Different School – A Different Kind of School

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 76 (2013) 307 – 311 5th International Conference EDU-WORLD 2012 - Education Facing Contemporary World Issues Different School - a different kind of school Luminita Mihaela Drăghicescua, Ana Maria Petrescua Teacher Training Department, Valahia University of Targoviste,5th. Moldovei Str., 130093,Târgoviste, Romania Abstract Through this study we propose to estimate the impact of formative and educational program "Different School" program initiated by MECTS school year 2011-2012. Designed for every school training according to the needs and interests of learners, this program lies in the involvement of all preschool children, pupils and teachers and school extracurricular activities through which are build and develop skills, abilities and skills of beneficiaries direct educational system, ensuring also optimal articulation between formal and non-formal educational contexts. © 2013 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the University of Pitesti, Pitesti,Romania Romania Keywords: academic stress; formal education; non-formal education; educational partnership; educational program. 1. Introduction The school must represent not only a place of learning, based on perception learning, but a place where everyone can realize experience, can share other, a place where everyone feels valued, feel that their needs and interests are respected and are the prerequisites for designing educational programs otherwise. Unfortunately, in recent years, experts in education, teachers at all levels of education, psychologists, parents etc. points out that formal education in general has become one of the main sources of stress for students of all ages, concern is age of increasing age, from which this phenomenon can occur. * Drăghicescu LuminiĠa Mihaela. Tel.: +40245220694; E-mail address: [email protected] 1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the University of Pitesti, Romania doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.04.118 308 Luminita Mihaela Drăghicescu and Ana Maria Petrescu / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 76 (2013) 307 – 311 School stress is not a problem to ignore contrary, requires special attention from all who are concerned about the growth and development of children, their condition well. First, however, must focus their efforts on preventing and combating this phenomenon are teachers. The school environment can identify a number of factors that generate stress, which requires teachers to design and implement a set of measures focused on changing educational patterns obsolete, ineffective, "toxic" even for the welfare of the student, maintained, sometimes for convenience and self-sufficiency. It is clear that school stress prevention is a much easier approach than control or its management. To this end, teachers must assume the task of developing appropriate mechanisms by which to eliminate potential stressors, build a child friendly school, a truly secure environment for their mental and physical health. Find, and unfortunately sometimes limit ourselves to that, the school program, the specific requirements of the educational process leading to overload, intellectual fatigue, anxiety and depression, delinquent behavior etc. .. But school should be a place where children feel comfortable to come with pleasure to participate, without any constraints on an educational process designed to help him grow, not only in the cognitive but also affective -emotional, social, moral, learn to know not only world he lives in, but primarily himself, discovering and learning to express uniqueness and appropriate. In this context, the educational program "Different School", initiated by the Ministry of Education, is an initiative that can decisively change perceptions of children, parents and society in general, the usefulness and efficiency of the school and the people from the department, blame themselves often, and "convicted" for school performance, growing weaker, the students, the lack of interest that you show them to study. "Different School" involved the development of educational activities, curricular and extracurricular proposed generally students, according to their interests and needs training, but also with specific educational objectives of the school community. Projects and activities undertaken were held, usually in partnership with other educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, with palaces and children's clubs, sports clubs, with cultural and scientific institutions (research institutes, universities etc. ..) with the police and emergency inspectorates, public health departments, environmental agencies etc. .. Thus, we find an articulation of formal and non-formal harmonization of activities in space and safeguarded organized school with various institutions operating at local or regional level. The "Different School" has subsumed various types of activities, as follows: cultural, scientific and technical activities, sports, education for democratic citizenship activities to promote humanitarian values (including voluntary, charitable, active involvement in society social responsibility, relationships and communication, etc..) health education activities and healthy lifestyle (including dependence on computer, internet security etc.). environmental education activities and environmental (including collection, energy saving, alternative energy etc.). traffic education activities, PSI, education for correct responses in emergency situations, etc.. These activities were organized in different ways, such as: workshops, theater, dance, music, arts, education, media and film, competitions held at school level, school groups, the city or county, roundtables, debates, voluntary or community interest, anti-tobacco campaigns / anti-alcohol / pollution control / prevention of juvenile delinquency / prevention of trafficking etc. .., community projects, social responsibility, peer-education, educational exchanges, visits studies, camps / schools creative or research, educational and thematic partnerships at schools, domestically and internationally, to develop skills for working in teams and projects [1]. 