Three questions to Professor Jolanta Choińska-Mika
- Published on Thursday, 29 March 2012 22:48
A student is not able to solve a problem from the Teaching Tools Database. Does this mean that he/she cannot think for himself/herself? What do we do then?
If a student cannot handle it, it is probably because he is not used to this kind of tasks. These are not difficult problems - they are based on the content of the core curriculum, and so, I hope, are done in the classroom. However, the way in which the student must use his/her knowledge, is actually non-standard. Hence, initially there may be some issues. How to deal with them? By explaining what the objective of the task was and by giving the student another task of similar type. We added comments to each problem that show what they consist in and what it is designed to check. Some comments also contain tips on how to interpret and resolve any issues that students may have with a given problem.
Who are the problems prepared by the IBE aimed at? Is it only the third grade lower secondary school students?
For the third grade students it will be a great way to test their knowledge and prepare for a test of generic skills that awaits them in April. But the problems can be solved also by students of lower grades, for example, when discussing the material to which the task concerned refers. To make the work easier for teachers, the tasks in the Teaching Tools Database have been divided according to the requirements of the curriculum, so they will not have problems with matching the tasks to the lesson topics. In addition, we have prepared a variety of tasks – to solve at home, for tests or to be done during lessons. The last of the mentioned types of tasks requires more time to solve or even help from the teacher. In short, our sets have a broad application, and everything depends on the teacher.
When can we expect tasks for upper secondary schools?
I hope soon, but we prefer to wait with developing them until the concept of the matriculation examination according to the new core curriculum crystallizes. We do not want to have a false start. Meanwhile, I can announce another thing. At the beginning of the next year, a book prepared by the IBE, containing lesson scenarios in history and natural science for secondary school students, comes out. One element of the scenarios are tasks that are included in the Teaching Tools Database. This way we want to create a complete tool – not just for testing students' skills in independent thinking, analysis and argumentation, but also for helping them to develop these skills..
IBE qualified as a Mandated Body
- Published on Wednesday, 14 December 2011 10:06
We are pleased to announce that on 12 December the European Commission has granted the Educational Research Institute the status of an Expert (Mandated Body) under the Twinning Initiative.
Becoming a Mandated Body means that an institution meets certain criteria, primarily substantive, referring to the expertise and experience in the areas covered by EU law, and subject to statutory activities at national and international markets.
.Study visit to France
- Published on Monday, 12 December 2011 02:07
From 3 to 11 April, 2011 representatives from IBE Science Section took part in a study visit to France (Grenoble, Chambery and Paris).
The chief objective of this visit was to gain better understanding of the French education system at the ISCED2 level and, in particular, the forms and methods of work and student assessment techniques in natural science subjects. Several meetings took place during the visit: with educational inspectors from the Grenoble area, with Mr Michel Grangeat from the Educational Science Laboratory at Grenoble University and with Mr Hervé Lesnard, who works at the International Centre for Educational Research (CIEP), an institution responsible for creating school curricula for teaching natural sciences.
.Seminar: How can teachers be helped with transmitting values to young people?
- Published on Friday, 09 December 2011 20:14
On 8 and 9 March 2011 a seminar was held in Lublin entitled 'How can teachers be helped in transmitting values to young people?'
This nationwide event was attended by scholars from various fields, including linguists, literary scholars, educationalists, historians and sociologists, representing various research centres, who in their everyday research deal with the issue of values and ascribing value in different areas of the humanities. The meeting was intended to provide a platform of dialogue for all those concerned with the education of young people, respect for individual values or consensus on matters of ascribing value, regardless of their political views, religious beliefs or outlook on life.
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