The "Laboratories of Educational Practice" project has been carried out since 2012 as part of the “Learning Schools” Program. It has been implemented by the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation in cooperation with lecturers from the Teachers College, Columbia University. The objective of this project is to prepare selected nine schools participating in the “Learning Schools” Program (LES) to share their knowledge and present best educational practices to teachers from other institutions.
In November 2013, the “LES” team together with an American expert at teaching, Professor Stroud, set off on a study tour to four schools active in the “Labs” project – the School Complex in Strachówka, Elementary School in Lubieszewo, Elementary School in Gorzów Wielkopolski and the School Complex in Kozielice.
The “LES” schools have introduced some solutions which proved effective in supporting the teaching and learning processes, according to recent surveys on education. These include: mutual observation of lessons; recording and discussing lessons; planning lessons and commands challenging for students; discussing students’ work and using the conclusions drawn in planning the teaching process; monitoring of selected students and planning changes in teaching; and the so called “educational walk”.
Teachers from the schools participating in the “Labs” project have been applying these solutions for over a year, guided by instructors from the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation who were trained by the lecturers from the Teachers College. In November, they presented the results of their efforts to teachers from other schools participating in the Program. The visits to a school comprised observation of lessons, followed by workshops with participation of both teachers from a host school and visitors.
During the workshops, which were conducted by Professor Stroud, the participants discussed the practical application of presented solutions. At each visited school participating in the “Labs” project the visitors focused their attention on one, selected aspect. It was the analysis of students’ work during the visit at Strachówka, monitoring of selected students at Lubieszów, mutual observation of lessons by teachers in Gorzów Wielkopolski and the procedure of recording and observation of lessons at Kozielice.
The participants’ account from the November tour with Professor Stroud to “Laboratories of Educational Practice” schools is available at: http://www.ceo.org.pl/pl/sus/news/odwiedzamy-szkoly
The “Learning Schools” (LES) is a program addressed to principals and teachers from schools of all types and levels, which supports changes increasing the effectiveness of teaching and learning. It introduces formative assessment to the school work and supports teachers’ team work. The “LES” has been carried out by the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation together with the Polish-American Freedom Foundation since 2000.
