Comenius Regio "City as a Learning Place Where Learning is An Adventure" Public Conference ROMANIA Bucharest 14 October 2012

Theoretical premises
Centuries ago, visionar psychologists and experts in education like Rousseau and, later Piaget have emphasis that real life experiences form the basis of learning and bring precious inputs to education Over 200 years ago, in his manual of pedagogy, Rousseau settled the importance of learning from different places and settings, recommending for Emile a whole year of learning by traveling. Gaining experiences that would have the major role for personal development and growing mature.

Up to present
In our present Knowledge society, The European Union stress upon the important role of involving student in different and intercultral learning experiences through placements in enterprises and companies. The major role of working altogether end experiencing new environments. Experiences may be planned to take place within lessons in school class, school laboratory, as well as in museums, parks or field trips.

Conceptual basis
In present research we started from studying concepts like: Outdoor education Non-formal education Formal education

Outdoor education
Starting from immemorial times, people was "trained" to live in the world. For at least several million years, learning and training was conducted in the outdoors and in different unstructured places and ways. Through the last millennium the science of education got a structure and methodology, education became more structured. Outdoor education was the trend to return to
nature and experience

Promoters of outdoor education, in theory were in UK, and USA, and later Australia during the Second World War (1943)

Studies upon the effectiveness of outdoor education

In 1983, Minda Borun published a research related to: Planets and Pulleys: Studies of Class Visits to Science Museums The University of Chicago published in 1998 In The Elementary School Journal , a Quantitative and qualitative study that assessed the effects of an extracurricular science program on students' interest and learning about biology. Emmett L. Wright realized an Analysis of the effect of a museum experience on the biology achievement of sixth-graders published In Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2006

Outdoor education is by itself a powerful teaching tool: through doing, facing challenges, and stepping outside students comfort zone, assuming ownership, working as or with leaders, learning process certainly takes on a new dimension. Outdoor education is an ideal catalyst for learning about these notions. (Anna Schmidt- USA 2006)

Conclusions of international studies

After researching this domain, we could conclude that there is a lack of research and a relatively new trend that concernsits effectiveness There might be a general conclusion of all international research: learning experiences that take place in a different place that school class is more susceptible to generate skills linked to the neurological development and personal development.

Formal activities in non-formal settings

Through this Regio project we proposed to create a natural link between the structured types of education related with different learning environment end and experiences: Formal education Non-formal education The innovation that our project brings in, is : to join strengths of formal education and non-formal education, in order to overcome their weaknesses

Non-formal education
More experience and research is gained in the field of non-formal education methodology at international level. In Romania, this type of education was one of a great interest and grew in the last period UNESCO and European bodies contributed through their politics and programs to its flourishing.

Non-formal education
Most countries have Educational Management Information Systems to monitor formal education, but only in rare cases such systems exist for the non-formal sector. As a response to this challenge, UNESCO has developed an easy-to-use methodology and database for creating a Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFE-MIS). The system:
provides a practical and internationally applicable approach to NFE monitoring and evaluation, adaptable to local contexts and information needs; enables countries to generate meaningful and reliable information and statistics on NFE which can be used by policy-makers and planners for informed decision making, better planning and delivery, monitoring and evaluation of NFE; aims at improving the co-ordination of programmes among NFE providers; and raises interest and encourages participation in NFE programmes.

Methodology of Study
The research was European. Commonly developed by Romanian-Bucharest and Lithuanian- Prienai project teams:
Discussing and common analyzing aspects of research Commonly conceiving the mythology of research Designing in Common of instruments of researchquestionnaire Selecting the similar scale of target group in both regions. Participants in the questionnaire survey were teachers involved in the Comenius Regio project "City as a place of learning - where learning is an adventure.

Methodology of Study
The research was coordinated by the Teacher Training Center of Bucharest Romania in cooperation with The Municipality of Prienaieducational department, Lithuania, the international coordinators of Comenius Regio project City as a learning place - where learning is an adventure COM-11-PR-28-B-RO
The research was realized between December 2011- February 2012 in 5 schools from the two countries regions: Bucharest- Romania and Prienai-Lithuania

Research target group

A total number of 205 persons were interviewed on a questionnaire base. 80 teaches of different subjects 125 students of 10-15 years old

1.School nr. 87 "M. Botez 2.School nr. 112 Titan 3.Eugen Lovinescu High School 4.Silavotas basic school 5.Veiveriai Tomas Zilinskas gymnasium

Aim of research
The is to set a scientific (even at small pilot scale) background to our project and to identify best ways, methods, strategies and places to implement the proposed educational innovation:

Teaching school lessons in non-formal educational settings offered by the city facilities Bridging formal and non-formal education by joining their strengths and overcoming their weaknesses.

General hypothesis
Education in state schools in Romania and Lithuania is still traditional and old in our schools, based on classes and lessons pedagogical theory, designed by John Amos Comenius (15921670), and the curriculum is conceived in the classical division of school disciplines based on different sciences.

General hypothesis
Needs and expectations of beneficiaries of education are high, in trends with modern times. Teenagers are multitasking thinking, permanently on the move, are under influence of mass-media, of IT resources, are full of information and unstructured skills form society. In this context students appreciate challenges and adventure learning instead of classical settings of school classes. They often feel bored by school and school classes cant raise their need for learning and raise their curiosity.

Survey idea
Teachers perceived students needs and tend to understand that some changes are needed in their teaching in order to connect with students. Educators need to explore, research a system, a methodology to raise curiosity and regain the natural spirit of curiosity and adventure of learning.
The survey idea was to screen the current situation regarding routine teaching settings and possible innovative interventions.

