Is it possible to change education, not only in theory, but in the everyday practice of teachers and students? Dr. Zuzanna Michalska answers in the affirmative and shows how grassroots activities, reflection, and online collaboration lead to real micro-changes in schools and local communities.
The latest book by Dr. Zuzanna Michalska, “Changing Education: The Example of the Young Explorer Club Program Coordinated by the Copernicus Science Center,” based on the author’s doctoral thesis, has just been published by PWN Publishing House.
The publication takes an in-depth and inspiring look at the need for change in the Polish education system and the development of knowledge about how education can respond to the challenges of the future. “(…) It is expected that a student whose main task for several years has been to learn fragments of academic knowledge detached from life will one day transform into a competent adult…” writes Zuzanna Michalska.
In her book, the author analyzes the long-standing, interdisciplinary program of the Young Explorers Club (KMO) – an initiative of extracurricular activities for children and young people, which has been changing the way we think about learning since 1998. At KMO meetings, children work like scientists: they ask questions, experiment, formulate hypotheses, test them, and draw conclusions. There are no grades, numbers, or tests – the most important things are reflection, curiosity, and independence.
“The Young Discoverers’ Clubs program is a continuation of a model project initiated in 2002 by the Kłodzko Educational Society as part of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation’s ‘Equal Opportunities‘ program. The aim of the Clubs is to popularize interest in science among children and young people. Their formula enables young people to learn through experimentation and conducting independent experiments using simple, easily accessible materials,” explains Radosław Jasiński, PAFF Program Director.
The KMO network currently has nearly 1,300 Clubs, including over 200 KMOs operating in Georgia.
The book launch is not only an opportunity to reflect on the future of education, but also to appreciate the work of thousands of teachers, educators, and students who, thanks to initiatives such as KMO, are actively participating in the process of positive change.
Dr. Zuzanna Michalska is an educational sociologist and trainer. For 15 years, she has been working with teachers, supporting them in developing their skills in working with children and young people in a changing world. For 8 years, she has been coordinating the international Young Explorers Club program at the Copernicus Science Center. In 2023, she defended the first implementation doctorate in social sciences in Poland, the content of which became the basis for a published book.
