Strategic Partnerships for School Education, project: BEYOND … · 2018-11-06 · Strategic...
Transcript of Strategic Partnerships for School Education, project: BEYOND … · 2018-11-06 · Strategic...
Strategic Partnerships for School Education, project: BEYOND AND LOUDER THAN WORDS
ERASMUS + KA2 project number: 2015-1-IT02-KA219-015438_10 Output 5
Над зборовите и
погласно од нив
Oltre e più forte di
parole
Πέρα από και πιο
δυνατά από τα
λόγια
Jenseits und lauter als
Worte
Au-delà et plus fort
que les mots
Boven en Langer dan
Woorden
Más allá y más
ruidoso que
palabras
2
CONTENTS:
1. Introduction – High Performer Students, who are they and how do we
recognize them …………………………………………………………………….. 3
2. Common Characteristics …………………………………………………………..3
3. What we did
Macedonia ………………………………………………………………….. 6
The Netherlands …………………………………………………………. 15
Italy ………………………………………………………………………… 15
4. What we actually do
Austria……………………………………………………………………….16
Belgium ……………………………………………………………………..16
Italy ………………………………………………………………………… 16
The Netherlands ……………………………………………………….. 16
Spain ………………………………………………………………………..17
Macedonia ……………………………………………………………….. 17
5. References …………………………………………………………………………21
6. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………22
3
INTRODUCTION
High Performer Students
Who are they and how do we recognize them
The term High Performer has been in use since September 2013 as a
replacement for the terms “Talented and Gifted” because it is considered as a more
appropriate label for these kinds of students. In some cases the terms talented and
gifted are used to describe the able students so they can be found in many
resources and activities supporting these students. There is also a difference
between the terms High Performer and Hard Working students. High Performers
are like sponges that absorb information like water. But the thing is they can’t
overflow, there’s always more room in their brain for something new. On the other
way, the Hard Working students are those who spend a lot more time to learn the
same material as the High performers, and their brain capacity is a little smaller.
High performer students are known for having a higher ability to understand
things, or at least they absorb new information in a shorter period of time. These
students are always more capable in one field than another, just like the rest of the
students, but there are some criteria that have to be fulfilled so that these students
can be considered as High Performer.
How do we recognize them? High performer students always stand out. They are
always interested in learning something more, staying after classes, doing extra-
curricular activities, participate in competitions in the fields like: math, chemistry,
biology, physics. There are high performer students in every field. Natural sciences
are not the only field where kids are interested in showing they can do more. There
are thriving students in arts and literature, sports and the political sciences, music
and drama.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
Some characteristics that these students have in common are:
Think quickly and accurately
Work systematically
Generate creative working solutions
Work flexibly and independently, processing unfamiliar information and
applying knowledge, experience and insight to unfamiliar situations
Communicate their ideas well
Be determined, diligent and interested in uncovering patterns
4
Achieve or show potential in a wide range of contexts
Be particularly creative
Show great sensitivity or empathy
Demonstrate particular physical dexterity or skill
Make sound, mature judgements
Be outstanding leaders or team members
Be fascinated by or passionate about a particular subject or aspect of the
curriculum
Demonstrate high levels of attainment across a range of subjects or skills
As we can see there are a lot of positive sides to these students but there are
some negative as well. They can show some attributes that aren’t as acceptable:
Be unwilling to show ability not wishing to stand out from peers
Feel uncomfortable with open-ended tasks or the lack of a definitive answer
Challenge assumptions
Show cognitive skills which are far ahead of social skills and confidence
Be disadvantaged for socio-economic reasons
Be significantly under-achieving
Over 20 years of research has enabled researchers to come up with different types
of giftedness. There are many versions of this but the distinctive types rather fit well
in the 6 types of giftedness that were introduced and exist.
