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Description
The aim of the project is to work out and implement a program strengthening the social and civic competencies (SCC) of students in Polish vocational schools. The program will be based on the curriculum of beginner entrepreneurship course and will involve career counseling, form periods and civic education classes.
The project was born from the study performed by CEE on civic education in ia. Vocational schools (VS) and 2 years of pilot work conducted with the help of VS. This helped us identify areas where it is possible to strengthen the students'' SCC.
During the project, a set of 12 classes will be prepared. Each touching on a different area of entrepreneurship and of running a business keeping in mind social and environmental responsibility. The classes will involve using attractive visual aids, a script for the teacher and practice tasks for students along with feedback. Additionally, there will be a webinar for students and teachers and a workshop on useful professional skills. A publication for teachers will also be prepared to help them use these materials on their own. The long-term benefit of the project will be the creation and dissemination of an attractive alternative to the current, overloaded with knowledge and unattractive textbook, entrepreneurship curriculum, including the aspect of social and environmental responsibility and aimed at developing SC.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the need to develop and implement a program that enhances the social and civic competencies (SC) of students in Polish vocational schools (VS). This need arose from the diagnosed 1) lack of non-formal educational offerings exclusively tailored to vocational schools, which require working methods adapted to their specificity in the area of strengthening social competencies, and 2) gaps in vocational education related to soft skills, which teachers and employers alike declare as currently crucial in the job market.
The project aimed to create educational materials and support forms specifically tailored to vocational school students. Therefore, lesson scenarios with additional materials were developed to simplify the overloaded knowledge base and difficult curriculum for students, incorporating practical skill exercises aimed at increasing student engagement and reducing the deficit in SC. Additionally, webinars and workshops were prepared to complement these scenarios, showcasing the social aspects of entrepreneurship and supporting teachers in working on social competencies in vocational schools. Interested students could, with our assistance, engage in practical activities and, supported by a mentor and utilizing a grant, undertake a test project of establishing a business. A publication summarizing our proposal for independent work with these materials was created, allowing teachers to work with them autonomously in subsequent years without our support.
In evaluative surveys, all teachers noted an increase in SC among students (the concept of SC was broken down into individual components in the survey) who completed the full extent of our support. In the reports detailing the implementation of the scenarios, teachers specifically highlighted the usefulness of attractive additional materials, student interest in lessons, and the introduction of a new topic - the social dimension of entrepreneurship - which is not emphasized as important in the curriculum. We observed that this topic is often new for teachers as well, which is why we enriched our publication with ''knowledge capsules'' for teachers, allowing them to feel more confident while conducting lessons. As a result, a comprehensive and tested set of materials suitable for use in subsequent years was created, enriched with our project experiences, complementing what is currently missing in entrepreneurship lessons for VS.
Summary of bilateral results
Collaborating with Newschool primarily introduced the practice of design thinking into our work. This was a method we were familiar with at the CEO, but we didn''t employ it on a broader scale. Often, we designed support structures based on our own experiences and research. When planning another project with Newschool, we aimed for greater flexibility in our actions, so that each set of tasks wasn''t rigidly described in the proposal but evolved alongside identifying the recipients'' needs and testing solution prototypes. Even though Newschool ceased its operations, the design thinking mindset has stayed with us.