-pack-t-e- 2550366 (13. 12. 2022) They then used the appearance description cues in complete sentences where, in addition to vocabulary, they practiced the simple past tense. With this, the first independent products were being created. Since the students were not good at giving feedback, I did it during the lesson. Students completed the descriptions at different times and this allowed for individual feedback on how they could improve their work, regardless of the students’ level of knowledge. As a result, motivation was greater, as students knew from which point and how they could progress. This was followed by upgrades to the descriptions of literary characters. The students were given different levels of tasks, where they carried out the upgrade of the description with support for vocabulary and sentence structure, with support for vocabulary or independent upgrade. This gave them an insight into a diverse vocabulary that they could use in their independent description. The students also recognized these activities as useful for their progress, which further motivated them. The students at the highest level were being challenged the most because it required the greatest degree of independence from them. They had to write down their own 32 vocabulary bank, which they would then use to build on the description. I directed them to www.thesaurus.com. Here, I didn't know how to prepare them so well for independent research, so they spent their time less optimally. Nevertheless, the students made adequate progress. The next part was an exercise describing a literary character, where they only had a picture. This helped to describe the appearance, and the adjectives next to the picture served as a basis for describing the character. With this, they consolidated and connected the knowledge. They got my feedback at this point as well. 2.1 The setting – insight of the students After learning about the description of a literary character, there was a description of the setting. At this point, I wanted to design the learning experience slightly differently. I prepared three different setting descriptions: a classroom, a fast food restaurant and a living room. I chose the classroom and the restaurant on purpose because of the emotional connotation they have for most teenagers. The students were divided into threes. In each group, they had to read all three descriptions and vote as a group for the best description. The classroom received the most votes. The restaurant followed very closely, but the living room did not receive any votes. The students relied only on their intuition. They were then given pre-prepared success criteria (see table below). After filling out the success criteria, they came away with a big insight. The setting that met the most success criteria was voted for the most. With this, they realized that their intuition was guided by some general structure, which they then had in front of them. It was comprehensible to them, and they could further articulate it. They then used these criteria further when they described their picture of the place and time of the event. Read the descriptions again. Mark the success criteria for each setting. Success criteria Classroom Living room Fast food restaurant What I see What I hear Weather details Time details Adjectives 33 What I smell What I feel Mood / Atmosphere description Figurative language use Table 1: Success criteria for the setting. 2.2 Problem with the plot of the story The students were ready for the plot of the story. I set about preparing the success criteria again. These can be divided into closed and open. Closed criteria give us clear and unambiguous information whether we have included a part in the product or not. They have a very clear boundary and rules by which we act. Grammatical rules fall under closed criteria. Open criteria guide us to the quality of the product through the guidelines we follow, but these are based on the opinion of several people. "Rich vocabulary" is an example of an open criterion, as it is difficult to quantify and define within clear boundaries, but at the same time it is easily recognized. The plot of the story was quite open-ended and I had a great challenge and even more questions in teaching it. How to teach children open success criteria? What activities are the most meaningful, motivating and effective for students? Is it through reading many short stories? Should the students look for patterns in these stories and draw them out with my help? How to teach that recorded events reflect something real, connected, interesting and tangible, but at the same time not mundane and boring? In the coming school year, I will definitely resolve this for better quality lessons. 3 Writing the short story After 5 weeks of learning how to write a short story, the students worked on their own product. They spent two lessons creating a mind map of the main cues of the story, such as the names and descriptions of literary characters, an outline of the setting, and the plot of the story. Here the students had the most problems because they were looking for the best ideas and were not sure of themselves. Finally, they started creating the story. All the stories were written in school so that it could count as independent work. Since all students wrote their own story in their own genre and with their own content, there were no problems with the credibility of their work. They used the dictionaries and handouts they had received during the course of learning and occasionally asked questions about how to move forward. They wrote the short story for almost 2 weeks. In between, they read it to each other to reinforce peer feedback. They then submitted it to me for feedback. After that, they had the opportunity to 34 improve based on the feedback. Some took advantage of this, others did not, as the concept of product improvement was quite strange and foreign to them. The products were on average 1.5 pages of A4 paper. They mostly followed the success criteria, which was also a key part of the high grade average. 3.1 Reflection with students and upgrade of the learning unit After the stories were marked, I decided to do a reflection with the students and get an insight into how they saw the entire process. They loved the lessons when they were given exercises to write a story and then create their own product. Being able to read more example stories made it easier for them to create their own. It also made sense for them to use dictionaries, my feedback and help if they needed it. They were proud to have written so much, and someone shared that he was proud to have written anything at all. They were also proud to have set a goal for themselves. When they were given the success criteria, they were surprised because the success criteria helped them continue the story when they got stuck and didn't know how to proceed. They said that without them we would not have written so much and with such quality. They also knew what to give up and what to keep. Finally, a student with learning difficulties and a general aversion to learning suggested that we build on this next year with dialogues. Unfortunately, they wanted me to be with them more, as I was absent for work and health reasons. From the teacher's perspective, the practical demonstration of students' knowledge was a great advantage. They had to put in their own effort and ingenuity. The contact with students and the depth of insight into their knowledge was greater. There was very little disciplinary work. The opportunity for progress lies in the time invested in preparation. The module required 20 hours outside of class and 6 hours for feedback and assessment. There were only 15 students, which means 20 minutes per student. We spent 2 months for everything, and here I want to shorten everything to 6 weeks in the long term. 4 Conclusion The learning unit of writing a short story is proof that we can approach teaching in a way that increases students' motivation, provides greater insight into their knowledge, and enables better contact with students at the learning level. I plan to use this and build on it in the years to come. This year, I added a variety of sentence structures to the success criteria for describing the appearance and character of a literary character, and the students responded positively to this. In any case, teaching is an art that must be updated and adapted. That's why I plan to constantly monitor which content and goals are making a big impact, and which ones I'm going to drop because they're no longer working. 35 36 The Support of Local Community in the 21st Century to Schools in Rural Areas Marko Protić Osnovna škola Sveti Sava, Aleksinac The Elementary School “Sveti Sava” is located in the municipality of Aleksinac. The territory of the municipality itself is spread across the south-eastern part of the Republic of Serbia. Its surface is around 707 square kilometers. Aleksinac consists of no less than 72 populated areas, which makes it one of the biggest municipalities in that regard. The territory has an abundance of agriculture (64% of the land is cultivated), and the rest of the land is made of hills and mountains. The lower region of Aleksinac lies on the bank of the river called South Morava. The basin of Aleksinac is surrounded by the massifs of the Ozren mountains on the north-eastern side, and the massifs of Mali and Veliki Jastrebac on the south-west. There are many sight-seeings to visit in Aleksinac that are a testament to the valuable history this place holds, dating from even before the prehistorical times. In the ancient age, this area belonged to Upper Moesia. The oldest written document about Aleksinac is found in formal notebooks of Krusevac’s sandzak, written in the year of 1516. The municipality of Aleksinac has always been in the epicenter of many events throughout history. During the Serbian-Turkish wars, one of the most significant victories took place on our territories, in Sumatovac, to be exact. Colonel Nikolai Rajevski took part in this war and fought on our side, which resulted in him being buried in the yard of Sveti Roman’s monastery. Rajevski later turned out to be an inspiration to Leo Tolstoy, as the character of Vronsky in “Anna Karenina” was built around him. The elementary school “Sveti Sava” in Subotinac also has 2 separate departments, one in Mozgovo and one in Bovan. It consists of 2 eight-year schools and 1 that goes up to the fifth grade. The school in Subotinac was established in the year of 1856. The first school building was built in 1890. At first, only wealthy male students were allowed to enroll. This changed in 1905, when we got our first female student, a daughter of a teacher. The school in Mozgovo opened its doors in 1859. The first teacher in this school came from Austria. At first, it started as a private school, later to be converted into a public one. The school bell from our beginnings is still preserved and presented in the halls of our school now. 37 Lastly, the Bovan School was established, in the year of 1907. However, due to our dramatic historical events “Sveti Sava” changed its name multiple times. Today, thanks to the continuous efforts of our staff, the school is a modern educational institution. It shares its fate with many schools in rural areas - along with the advantages this type of school offers, there are many setbacks that have always slowed the progress. Schools like this one face a great number of challenges. The modern society we live in dictates a certain type of behavior, changes the structure of the village as a whole, and by doing so, irrevocably influences the way village schools function. The collapse of countryside areas due to migrations have led to weakening of our schools. The effect can be seen in less students enrolling, leaving us with smaller number of students each new year. The migrations of the villagers have been taking place since the second half of the 20th century. The society started changing after the 2nd World War, and with the industrialization afoot, choosing cities instead of rural areas was bound to happen. Schools itself is an important factor in every social change, that helps people connect with new values society presents. It has taken on itself the responsibility of socializing not only one individual, but also a group of students as a whole, to help them adapt to newly-given social norms. Throughout the years, the school has been changing its role, as the societal circumstances changed too. The demands and the priorities that are being enforced today have conditioned the traditional country area to transform, as there is a foundation for new values to be built upon. In all this, the school has managed to keep its role of a mediator and the starter of innovative solutions, and as such, be a part of the modernized society. The main problem schools in rural areas face are fewer and fewer students. The number of students has been gravely reduced in the last couple of decades. There are many schools with classes consisting of only 1 student, where teaching is adapted. The primal role of education that is the socialization of the individual and preparation for them to fit the collective has lost its sense in such schools. The solution of this problem lies in the local society, but also in the country as a whole. We have to find an effective solution to keep the villages populated, and to encourage the growth of the birth rate. However, the question that poses itself is: What can the school do to change this state we are in? The systemic solutions are, of course, in the hands of both the state and the local government, but only if they partner up with school as an educational institution can this problem be solved. School in a small village is not a mere educator: it also has a role in cultural and socio-pedagogical matters. Because of this, it has to be involved in all spheres of social events. Some phenomena occurring in schools in rural areas that are also bound to be mentioned are: the difficulties of commuting, the distance from city structures, a great number of students who live in a socially non-38 stimulating environment, and a great number of teachers who work in more than one school. All these factors are part of a big problem to be solved hand in hand with the local community. The priority of everyone involved in fixing this problem has to be the students and their well-being. To help raise the quality of the work done, we need not only the continuous efforts of each individual, but also a good