Page 234 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
P. 234
The Principle of Action
The core of the action component is that students not only learn the truths
presented in books and gain academic knowledge, but they also learn how
to relate to other things and use what they have learnt in real life. The impor-
tant thing here is that they associate thinking with useful skills and concepts in
complex situations. In doing so they develop understanding and lasting pat-
terns for life. Teachers encourage action-centred behaviour by including as lit-
tle analytical planning as possible, steering students towards acquiring infor-
mation from the environment quickly and testing the possible solutions in a
real environment as fast as possible. They encourage a practical presentation
of solutions whilst not describing them in detail, as well as regular public pres-
entations of the results of their work. Students present the intermediate re-
sults to potential users and all project participants.
Such actions or projects relate learning to the outer world. Activities often
last several weeks or months, may be highly impressive and also significantly
impact students. This makes it possible for students to become familiar with
234 different situations and understand the circumstances while they are working
on performing their tasks. In particular, if they have no time and little opportu-
nity to get to know the issue inside out and understand the problem, then the
activity was most likely not well chosen. What is of particular importance here
is that such activities or projects can point out and provide authentic situa-
tions and enable efficient learning. When students are thinking about the pro-
ject, about how to prepare for it and carry it out, they are using different kinds
of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. They need to communicate all of this
to their schoolmates, make a team effort and find solutions to practical prob-
lems that arise during the course of the project. Learning is frequently relocat-
ed to one’s home and family, as students need their parents’ help and advice,
as well as to local institutions. Of course, such activities have to be associat-
ed with a sense of responsibility and a feeling of self-respect, respect for oth-
ers and the environment. Work is carried out both in the field and in the class-
room. The space for project work needs to be adapted to team work and the
equipment inside to project work. It is important that students are provided
with free access to the work area and thereby to the prototype materials and
tools. These activities or projects are not separated from learning, they are part
of it and can also take place during the course of the regular teaching process.
They enable and call for the cooperation of teachers from different fields of ex-
pertise at school that may, technology or content-wise, contribute to the pro-
ject in any way they can.
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
The core of the action component is that students not only learn the truths
presented in books and gain academic knowledge, but they also learn how
to relate to other things and use what they have learnt in real life. The impor-
tant thing here is that they associate thinking with useful skills and concepts in
complex situations. In doing so they develop understanding and lasting pat-
terns for life. Teachers encourage action-centred behaviour by including as lit-
tle analytical planning as possible, steering students towards acquiring infor-
mation from the environment quickly and testing the possible solutions in a
real environment as fast as possible. They encourage a practical presentation
of solutions whilst not describing them in detail, as well as regular public pres-
entations of the results of their work. Students present the intermediate re-
sults to potential users and all project participants.
Such actions or projects relate learning to the outer world. Activities often
last several weeks or months, may be highly impressive and also significantly
impact students. This makes it possible for students to become familiar with
234 different situations and understand the circumstances while they are working
on performing their tasks. In particular, if they have no time and little opportu-
nity to get to know the issue inside out and understand the problem, then the
activity was most likely not well chosen. What is of particular importance here
is that such activities or projects can point out and provide authentic situa-
tions and enable efficient learning. When students are thinking about the pro-
ject, about how to prepare for it and carry it out, they are using different kinds
of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. They need to communicate all of this
to their schoolmates, make a team effort and find solutions to practical prob-
lems that arise during the course of the project. Learning is frequently relocat-
ed to one’s home and family, as students need their parents’ help and advice,
as well as to local institutions. Of course, such activities have to be associat-
ed with a sense of responsibility and a feeling of self-respect, respect for oth-
ers and the environment. Work is carried out both in the field and in the class-
room. The space for project work needs to be adapted to team work and the
equipment inside to project work. It is important that students are provided
with free access to the work area and thereby to the prototype materials and
tools. These activities or projects are not separated from learning, they are part
of it and can also take place during the course of the regular teaching process.
They enable and call for the cooperation of teachers from different fields of ex-
pertise at school that may, technology or content-wise, contribute to the pro-
ject in any way they can.
student (under)achievement: perspectives, approaches, challenges