According to the researchers, the 6 types of giftedness include:
The successful (Type 1)
The challenging (Type 2)
The underground (Type 3)
The dropouts (Type 4)
The double labeled (Type 5) and
The autonomous learner (Type 6)
The Type 1's are the most easily identifiable, and may account for up to
about 90% of the identified gifted students in schools. They are the students who
have learnt the system and are well adjusted to society with a generally high self-
concept. They are obedient, display appropriate behavior, and are high
achievers, therefore, loved by parents and teachers. However, they can also get
bored at school and learn the system fast enough so as to use the minimum
effort to get by. They are also dependent on the system, thus less creative and
imaginative, and lack autonomy.
5
The Type 2 gifted are the divergently gifted, who possess high levels of
creativity. They do not conform to the system and often have conflicts with
teachers and parents. They get frustrated, as the school system does not
recognize their abilities. They may be seen as disruptive in the classroom and
often possess negative self-concepts, even though they are quite creative. This is
the group of gifted students who are at risk of dropping out of schools for
unhealthy activities, like getting involved in drugs or exhibiting delinquent
behavior.
The Type 3's refers to gifted students who deny their talents or hide their
giftedness in order to feel more included with a non-gifted peer group. They are
generally females, who are frequently insecure and anxious as their belonging
needs rise dramatically at that stage. Their changing needs often conflicts with
the expectations of parents and teachers. These types appear to benefit from
being accepted as they are at the time.
The Type 4 gifted are the angry and frustrated students whose needs
have not been recognized for many years and they feel rejected in the system.
They express themselves by being depressed or withdrawn and responding
defensively. They are identified very late; therefore, they are bitter and resentful
due to feelings of neglect and have very low self-esteem. For these students,
counseling is highly recommended.
Students identified as Type 5 are gifted students who are physically or
emotionally handicapped in some way, or have a learning disability. This group
does not show behaviors of giftedness that can identify them in schools. They
show signs of stress, frustration, rejection, helplessness, or isolation. They are
also often impatient and critical with a low self-esteem. These students are easily
ignored as they are seen as average. School systems seem to focus more on
their weaknesses, and therefore fail to nurture their strengths.
Finally, the Type 6 gifted are the autonomous learners who have learnt to
work effectively in the school system. Unlike Type 1, they do not work for the
system, but rather make the system work for them. They are very successful,
liked by parents, teachers and peers, and have a high self-concept with some
leadership capacity within their surroundings. They accept themselves and are
risk takers, which goes well with their independent and self-directed nature. They
are also able to express their feelings, goals, and needs freely and appropriately.
Types 1 & 6 - generally identifiable.
Types 2, 3, 4, 5 - risk of not being identified.
6
A gifted child of Type 1 and 6 would usually follow directions well and vice-
versa for the other types. Motivation for getting A's would depend on how worthy
the child views an A as. If he gets it very easily, he may not feel very challenged
and thus, motivation and satisfaction levels drop.
WHAT WE DID
MACEDONIA
For the needs of our project, we asked our colleague Mrs. Keti
Domazetovikj, the school pedagogist to express her opinion about the high
performers based on her experience gained through her work with the students in
our school. She prepared a power point presentation which is presented here.
Presentation : “ High performing and Talented Students ”
7
Eager to hear the opinion of some the high performer students in Gimnazija Goce
Delcev, Kumanovo, we asked them questions mostly about their motivation, experience and satisfaction. A group of students interviewed several students who
answered the following questions:
1. What motivates you to compete?
2. Who was the first one that motivated you to start competing?
3. Are you satisfied with the ways you have been acknowledged and do you think
that the community around you can motivate you more?
LINK to the interview (double click)
INTERVJU SO UCENICITE.mp4
We also organized a Debate on the same topic where we discussed the issue
with the partners in the project
8
DEBATE ON TOPIC “HIGH PREFORMING STUDENTS”
6.11.2017, Kumanovo
Agenda
11:00 – 11:20 - Introduction and presentations
11:20 – 12:25 - 3 Questions (Introduction and sharing)
12:25 – 12:40 - Break
12:40 – 12:45 - Voting for main topics
12:45 – 13:45 - Debate
13:45 – 13:55 - Additional questions
13:55 – 14:00 - Conclusion
Topics Discussed
1. How do you recognize and work with high performer students?
2. What do you do to motivate high performer students?
3. How do your competent institutions support high performer students, what does
the curriculum for them look like?