relationship with the parents, alongside with better conditions for the students in which they could study properly. In the last couple of years, the local community has been putting more and more effort to provide our students with all that is needed for a solid education. Of course, there is still space for advancing in this field. The difficulties of commuting to schools, especially during winter, could be remedied by introducing an organized transport via school buses. Due to the infrastructure of the villages and unregulated bus lines the students have hard time getting to the schools. Because of this, we need to ensure that the students have a mean of transportation they can rely on. Alongside the afore mentioned problems, the one regarding the equipment one school relies on is also an important one. The conditions for work are better in city schools, because they open more possibilities. In rural areas, the infrastructure is not yet developed enough to support the usage of informational and communicational technology. Naturally, it makes everything that is demanded to be done from a modern school a difficult goal, if not an impossible one. Teaching innovation in such schools is a testament to the creativity of the teachers, who need to make up for and overcome all disadvantages. This makes the job of a teacher much more demanding and challenging. All this considered, we can conclude that the main asset our schools possess is quality and that the teaching itself uses it as its greatest strength. All these setbacks severely burden the teachers and ask for constant bettering and professional improvement to keep up. Schools in rural areas also face many prejudices, one of them being that the city schools offer a better education, leading to parents opting for them instead. It is understandable that parents fear that by staying in the village school, their children would be marginalized. That fear is founded upon stereotypes and skin-deep information that affects the parents. To change the parents’ mind, we need to modernize the schools’ functioning, by improving the technical resources. The most important step to changing the parents’ opinion is to create a partnership with them. The traditional ways state that the behavior is left to the parents to teach their kids, while schools are there to educate – this model is no longer suitable. Partnership between the parent and the school implies respect from both sides and recognition of the common goal, along with cooperation. 39 The local community recognized this issue, and the resource ministry has been actively working on improving the position of village schools for years now. This process of improving could be furthermore solidified by organizing a type of an extended stay for the students. The organization of this type of teaching could be realized in either heterogenous or homogenous groups, depending on the needs and the interests of the students. By putting even the most minimal effort, a school could meet all its socio-pedagogical goals and tasks. It goes without saying that the support of the local community is essential for this, as it would fortify the role of a school. By organizing the extended stay we could additionally help both the students and the parents. Due to the change of circumstances in our society, the demand for this type of teaching grows daily, especially in rural areas. The extended stay offers the possibility of easier adaptation of the students, encourages independent problem solving, and motivates the students to cultivate the creative parts of their personality, all this while being supervised by a professional. The benefits of this are to be seen in successful development of competence, which is to serve a lifelong purpose. A continuous education throughout one’s whole life is the new reality, education itself has become a process of both mental and social change that is a lifelong journey. This vastly differs from the traditional schooling systems. Schools should encourage the students to learn and seek for new knowledges, and provide them with truths that will serve them long after their formal education is over. A modern school of the 21st century should tend to support their students to be independent, prepared for new challenges and ready for the changes our society undergoes. A school has to motivate its students to acquire learnings, skills, and opinions essential for personal growth and development - and by doing this, a school will inevitably intertwine itself with society as a whole. This was not the direction a traditional school followed and as such did not create a stimulating environment for students. A lifelong learning is based on individual strengths of the students, improvement of self-respect, creation of connections between what is experienced through life and what is taught in schools, along with nurturing critical thought and creativity. Due to many aggravating circumstances in rural areas, the enforcement of this plan is much more difficult. To create a suitable atmosphere in schools we need to overcome all obstacles that are a burden of rural areas, improve the quality of the work done, empower the teachers to enrich their competences. It is of essential importance that the schools get all the support they need from as many structures of the system who need to recognize the importance of the changes we need to undergo, the changes that will make the education improve its effectiveness. A modern 21st century school needs to follow this path and complete the tasks needed to achieve this goal, as the society we live in today demands it. It is understood that schools will definitely have to go through a number of changes, simultaneously with the society schools exist within. The role of a teacher on one side and local community and Resource Ministry on the other is to recognize and support all the innovations 40 regarding education. In such schools, a student is bound to find knowledge that will serve him as a solid ground they can build upon. The elemental function of the modern-day school is to be a support system for its students, to give them the opportunity to grow, to motivate them to think independently and to be a safe space for them to express. This kind of a school is a school that first and foremost creates an encouraging atmosphere for the students, and motivates them to never stop seeking knowledge, and encourages them to not be afraid to enroll in new roles and positions later when they should decide on their professions, after formal education is over. Such school inspirits its students to constantly build upon their knowledge, as they will know that the key to every success is a never-ending hunger for progress, and a constant acquirement of new learnings. 41 ACTIVE ECOLOGICAL CITIZENSHIP Manca Poglajen Osnovna šola Gradec Povzetek V prispevku so zbrani različni vidiki posledic podnebnih sprememb, ki se lahko pripetijo, če se človeštvo do okolja ne bo vedlo ekološko odgovorno. Okolje oz. prostor, v katerem posameznik živi, vpliva na posameznikove navade in ritem. Pomembnost vpliva primarnih socializatorjev (vrstnikov, šole in družine) se odraža v socialnem vedenju. Ključno je, da se posameznik v otroštvu in dobi odraščanja spozna z različnimi pozitivnimi vzorci, ki bodo oblikovali njegov življenjski slog. Šola kot vzgojno-izobraževalna ustanova lahko preko različnih dejavnosti otroka spodbudi k trajnostni skrbi za okolje. Šola lahko vzgoji ekološko aktivnega državljana, a načini, kako to doseči, so različni. V prispevku je navedenih nekaj primerov, kot sta npr. ločevanje odpadkov ter ozaveščanje preko različnih posamičnih dni (npr. dan Zemlje) ter projektov. KLJUČNE BESEDE: ekološko državljanstvo, vzgoja, podnebne spremembe, ozaveščanje, trajnostni razvoj Abstract The article describes various aspects of the consequences of climate change, which may occur if humanity does not behave ecologically responsible towards the environment. The surroundings in which an individual lives affects the individual's spiritual world, his habits and rhythm. The importance of the influence of primary socializers (peers, school and family) is reflected in the individual's social behavior. Consequently, the patterns that were implemented in childhood are the ones that an adult will follow. School as an educational institution can, by various activities, encourage children to take care for the sustainable preservation of environment. A school can educate an active ecological citizen thought different ways. Some examples are given in the article, such as waste separation, awareness through different individual days (e.g. Earth Day) and projects. KEY WORDS: ecological citizenship, education, climate change, awareness, sustainable development 42 1 Climate change They say change is the only constant in life. Indeed! But what about our planet? Our Mother Earth is not as adaptable as a human being, so she responds to change differently. Climate change, a reflection of atmospheric temperatures or global warming, is causing various upheavals that we can already feel today. Sea level rise is primarily related to melting the ice that covers the land in polar regions and areas of higher altitudes. As a result, additional amounts of water flow into the seas. Raising the level of oceans and seas is also affected by the increase in volume or the expansion of the mass of seawater (Brečko Grubar, Kovačič, Kolega, 2019). Some predict that European sea levels will rise by an average of 60 to 80 cm by the end of the century. About a third of the EU's population lives within 50 km of the coast, which can lead to displacement and migration. These areas, however, generate more than 30% of the EU's total GDP. Furthermore, water circulation in the oceans can change the geographic distribution of fish. Increased sea temperature can also allow non-native species to expand into areas they could not survive before (European Commission, n.d.). Coral reefs, representing a habitat for many animal species, are dying. Corals living in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae, which supply them with nutrients and care for their colouration, can perform a bleaching process. This happens because rising sea temperatures and other stressors make the algae toxic, causing the coral to expel them. Their transparent tissue and the white calcium carbonate that forms the framework of the corals are revealed (Holland, J. S., 2021). The climate crisis is making heat waves more frequent, which can cause higher mortality, lower productivity and damage the infrastructure. The plant distribution and abundance of many plant and animal species, which are already under pressure from habitat loss and pollution, are also changing. Meanwhile, yields in agriculture and animal husbandry may decrease. If the average global temperature rises by 3°C, droughts are predicted to occur twice as often. European rivers mainly originate in mountainous areas, and 40% of Europe's freshwater originates in the Alps. Changes in river flows can also affect inland shipping and electricity production in hydroelectric power stations (European Commission, n.d.). According to the report on the assessment of climate change in Slovenia until the end of the 21st century by the Slovenian Environment Agency, Umanotera visually showed the change in individual possible scenarios for specific areas. For example, the photos show the flooded core of Piran, due to the rise of the sea level; the decline of the river-bed of the Mura river, due to drought, and the Pohorje without snow cover, due to the lack of snowfall. 43 Figure 1: Projection of possible changes in Piran, Mura and Pohorje 2100. Source: Projections of changes in our country - Umanotera (September 20, 2022) Examples of approaches that can be used in the education process for future ecologically aware and responsible citizens. Schools represent an essential educational element of each individual's upbringing. The importance of the influence of primary socializers (peers, school and family) is reflected in the individual's social behaviour. Therefore, the patterns implemented in childhood through education are the ones that adults will follow. The individual must know various positive habits that will shape his lifestyle through childhood and growing up. School as an educational institution can, through multiple activities, encourage the child to care for the environment and its sustainable preservation at an unconscious level. The school can raise the child to be an active ecological citizen. The approaches used in the optional subject's lessons or other school activities vary from school to school. In any case, we can give some guidelines. The words "sustainability, sustainable, sustainable, ecological, awareness" can be detected in particular curricula. It is straightforward for teachers of geography, biology, physics, home economics, engineering and technology, history, etc., to place an ecological moment in their lessons in the case of individual teaching units. The biology curriculum, e.g. says that students understand that biotic diversity is preserved by direct protection of all nature and the biosphere in general, with the natural use of the landscape and sustainable development, especially in protected areas. In ICT lessons, students present the advantages and disadvantages of artificial substances and the impact of increased use on the environment and assess their role and the role of others in protecting the environment. In the curriculum for Home Economics, it is written that the individual must become an ecologically aware consumer. In the Geography curriculum, the student understands how the consideration of sustainable development affects the quality of his life and the planning and management of the landscape, the environment and (natural) resources (ZRSŠ, b.d.). In elementary school, during the first period of education, teachers teach their students the 3xR method (Reduce – Reuse – Recycle) through practice and in an unconscious way. Schools encourage the reduction of plastic bottles and bags, the consumption of 44 paper and the accumulation of biological waste in the light of reducing the environmental pollution. In addition to separate bins, the school management can encourage using water bottles (cans), using old and unused notebooks for the new school year, and storing unused food in refrigerators that are accessible to students. Some schools may also mark individual days of the year dedicated to the sustainability of our ecosystems. Days that can be given