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Description
The main topic of the project is development of the democratic culture and active citizenship learning. The project is based on mutual learning, transfer of innovations and sharing of experiences between early childhood and primary education institutions in Iceland and the Czech Republic. The expertise in implementing democratic culture learning that each partner brings, offers an opportunity for targeted, innovative, and sustainable competence development on a topic that is vital for strengthening and sustaining our democracies and achieving the goals of smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The project partners are the Chýně pre- and primary schools in the Czech Republic, Rjúpnahaed preschool and Salaskóli primary school, in Iceland. The target groups are preschool children (5-6 years), preparatory class (6-7 years), 2nd-year pupils (8-9 years) an pupil parliament (8 -15 years).
We will achieve the aims through a set of carefully planned activities. Firstly, teachers from Chýně and Rjúpnahaed schools will create together a Teacher Handbook that will describe an innovative methodology developed by the Icelandic school. It will be piloted by Czech teachers who will get the opportunity to learn about and acquire skills to use new pedagogical approaches and advance their competencies in fostering democratic culture competencies among their pupils. The other part of the project will focus on the topic of school parliaments that help pupils to learn about the importance of community service and how to get actively involved in civil society activities. The school of Chýně, which has rich experience with it, will cooperate with Salaskóli on creating guidelines, including a list of activities, descriptors for competence-building, best practices and practical recommendations from partners. Moreover, study visits and two online workshops (for both teachers and pupils) will help the project team to create highly topical outputs interesting also for other schools.
Summary of project results
The project focused on promoting a democratic culture and fostering active civic learning in preschool and primary education within Iceland and the Czech Republic. Its main objective was to strengthen democracy and attain sustainable and inclusive growth. Utilising the expertise of partners in the field of democratic culture education, the project aimed to develop specific competencies in this area. By integrating democratic principles into school culture and involving students in decision-making processes, the project aimed to nurture responsible and engaged citizens.
Throughout the project, various activities were carried out, such as transferring innovative democratic culture learning methodology from Rjúpnahaed to preschools and elementary schools in Chýně. For this purpose, a comprehensive teacher''s handbook was created. The methodology underwent a pilot phase with students aged 5-8, incorporating concept maps and other activities focused on fostering student autonomy. Additionally, guidelines for establishing and managing student parliaments were developed to support personal development and community involvement.
The main outcome of the project was the development of students'' competencies in democratic values and active citizenship. Teachers also improved their abilities to promote a democratic culture. The establishment of student parliaments further contributed to students'' personal development and their sense of responsibility. The significance of the project lies in its effort to strengthen democratic culture and active citizenship in education. Given that all partners emphasize democratic methods, the impact is enduring and sustainable. The success of the project serves as a model for supporting education focused on democratic culture, contributing to the overarching goals of democratic, sustainable, and inclusive growth in both countries.
Summary of bilateral results
Our joint project was focused on the application of democratic methods based on the philosophy of the Icelandic preschool within the Czech educational system and their implementation into regular teaching, including older children at Czech elementary school and the preschool. We found that the implementation of methods and activities was successful, and we will certainly continue in the acquired experience because we see significant benefits in democratic methods and activities not only for individual students but also for the collective of educators