2. Description of the procedure I conducted within microresearch concerned, in particular, identifying perceptions of undergraduate teachers of the "other school" program that can be approached as effective way to prevent and combat academic stress. We appreciate that this aim can be highlighted by reference to the following aspects investigated: types of activities organized by the project, forms of organizing these activities, estimating the utility, assessing the extent to which activities carried projected and helped reduce the coefficient of school stress, identify those strengths Luminita Mihaela Drăghicescu and Ana Maria Petrescu / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 76 (2013) 307 – 311 309 and weaknesses, opportunities and threats aforementioned program. Investigative approach taken was based on the application of a comprehensive research strategy that combined both quantitative methods (questionnaire-based survey) and qualitative methods (focus group). Administered questionnaire of undergraduate teachers was mixed type, having structure answers both questions open and closed questions with answers, multiple choice type and ordering. In parallel, we applied the focus group method to detect multiple problems they have encountered teachers in designing and carrying out the other school program. Processing results were predominantly quantitative analysis method, percentage, coupled with qualitative interpretation of data collected by means of focus - group. Research sample consisted of 60 teachers in pre-primary, primary and secondary, from different schools in the DâmboviĠa county, most of them now, and the quality of the graduate program in Communication Studies and Teaching Strategies effective learning. In the context of research undertaken tried to capture the extent to which teachers surveyed consider that other school program can be considered a constituent part of an overall strategy to prevent and combat academic stress. Multiple research in educational psychology, but not limited to, point out that the stress accumulated during the early years of schooling leads to negative effects, sometimes very serious in terms of the child's physical and mental health effects that, if not countered on time and in an efficient manner, will mark its entire existence. 3. Results and discussions Relating to the first item, on the types of organized activities with students and preschoolers in performance of other school educational program and analyzing the responses provided by teachers, observe first that, as a percentage, is situated cultural activities (20.63%), followed closely by the activities of environmental education and environmental protection (19.04%) and the health education and healthy lifestyle (18.25%). The fourth position among sports activities are those with a share of 16.66%, followed by EDC activities to promote humanitarian values (including volunteering, charity, active involvement in society), with a share of 11.11%. On a more modest ranges and road education activities, PSI, education for correct responses in emergency situations, with a percentage of 8.73%. Category other activities, teachers in the sample under investigation were nominated artistic work done by students or preschool, contests and activities based on collaboration with parents. These, together, have achieved a percentage of 3.96%. It should be noted that the last place were located scientific and technical activities, they registering only a percentage of 1.58%. Explanation, separated from us in the context of discussions surrounding the focus group method was therefore that, in the School other activities designed and carried put particular emphasis on matters formative and less informative ones explicitly. 1.58% 3.96% 19.04% 8.73% 11.11% 18.25% 16.66% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fig. 1 - Types of activity 310 Luminita Mihaela Drăghicescu and Ana Maria Petrescu / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 76 (2013) 307 – 311 In category forms of organizing these activities, first stood theater workshops, dance, music, arts, education, media and film, with a share of 23.80%, followed by competitions at school level, the groups of schools of the locality or county, with a share of 16.19%. In third place were located in equality, volunteering or community interest and study tours (hiking, trekking), with a percentage of 13.33%. These were followed by educational and thematic partnerships (11.42%), respectively Community social responsibility projects (8.57%). In last place stood round tables, debates, exchanges and anti-tobacco campaigns / anti-alcohol / pollution / prevention of juvenile delinquency / prevention of trafficking, with 6.66%. In terms of