special attention and at the same time influence the development of an individual's ecological competencies are, for example, European Mobility Week (September 16-22), Food Waste Day (September 29), Earth Day (April 22), Water Day (March 22). All employees can participate in the European Mobility Week and be an example of an ecological individual as they come to the workplace by public transport, walk or share a vehicle. On Water Day, we can teach students about its responsible use and encourage them to think about the words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge "Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink". Teachers can prepare activities related to the topic of the day. Activity days or professional excursions can be organised and include moments that promote ecological awareness. Individual teachers or the school as an umbrella organisation can be part of projects organised by the Institute of Education of the Republic of Slovenia, the eTwinning portal, Erasmus +, etc. Concrete examples through which ecological citizenship can be actively promoted are the projects "Scouts for a better future - Saving the world in a classroom" and "Zero waste - don't throw your garbage as you like". The UN held the first-mentioned project, which celebrated its 75th anniversary, and prepared the training for The Global Goals for sustainable development. The project is based on the goals of reducing and preventing various problems, such as the growing world population, excessive pollution and environmental interference, poverty, and sexual, racial and other intolerances. We connected with schools from Spain, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Greece in the project. First, the students researched the current problems faced by the citizens of Slovenia and later looked for solutions to eliminate or reduce them. In conclusion, the students composed a letter and sent it to the president of the country, in which they urged him to take action to reduce all the challenges of Slovenian society. As a part of the second project, we collaborated with the Szkoła Podstawowa nr 1 im. Szarych Szeregów w Namysłowie from Poland. We organised a week of international mobility. During the week, various activities on the topic of "no waste" took place. First, the students visited Ljubljana, where they had to look around for all the elements that indicate that our capital city strives for a waste reduction policy. We also had various workshops in which the students reused pieces of leather and clothing and made holders for pens and shopping bags. Additionally, we saw the operation of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Litija and Šmartno pri Litiji and the Collection Center for the separate collection of municipal waste. Later on, we visited the Škocjan Caves and Koper. The students looked for visible signs of sustainable tourism in every place we visited. 45 2 Conclusion The school can help students become ecologically responsible and active citizens in its education process. But awareness and attitude towards the environment must first and foremost come from the student's home. The first environment (family) and the environment of a growing adolescent have a decisive influence on his thinking. Teachers and schools can do a lot, but parents and guardians play the most significant role in encouraging and developing their child's skills. The adolescent can unconsciously internalize his behaviour towards environmental issues through these two indicators. An active ecological citizen reflects the coexistence and solidarity of the individual's primary and secondary environment. As a result, this manifests itself in an ecologically aware society, which is the leading agent in global warming. 3 Works Cited Brečko Grubar, V., Kovačič, G., Kolega, N. (2019). Podnebne spremembe vplivajo na pogostejše poplave morja. Geografija v šoli, letnik 27 (št. 3), 30-34. Evropska komisija (b.d.). Climate change. Posledice podnebnih sprememb. Posledice podnebnih sprememb (europa.eu) Holland, J. S., 2021. Reševanje koralnih grebenov. National Geographic Slovenija, 16, 5, str. 82–101. ZRSŠ (b.d.). Digitalizirani učni načrti. https://dun.zrss.si/#/ Umanotera (b.d.). Projekcije podnebnih sprememb. Projekcije sprememb pri nas – Umanotera 46 Vzgojna vloga in tipi avtoritete učitelja Lana Klopčič Osnovna šola Dob Povzetek V zadnjih dveh desetletjih strokovnjaki v različnih evropskih državah opozarjajo na negativne posledice permisivne vzgoje, ki se prične v otrokovih prvih letih življenja. Spremembe v družinskih vzgojnih vzorcih od izginjajočega avtoritarnega preko avtoritativnega do permisivnega šolam proizvedejo razlike v vedenju otrok in zastavljajo nov edukacijski izziv, ki vključuje tudi avtoriteto učitelja. Kako se nanj odzivajo učitelji? Z empirično raziskavo smo poskušali ugotoviti, na kakšen način učitelji v sodobnosti vzpostavljajo avtoriteto pri svojem pedagoškem delu. Na osnovi ocen učencev o ravnanjih njim poznanih učiteljev smo želeli ugotovili, kako pogosto se pojavljajo ravnanja, ki jih je mogoče razlikovati kot avtoritarni, permisivni in avtoritativni tip avtoritete učitelja. Informacije o tem, kako se učitelji z različnimi oblikami avtoritete v šoli odzivajo v sodobnem kontekstu vzgoje in avtoritete v družini, smo vzeli kot osnovo za razmislek o vzgojni in etični vlogi razrednega učitelja v kontekstu permisivnosti. Ključne besede: avtoriteta učitelja, avtoritativna, avtoritarna in permisivna vzgoja, vzgojna vloga razrednega učitelja Abstract With empirical research based on students’ assessments of the behaviour of subject teachers known to them, we sought to verify the existence of four types of teacher authority: authoritarian, permissive indulgent, permissive disinterested and authoritative. Factor analysis did not confirm permissive indulgent and permissive disinterested as two distinct types of permissive authority, instead confirming three basic types of teacher authority: permissive, authoritative and authoritarian. The first factor is a permissive type of teacher authority, the second factor is an authoritative type of teacher authority, and the third factor is an authoritarian type of teacher authority. According to the students’ assessments, permissive behaviour is the most frequent type among teachers, followed by authoritarian practices, while authoritative behaviour is the least present type. We propose that primary schools include an additional educational task of (firstly) class teachers: in accordance with the authoritative type of authority, educational behaviours should address the negative effects of permissive education so as to attempt to influence the formation of students’ basic personality structure as soon as they enter school. Key words: teacher authority; authoritative, authoritarian and permissive education; class teacher 47 1 Uvod Ravnanja v skladu z določenim tipom avtoritete učitelja oziroma različni načini poučevanja lahko povečujejo ali zmanjšujejo učinke, ki jih imajo na otroke izkušnje iz družinske vzgoje. Raziskave Baumrind in drugih so pokazale, da ima med tremi različnimi načini vzpostavljanja avtoritete učitelja (avtoritarnim, permisivnim in avtoritativnim) najboljše učinke avtoritativni stil. Kadar govorimo o učiteljevi avtoriteti, je bistven prenos vednosti in transfer v smislu verovanja v vednost. Koncept vednosti je tako potrebno za naše raziskovanje razumeti širše, ne le kot vsebino iz učnega načrta, temveč tudi kot vzgojno delovanje in prizadevanje za vsestranski razvoj učenčeve osebnosti. Čeprav izhajamo iz koncepta avtoritete kot položaja moči v določenem odnosu in izhajam iz neenakega položaja udeležencev odnosa, kjer je en pol podrejen in drugi nadrejen, pa vsekakor ne razlagamo koncepta vzpostavljanja učiteljeve avtoritete z represivnimi mehanizmi. »Takšna represija, ki jo lahko označimo tudi kot fizično ali psihično nasilje, prej kot avtoriteto vzgojitelja izpričuje njegovo radikalno nemoč« (Kovač Šebart, Krek, 2009, str. 187). Koncept vzpostavitve avtoritete v razredu je bil že v preteklosti pogosto različno obravnavan in opredeljen, največkrat tudi kritiziran zaradi pridiha prisilnega vcepljanja načel in 'dresiranja' posameznika za vstop v družbo. Vendar poudarjamo, »da v resnici nobena od kritik avtoritete ne napada avtoritete same na sebi. Vse kritike dejansko napadajo določene zlorabe ali nesprejemljive izraze ali oblike avtoritete« (Blais, Gauchet, Ottawi, 2011, str. 173). Dandanes zaznavamo veliko različnih načinov in dejavnikov vzpostavljanja avtoritete med učitelji. Posledično opažamo, da proces šolanja za učence ni več le obdobje, ko lahko pridobijo določena znanja in ponotranjijo sistem družbeno sprejetih pravil, temveč je temeljna naloga šolanja prav izražanje otrokove individualnosti in razvijanje njegove izvirnosti in edinstvenosti. Sodobna šola se je torej zelo oddaljila od tradicionalnih načinov poučevanja in vzpostavljanja avtoritete učitelja v razredu, sprašujemo pa se, kako te spremembe dejansko vplivajo na učence in na njihov osebnostni razvoj. C. M. Charles v svoji knjigi Building Classroom discipline (1996) med drugim analizira Dreikursov model, ki predpostavlja tri tipe učiteljev glede na način vodenja učnega procesa: avtoritarni, permisivni in demokratični tip. Avtoritarnega učitelja Dreikurs opredeljuje kot ukazovalnega, kot tistega, ki izvaja pritisk, je dominanten, vsiljuje svoje zamisli, zahteva sodelovanje, zavezan je k temu, da se učenci vedejo zgolj po njegovih načelih. O skupnih načelih nikoli ne razpravlja, ne mara nasprotovanja, prepričan je, da ima vedno prav. Od svojih načel nikoli ne odstopi, četudi so neustrezna. Tak učitelj učencem ne daje prostora za dialog in izražanje lastnega mnenja. Drugi tip učitelja je njegovo nasprotje, to je permisivni učitelj, ki učencem dovoli, da počnejo, kar želijo, in jim ničesar ne vsiljuje. Če učencev učna snov ne zanima, jo izloči. Ne vztraja pri svojih odločitvah in na nek način odgovornost za aktivnosti med poukom 48 neprestano prelaga na učence. Nima jasnih ciljev in učencev ne disciplinira ter ne postavlja meja. Ustvarja učno okolje, v katerem učencem ni jasno, kaj učitelj od njih pričakuje. Tretji tip je demokratični učitelj, ki predstavlja nasprotje tako prvemu kot drugemu tipu, saj v razredu vzpostavlja predvsem vzdušje medsebojnega spoštovanja, sodelovanja in dogovarjanja. Goji vzpodbudno in dinamično učno okolje, stremi k porazdeljenosti odgovornosti za učne procese med učitelja in učence. V knjigi Schulern Gerecht werden (1976) Dreikurs izraziteje izpostavi pomembnost demokratičnega tipa učitelja in takšen način vodenja učencev opiše kot najbolj učinkovitega za učenčev celostni razvoj, saj se učenec razvije v aktivno osebnost z razvitim čutom za kritično mišljenje, ki pa kljub vsemu smiselno upošteva pravila sobivanja v družbi. Bolj poglobljeno različne tipe učiteljev opredeli Bernstein (2018), ki avtoritarnega učitelja opiše kot načelno osebo z visokimi pričakovanji in jasno določenimi cilji, včasih še preveč jasnimi, saj od njih nikoli ne odstopi. Kategorizira ga kot učitelja, ki učence nagrajuje le z dobrimi ocenami, svojega pedagoškega udejstvovanja pa ne podkrepi s spodbujanjem učenca za samostojno delovanje in z zanimanjem za učenčev osebnostni razvoj. Ohranja distanco in se ne zanima za morebitne težave učencev. Je strog, dosleden, prošnje učencev za pomoč presliši. Učno šibkejši učenci ga ne zanimajo. Drugi, permisivni tip učitelja, Bernstein loči na dve podskupini. Prvi je tisti, ki vzgojno-izobraževalni proces in svoje pedagoško udejstvovanje ter odnos z učenci zanemarja in se vanj ne poglablja, iz leta v leto uporablja enake učne pripomočke in pristope, sam deluje po liniji najmanjšega odpora in enako pričakuje tudi od svojih učencev. Tovrstni permisivni tip učitelja bomo v našem raziskovanju imenovali nezainteresirani učitelj. Druga podskupina definira permisivnega učitelja, ki je sicer prizadeven in dejaven, a se boji prizadeti učence z negativnimi izkušnjami v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu, zelo splošno rečeno bi lahko rekli, da je oz. vedno želi biti enostavno 'prijazen' in ustrežljiv. Nenazadnje Bernstein opredeli še avtoritativni tip učitelja, ki po temeljnih lastnostih sovpada z Dreikursovim konceptom demokratičnega učitelja. Tovrstni tip učitelja je namreč izredno predan hierarhičnemu odnosu z učenci in se zanj nenehno trudi, poglablja se v odnos z učenci in stoji za svojimi dejanji, ki so vedno smiselna in jih je tudi zmožen argumentirati. V empiričnem delu naloge bomo v nadaljevanju predstavili našo kategorizacijo tipov avtoritete učiteljev, pri kateri smo se oprli na navedene avtorje in se osredinili na tri osnovne tipe avtoritete učiteljev: avtoritarni, permisivni (popustljivi in nazainteresirani tip), avtoritativni oz. demokratični tip avtoritete učitelja. 2 Empirični del Cilj empirične raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kakšen tip avtoritete učitelja s svojimi ravnanji vzpostavljajo posamezni predmetni učitelji na določeni šoli. Kvantitativna raziskava je v celoti temeljila na neslučajnostnem vzorcu učencev od 5. do 9. razreda ene izmed 49 primestnih osnovnih šol v Sloveniji in učiteljev, ki na tej šoli poučujejo. Vprašalnik za učence je rešilo 270 učencev in za učitelje 42 učiteljev. Za potrebe faktorske analize za določitev tipa avtoritete učiteljev na osnovi indikatorjev (ravnanj učiteljev) so bili uporabljeni le odgovori anketiranih učencev predmetne stopnje (vzorec N = 380). Pripravili smo seznam 20 indikatorjev za štiri teoretične tipe avtoritete učiteljev. Za vsak tip avtoritete učitelja smo določili 5 indikatorjev, ki ga po našem mnenju najbolje definirajo in povzamejo njegov način vzpostavljanja avtoritete. Sledijo teoretično predvideni indikatorji, ki smo jih izbrali za določanje posameznega tipa avtoritete učitelja. Avtoritarni tip avtoritete učitelja - Ne zanima ga, če nam je težko, od nas pričakuje, da se bomo potrudili. - Rad ima le učence, ki ubogajo, drugi ga motijo, ne mara jih. - Učitelj učencem sam predstavi pravila, o njih ni razprave in sam od pravil nikoli ne odstopi. - Učitelj ne prenese, da mu kdo nasprotuje. - Učitelj pričakuje, da ga ubogamo, tudi če njegove odločitve niso pravične. Avtoritativni oz. demokratični tip avtoritete učitelja - Učitelj nas pogosto preseneti s svojim znanjem. - O pravilih se najprej pogovorimo, potem pa se o njih ne moremo več pogajati. - Učitelju zaupamo, ker vedno smiselno upošteva dogovorjena pravila. - Učitelja spoštujemo, vendar ga imamo radi, kar se za nas trudi. - Učitelj nas spodbuja pri učenju, čeprav je resnicoljuben in nam razloži, kaj znamo in česa še ne. Permisivni popustljivi tip avtoritete učitelja - Učitelj nam pušča svobodo, ker pravila zanj niso pomembna. - Učitelj nas nikoli ne prisili, da bi pri pouku delali nekaj, česar nočemo. - Učenci se z učiteljem lahko o vsem pogajajo. - V razredu imajo moč učenci, ne učitelj. - Učitelja ne moti nemir v razredu, zanj je bolj pomembno, da delamo, kar želimo. Permisivni nezainteresirani učitelj - Učitelja bolj zanimajo vse druge stvari kot šola in učenci. - Če bi se učitelj v odnosu do učencev moral potruditi, da bi nekaj dosegel, jim raje popusti. - Raje se ne zmeni za vedenje učencev, ki se neprimerno vedejo, kot da bi poskusil vzpostaviti red. - Učitelj pri pouku ni zahteven in mu je vseeno, če se pri urah dolgočasimo. - Učitelju je v bistvu vseeno, ali kaj delamo ali ne. 50 3 Metodologija 3.1 Raziskovalno vprašanje Cilj empirične raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kakšen tip avtoritete učitelja s svojimi ravnanji vzpostavljajo posamezni predmetni učitelji na določeni šoli. V raziskavi smo se odločili za konceptualizacijo avtoritete s štirimi osnovnimi tipi avtoritete učitelja. Tako smo na osnovi ocen učencev o ravnanjih učiteljev želeli v vzorcu predmetnih učiteljev šole preveriti obstoj štirih tipov avtoritete učiteljev: avtoritarni, permisivno popustljivi, permisivno nezainteresirani in avtoritativni tip avtoritete učitelja. Na podlagi rezultatov želimo predstaviti načine vzpostavljanja učiteljeve avtoritete oziroma, na kratko povzeti dejstva iz prakse, ki bodo strokovnim delavcem morda koristila pri ozaveščanju vzpostavljanja in vzdrževanja njihove lastne avtoritete. 