9
During the debate the following conclusions were stated:
Belgium – We really enjoyed the discussion and think that the topic is really
interesting. We have experience with high performing students as well and we liked
the questions that we discussed about the topic. There is a critique about the time
left for the questions we would like to have some more time to be asked about our
school system. We appreciated how well coordinated the students were and the fact
that they knew a lot about the school and it’s system.
10
Italy really liked the topic discussed and the whole organization. We also had some
time to think of a future plan for a new Erasmus and our ideas are great. We noticed
that the students were very communicative with their academic and everyday use of
the English language and thought their skills were amazing.
Spain liked the organized environment they came into. We complimented the
students on their English skills and thought that the debate had a very important
purpose. We were impressed with the behavior of the students during the end when
there was a little problem, they knew how to fix it quickly and efficiently.
Austria had many positive things to say about the debate. We had many
suggestions and advice for the hosts and they were all noted and taken in
consideration. We enjoyed the videos they had prepared for the beginning and
appreciated the time it took to make them.
11
The Netherlands thought we were really motivated and polite. We also
appreciated the two videos they had prepared for the beginning of the event. The
enthusiasm was the main thing they focused on and appreciated that the debate was
organized and well planned out.
Macedonia did a great job of hosting the other countries and just like
everyone else enjoyed the organized nature of the debate and hopes to stay
involved in many other upcoming debates.
12
Link to the debate
After the debate the interest in organizing debates on different subjects among the
students raised. They actually organized another debate on the topic:
“The (dis)respect and (non)acceptance of the school codex”
For this debate the students from diverse age groups gathered and discussed
if the codex that is used in our school is strict enough or not. Some teachers were
also involved in the debate. The students had different opinions. The questions
discussed were:
1. Were students involved in making the codex?
2. Should students be involved in making of the codex?
3. How much is the codex accepted by the students?
4. Dress code?
All of the students had something to say, an opinion to share and a comment
to make. The following part is an excerpt of the discussion during the debate:
The spokeperson- (Anastasija) presents the first question:
”Were students involved in preparing the codex?”
Student 1 (Marvin): “I think the answer is obvious, no.”
Student 2 (Viktor): Give us a short definition of what the codex actually is.
Student 1 (Marvin): “Rules are made to be broken, but we should accept them as
they are.”
Student 3 (Melanija): “I disagree, my opinion is that we, the students, should have
more influence on all of the rules in the codex. “
Student 4 (Daniela): “Well, students should be involved in making of the codex, but
the problem is that students won’t get the creating of the codex really
13
seriously and the codex won’t have actual rules.”
The spokeperson- (Anastasija) presents the second question:
” How much should we be involved in making of the codex?”
Student 4 (Daniela):” I think if students make the codex, they will make a mess,
because we are students and we don’t have the right to create the codex,
we should do our things.”
Student 5 (Leo): “I think we should make surveys of what students think about every
single rule in the codex.”
Student 6 (Matej T): ”Adults underestimate the power of the students, there are
students that can work on creating the codex, we can change the codex
and make it better.”
Student 2 (Viktor): ”Even if we made the codex, we wouldn’t respect it for more than
a year.”
Student 7 (Eleonora): “Students shouldn’t be part of the full creation of the codex,
maybe only giving opinions about it, there are professionals whose job
is to do that for us. I’m only here to learn and to obey the rules.”
Student 8 (Jovana S) responds: “It’s not a school if we only come here to have fun,
we are here to learn, it is not about the codex now, but about the school
system as a whole.”
Student 9 (Anita):”Why is everyone against fun? We are not here only to learn, but
to socialize and meet other people, students should be allowed to create
the codex, fresh minds and fresh ideas are always welcome.”
Student 10 (Vitorio): ”We should be involved in making of the codex.”