RESULTS Teacher survey

Teacher survey
Romanian Lithuanian

Lessons are mainly given

In the classroom 5% 7% 46% in other school area in nature at the museums other places

11%

31%

City setting will impact students motivation.

10% 5% 45% very much much little al all

40%

Most teachers believe that nontraditional places positively increase students` learning motivation.

Best place for organizing an effective lesson for the subject that they teach
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 24 21 52 classroom school area nature park museum church library trip other 8

18

15

12

Best place for organizing an effective lesson for the subject that they teach
In both countries, classroom is considered the perfect place for an ideal lesson. Still, teachers are open to conceive good lessons in nature and other places in the city. Institutions in the city are also considered as places suitable for organizing lessons in. The most popular non traditional places for learning according to the hierarchy are parks, museums and nature.

SUBJECTS & PLACES

The most subjects identified is English language, biology, physics, primary school lessons, the mother tongue language, art, history, religion, music and biology
Museum Church Park Factory Film/Theatre Opera Memorial houses Streets Library

Teachers methodological needs

In order to give lessons methodologically teachers need
good practice information 6% 14% 21% 21% clarifying concepts training course 13% 25% team work procedures

The part of curriculum implemented in non traditional places

formal curriculum 16% 47% 37% non-formal curriculum informal curriculum

In both countries, teachers highly relate unconventional places like city places with non-formal and informal curriculum By the project teachers started to see unconventional places like suitable for formal curriculum also

Teachers` intention to develop competencies

26% 10% 9%

16% 10% Communication Evaluation Curriculum Professional development Training students

29%

Training parents in the paradigm of the relation between school

STUDENTS` RESPONSES TO COMENIUS REGIO PROJECT "CITY AS A PLACE OF LEARNING - WHERE LEARNING IS AN ADVENTURE SURVEY

Target group of the students survey- 125 students 65 Romanian students 65 Lithuanian students coala cu clasele I-VIII nr. 87 "M. Botez-(10-12 years old) coala cu clasele I-VIII nr. 112 Titan 12-14 years old Liceul teoretic Eugen Lovinescu (13-15 years old) Silavotas basic school-(10-12 years old) Veiveriai Tomas Zilinskas gymnasium (13-15 years old)

Students opinion regarding emotional and motivation involved in their usual learning

Do students like learning?

3% 37%

love learning sometimes like sometimes not

60%

don`t like

Students opinion regarding preferences of educational settings

Students like school when they
3% 11% 14% 26%

11% 13% learn new interesting things meet their classmates learn in a cozy, beautiful classrooms have lessons outside the school work in the classroom with a computer work in the classroom with interactive whiteboard participate in project activities 22%

Students` opinion about teachers` practices in lessons

Teachers in the lessons
11%

8%

30%

51%

encourage learning in groups teach to search for the answers use non-traditional methods have lessons outside the school

Educational practices regarding outdoor lessons

Have the students ever had a lesson outside the school

16% 16%

68%

yes

no

I don`t know

Places where students like having lessons in

31%

20%

19% 18% 12%

in class at the musem

at school in nature

in town

The assessement outside the school

30%

25%

24%

21%

yes

no

sometimes

I don`t know

CONCLUSIONS
Despite of significant differences between Romania and Lithuania (national, geographical, cultural, linguistically, social, historical),

educational practices and opinions regarding them are surprisingly much similar in the two countries at present, both on teachers group and students group

CONCLUSIONS
Both teachers and students in the two countries agreed that it would be a plus under multiple aspects to conceive and apply a methodology of using unconventional places to teach normal lessons for classes. Almost all subjects and lessons can be taught in unconventional places if a rigorous methodology and a good interdisciplinary planning is done Almost all subject teachers have such drafts of lessons plans which they can give in unconventional places

The lessons, teachers give to their students, mainly take place in the classrooms and in other school area. Only some lessons are given in non traditional spaces. Most teachers believe that non traditional places positively increase students` learning motivation. The most popular non traditional places for learning according to the hierarchy are parks, museums and nature. Most school subjects in non traditional places were identified like: mother tongue language, communication, (Lithuanian, Romanian) English language teachers, primary class teachers and physics teachers. If teachers wish to organize such lessons, methodologically, they would need good practice examples, more information how to organize such lessons and team work practice. Mostly non-formal education plan is carried out in non traditional educational places (at the museums, on the excursions). Learning in non conventional areas increases, enhance quality and efficiency of students learning.

In most cases teachers in order to be able to proceed professionally in organizing lessons in the city, intends to improve curriculum, training parents in the paradigm of the relation between school, and training students` competencies. The majority students sometimes enjoy learning. Most students like school, where they discover new and interesting things when they meet with classmates and learn in cozy, beautiful classrooms. Some of the surveyed students like learning in non-traditional learning spaces. The students state that teachers in the lessons mostly teach them to search for the answers. They are encouraged to learn in groups too. Some teachers give lessons outside the school. Students like lessons given in nature most of all. In lessons, which took place in non-traditional spaces, the students remembered best local and national history facts, learned to know nature, did some sport. Some of students state that teachers assess their activities in marks or otherwise in lessons which are given outside the school. Part of students do not know whether their activities are assessed.
Most of the students would like to have lessons in nature, have trips, sports.

Simona Luca Mirela Beiu Luminita Tanase Renata Pavlaviien