3.2 Metoda in raziskovalni pristop Kvantitativna raziskava je temeljila na neslučajnostnem vzorcu učencev od 5. do 9. razreda ene izmed primestnih osnovnih šol v Sloveniji in učiteljev, ki na tej šoli poučujejo. Za potrebe raziskave sta bila oblikovana dva različna vzorca. Vzorec predstavljajo učenci razredne in predmetne stopnje (od 5. do 9. razreda), ki obiskujejo osnovno šolo v Sloveniji ter njihovi učitelji. Vprašalnik je rešilo 270 učencev in 42 učiteljev. Velikost vzorca tako predstavlja 270 učencev in 42 učiteljev. 3.3 Postopek zbiranja in obdelave podatkov Uporabili smo kvantitativno metodo zbiranja podatkov in kot inštrument uporabili anonimni anketni vprašalnik. Oblikovali smo dva ločena anketna vprašalnika, enega za učitelje in drugega za učence, slednji je bil prilagojen starosti učencev. 3.4 Rezultati Faktorska analiza odgovorov učencev o tipih avtoritete učiteljev je pokazala, da obstaja povezanost med indikatorji, ki smo jih zasnovali v sklope za opredelitev določenega tipa avtoritete učitelja. Slika 1: Prikaz vrednosti uteži pridobljenih faktorjev Faktor 1 2 3 4 Učitelj nas pogosto preseneti s svojim znanjem. ,498 Učitelja bolj zanimajo vse druge stvari kot šola in učenci. ,443 ,331 51 Ne zanima ga, če nam je težko, od nas pričakuje, da se ,467 bomo potrudili. O pravilih se najprej pogovorimo, potem pa se o njih ne -,417 moremo več pogajati. Učitelj nam pušča svobodo, ker pravila zanj niso pomembna. ,659 Rad ima le učence, ki ubogajo, drugi ga motijo, ne mara jih. ,379 Učitelju zaupamo, ker vedno smiselno upošteva ,682 dogovorjena pravila. Učitelj učencem sam predstavi pravila, o njih ni razprave in ,460 sam od pravil nikoli ne odstopi. Če bi se učitelj v odnosu do učencev moral potruditi, da bi ,516 -,313 nekaj dosegel, jim raje popusti. Učitelja spoštujemo, vendar ga imamo radi, kar se za nas ,818 trudi. Učitelj nas nikoli ne prisili, da bi pri pouku delali nekaj, česar ,356 ,375 nočemo. Učitelj ne prenese, da mu kdo nasprotuje. ,615 Raje se ne zmeni za vedenje učencev, ki se neprimerno ,553 vedejo, kot da bi poskusil vzpostaviti red. Učenci se z učiteljem lahko o vsem pogajajo. ,408 Učitelj pri pouku ni zahteven in mu je vseeno, če se pri urah ,511 dolgočasimo. Učitelj nas spodbuja pri učenju, čeprav je resnicoljuben in ,658 nam razloži, kaj znamo in česa še ne. V razredu imajo moč učenci, ne učitelj. ,652 Učitelj pričakuje, da ga ubogamo, tudi če njegove odločitve ,489 niso pravične. 52 Učitelja ne moti nemir v razredu, zanj je bolj pomembno, da ,779 delamo, kar želimo. Učitelju je v bistvu vseeno, ali kaj delamo ali ne. ,737 Faktorska analiza je potrdila tri osnovne tipe avtoritete učiteljev: permisivnega, avtoritativnega in avtoritarnega, ne pa tudi permisivnega popustljivega tipa avtoritete in permisivnega nezainteresiranega tipa avtoritete kot dveh različnih tipov permisivne avtoritete. Prvi faktor, ki združuje ravnanja permisivnega »popustljivega« in permisivnega »nezainteresiranega« tipa avtoritete učitelja, tako imenujemo permisivni tip avtoritete učitelja, pojasni 22.48 % variance. Drugi faktor je avtoritativni tip avtoritete učitelja in pojasni 10.05 % variance. Tretji faktor je avtoritarni tip avtoritete učitelja s 5,92 % pojasnjene variance. Četrti faktor (2,23 % pojasnjene variance) zanemarimo, saj imata dve teoretično nepovezani spremenljivki negativno in nizko vrednost uteži. Raziskava tako za eno šolo v Sloveniji potrjuje rezultate raziskav, ki avtoriteto učiteljev razporejajo v tri osnovne tipe, permisivnega, avtoritativnega in avtoritarnega. Pri ravnanjih učiteljev, ki izkazujejo permisivnost, oboji pa so – čeprav iz različnih razlogov – »popustljivi«, ravnanja, ki izkazujejo večjo ali manjšo učiteljevo osebno angažiranost, ne razkrijejo posebnega tipa avtoritete. Omejitve raziskave: če bi indikatorje formulirali drugače, bi se mogoče pokazale povezanosti spremenljivk v štiri teoretično zasnovane faktorje. Raziskava, izvedena na reprezentativnem vzorcu šol, bi verjetno pokazala nekoliko drugačne vrednosti, kar je lahko izziv za prihodnje raziskave. Ker pa naraščanju permisivnosti v vzgoji otrok v slovenski družbi lahko sledimo že več desetletij, se sprašujemo, ali bi rezultati raziskave na reprezentativnem vzorcu šol pokazali bistveno drugačen rezultat, denimo odsotnost permisivnega tipa avtoritete učitelja. Zato menimo, da so tudi rezultati ene šole relevantni. 4 Zaključek V skladu s predstavljenimi teoretičnimi izhodišči in rezultati številnih empiričnih raziskav o učinkih avtoritarne, permisivne in avtoritativne vzgoje na otroke bi bilo zaželeno, da bi učitelji v šolah ravnali v skladu z avtoritativnim vzorcem avtoritete. Ravnanja v skladu s tem tipom avtoritete so strokovno najzahtevnejša in zahtevajo visoko angažiranost oziroma vpletenost, zato sklepamo, da bi bila verjetno priporočljiva dodatna strokovna izobraževanja učiteljev o avtoritativnem tipu avtoritete. Menimo, da ravnanja učiteljev s permisivnim tipom avtoritete v šoli lahko razumemo kot odziv učiteljev na sodobni kontekst vzgoje in avtoritete v izvenšolskem okolju. Verjetno precej teh učiteljev ne ravna permisivno zaradi prepričanja v permisivno popustljivi tip avtoritete. Pragmatično se prilagajajo družbenim premikom: po eni strani ne zavzamejo avtoritativne pozicije v razmerju do permisivno formiranih učencev, po 53 drugi strani pa se s tega strokovnega položaja tudi ne zoperstavljajo pritiskom permisivno delujočih in razmišljujočih staršev. Tudi »pragmatičnosti« odziva pa si vsaj pri učiteljih razrednega pouka, ki prično pedagoško delati z učenci, ko vstopijo v šolo s šestim letom starosti, ne razlagamo preprosto z njihovo »nezainteresiranostjo«. Če je več otrok, ki se vedejo v skladu s vzorcem permisivne vzgoje, lahko postane njihovo nezaželeno vedenje »normalna« oblika vedenja. Sicer »motečega vedenja«, vendar učitelj želi predvsem izpeljati učni proces. Ovira strokovnemu odzivu je tudi dejstvo, da tradicionalno ni bila naloga razrednega učitelja v osnovni šoli, da bi opravljal vzgojne naloge staršev in vzgojiteljev iz obdobja pred vstopom učenca v osnovno šolo – še manj pa je to bila naloga učiteljev v zadnjih štirih letih osnovne šole. Zato se z vidika izpeljave začrtanih vzgojno-izobraževalnih ciljev in da proces poteka s čim manj motnjami lahko zdi strokovno upravičeno, da učitelj na moteče vedenje učenca odreagira tako, da ga trenutno umiri. Ta razmislek in usmerjenost učitelja v kratkoročni cilj pa verjetno povzroči dolgoročno škodo tako individualnemu učencu kot splošni kakovosti učnega procesa ter pušča dolgoročne negativne posledice v nadaljnjih letih šolanja (s tem pa verjetno tudi v nadaljnjem življenju). Učitelj tudi sam na dolgi rok krepi neželeno »moteče vedenje« in subjektivno strukturo učenca. Razredni učitelji so v posebnem položaju, ker je na učenca v prvih letih po vstopu v osnovno šolo še mogoče vzgojno vplivati tako, da vzgoja v šoli poskuša zagotoviti, kar je vzgoja v predšolskem obdobju zamudila. Pri šestletnikih je težje prepoznati resnost problema, toda prav na začetku je laže odpravljiv in vzgojna ravnanja učiteljev imajo lahko najtrajnejše učinke. Zato predlagamo, da osnovne šole v svojo vzgojno zasnovo jasno vključijo dodatno vzgojno nalogo razrednih učiteljev: da v začetnem obdobju od vstopa učenca v osnovno šolo formirajo strukturo osebnosti otroka tako, da se z vzgojnimi ravnanji v skladu z avtoritativnim tipom avtoritete spopadejo z negativnimi učinki permisivne vzgoje. Tako bi podprli moralni razvoj učenca, kognitivno kompetentnost, pripravljenost za učenje in sodelovanje pri pouku, in s tem omogočili učencu, da lahko realizira svoje potenciale. 5 Viri in literatura Baumrind, D. (1991). The Influence of Parenting Style on Adolescent Competence and Substance Use. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, No. 1, pp. 56–95. Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology, 4, No. 1, pp. 1–103. Bernstein, D. A. (3. 8. 2018). Parenting and teaching: What's the connection in our classrooms? Psychology Teacher Network. Pridobljeno s: http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/ptn/2013/09/parenting-teaching.aspx Blais, M. C., Gauchet, M., Ottawi, D. (2011). O pogojih vzgoje. Ljubljana: Založba Krtina. 54 Charels, C. M. (1996). Building classroom discipline. White Plains, N.Y.: Longman. Dreikurs, R., Grunwald, B., Pepper, F. (1976). Schulern gerecht werden: Verhaltenshygiene im Schulalltag. Munchen, Berlin, Dunaj: Urban und Schwarzenberg. Kovač Šebart, M., Krek, J. (2009). Vzgojna zasnova javne šole. Ljubljana: Pedagoška fakulteta – Univerza v Ljubljani. Lasch, C. (2012). Kultura narcisizma. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga. 55 Enabling differences to unite and not to divide Mateja Zupančič Osnovna šola Brinje Grosuplje Povzetek Tipična podoba učitelja današnje dobe je staromodna in ima negativni predznak zaradi vsega, kar označuje. Učitelj prihodnosti se bo moral spremeniti z vidika znanja, digitalnih in drugih kompetenc, ki jih bo moral pridobiti, da bo lahko poučeval prihodnje generacije. Učitelj prihodnosti se bo moral znati prilagajati vsem oblikam drugačnosti, posebno mesto pa bo morala v prihodnosti imeti tudi inkluzija. Učenci s specifičnimi učnimi težavami in s primanjkljaji na različnih področjih morajo dobiti svoje mesto v šolskem prostoru. Prispevek prikazuje enega od projektov, v katerega so bili vključeni učenci z različnimi težavami, primanjkljaji in učenka z downovim sindromom; prikazuje pripravo predstave od pisanja scenarija, izdelave scenskih pripomočkov in gledališkega lista ter vstopnic, do uprizoritve na gledališkem odru za širše občinstvo. Ključne besede: učitelj prihodnosti, kompetence, inkluzija, specifične učne težave, downov sindrom Abstract The typical image of a teacher today is old-fashioned and has a negative connotation because of everything it stands for. The teacher of the future will have to change in terms of the knowledge, digital and other competences he or she will have to acquire to be able to teach future generations. The teacher of the future will need to be able to adapt to all forms of difference, and inclusion will have a special place in the future. Pupils with specific learning difficulties and deficits in various areas must be given their place in the school environment. This article presents one of the projects involving pupils with different difficulties and deficits and a pupil with Down syndrome; it shows the preparation of a play from writing of the script, the production of the stage props, the theatre leaflets and tickets, to the performance on the theatre stage for a wider audience. Keywords: teacher of the future, competences, inclusion, specific learning difficulties, Down syndrome 56 1 The essential competences of a teacher in the 21st century Every person that has undergone the school system at any level has his or her own perception and idea of what a typical teacher is like. It is a fact that teachers are generally a reflection of the system they work in. If we try to make a general description or a profile of a typical Slovenian primary- (and also probably secondary-) school teacher, we have to point out a few traits, namely: his worn-out looks, immense tiredness and fatigue, excessive workload, weak resilience towards parents’ interference into their teaching and pedagogy and their sometimes inexplicable love for their work and the youth they work with despite the fact they are not paid according to the education they have gone through, the effort they put into their job and the importance of their work for the future. We have to admit to ourselves, no matter how much we want to romanticize the image of a teacher this job has to change more intensely and quicker than it has so far. The world has been in constant process of upgrading, new technologies have been emerging and people are able and wanting to acquire knowledge from elsewhere and not only school environment. Therefore, we have to keep pace with all the changes that have been happening, especially from the corona times onwards. A successful teacher of the future has to have some essential skills that will make him successful in teaching. Some of these surely are the ability to adjust to the new technology, namely to become an ‘e-Teacher’, to become an ‘ed-tech chameleon’ but at the same time be aware of all the advantages and disadvantages that technology brings. He will have to change his work from paper-based to paperless. A future teacher will also have to be able to collaborate with the fellow teachers and even more with the pupils or students and be aware of the fact that he can learn new skills from them and not only vice versa. One of the important fields that will have to go through thorough changes is grading. Not only will it have to be more formative-oriented but the content of grading itself will also have to change. All the features described are the basic traits that future teachers will have to have; however, the main point I am going to present in my paper is the trait I strongly believe in and I think it is of vital importance for the future of human kind in general. Namely, we have to bear in mind that in schools there are children who are different – not only different in their looks and skills but in various ways that are either visible or hidden. Teachers of the future will have to think about this large group of pupils more attentively and with greater care than they do today. 