Student 2 (Viktor): ”I don’t agree with Eleonora, we are in school and not in prison,
we are not here to obey the rules only, the codex is about us, we are
making something and we know what is most important for us.”
Student 3 (Melanija):”Are you sure you are not in prison, you don’t need to be
professional or well educated, you need to think like the students think,
and get in their skin for just 5 seconds, because they think like adults,
that they are.”
Teacher 1: Please do not forget that we have been students as well
Student 12 (Anastasija): “In my conclusion, the main opinion is that students should
be involved in making the codex, but moving to next question, is codex
accepted?”
Student 13 (Milosh):”The Codex is not accepted because we don’t participate in its
creation and we should be, why then we should respect something that
we didn’t create? It is made by principals, not by us. The school should
be a place for having fun, not just learning. We will respect it more if
it includes our opinions.”
Student 14 (Ivana) :”Do you appreciate something that your parents tell you?”
Student 13 (Milosh):”Milosh responded: “Not always, I always think before my
actions.”
14
Student 15 (Ana):” points out: “We respect the codex, but the question is how much
we agree with it.”
Student 16 (Jovana T): “The codex itself is here for our own good. It has its good
and bad sides.”
Student 12 (Anastasija) : How do you imagine the perfect codex.
Student 6 (Matej T): I would put small breaks, 4 or 5 minutes between the classes.
I agree with that.
The spokeperson- (Anastasija) presents the third question:
“Dress code???”
Student 17 (Jovana K): ”Girls have too much freedom in the way they dress. They
should not be allowed to dress that way, the rules should be stricter.
After all it is a school and we should respect the dress code.”
Student 16 (Jovana T): ”Nobody respects it, when it is hot, we still have to wear long
pants. That is not fair, we can‘t function properly it affects our mental
capability and instead we are focused on how warm it is.”
Student 1 (Marvin): Question: Are you going to work in mini-skirts or in long pants.
You are allowed to wear skirts but they have to be under the knees.
Student 2 (Viktor):” ARE BOYS ALLOWED TO WEAR SKIRTS? Clothing is part of
you identity, if you wear clothes you like you feel comfortable, you can’t
go in school half naked, it is not a strip bar. This is school, from the point
of ethics and morality you should wear clothes that represent you.
Student 18 (Leona): You should wear clothes that are fine and comfortable for you.
Student 7 (Eleonora): If you don’t dress properly it does not mean that you miss
education. It is a part of your behavior. It is learnt at home first. There
should be fines and punishments for breaking the dress code.
Student 17 (Jovana K): “You can dress as you want, but it should have limits.
Student 19 (Larisa): “We (the fourth grade students) don’t have problem with the
dress code, the second grade students break the rules.
Teacher 1: Everyone breaks the rules. If we are equal everyone should discuss it .
Student 19 (Larisa): I think that younger generations are dressing more freely.
Teacher 1: We are equal, we should all respect the rules.
Student 20 (Dijana): Everyone wants to look differently, dresses in his/her way, and
wants to look good. It is another point, do younger generations respects
the rules more than us?
By the end of the debate everyone who had something to say was heard and
people were satisfied with the whole debate. The following resolutions were
accepted:
1. Students are not involved in the process of preparing the codex;
2. Students have to be involved in preparing the codex in the school;
15
3. Students have to accept and obey the rules;
4. Students have to be dressed properly while in school;.
The relaxing environment the debate was set in, the use of every day English,
the organization and the way of timing everyone’s speech, made most of the
students happy, satisfied with the topic discussed and eager to hear when the next
debate will be held. The teachers were pleased by the results and are ecstatic for
our next debate.
Pictures from the Student Debate
THE NETHERLANDS
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tvYwmGxSYrZGz-ehns_adEiaq2dEj6wj
ITALY
Cosmic rays:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HqRe3XmoEni8zJ85wpeLG06lH0ulILDc
Presentation:
https://ka2sevencountries.altervista.org/ict2-italy/
16
WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO
Austria – The school is generally focused on sports. There are high-performers
mostly dealing with the area of sports. We have two highly talented students in
mountain biking. Our school really focuses on sports more than usual and our
students are featured in the local newspapers acknowledging their success. The
students get their diplomas in the school halls where the entire school can see their
accomplished success.
