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Pedagogical Activities in the School of Nyírtelek [From
the Roma
Education Resource Book, prepared by the Institute for Educational
Policy (IEP), By Mrs József Krajnyák and Péter Lázár Source: Nyírtelek School, 1996 The village of Nyírtelek is in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, at a 10-kilometre distance from the town Nyíregyháza. It is on Route 38, between Nyíregyháza and Tokaj. Our school is of medium size, with 327 pupils educated by 30 teachers. Our situation can be considered unusual in the sense that the pupils attending the school live in 14 separate farming settlements. 1. In what way are they disadvantaged when they first come to school? 1.1. The disadvantages that stem from the location of Nyírtelek within the country and the structure of the settlements · We live in the north-east of Hungary, in a crisis area with hardly any opportunity for people to find employment · The students live in farming settlements far from each other (half of our pupils are day pupils living in these settlements) 1.2. The disadvantages that stem from the families' living conditions · The income per
person is between 5001 and 8000 Hungarian Forints per month · The parents' low
level of schooling: · Single parents · Bad housing conditions 1.3. Biological reasons · Slow learners, retarded children · Dyslexic children · Their level of motivation is low · They belong to an ethnic group (Gypsies) As these disadvantages can easily lead to failure at school - if we teachers are to take our profession really seriously - they cannot be ignored! What initiatives have we taken so far to provide these pupils with a chance to continue their studies, too? In other words, what have we done in order that their skills and abilities may provide a reliable basis for their secondary education? 2. A success orientated school Upon an overall assessment of their circumstances, we concluded that one of the tasks of our school concerning these children is to eradicate certain defects. We need to provide the children with all that their families have not been able to.In order that a child can become a successful person, it is necessary to create a certain environment or milieu where they can feel good because they are loved and paid attention to. So we built a children-centred school (taking their abilities, defects, needs and naturally, our requirements into consideration). We regard these two maxims as the guidelines for our educational activity: "Only the Heart Can
See Clearly…" The failures caused by the children's disadvantaged situation may lead to learning disorders and conflicts concerning the children's integration into the community. Consequently, the methods and circumstances of the educational process ought to be considered very important factors in the life of a school. This is what led to our initiative to establish a school where children can feel at home, where, by reviewing the traditional authoritative teach-pupil relationship, we can do tremendously much to prevent the failures. 3. Special educational programmes 3.1. Approximating the kindergarten and the school AIM: To build confidence Getting acquainted by organising playful activities in which this year's and next year's 1st grade pupils participate jointly in the school. The advantage of building this kind of relationship is that children are open and less strained when they come to school in September, since their teacher can start working with a group of children whom she has met previously. 3.2. The project called "At Home in the Classroom" Our motto is: "A smile is the shortest distance between two people." AIM: To leave sufficient time for the children to develop their abilities and personalities. We find it essential that children should not consider schoolwork burdensome. Also, we are convinced that apart from the education of the separate school subjects, the importance of a wide-scope, genuine, personal curiosity should be emphasised. The conditions that the school provides: Our classrooms have a cosy atmosphere, they resemble the rooms of a family home (they are furnished with carpets and shelves and have play-corners). There are plants, pets and decorations made by the children. The children can play, tell stories and listen to music sitting and lying on the carpet. The educational activities of the different classes of the same year are synchronised. A team of three teachers teaches the classes in each year. Their co-operation is essential. They have weekly meetings to discuss and plan the tasks of the following week. The grouping of the school subjects is regarded as the basis of the scheduling of the educational activity (i.e. the education concerning main topics plus additional activities). The daily framework of the activities is created based on different topics linked together. Everything is largely dependent on the children's capacity to work (their attention span and their ability to concentrate). The Grouping of School Subjects 1. Core Subjects 2. Practical skills § Mathematics § Singing 3. Free leisure activities (Optional) § Music The Weekly Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 8.00- 9.00 "starting
a new week" opening 9.00-10.00 10.00-11.00 The presentation of the new teaching material. Systematic practice and revision, evaluation 11.00-12.00 PLAYING GAMES 12.00-13.00 LUNCH 13.00-14.00 14.00-15.00 Additional activities.
Weekly evaluation The daily and
weekly schedule: The daily study activities last from 8 a.m. to 3
p.m. The curriculum has weekly units. These include the activities called "starting a new week" every Monday morning and "closing the week" every Friday afternoon. (What have we learnt this week? What are we going to learn next week?) Establishing a relationship with the parents: Parents are invited to come to the school, visit the classes, see the life of the school, find out what the children have learnt and how much they have developed on the last Friday of each month. Parents have the opportunity to consult each other and the staff in a casual atmosphere. In addition, they are (continuously) informed on what their children have learnt in weekly written reports. Our results: Our children have become more humane, their interests have become manifold and specific. Their second home has become their own; they look after it and care for their treasures. The vandalism and negligence have disappeared. Coaching Programmes in the School AIM: To foster the children's abilities so that they reach the level required. To facilitate the integration that is to follow. The Gypsy children are taught by Gypsy teachers in their own community in the preliminary phase of their schooling. This is the so-called phase of socialisation. · Flexible scheduling · Setting specific tasks for each pupil · Differentiated teams When the Gypsy pupils' abilities have reached a certain level which makes it possible for them to be taught together with the non-Gypsy pupils, they may continue their studies in the 3rd grade. This is the phase of integration. From this point on, the class master's or class mistress's role will be more important, because it is their responsibility to facilitate the children's integration into the new community and supervise the further coaching projects concerning the different school subjects. |