2 Being different in today’s world Many people in our history were successful at what they were doing due to their uniqueness. If we point out only two of them, we can mention a famous designer Coco Chanel who said that in order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different. Another well-known person who was proud of his being different was Albert Einstein 57 who said that only following the crowd will not bring one very far, while setting the goals on your own and trying to pursue them will help you reaching places no one has ever seen before. These words seem legit to majority of people, however being different is not always a matter of personal choice. Being different in most cases is the way a person is born in the worlds and how he thinks and processes data. Being different sometimes means that a person has different difficulties, inabilities and obstacles that he or she cannot overcome by him- or herself. The task of a whole variety of people, including teachers, is to help these pupils overcome the obstacles, pushing the limits for them and shaping the world into a form, appropriate for everyone, especially for the ones that are different in any way. 3 Overcoming differences in our school I work as a teacher of English and Slovene language at the Primary School of Brinje Grosuplje in the town of Grosuplje. The school consists of the regular primary school and two other units, one being Special Needs School. The two units of school are linked through teachers that teach in both schools and through common projects, cultural and music events. Despite all the efforts, the levels of education and the way of teaching is rather different since the pupils differ in their abilities, the way of acquiring the skills etc. and working together can sometimes be a big challenge for everyone, teachers and pupils. In my opinion, each of us – teachers, pupils, parents, headmasters, pedagogues and others – should add a part to a puzzle named the school system. For my part, I feel with pupils with SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties) and I have been trying hard to make the school-world less harsh and hostile as usually is for them on the daily basis. After accomplishing good results in different competitions and working with talented children, I decided to upgrade and approach children with SpLD and other problems by making a drama play with pupils that get less opportunities in regular school program. I decided to write a play based on real life of such children and put it on the stage. 3.1 An idea that outgrew expectations As I already mentioned I am a teacher; since I am a teacher of languages, I quickly notice problems that arise from the SpLD and similar causes. Since I have been a class teacher for many years now, I recognised many obstacles that pupils have in their lives and they cannot do much about, from absence of good relationships in their families to different types of abuse and more. I decided to do something to show these pupils a way how to direct their deeds towards something good, to show them that they matter and to include them into a group where they would be able to feel equal and important despite all the problems they had to handle in their lives. I chose a novel by an excellent Slovenian writer Vinko Möderndorfer Kit na plaži (A whale on the beach). I wanted to turn it into a script for a theatre play. The book is about an ‘average’ family with two 58 children. The first child, Nika, is super-talented and excels in everything she does, while the other child, a boy named Igor, is ‘different’ – he has Down syndrome. The plot presents life of a family that sticks out because of some unusual characteristics (a child with Down syndrome, for example), and how difficult it is for them to be accepted into the society because of this. Other topics in the plot are teenage problems, relationships, suicide and bullying. The original plot is strong and can be understood and felt on many levels. 4 From the novel to the performance in the theatre 4.1 Forming a theatre group I wanted to adjust the story to a group of pupils I had in mind to include into the school theatre group. First, I made a contact with the author of the book, asking him for permission to change some parts of the plot to suit our story and our actors. After getting the writer’s permission, I started working on the project. I invited pupils I taught in individual lessons because of their SpLD and some who were in my class and had different difficulties, low self-esteem and behavioural problems. Since there was a child with Down syndrome in the book, I found such a girl on our school, who was eager to participate in a theatre group. I wanted this project to become not only a play but a true inclusion story. 4.2 Adjusting the plot and setting the characters In the novel, the family had two children, a girl and a boy. Since in our group there was a girl with Down syndrome, we had to change the story a bit. We also took out some characters from the novel and changed some events so that we could point out some topics and evolution of the characters that were not that important in the original novel where the story condensed around the main character. I invited the group of acting pupils to participate in the adjustments of the story in order to recognise their ideas important and valid for the process of making the project. After writing the play, we chose the roles together and even changed some after seeing that some pupils’ energy suited some roles perfectly. 59 4.3 Making the props Picture 1: Nika and her piano teacher Picture 2: At the Maths lesson (Act 1, Scene 2). (Act 1, Scene 5). Author: Mateja Zupančič Author: Mateja Zupančič Picture 3: Main characters Nika and Maja after running away (Act 4, Scene 2). Author: Mateja Zupančič The next step was making the props for the play. We brainstormed it and found out that creating them has to go in the direction of multi-purpose. We asked teachers of Art and Technology to help us with designing and drawing the sketches and plans and 60 later with making the props. The pupils had extraordinary ideas and we created amazing frames that could be changed into any kind of furniture needed on the stage in a minute and a half. 4.4 Organising the event Some of the pupils invited to the theatre group were excited about the idea of being a part of it all but did not want to be on the stage or be there as little time as possible. According to their wishes, I tried to find other skills they had so they could be creative and helpful on other fields that accompany theatrical work, such as creating the tickets and theatre leaflets, designing light and sound and so on. 4.5 Performances and reactions The process of putting the words from the script into action was complete and we opened the play to public by acting it out on the stage. It was well accepted, the pupils - actors were amazed by the great reactions of the audience. They could not believe that they were able to make something of such importance and good quality, to present an hour-long theatre play to the people they knew and to those they did not. 5 The most important outcomes of the project If I wanted to point out the most important outcomes of the project, it would be rather difficult for me. Not only has the project brought so much more than anyone could have expected, but it has also changed every participant in it. The actors, the teachers that helped me, parents of the pupils and the audience. No one really knew how big this project was until it finished and we saw reactions of the audience. No one could foresee that in everyday conversations people would bring up topics of the play. The topic of being different, the topic of having a different family was one of the most common conversational topics then. The most moving monologues in the play were the ones uttered by mum and dad of the main characters Nika and Maja: Mum: ‘Being a mother is a task a woman should get prepared for. There should be training, or at least a course, to introduce you to all the possible pitfalls of motherhood. But … everyone talks only about that beautiful side, when you see your baby for the first time, when you learn him how to walk, teach him the first words and when you are the sun in his universe. No one mentions the fact that children can be difficult, that they can get sick and that something can be wrong with them. When we were in France, everything was different ... Nika was different. I was different. We used to do things together. Now she's blaming me for our coming back. She's avoiding me. She hates me.’ Dad: ‘Our Maja is ... different. Some people who see her for the first time say ... well, they say a lot of silly things. Inappropriate things. It doesn't even matter what they say. 61 The only one that is important is our Maja. Maya is special - instead of 2 chromosomes, she has an extra one on the twenty-first pair of chromosomes in each cell. That sounds complicated, doesn't it? Well, this is called Down syndrome - it's a genetic defect that Maja has. A child like that changes your life - even if you don't admit it to yourself ... it's hard ... because it's still a taboo topic to talk about. Different children are not accepted in society. In school and in social life. We used to live in France, where I worked at an institute as a researcher. My wife and I were trying hard, we really were, to make no distinctions between both girls. To make the life nice for both - Niki and Maja. But at some point we just gave up and sent Maja to an institution, to a boarding school. Vera, my wife, could not stand the fact that we gave up on her. So we moved back home, to Slovenia. But it is the same here, too. It's hard to be different in a world made for the exactly same people.’ (translated by Mateja Zupančič) 6 Lifelong competences for teachers of future Teachers know that children they teach are of different abilities, backgrounds and skills. As the times have been changing, we have been changing, too. Thus, more than ever before now is the time to keep in mind the fact that teachers’ role is not only transferring knowledge to pupils. We have to bear in mind that a human being needs a person next to him, not a robot and not a computer. The latter are of big importance but we still need to share our thoughts, our feelings and work together. Inclusion is the part of teacher’s job he should never forget about. Pupils with different difficulties and disabilities push us from the usual and habitual way of teaching towards more creative and out-of-the-box thinking. By doing so, we are becoming better teachers for everyone, not only for those who need different approaches. By gaining lifelong competences and improving ourselves, we are becoming better teachers for future generations. 62 Picture 4: Taking a group selfie on the stage. Author: Mateja Zupančič 7 Literature Möderndorfer, V. (2015). Kit na plaži. Ljubljana, Mladinska knjiga. 63 Thinking with your head - the challenge of future generations Jasna Colnerič REALKA, Jasna Colnerič Abstract Even during the last epidemic, the path of upbringing and education indicated the guidelines for where teachers and all pedagogic workers to direct their activities, care for their own development and listen to children, who are generationally the most different from the previous generations that we have already passed through. How it will be in the future also depends on us, on our ability to accept and internalize the goals of lifelong learning, and above all to accept that the connecting power of the Internet poses both opportunities and challenges. With increasingly easy access to information, the educational system of the future, as well as educators and learners, will also require intensive individualized learning with a high level of motivation on both sides, with the main goal of leading children along a logical path of thinking and discovering the individual's strong areas, which it does not mean that we neglect the weak. Parents will also play a big role in this, because they will increasingly want to have a successful teacher in front of them, who attracts the child with his charisma and mentality and takes his interest in learning even beyond the goal. In the paper, we showed the importance of critical thinking in the theoretical part, and in the practical part we showed the usefulness of the Slipper Keeper Kitty as a tool for developing the latter with the help with logopedagogy with it’s roots in logotherapy. Keywords: critical thinking, individualized learning, successful teacher, critical thinking development, Slipper Keeper Kitty 64 1 Skills of argumentation for critical thinking The most important for critical thinking are the skills of argumentation, they follow each other as - the ability to support your claims with reasonable reasons, - we justify them reasonably, - the ability to judge the quality of arguments used to convince us in life (Fischer & Scriven, 1997). In order to be able to teach children about critical thinking at all, we have to know it ourselves really well. This is especially true for teachers, educators and all other professional workers. Now we must ask ourselves what critical thinking is not: - A critical opinion is not an opposition to feeling, it does not deny emotions and does not try to displace them. A critical thinker understands emotions and thinking as different but interrelated processes. He is aware of his emotions, he understands them and regulates them by stimulating and not limiting it. - Critical thinking cannot be equated with negative criticism in order to discover mistakes or discredit everything in the future. A critical opinion is a search for substantiation of a claim with reasonable explanations, evaluation according to criteria for and agains and also being aware of one's mistakes. - A critical thinker is committed to the search for the truth, not the argumentation of victory, to the search for even better, newer arguments to prove the truth. - In order to be able to talk about awareness and knowledge of critical thinking, we as individuals need to summarize the, so-called, frame of reference, which means that when we are faced with a flood of information, we choose them very carefully, consciously and responsibly. The fact that most of our beliefs operate on a subconscious level, which unfortunately means that we still carry many false beliefs, shows that this area is really difficult (Fischer & Scriven, 1997). 