Belgium – In the school there is a diverse palette of students. All of the students
possess some sort of talent. Some of them work really hard and earn their grades
through their work, some don’t work as hard but their talent helps them get through.
These students finish their work earlier, they ask questions and are more
independent. We usually mix the students, putting the high-performer in a group with
the other students so that he/she can help the others or see how much more he can
actually do.
.
Italy – There are also very different kinds of students. We point them out because
we believe that high-performer students work less than the others but can still
achieve the goal faster than them. These students can figure out ways of solving
problems more easily and they are interested in doing competitions like: Olympic
math, history, languages. A way to motivate these students is through meeting
people with the same level of intelligence. Another way to motivate them is to give
them opportunities while they are still in high school, something as scholarships and
financial support.
Netherlands – In our schools the children with special needs are more important, so
the high-performers are overlooked. Our school systems allows us to put these
students in advanced classes, which means that they can finish their high school
career faster than the other students. A way to recognize a high performer is to find
out which of the students can answer the more complex questions and can come up
with answers faster than usually. Most of these students are supported by their
parents. If the parents are wealthier and provide more than they need for their day to
day life, then they are the ones who push their kids further and help them get a
better future. One thing that the system should change is that there should be
17
cheaper ways to test the I.Q’s of the students so that the high-performers can be
recognized more easily.
Spain – The school systems in Spain have special programs for these kinds of
students which allow them to use more tools so that they can develop their skills
further. A way to motivate these students is not to isolate them, and to help them fit
in with the rest of the students. That way they can become aware of their value and
recognize if they are being treated differently. The Spanish educational systems also
provide these students with many scholarships helping them get the future they
deserve.
Macedonia – In our school there are diverse students as well. A way that these
students are recognized is by the fact that they always ask for more information.
Most of the time, they finish their tasks earlier than the others, are fast learners and
sometimes are even not aware of their abilities. A way to motivate them is to give
them more material and allow them to compete in more intellectual competitions.
One of the things which demotivate our students is the fee that has to be paid for
the students to participate in the competition. The fees should be removed so that
more students can show their knowledge in the competitions. Another way to
motivate them is by letting them to study together with their peers (not dividing them
into separate groups or classes) and treating them equally. Every school in our
country has a specific working program that is a part of the general annual program
of the school. The following document is an original excerpt from the mentioned
program issued in Macedonian and English.
4.11. Програма за работа со надарени и талентирани ученици
СЕПТЕМВРИ-ОКТОМВРИ
1. Идентификација и откривање на ученици кои покажуваат повеќе афинитет по
одредена област во однос на останати ученици;
2. Собирање и организирање на надарени и талентирани ученици во група и
запознавање со начинот на работа во овој домен (проектните активности нудат
можности за оваа активност).
НОЕМВРИ - ДЕКЕМВРИ
1.Практична реализација на работата со оваа група ученици , како групно така
и поединечно со посебен пристап (литература, користење на кабинети, посета
на институции, работни организации, саеми, смотри и сл.
ЈАНУАРИ - ФЕВРУАРИ
1. Насочување на учениците во користење на стручна литература и начин на
доаѓање до неа (користење на интернет ).
18
2. Соработка на учениците во групата и подготовка за натпревари, олимпијади
на знаења,смотри.
МАРТ - АПРИЛ
1. Посета на семинари, трибини, советувања како и посета на вакви групи од
други училишта - размена на искуства;
2. Интензивна подготовка за учество на натпревари - самостојна работа во
консултација со менторот.
МАЈ - ЈУНИ
1. Следење на покажаните знаења во и вон групата и анализа на напредување
на секој поединец во односната наставна област - колку напредувал во областа
за која е надарен;
2.Сумирање на резултати- поединечно и групно на ниво на училиште
(изработка на портфолио за реализираната проектна активност).
