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DANAILA DIMOVA  English teacher at Private Secondary School Dr. Peter Beron

Shares her impressions after Erasmus project visit to Polish School Nr.2 in Wapnica village in February 2023

Helpful practices that I learned from Poland and I will use in my work.

What I have learnt, and I am going to apply in my work is to incorporate more hand-on activities because learning by doing makes the students more engaged and motivated.

I have understood as well that STEAM interdisciplinary approach can be used in early childhood education, too. Exploring nature and science through activities such as planting seeds, observing insects, or conducting simple experiments is a way to develop creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking skills in young children along with language and communication skills (what is the main purpose of my subject- English language learning).

A very important conclusion I have made for myself is that the children at the age I’m teaching develop at a different pace. So, it’s unrealistic to expect all of them to acquire educational material with the same tempo and reach the same level of knowledge. The more significant thing is that every student makes progress.

Teaching Process in Poland

During our polish mobility at the Primary School in Wapnica I had an opportunity to get acquainted with Dalton Plan- a concept of teaching which was new for me.

According to this plan the child occupies the central place in the educational process, not the teacher. The responsibility and engagement of a student towards their own education increases. He/ She is proactive learner and is not taught and spoon-fed by the teacher.

Students draw up their timetables in accordance with their individual differences and stages of psychological development. They work at their own pace and are only responsible for finishing the work on their syllabuses or assignments. The role of the teacher shifts from the one who only transmits information to one who guides and gives individual help when it is needed. The teacher encourages students to develop practical skills, provokes their critical thinking, inspires desire for learning and for personal development.

In this polish school students from one class during the same lesson work on different subjects and tasks according to the syllabus they had created by themselves at the beginning of the week. When we entered the classes, we were surprised to find out that some students were solving math problems, some were studying something in their student’s books, others were working on tablets. All of them were engaged in their activities. They had freedom to choose what and when to do, however at the same time they had the responsibility to accomplish it. Their progress was a result of their own efforts and learning.

Independence but in combination with cooperation was the feature of the Dalton approach adopted in the school. All over the place we could see posters that explained the steps one should follow to accomplish his/her task:

1. Try it on your own.
2. Look it up in a book.
3. Search the net.
4. Ask a friend for cooperation.
5. Ask the teacher for help.

These moral characteristics: cooperation, independence (freedom of action), responsibility, sharing and friendship included in the Dalton plan, were key priorities for the school and therefore were awarded. Children received stars if they had contributed to their achievement. At the end of the month the child with the big number of stars received recognition and a moral award.