1.1 The path of change always leads to early childhood We must agree that the path of change always leads to early childhood and that is why this role of educational institutions is extremely important. The child spends most of the day in kindergarten and school, so the agreement of all people in the educational process is really important. A healthy child develops according to laws that we know and are aware of. How and in which direction the development will proceed depends on the possibilities we offer to the child. Experiential learning, natural experience gives the child the opportunity to observe, recognize, separate, understand and, of course, develop sensory experiences that we need throughout our lives. Even now after corona time, we realize how big the deficit is in this area. Moving through the natural terrain, observing, testing, comparing, connecting, caring for our nature and the earth, this warn us. A relaxed, active and curious child, to whom the environment offers a hundred possibilities of own beliefs and actions, is what we lack the most. The youngest children 65 have to try, grasp, squish, put in their mouths to learn what is good and what is not. They need to develop self-protection, pleasure when achieving and discovering new things, joy when learning about success, get a sense of smells, the beauty of the environment and space. For them and their development, it is necessary to look for natural and artificial materials, they must touch, hold, play in order to understand what is around them (Willingham, 2019). 2 Frankl’s Logotherapy Viktor E. Frankl, the founder of logotherapy, is one of the most famous contemporary people psychotherapists. He was a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna and he was teaching logotherapy as a special scientific discipline at the American University in San Diego, USA. He wrote more than 20 books, which were translated into 16 languages and more and went through numerous editions. The founder of logotherapy saw the healing of humanity in the realization of life's values. Values give meaning to our lives. Frankl distinguished three categories of values: creative, active experiencing life and passive adaptation to the environment. Frankl's analysis is an analysis of the human battle from the point of view of responsibility. Nonsense is the main source contemporary neuroses (Frankl, 2010). Discovering and seeing meaning brings people back will and strength to live. Frankl found confirmation of his many times the assertion in the statements of the rescued suicide women and of their comrades in the concentration camps .Therefore, he warns and makes a request: we must learn, especially desperate people, that it doesn't matter what we expect from life, it's the opposite what matters is what life expects from us (Bezić, 1979). Special today, at a time of rapid global changes, technological development, identity crisis, moral crisis, it is imperative to review and redefine education with the goal of its actualization and development, that is, the development of the young person and society as a whole. Therefore, we are thinking about the values and the educational dimension of this curriculum contemporary schools, the influence of current phenomena (globalization, digitalization, etc insecurity) on education at school. Through education, it is necessary to help children and young people become aware of their own tasks and responsibility for life, the ability to see the goal, that is, the fulfillment of the values that are offered to them in their concrete and specific life circumstances. To direct children and young people to choose the life they have meaning, this is true education, but it is also the school's responsibility. For these reasons, the possibility of "logotherapy education" as a new offer to pedagogues is being questioned reflection and action in the educational system (Velički & Velički, 2020). 66 2.1 Logopedagogy and the responsibility to critical thinking Students in today’s schools are often not interested in their lessons; they easily lose concentration, find their classes monotonous and boring, and have no opportunity to share opinions or put forward ideas (Drljača, 2018). Students enrolled in compulsory primary education spend approximately 900 hours per year at school; in secondary school, more specifically, gymnasiums, this equals 1,000 hours or more. This begs the question of whether the time spent in school is optimally used, especially when it comes to subjects that are allocated only one contact hour per week, such as arts and music education. This implies that it is important to establish not only what students have learned and by what means, but also what knowledge, competencies, habits and skills they have acquired (Matijević & Topolovčan, 2018). Since education is the foundation of every democratic society, it is something that every individual should take part in, according to their own abilities. At the same time, the educator should understand each child in terms of their specific inclinations, needs and preferences (Dewey, 2004). Logopedagogy points out 10 commands that shows us how to strenghten the critical thinking at school: - It strengthens all three educational pillars (skills, relationships, mastering life skills challenges) similarly to enable the balance of the individual. - It creates a space for a young person in which he can find his own meaning of being. - He sees in each person an indestructible and healthy spiritual core, with the help of which he can activates hidden positive potential. - At the same time, it develops the earth's roots, directs and sets boundaries/restrictions and so on helps them develop wings. - It encourages free decision and the responsibility that comes from it. - It offers many ways of changing negative energy (aggression) into different ones negative situations. - It opens the world view so that personal tasks can be carried out. - Emphasizes life as a task and teaches to find one's own answers to life's questions. - Sharpen the perception of personal space in all situations that indicate possibilities and reasonableness decisions. - It allows to students to reconnect with meaning and helps them to face visions and values (Frankl, 2010). 3 Our project with the Slipper Keeper Kitty We are part of nature, and if the family forgets this, then the child has no experiences, and therefore we are even more obliged to do everything whit the child. It is necessary to offer him a lot of experience in this field. With movement, the child will speed up the 67 functioning of the brain synapses, will increasingly develop the visual, auditory, tactile and sensory parts, and through experience will curiously explore the world around him, test the limits, discipline, order, authority and his social network. I pointed this out because we are all too little aware of this because nature with its laws works like a clock, everything happens at a certain time and for a certain purpose. Understanding rhythm and cause and effect is basis for the development and understanding of critical thinking, firstly in preschool age and then in school age. Six-year-olds and 7 year olds mostly have problems with boundaries, order, tidying up, recognizing and taking care of their things. They do not know the importance of the value of clothes, tidying up, because nowadays it is taken for granted that children do not do this. In order to enable children to get to know and experience all of the above, we decided to do the Slipper Keeper Kitty project with the purpose to point out critical thinking with students and ourselves. We went on a walk with 6 and 7 years old's and we forgot there a piece of clothing. The children immediately found a solution. They said that we should not go back to look foor it, because Slipper Keeper Kitty is living in the forest and she will find the piece of clothing for us and she will bring it back. Well, a few children agreed, while others thought that there was no cat in this forest and that it would be best for them that they go there with their parents by car. And this was the option they finally decided on. Due to the accepted last option, we decided to read the book because Slipper Keeper Kitty and then talk about our problem. While reading, we realized that Slipper Keeper Kitty doesn't carry forgotten things, but rather repairs and sews them. We were united that we needed it, because we are also a little bit messy in our group and we have some little "Bobek" who never find their shoes. The children also pointed out that there is the same mess at home. We decided to make a big Slipper Keeper Kitty, which would be at home in out clasroom and she could take care of our slippers. I draw the cat on cardboard, dress it in a soft white coat, and the children help me all the time because they were always arguing that the Slipper Keeper Kitty is sitting on a chair in the dressing room and she must watch the shoes. Well every day I had two little assistants. We agree that every day two children check out the wardrobe and draw or write on the poster what was put away and what was not. Since we had shoe hangers signed, we immediately knew who that "Bobek" is who doesn't tidy up his shoes. Well I read the story and the children decided to act out a dramatization of Slipper Keeper Kitty, so we started also making Slipper Keeper Kitty's house. We made costumes, tails and ears, and the children arranged Slipper Keeper Kitty's house. We make a house and shelves out of cardboard, on which we put shoe boxes bearing the children's names and their colors. The girls set up a sewing room on the table and start making slippers out of cardboard. We made a house and shelves out of cardboard, on which we put shoe boxes with the children's names and their colours. The girls set up a sewing machine on the table and started making slippers out of cardboard. 68 A child-sized Slipper Keeper Kitty was made. We put her on a chair in a corner. Children like the product, so some decide to draw it on different paper formats on the floor, paint it, cut it, dot it. Suddenly all the children find a job for themselves. The goal of the art workshop was to compare the illustration in the Slipper Keeper Kitty book and the final product. They said that my cat is not dressed like the one in the book. I said that out cat is more fashionable. They understood me and they went on another task and this was making the house for cat. While building the house and arranging the shelves, they realized that the slippers were not clean and some were torn, so they decided to make a sewing room, a repair room, a workshop. From home, the children brought scraps of wool, different types of fabric, sewing machines, knitting needles... A group of girls and boys decided to draw and cut out different characters from the story, they stick them on sticks and create a new stick puppet game. Together with the dolls, the children told the story in their own way - they change the text, word order, content order and especially the conclusion. None of the children forgot the sentence "there were small houses in a small village" and the sentence "Bobek, you were the most untidy". I was most proud of the peace in the classroom, because the children themselves did groups of various activities, including arranging the rooms. They were also able to arrange the roles for themselves. I knew that they can do a lot, but that they will take care of everything, even for those who can't do everything, that surprised me. When we talked about it, they told me that the cat was also kind to the naughty Bobko, so they wanted to be like her, and so the children themselves found a field of emotions in the story, empathy for the weaker ones, which to me meant that the goal of all the work had been achieved. But it wasn't over yet. They found that all the work is for free, if we don't fix anything or sew anything, the kitty should be alive. This was a big issue for me. I surprised them the next day by dressing up as a Slipper Keeper Kitty and wait for them in the morning. I cleaned the slippers with a brush, arranged them and stuck a heart on each slipper. The children looked at me and their slippers in surprise. They were very happy. They wanted to share their gift with other classes. This filled me with a special feelings, as they were willing to share things with others as well. 4 Conslusion Experiential learning brings many advantages, because children have shown that they can do much more than what is expected from them. The original purpose of establishing order and boundaries in a different way has been achieved. Here I helped myself with the knowledge of logopedagogy, which works in addition to the goal, gives importance to method, reframing, search for meaning, the role of work habits, persistence, innovation, creativity. Exceeding yourself and your habits seem to me to be areas that go beyond the scope of this work description. I wanted to start from the children - for the children. The activity of the Slipper Keeper Kitty took place for a week and could have been longer. The children showed that they can work homogeneously, interdisciplinary and, most importantly, more than what would be expected of them. 69 Logopedagogy provides opportunities for new approaches and new methods, which prove that children who see meaning, progress and fun they love to work and take knowledge with them. All activities were the source of their thinking and creations, they only needed a basic hint. I wanted to show critical thinking with children's creativity, with an emphasis on the cultivation of meaning and values. This is how I see myself, my mission and the meaning of my work, so I asked myself what learning will be like in 10, 20 years. What will be the role of the student, the teacher. We showed young people a shortcut to knowledge by swiping the screen. With distance learning, we have devalued the learning process and created a stereotyped system that children and teachers have outgrown a long time ago. A classroom with desks in rows and children sitting are a thing of the past, as is the peace and quiet of listening. Children are always with various voices (music, etc.) it is just like a fast-moving picture. The brain has a pleasant memory, and children in strollers enjoy watching and listening to the phone. Only at the age of 5 we realize that the child must go to school and it would be necessary to motivate him to listen and write on the board. I see myself as a critical friend who, with planned material, offers opportunities for everyone to show the best part of themselves. No competition, no marking and no evaluation without a purpose. Goal is to think with your head for yourself and everyone around you, for the good of all of us. Yes, I see myself as a teacher who will have to learn a lot to understand his students. I see myself as a person who cares about everyone. I see myself in the light of a better person, without judgments, predictions, labels and tags. I see myself as someone who is part of what leads to good. Today I'm calling for help - we learn for life, including modern technology, which should be helpful and not destructive. Critical thinking will have to be developed in adults, parents and teachers, children will otherwise seek knowledge on their own. It depends only on us what we will become and what place our children will assign us. There is no authority, only knowledge and heart. 