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Description
The aim of the project is - in cooperation with the Faculty of Education of the University in Trnava – to train students of secondary schools and teachers of these secondary schools in a form of civic education where the educator is the moderator of a constructive discussion in which myths, half-truths and lies spread by extremists are replaced by real facts and truthful information. The main goal is to “create” a citizen aware of values of freedom and democracy and a teacher who actively contributes to this goal.
In the project, not only future teachers will be involved and trained (students of the Faculty of Education of the University in Trnava will participate in lectures in cooperating 20 secondary schools as a part of their internship), but also in-service teachers of history, civic and ethical education in order to change their approach to teaching. During practical training hours in secondary schools, the project will reach a group of about 1200 students.
Duration of the project is planned for 18 months – during this time students of Faculty of Education of the University in Trnava will take an active part in all conducted lectures.
40 lectures + discussions in 20 secondary schools involved in the project are planned to be carried out - each of the students taking part in the project will attend at least two of these lectures. The lectures and discussions will be conducted in a popular form and with attractive authentic documents. Students will get deeply acquainted with the topics listed which is considered to be the key in fighting the solutions offered by extremists threatening democracy.
2 two-day trainings for 10 students and 10 teachers will also be a part of the project. E-learning sheets on key topics related to totalitarian regimes in Slovakia will be created in the project.
Summary of project results
In this project, PP tried to raise the level of lectures and discussions on totalitarian regimes in Slovakia through cooperation with teachers and students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Trnava in Trnava, as well as with teachers of 20 cooperating secondary schools in the Bratislava and Trnava regions. PP set up the project with the intention to overcome negative trends in education such as formalism, memorization and to educate high school students with new innovative methods about the values of democracy and the harmfulness of adherence to totalitarian ideologies. The goal is a citizen aware of the values of freedom and democracy and an educator who actively contributes to this goal.
PP has established cooperation with 20 secondary schools in Slovakia. Each student participated in at least two of the debate series. In addition, PP also trained teachers during the project. During the project, PP created e-learning sheets on key topics related to totalitarian regimes in Slovakia. In addition to the debates in secondary schools, PP trained secondary school teachers and students of the Faculty of Education of the University of Trnava - future female teachers - to educate using innovative methods, where the teacher is the moderator of a constructive discussion in which myths, half-truths and lies spread by extremists are replaced by real facts and true information. Such confrontation leads to the development of critical thinking and awareness. Trained future educators participated in a series of lectures for 1210 students.
A significant outcome of this project is that it has brought innovative education methods to topics often perceived as conflicting and has measurably proven their benefits. As part of the project, original educational material was produced and distributed to students and educators for their further work with students.
We consider quality civic education to be a key factor for the preservation, functioning and protection of democracy and its values. In repeated meetings with the same groups of students, PP has observed a measurable change in the awareness of students attending the debates of the link between democracy, freedom and prosperity, and in the acceptance of minority rights (a reduction in the tendency towards extremism and the non-acceptance of minorities).