usability activities in other school educational program, one quantifies teachers on a Likert scale with 5 levels as follows: level 1 (maximum utility) - 20%, level 2 to 33.23%, the 3 - 23.33% -16.66% level 4 and level 5 (minimum utility) - 6.66%. These percentages are indicative, showing, in fact, realistic perceptions of teachers and educational impact strongly formative of the activities. As mentioned previously held microresearch new targeted specifically identify the contribution of such an educational program to reduce school stress coefficient. In relation to this, the answers provided are distributed as follows: 20% of respondents consider that this is done to a great extent, largely 43.33%, 26.66% in a moderately, 6, 66% lower and 3.33% as very small extent. Arguments behind these responses were clarified in the context of the focus group discussions. They are focused, for the first three steps of the scale (in very much, largely a moderate extent) students as direct beneficiaries and for the last two steps of the scale (on a small scale, very little) respondents had in mind his own business, and parental involvement. In other words, teachers say, the vast majority of that educational program through flexible manner, interesting, relaxing of activities contribute directly to reducing school stress. However, the position of classroom managers, teachers undergoing a more "stressful" because: design and made a different kind of work than current ones, while working with students during a school day is often higher; context of carrying out other than at school, the number of situations that can not be predicted is greater, dangers / risks that may be exposed children are more numerous; responsibilities are manifold etc. To shape an image as accurately on teachers' opinions in relation to this issue, we present below some of their answers: "Students are more relaxed, come enjoy school more when they know they do not have lessons. Stress is caused by training activities must be well organized. "(Teacher in primary education teaching degree I) "I believe that these activities were interesting and can help reduce stress coefficient, but it was a very busy and tiring sometimes." (Pre-school teacher, teaching grade II) "Students may express their opinions freely, be more creative in the activities they carry" (secondary school teacher, teaching grade II) When we asked teachers to indicate the extent it considers that the activities carried out by students in the school context otherwise effectively contributed to reducing stress coefficient school, their responses were structured as follows: 20% believe that this has been achieved to a great extent, 56.66% - largely 16.66% - a moderate extent and 6.66% - slightly. It is worth mentioning that none of those questioned admitted that activities contributed to achieving this goal only to a small extent. To make a correlation between answers item 4 (Appreciate that such an educational program can help reduce stress coefficient school / educational?) And item 6 (consider that the activities carried out by students in the school context otherwise have taken effective above objective?), we present the following table results: Luminita Mihaela Drăghicescu and Ana Maria Petrescu / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 76 (2013) 307 – 311 311 56.66% 43.33% Item 4 Item 6 26.66% 20.00% 16.66% 6.66% 3.33% 0.00% Fig. 2 – Correlation between items 4 and 6 Thus, we see that while the first level of the scale is the same percentage recorded for the next level is an increase in the percentage for item 6. This can result in an overestimation in the minds of teachers, the extent to which their activities, other school under the Program have helped reduce stress coefficient school. This situation is confirmed by responses on the third level of the scale. Thus, teachers consider that these activities can help reduce stress in a moderately at a rate of 26.66%, and when it comes to their work rate is reduced to 16.66% as the difference of 10% migrated to the upper level (largely). Among the activities that have contributed to the reduction coefficient of stress mention: work in partnership with other institutions, competitions, volunteer activities, visits, excursions, cultural and artistic activities, environmental education activities and others. 4. Concluding remarks "Absence balanced balance between the three 8 (work, rest and leisure) unexpected negative effects" [2], says renowned professor I. Neacúu. As long as still in school, teachers give learners time effectively management models, whether we mean training time itself, be allocated to the other types of activities, extracurricular or school, as happened under the Different school education, children learn how to properly organize their time, what activities worth investing time, how to distribute resources for balanced between "the three 8" to avoid stress and to maintain well-being, mental and physical health. In conclusion, different school children develop their skills for life, learning things important, useful, but in a pleasant and relaxing in a friendly environment, free of any constraint. References [1]*** Programul “ùcoala altfel”. Anexa la ordinul Ministerului EducaĠiei, Cercetării, Tineretului úi Sportului nr. 4292/2011 privind structura anului Ьcolar 2011-2012: http://scoalaaltfel.edu.ro/legislatie.php [2]Neacúu, I. (2010). Pedagogie socială. Valori, comportamente, experienĠe, strategii. Bucureúti: Editura Universitară, p.297.