5 Literature 1. Bezić, Ž. (1979). Frankl’s Logotherapie. Crkva u svijetu, 14(4), 324–337. 2. Dewey, J. (2004). Democracy and education. Aakar Books. 3. Drljača, M. (2018). Konstruktivistička nastava likovne kulture. Grafomark. 4. Fisher, A. & Scriven M. (1997). Critical Thinking: Its Definition and Assessment, Norwich: Centre for Research in Critical Thinking, University of East Anglia. 5. Frankl, E. V. (2010). Biti človek pomeni najti smisel. Ljubljana: Novi svet. 6. Matijević, M, & Topolovčan, T. (2018). Izazovi i trendovi u multimedijskoj didaktici. Radovi 1, 11(2017), 87 – 99. Available at https://doi.org/10.5937/EkoIzavov1201087N 7. Velički, V. i Velički, D. (2018). Logoterapija u odgoju i obrazovanju – terminološko određenje i sadržajne smjernice . Nova prisutnost, XVI (2), 333-347. 8. Willingham, D. (2019). “How to Teach Critical Thinking”, Education: Future Frontiers, 1: 1–17. [Available online at 70 https://prod65.education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/education-for-a-changing-world/media/documents/How-to-teach-critical-thinking-Willingham.pdf.] 71 INCLUSION OF ERASMUS+ PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS Presentation of the Erasmus+ inclusion model at Gradec Primary School Barbara Toš Osnovna šola Gradec Abstract Our story with EVS/ESE began in 2008, when we and the Trbovlje Youth Center bit into the – at that time – sour apple of cooperation in the field of hosting volunteers at school, because at that time we were pioneers in this field and we were learning. In 2008, we got our first volunteer from Spain, who stayed with us for 3 months. In cooperation with the Youth Centers, more than 10 volunteers from German- and English-speaking European countries have lined up and performed their voluntary service at our school for periods of 3 - 9 months. Project work of volunteers takes place across the entire school vertical. We include them in all activities and lessons, according to a weekly schedule. The Youth center plays the role of the hosting and coordinating organization in the project, while the school hosts the volunteers. As part of the project, the so-called sending organization, provides us with volunteers and does all the organizational work before the volunteer's arrival in our country. Upon arrival they are welcomed by the Youth Center, which provides them with accommodation and all financial support, and then the work at the school begins. The work of a volunteer is organized in a way that they perform their work 4 days a week at school and 1 day at the Youth Center. At Youth Center and at school the volunteer is assigned a coordinator (organizes the volunteer's work) and a mentor (supports the volunteer). The project is overseen by the national agency 'Movit', which is in charge of checking the correctness of the project in all phases. The purpose of the project is to enable young European citizens (especially young people with fewer opportunities) to gain work experience abroad. After the project is finished, the volunteer writes his Youth pass - a document where the competences acquired during his volunteer work are listed. Keywords: EVS/ESC, European volunteers, Youthpass, Erasmus+ Youth, Erasmus+ Quality Label 72 1 INTRODUCTION European projects and participation in them represent a great challenge for the school. For school teachers who undertake such a project, this means, in addition to their regular work, an additional investment of work and goodwill. International projects change the atmosphere in the teaching staff and strengthen the sense of teamwork among employees, and with the long-term involvement of the school in an international environment, the school strengthens its reputation. Such a different approach to teaching is a great motivation for students to get their first international experiences, which contributes to their greater motivation to learn and work at school. In order to participate in an international project, it is very necessary to ensure that basic school work does not suffer, that the obligations the school receives through such cooperation are achievable and that the partners with whom the school cooperates are reliable and responsible. ESC (Slovene ESE) stands for European Solidarity Corps and is one of the programs made available to young people by the European Union through a larger program for young people called Erasmus+. The ESC program enables young people between the ages of seventeen and thirty to experience working abroad. We know short-term and long-term ESC, which can last from 14 days to two months or from two months to one year. The volunteers that we choose must enjoy working with children, represent their country and have the desire to acquire new social and pedagogical skills. The most obvious learning experience is the awareness of their own culture language and the knowledge of its complexity, the communication in a foreign language, organization of their own projects, teamwork and learning new working methods, personal growth, social skills and tolerance. 1.1 PROJECT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION At school, we learned about the program, which was at that time called EVS (European Voluntary Service), from the Trbovlje Youth Center (MCT) in 2009. They have presented the project to us as an experience worth presenting to our team. We decided to try it and soon we introduced a foreign volunteer from Spain to our colleagues. The EVS/ESC project was accepted by teachers, students and their parents and also by the school management as a welcome and useful addition to the lessons and accompanying activities. We created a vision that young people would be more tolerant and open to other nationalities and cultures, and that by getting to know other cultures of the European Union, they would feel even more like "European citizens" and will get a first-hand experience of cultural diversity. One of the goals of the project is to show children the power of voluntary work and to show them that voluntary work is a value. Both the teaching staff and the students are strengthening all of their values and are learning by experience that learning is a lifetime thing. The entire local community also 73 grows through this project, especially the ones who are in direct contact with the volunteer. The "Erasmus+ Youth in Action" program, now called Erasmus+ Youth, is part of the Erasmus+ program that started in 2014 and combines more than 25 years of achievements in EU programs in the fields of education, training and youth. It is intended to improve the skills and employability of young people and to modernize and develop education, training and youth work. The implementation of the ERASMUS+ program in the field of youth supports learning mobility for young people in the context of youth work, promotes the quality of those who work in the field of youth work and the development of youth policies. It supports the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities and, in addition to other general competences, it emphasizes the expectation of strengthening the language competences for the participants and expects that the competences gained throughout the project will be properly evaluated in a document called Youthpass, which is an instrument of the program to keep records and evaluating the informal learning experience through the activities in the program. Gradec Elementary School is a medium-sized school, which consists of a bigger main school with four smaller branch schools. Our main goal is to provide a high-quality educational process in a pleasant and creative atmosphere, which, with the cooperation of all participants, ensures the visibility and reputation of the school. We develop strong areas in students to strengthen their positive self-image. The target group for participation in the project are teachers and students of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd triad. The first foreign language learned at school is English, but students can learn a second foreign language, German, through optional and obligatory electives and interesting activities. Mainly due to the promotion of the second foreign language of German, when choosing volunteers, we prioritized choosing volunteers from German-speaking countries, all of whom, in addition to their mother tongue of German, spoke very well English and at least one other language (French, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Italian). Throughout the years of the implementation of EVS/ESC at school, we hosted a Spanish volunteer, several Germans, two Irish volunteers and two Austrian volunteers who performed their voluntary service at our school for periods of time between 3 and 10 months. At first glance, the structure of the project seems quite complicated, but the good cooperation of all the involved organizations, whose roles are clearly defined and elaborated, enables the project to live and be carried out at our school for more than 10 years. The international structural connection includes 3 actors: sending, coordinating and hosting organization. The sending organization from abroad is looking for volunteers who are interested and suitable for the implementation of the project and does all the organizational work before the volunteer's arrival in our country. The coordinating organization accepts the volunteers, provides them with financial support and accommodation, and familiarizes them with the work and social framework in which they should feel safe. The hosting organization is the part of the structure in the project 74 where the volunteers perform the main part of their voluntary service obligations. The project is overseen by the national agency 'Movit', which is in charge of checking the correctness of the project in all phases. In the project, between 2008 and 2014, the school cooperated with the Youth Center Trbovlje, since 2014 we have been cooperating with ZKMŠ and the Youth Center Litija. In the project, the youth center plays the role of coordinating (and partially also hosting) organization, while the school hosts the volunteers. Upon arrival, the volunteer is received by the Youth Center, which provides accommodation and all financial support, and then the work at the school begins. The volunteers work is organized in such a way that they do their work for four days a week at school, and one day at the Youth Center, where they also attend a Slovenian language course. Weekends are free, and volunteers mostly use them for trips and excursions around Slovenia and also to our neighboring countries. Both at the Youth Center and at school, the volunteers get a project coordinator and mentor. The coordinator is primarily responsible for organizing the volunteers work (work framework), while the mentor is responsible for integrating the volunteers into the local environment and is always there for offering support (social framework). The coordinator at school makes a weekly work schedule for the volunteer (Picture 1). Together with the mentor, they regularly meet at evaluation meetings, and the mentor introduces the volunteer to the school environment. The weekly schedule is very varied, as working in a school environment offers the volunteers very diverse areas where they can develop their interest and test themselves in both - social and natural sciences, and most important, learn social skills. Picture 1: Example of a weekly schedule. The activities of the European Solidarity Corps support the objectives of the EU Youth Strategy for the period 2019-2027. A partnership agreement is signed between all actors (Picture 2), in which the duties and rights of the participants are stated. 75 Picture 2: Partnership agreement, first page, example. If an organization wants to participate in volunteering projects, it must obtain a Quality Label. The European Solidarity Corps Quality Label certifies that an organisation taking part in the Corps is able to provide the necessary conditions for young people to take part in solidarity activities. The participating organisation must comply with the principles and quality standards set out in the Programme Guide. An organisation can apply for a Quality Label for volunteering with a supporting and/or hosting role. At the end of the project the participating volunteers write their Youthpass, with the help of mentors and coordinators. This is a document that lists the competencies that were acquired during the volunteer’s work. Youthpass (Picture 3) is the recognition instrument developed for the projects realised in the European youth programmes. Through the Youthpass certificate, participation in such projects can be recognised as an educational experience and a period of non-formal and informal learning. Youthpass foresees a process applied throughout the project life-cycle to support the learning of participants. It also serves as a strategy that improves the recognition of non-formal learning in Europe. Picture 3: Youthpass document, example. 