Experiential pedagogy

Description

The project will be implemented in the North-East Region, in the counties of Neamt (Piatra Neamt and Vanatori-Neamt) and Suceava (Brosteni). The project proposes an innovative integrated intervention model, in 11 educational communities where there is a serious early school leaving phenomena among students in risk of social exclusion and where there are children with SEN.  The objectives of the project are to increase the participation at the educational act and process for 608 children in risk of early school leaving and for 56 SEN children, through involving them in support activities based on the principle of experiential pedagogy.  The project also aims to train 170 teachers and educational and social experts and 150 parents in order to better acknowledge, learn and become truly involved in promoting an inclusive educational model.  They are going to participate at activities especially designed by the Romanian and Norwegian partner, all entities with extended expertise in the field.  The project „Experiential Pedagogy” proposes a methodology with impact at the level of the whole educational community. The community is directly involved in the project activities by promoting a bidirectional approach – inclusive integration and proactive participation of each individual for a common goal.  The partnership structure brings added value through the access opportunities it offers to the beneficiaries at national and international level. The teachers will have access to good practices models and practical methodologies from Romania and Norway through the exchanges they will be part in.

Summary of project results

The project was implemented in several localities within Neamț and Suceava counties and addressed the low level of school participation, reflected in a high number of absences among students. School absenteeism is a precursor to school dropout and can even be an explicit manifestation of it.

Formal educational exclusion or exclusion manifested through severe absenteeism, combined with social vulnerabilities or special educational needs (SEN), inevitably leads to social exclusion and a dramatic decrease in future employment opportunities. These phenomena have serious repercussions on the entire community.

The targeted educational communities lack the time, human, and procedural resources to effectively intervene in addressing school participation issues. As a result, the extremely high level of non-participation poses a significant threat to these young people.

The project has addressed the main needs of both the primary and secondary target groups from the design stage. Moreover, the proposed activities—especially those targeting the primary group—were developed based on years of expertise in successful implementation and proven results in increasing participation in education through Experiential Pedagogy.

Thus, the needs addressed by the project were:

• The need for individualized education. A significant percentage of young people with a high number of absences do not feel engaged in the educational process, perceiving it as a system that does not cater to their individual development.
• The need for responsibility and valuing education—engagement. Young people and children need to become aware of and desire education, actively seeking quality learning opportunities.
• The need for interactivity. Interaction directly leads to engagement and, consequently, participation.
• The need for practical activities. Learning through hands-on, interactive, and experiential activities is often easier and has long-lasting effects.
• The need for personal development. All activities designed for the primary target group focus on the personal growth of children and young people, supporting their educational integration.

At the level of the secondary target group, consultations with educational communities and stakeholders revealed the following needs:

• The need for information on inclusive education.
• The need for a concrete and practical understanding of the benefits of applying inclusive education principles.
• The need for professional training to work with vulnerable children and young people.
• The acute need for exposure to best practices, concrete action methods, communication networks, and support systems.

The project’s activities complemented formal education, being based on experiential learning. A total of 965 students at risk of dropping out participated in the project’s activities, which were predominantly outdoor-based and relied on new technologies, including pedagogical forests, city-bound learning, and geocaching. Additionally, the project set up a seasonal summer camp, where children learned survival techniques, built a treehouse, and constructed a boat.

The project addressed the objective of increasing the social inclusion of children and young people and was implemented in partnership with the Neamț County School Inspectorate. The project has laid the foundation for a long-term shift in the educational perspective by introducing experiential education programs for children and students from an early age. Over time, the expected impact is an increase in the number of young people completing lower secondary education and continuing their studies.

An efficient education system will provide children and young people with more opportunities for development in the future, ultimately leading to a decrease in the number of individuals at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Summary of bilateral results

The Norwegian partner, Newschool AS, is an educational design agency with expertise in vocational training, having achieved strong results in identifying and delivering inclusive educational models.This expertise formed the foundation of the partnership, driven by the goal of facilitating access for teachers and educational experts from the secondary target group to best practices, proven methodologies, and relevant information on inclusive education.To achieve this, the project included:Two exchange programs in Norway, each involving six beneficiary teachers accompanied by one expert from the project partner. These exchanges provided teachers with direct exposure to best practices in inclusive education and familiarization with relevant methodologies selected and presented by the Norwegian partner.Two experience-sharing programs in Romania, during which an expert from Newschool AS conducted five-day training sessions for ten educational and social experts on inclusive and participatory pedagogy.Beyond these bilateral activities, the Norwegian partner also contributed its expertise to developing methodological and communication materials for the project.