3.Организирање и учество во летни школи, семинари што опфаќаат ученици,
талентирани и надарени во одредени области.
Секцииите, односно проектните активности се извонредно тло за
идентификација, селекција и стимулирање на ученици кои покажуваат вакви
наклоности. Училиштето веќе има една богата традиција со овие ученици, а
тие исто така посетуваат семинари и школи за талентирани.
4.11. A program for working with gifted and talented students
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
1. Identification of the students who show more affinity for a certain area compared
to the other students;
2. Meeting and organizing the gifted and talented students in a group and getting
acquainted with the way they work in this domain (project activities offer
opportunities for this activity).
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER
1. Practical realization of the work with this group of students, both grouped and
individually, with a special approach (literature, use of cabinets, visiting institutions,
working organizations, fairs, seeing etc.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY
1. Directing students to using professional literature and the way of coming to it
(using the Internet).
19
2. Cooperation of the students in a group and preparation for competitions,
Olympiads of knowledge, etc.
MARCH - APRIL
1. Attendance of seminars, tribunes, counseling, paying visits to such groups from
the other schools - exchange of experiences;
2. Intensive preparation for participation in competitions - independent work in
consultation with the mentor.
MAY - JUNE
1. Monitoring the demonstrated knowledge in and out of the group and analyzing the
progress of each individual in the respective teaching area - how much the students
have progressed in the area for which they are gifted;
2. Summary of the results - individually and group on a school level (preparation of a
portfolio for the realized project activities).
3. Organizing and participating in summer schools, seminars that encompass
students that are talented and gifted in certain areas.
The after-school or project activities are excellent for identifying, selecting
and stimulating students who show such inclinations. The school has already had a
rich tradition with these students, and they also attend seminars and schools for
talented students.
The activities realized within the project “Beyond and Louder than
Words” influenced a group of high-performing students from our school to organize
The Students Debate Club. They are very satisfied with their work and send us a
report of their wok, worth to me mentioned here.
Students Debate Club
After the successful debate held in November 2017, some of the students
involved felt very motivated to start making some changes in their community. One
of them, Konstantin Solarski, decided to form and run a debate club. The club has a
lot of members that meet every Saturday and discuss many topics concerning their
environment.
20
The greatest thing about the club is that the members are students from a
variety of age groups. The members are from different ethnicities, diverse social
statuses and they make a great mix. All of them have great inputs to contribute to the
club because even though they are from the same city, all of them come from
different home environments, different schools and their mutual goal is to make the
entire community better for all the (non) members.
Some topics discussed so far are:
- Learning about The Law and knowing our rights.
- Women’s Rights and contribution to the 8th of March annual Women’s
Rights Day
- Understanding the function of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Learning about the Local “street - law”
- Don’t raise your tone, strengthen your argument?
- Getting to know the International Criminal Court
Pictures from the Student Debate Club
21
References:
1. Growing Up Gifted: Developing the Potential of Children at School and at
Home (8th Edition; April 2012, Pearson), by Dr. Barbara Clark
2. Adolescent Study by Halpin, Payne, Ellett (1973), Exceptional Children
3. MacLean, P. (1978). A mind of three minds: Educating the triune brain.
4. Lozanov, G. (1977): The Bulgarian experience. The Journal of
Suggestive-Accelerative Learning and Teaching; and Martindale (1975),
22
The Regressive Imagery Dictionary.
5. Adolescent Study by Halpin, Payne, Ellett (1973), Exceptional Children
Databases :
https://www.opgs.org/school/Pages/highperformingstudents.aspx
http://www.brainy-child.com/expert/types-of-giftedness.shtml
https://upcoaching.nl
CONCLUSION:
TALENT IS A SPECIAL KIND OF NATURAL RESOURCE THAT IS AVAILABLE IN
EVERY COUNTRY
Interview with students.mp4