76 ESC volunteers who intend to work with young people, or to carry out educational work in their future profession, performing ESE work at our elementary school is certainly a welcome learning experience and a test of their own abilities and competences for the final decision to become a teacher. The feedback we have got from the volunteers that were doing their ESC at our school, has shown that this experience certainly served them as an informal pedagogical practice. Based on many years of experience hosting ESC volunteers, the teachers became familiar with the goals of the Erasmus+ Youth project and adjusted their work so that the volunteers could be as constructively involved in the school environment. Most of all they are raising awareness among students and teachers about multiculturalism, digital literacy and alternative - informal learning of foreign languages. At the same time the volunteers also learned the basics of Slovenian language for easier communication with younger students. All our EVS/ESC volunteers (Pictures 4 and 5) have enriched our school environment with specific competences and personality traits, and our teachers have developed a sensibility for cooperating with young Europeans, through which the goals of the curriculum were upgraded and enriched by introducing content about history, geography and culture of another European country in other European languages – English, German and also Spanish. With this, the importance of multilingualism and being in contact with native speakers of other languages became popular at our school. Picture 4: EVS volunteer Jan from Germany among students. Picture 5: Irish volunteer Connor doing some garndening. 2 CONCLUSION At Gradec Elementary School, we want to offer our volunteers the experience of working with children and young people. Therefore, the volunteers participate in lessons during the after school lessons, foreign language lessons and other subjects, experience Slovenia through excursions and participating in the extracurricular subjects. The main goal for volunteers is to work with children in an informal setting. In this way, they gain competences by working with children and by developing their own projects, which the school provides for volunteers, but they can also carry out leisure 77 time or other additional activities within the school, such as various extracurricular activities. It all depends on their wishes and interests in connection with their work. By doing a project like ESC, over the years new projects were developed that were somehow connected to ESC. For example: the CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) project, i.e. learning the German language accompanied by a native speaker, took place for three years. Our school is also doing a youth mobility project, which runs for several years now. In this project students from our school are involved in a youth exchange through the Erasmus+ program. 3 LITERATURE Mednarodni projekti v šoli. (2006). http://www2.cmepius.si/files/cmepius/userfiles/publikacije/et_prirocnik_ravnatelji.pdf [2. 9. 2022] VODNIK po Youthpassu. (2012). http://www.movit.si/fileadmin/movit/0ZAVOD/Publikacije/Tematske/2012_Vodnik_po_ Youthpassu.pdf [20.9. 2022] Website Youthpass. https://www.youthpass.eu/en/ [20. 9. 2022] Website Movit: Erasmus+ Mladina. http://www.movit.si/erasmus-mladi-v-akciji/ [20. 9. 2022] 78 I am a Teacher, what is your super power? Sabina Dobršek Mladkovič Osnovna šola Brežice Povzetek Spreminjajoče se družba vpliva na vse segmente življena. Močno se je spremenil način pridobivanja informacij, ki so postale dosegljive skoraj vsakomur. Sodobni otroci so drugačni. Tehnološki napredek terja od njih nove adaptacije in asimilacije. Njihovi možgani so pod nenehnim vplivom zunanjih dražljajev in informacij. Vse to vpliva na spremembe v delovanju možganov. Na eni strani imamo torej sodobnega učenca, na drugi učitelja, ki tekmuje s svetom informacij in nenehnih dražljajev. Stari načini poučevanja ne prinašajo več željenih rezultatov, zato mora učitelj v svojem načinu poučevanja prilagoditi način dela sodobnemu načinu življenja in funkcioniranja otrok. Sodoben učitelj ima fokus na učečemu in pri svojem delu uporablja aktivne metode poučevanja ter je pri svojem delu empatičen, kajti človeškega odnose ne more nič nadomestiti. Abstract The changing society affects all segments of life. The way of obtaining information has changed significantly, and it has become accessible to almost everyone. Modern children are different. Technological progress demands new adaptations and assimilations from them. Their brains are constantly under the influence of external stimuli and information. All of the above mentioned affects changes in brain function. On one side we have a modern student, on the other a teacher competing with given information and constant stimuli. The old ways of teaching no longer bring the desired results, so the teacher must adapt his teaching methods to the modern way of life and children’s activities. A modern teacher focuses on the learner and uses active teaching methods in his work. He must be empathetic in his work, because nothing can replace human relationships. Keywords: information, learning process, neuroscience, motion, active student 79 1 POGLAVJE 1.1. Spreminjajoče se družba vpliva na vse segmente življenja. Močno se je spremenil način pridobivanja informacij, ki so postale dosegljive skoraj vsakomur. Način komunikacije postaja drugačen, v odnose vstopamo preko različnih medijev. Sodobni otroci so drugačni. Tehnološki napredek terja od njih nove in nove adaptacije in asimilacije. Njihovi možgani so pod nenehnim vplivom zunanjih dražljajev in informacij, posledično njihova senzorika deluje drugače. Vse to vpliva na spremembe v delovanju možganov. Informacije nikoli nisi bile tako dostopne, kot danes. Na eni strani imamo torej sodobnega učenca, na drugi učitelja, ki tekmuje s svetom informacij in nenehnih dražljajev. Splet ponuja hitre odgovore in rešitve, tehnologija pa nenehne stimulacije, preko katerih so otrokovi možgani pod nenehnimi dražljaji. Stari načini frontalnega poučevanja ne prinašajo več željenih rezultatov, zato mora učitelj v svojem načinu poučevanja postati še bolj fleksibilen in ob tem pokazati vso svojo kreativnost in sposobnost reševanja problemov, ki jih prinaša sodoben način življenja. Tekmovati mora s tehnologijo in nenehnimi stimulacijami okolja ter nuditi učni proces otrokom, ki imajo čedalje več težav pri ohranjanju fokusa in koncentracije, hkrati pa postajajo čedalje bolj pasivni in vedno manj samoiniciativni. Kakšen naj naj bi bil torej učitelj prihodnosti, da bo kos vsem spremembam in da bodo rezultati njegovega dela učinkoviti, da bo njegovo delo še vedno imelo smisel? Zagotovo mora biti kreativen, da išče vedno nove poti in načine, da učenci pridobijo in usvojijo znanja. Biti mora kognitivno fleksibilen, da se prilagodi spremembam. Inovativen in empatičen, da razume otroke, njihovo drugačno dojemanje sveta, njihove stiske in potrebe. Sodoben učitelj mora imeti fokus na učečemu, torej učencu, učni proces pa ima kot orodje, s katerim dosega svoje cilje. Na OŠ Brežice to poskušamo doseči z različnimi aktivnimi metodami poučevanja, kot npr. RWCT (Reading and writing for critical thinking) in FIT pedagogiko, kjer spodbujamo učenje skozi gibanje, pri čemer upoštevamo nova spoznanja o nevroplastičnosti možganov, dognanja nevroznanosti o kognitivnih procesih med učenjem. 1.2. Pomanjkanje gibanja postaja nov življenjski stil. Telesna aktivnost vpliva na razvoj možganov in če smo fizično aktivni, naše telo proizvaja serotonin, dopamin, noradrenalin in druge hormone, ki so nevtrotransmiterji (Gillerg et. All, 1986), kar pa vpliva na naš fokus, pozornost, spomin in koncentracijo. Potreba po gibanju je otrokova naravna potreba. Med gibanjem se vzpostavljajo nove možganske povezave in razne raziskave ugotavljajo, da se učimo bolje, če se gibljemo. FIT Pedagogika TM temelji na učenju skozi gibanje, kjer uporabimo večutno učenje. Skozi te metode poučevanja aktiviramo telo, dvignemo nivo kisika v možgane, spodbudimo nastanek hormonov, kar ima pozitivne učinke na učenje. »Več se naučimo, ko se zabavamo«. (Peter Kline v Dryden, 1999). Fit pedagogika ima pozitivne učinke na učenje. »Otrok in mladostnik doživljata ugodje ob učenju ob gibanju, saj je spodbujena njuna naravna potreba po gibanju, sodelovanju z vrstniki in odraslimi, obenem sta visoko motivirana, osredotočena in skoncentrirana« (Konda, 2019). FAM (fit aktivne metode) so metode, 80 ki spodbujajo visoko aktivnost učečega, medtem ko je učitelj koordinator in moderator učnega procesa. Gre za obliko učenja skozi gibanje, ki vpliva na visoko stopnjo osredotočenosti, koncentracije in motivacije za učenje. Učeči med gibanjem bere, zapisuje, komunicira, se uči in sodeluje. Mnogi učitelji se zavedajo pomena gibanja in aktivnega poučevanja, zato posegajo po drugačnih metodah poučevanja, ki spodbujajo učence ne samo k aktivnemu sodelovanju, temveč tudi k učenju skozi gibanje, ki postaja v sodobnem času dejavnost v upadanju. Telesna dejavnost nam da energijo, vpliva na boljše razpoloženje in zmanjšuje pasivnost, letargičnost, ki je zadnje čase vedno bolj prisotna v šolah med učenci. 1.3. Opažamo tudi, da so učenci prepogosto pasivni poslušalci in prejemniki znanja, da berejo in ne vedo, kaj berejo, da pogosto samo čakajo in pasivno prejemajo informacije, medtem ko učitelj išče poti, kako bo jih navdušil nad znanjem in učenjem. Mnogi učitelji zato iščejo načine, kako bi motivirali učence ter jih aktivno vključili v učni proces. Želijo si aktivne in vedoželjne učence, ki kritično razmišljajo in sodelujejo pri učnem procesu. Želijo, da bi učenci ne samo memorizirali podatke, temveč se ob tem spraševali, preverjali dejstva, debatirali, interpretirali in kritično presojali informacije. Učenje, ki je učinkovito in dolgotrajno je tisto, kjer učeči razmišlja o vsebini in jo potem aktivno prenese in uporabi v nadaljnje življenjske situacije. Tak način dela ponujajo tehnike RWCT(Reading and writing for critical thinking). RWCT je mednarodni projekt, ki je imel svoje začetke v Romuniji v zgodnjih 1996. Sedaj je vanj vključenih več kot 40 držav, vsebuje več kot 50 metod poučevanja, katerih glavni namen je razvijanje kritičnega mišljenja, argumentiranja, aktivnega branja, evalviranja, izražanja mnenja, poslušanja in sprejemanja nasprotnikovega zornega kota ipd. Tehnike so način, s katerimi spodbujamo razmišljanje na višjih taksonomskih nivojih. Uporaba teh metod vpliva na več ravni posameznika, ki zna bolje sodelovati, učinkovito komunicirati, poslušati in izražati svoje mnenje ter predvsem kritično razmišljati, zato so te oblike dela in sodelovalnega učenja in poučevanja zelo dobrodošle v obdobju, v katerem se nahajamo. 2. Zadnji dve leti nas je situacija oropala mnogih stikov. Človek je bil kot družabno bitje prikrajšan za stike, za medsebojne odnose in socialne interakcije, kjer se krepijo vezi, zadovoljujejo psihološke in socialne potrebe posameznika. Čedalje več komuniciramo preko tehnoloških medijev, ki nam marsikaj olajšajo, še vedno pa ne morejo nadomestiti človeka, njegov dotik, neverbalno komunikacijo in humanost. Sposobnost komunikacije, sodelovanja, empatije, reševanja konfliktov je veščina, ki naj bi jo imel usvojeno sleherni posameznik, zato se čedalje bolj izkazuje, da jih je potrebno razvijati in spodbujati. Na naši šoli dajemo poudarek tudi na socialnih kompetencah. Mnogi 81 učitelji opažajo pri otrocih pretiran individualizem in pomanjkanje empatije, socialnih veščin, kot so sodelovanje, reševanje problemov na sprejemljiv način, poslušanje ipd. Velik poudarek dajemo na izobraževanju učiteljev tudi na področju komunikacije, čustev, nasilja, dinamike konfliktov in reševanje le-teh s pomočjo mediacije. Verjamemo, da če bo učitelj znal komunicirati, izražati svoja mnenja, če bo znal sodelovati, reševati konflikte na način, da bodo vsi udeleženci zmagovalci, bo to eksplicitno prenašal na svoje učence. V dobi informacij je super moč učitelja ravno človeški vidik. Tega ne more nadomestiti in naučiti nobena tehnologija in najboljše učenje je učenje z zgledom. Učitelj, ki je opremljen s socialnimi veščinami, ki zna pristopiti h konfliktu, ki se zaveda, da je le-ta priložnost za rast in razvoj odnosa, ta bo ustvarjal oddelke, kjer se bo posameznik počutil varnega, da izrazi sebe, svoje občutke in čustva. Ustvarjal bo klimo, v kateri bo učenje zabava in znanje vrednota. Svet se spreminja, način življenja se spreminja, učenci se spreminjajo, naši možgani delujejo drugače, zato je potrebno, da se ob vsem tem spreminja tudi šolski sistem ter način poučevanja. Potrebno je združiti nova dognanja nevroznanosti in jih implementirati v način poučevanja, da dosežemo čim boljše rezultate. Če želimo kritične in razmišljajoče posameznike, jih moramo naučiti kritično razmišljati. Če želimo zdrave in aktivne posameznike, jih moramo spodbuditi k aktivnostim in jim ponuditi priložnosti, kjer bodo aktivni. Če želimo posameznike, ki jim je mar za druge, ki imajo razvite komunikacijske veščine, so empatični in usmerjeni na dobrobit vseh, potem jim moramo ponuditi okolje, ki to spodbuja in uči. Vse to lahko ob dobrem učnem procesu in dobrem učitelju razvijamo, spodbujamo in negujemo. Je pa potreben napor, nov način delovanja in prilagajanja na spremenjeno situacijo. Učitelj mora v sodobnem času poleg znanja, ki ga predaja, biti izjemno fleksibilen ter socialno in čustveno zrel. Poznati mora tehnike in strategije in jih aplicirati v dano učno situacijo. Delo učitelja v sodobnem času postaja čedalje bolj naporno, izčrpajoče, zato se v zadnjem času pojavlja pomanjkanje učiteljev. Tehnološki napredek je izredno hiter. Računalniški programi in aplikacije olajšujejo in nadomeščajo vlogo učitelja, a kljub vsem napredku ostaja učitelju nekaj, kar ga ne more nič nadomestiti in to je človeški odnos. To je tisto, na čemur lahko gradimo v prihodnosti in če bomo želeli humano družbo napredka, usmerjeno v sočloveka in trajnostni razvoj, potem je čas, da postane učitelj oseba, ki ima pomemben status v družbi. Včasih ga je že imel in čas je, da si ga povrne, kajti kot pravi pregovor: na otrocih sloni svet, jaz pa dodajam, da so učitelji tisti, ki imajo pri tem pomembno vlogo in nalogo. 2 Viri in literatura Cokan Vanja in Cokan Peter (2014): Memory trener. Trenerski priročnik, Univerzum Minerva. Dryden G. in Dr. Vos J. (1999): Revolucija učenja, Educy. Konda B. (2016): Priročnik Aktivne igre za aktivne možgane, Interno gradivo. 82 Zbornik prispevkov conference proceedings: 1. FIT4KID TM Menarodna znanstvena konferenca »Fit učenje za FIT otroke 2019« MEDIACIJA-nova kultura odnosov, Usposabljanje za šolskega medatiorja: Interno delovno gradivo za udeleženke in udeležence usposabljanja za šolskega mediatorja, Ljubljana 2007 https://rwct.ngo/# Priloge: 83