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Progress of Schoolchildren Impelled by Business Too
2009-04-24
Started a month ago, the project “Most Advanced Class” is gaining momentum. Willingness to take part in the competition has been welcomed by almost 100 classes from more than half of Kaunas comprehensive schools. Registration to the competition “Most Advanced Class” will be open until 30April 2009.
Interview with Toma Lileikienė, Deputy Head of the Division of Education and Training of Kaunas City Municipality on the project, initiated by Kaunas Heat and Power Plant, and the idea of progress itself.
How do you evaluate this initiative of Kaunas Heat and Power Plant?
We would like to express our kind thankfulness to Kaunas Heat and Power Plant for this project. We have no doubts that the competition “Most Advanced Class” will encourage the schoolchildren for more successful learning process, raise their willingness to improve and achieve better results. We hope that this project will reveal positive learning experience and lead to the increase in schoolchildren’s confidence in their potential.
How does the project “Most Advanced Class” differ from the previous ones?
Similar projects at the schools of Kaunas City have not been organised so far. This initiative of private business will firstly differ in that the students will not be overloaded with additional tasks during this competition. There is no need to write long essays, prepare huge projects, because today the load of schoolchildren is really huge. No additional work is required to be done for the competition, but the tasks, which must be done by the students, i.e. studying, are stimulated to be done in a more honest and diligent way.
Could this competition motivate the schoolchildren for the achievement of better results?
Schoolchildren motivation for better learning process depends on many components, such as social environment, influence of friends, individualization and differentiation during lessons, relation with teachers, competence of teachers, schoolchildren promotion system applied at school, etc.
However, I am sure that this competition and evaluation criteria thereof will definitely encourage the students to achieve better results. Moreover, it is highly important that the schoolchildren would be motivated for making endeavours not individually but the whole class together.
Could the projects of such character raise the progress of schoolchildren?
Taking into account the influencing globalization and creation of information society, education is witnessing fundamental changes all over the world. Educational goals, training and learning methods and study result evaluation are undergoing changes. Evaluation system, applied at our national schools, is oriented too much to final decisions as regards the student’s knowledge. However, evaluation aims at helping the student to study and become mature as a personality, provide information on the student’s learning experience, his achievements and progress.
Talking of the project “Most Advanced Class, it is greatly significant that the schoolchildren, together with their teachers, would discuss the expected study achievements, plan their learning success and assist the weaker students. I believe that this project will allow revealing the learning practice of schoolchildren and motivate them for improvement.
Lately, individual learning is emphasised, whereas team spirit in classes is flagging. How will the project affect the class atmosphere?
It is really true that lately, where great emphasis is drawn on the importance of good study results, competition between the schoolchildren is likely to grow that leads to the destruction of good atmosphere in the class. Thus, we are pleased that the major aim of this project is to work jointly; not to put efforts in individual work but also help the classmates. I am sure that the competition will contribute to the creation of better class atmosphere and help in feeling the benefit of cooperation.
How the schoolchildren’s progress indexes are changing? Are they increasing or deceasing over the last several years?
Every year the analysis of changes in the achievements of students is made and results are likely to demonstrate marginal improvement, which is mainly affected by better attendance, which has received particularly great attention over the recent years.
All the classes of Kaunas are invited to actively join the competition and I wish success to the ones who are already participating in it.
© Kauno diena