At the end of November the “Help to learn! From feedback to deep learning” conference was held under the “Learning School” (LES) Program. Teachers, school directors and experts presented their methods allowing students to learn more effectively.
Thanks to its hybrid form, the meeting was attended by over 700 people from all over Poland.
The Conference started with the lecture by Aleksander Pawlicki, a history and social studies teacher and the PAFF and UW School of Education lecturer, who spoke about process of learning as seen by a student and about the necessary compromise between gaining knowledge and skills.
Under the expert panel conducted by Program Director and Center for Citizenship Education Foundation Board Member Sylwia Żmijewska-Kwiręg, the invited teachers presented their methods of enhancing students’ learning, explained how they develop students’ internal motivation and teach them manage emotions.
Wiesława Mitulska, grades 1-3 teacher at Elementary School at Słupia Wielka, told how she teaches pupils to learn from their first days at school and how she uses the school space for that purpose. She emphasized many times that formative assessment plays significant role in that process.
Łukasz Tupacz, Polish teacher at Architecture and Construction Technical High School in Warsaw, leader of the “Learning Schools” Program, described his method of framing the lessons to make students feel secure and be more willing to participate in learning together in class.
Izabela Knul, director of No.1 Elementary School in Łask shared with the conference participants her thoughts on the role of teachers’ cooperation in improving students’ achievements and the school director’s responsibility for that cooperation.
Agnieszka Stążka-Gawrysiak, the author of the “Self-Regulation. The School Challenges” publication explained what the term ‘self-regulation’ means and what impact it can have on a student’s learning and on teachers everyday work, as well as what can be done to develop it from an early age.
At the end of the meeting the floor was taken by experts, including Joanna Berdzik, Quality Education Academy Director, former Education Vice Minister, who presented feedback as a dialogue that shall accompany student’s development along all its way. While Zofia Przystup and Mariola Kędzierska, teachers at No.4 Elementary School in Chełmno presented the practical aspects of working with feedback – what are the benefits for students and impact on teacher’s work. They spoke about both positives of working with that method and difficulties in applying it.
The “Help to learn” conference is a cyclical event held as part of the “Learning Schools” Program. Under that initiative managed by the Center for Citizenship Education Foundation with support from the Polish-American Freedom Foundation comprehensive action to improve Polish education using best international standards has been carried out under this program since its launch in 2000. The quality of schools improves mostly thanks to training delivered to teachers and headmasters, in rural areas and small towns in particular.
