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Description
The project focused on the topics of participative democracy and active citizenship in preschool education connects two nature forest kindergartens supporting nature pedagogy and progressive education. The main objective of the project is to involve children in joint communication and in democratic processes. Educational process itself should be democratic so that everyone, regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, or disability, is allowed to partake in their social formation.
The project team will develop methods and approaches that can be effectively implemented into a daily programme of any preschool institution without being considered too alternative. Methods of free play, that leave kids their own space, activate their inner motivations and interest and respect their right to express their opinion and create world around them, will be evolved. Active participation of teachers is also very important, as they need to understand these methods and their values to be able to pass them onto children. Therefore, a series of workshops for teachers will be organised. There will be continual supervision and expertise support from Smatjern - the project’s donor partner.
The project team intends to spread the created outcomes to the networks of educational institutions in both countries. The project aims to bring together various types of kindergartens in our two countries and thus lessen the polarities between traditional and progressive educations that occur mainly in the Czech Republic. The idea is to broaden the understanding of democracy/citizenship, inclusion and children''s rights in both countries.
Summary of project results
Democracy where citizens actively participate is not just a political system. It is first and foremost a way of being together and a joint communicated experience. The goal of the project was to offer a guideline enabling each preschool institution to create such an educational space that allows each child to be a respected independent being with the right to decide on the events in the institution''s program
Activities that were implemented as part of the project: seminars for the public focused on the presentation of the project and its goals, questionnaires for preschool teachers and parents in three languages. The questionnaires showed a diversity of understandings in relation to concepts such as democracy and active citizenship.
The project worked on the innovative curriculum "Democracy and active citizenship in preschool education" - an educational framework for use in kindergartens and other preschool facilities. This document includes new educational methods that can be implemented in every kindergarten. The conference was organized for the public to promote the project and present the curriculum.
The main result of the project was the innovative approach of teachers in the daily educational process - to create space for children to grow and learn without losing contact with themselves
Summary of bilateral results
The donor partner was a great source for a high standard resource about the project’s topic. The importance of having a donor partner was significant in strengthening the confidence in implementing the educational methods into the Czech kindergarten that must follow and keep the set standards of state educational framework. The donor partner helped through this process to establish the educational methods the way that can be kept the “traditional” Czech school standards but at the same time might be applied the innovative educational practices.