January 20, 2008

Methodos e.V. - independent learning for active citizens

When students care about their own education... they create their own school ?!

10 young people, 12th grade students, decided to go to their own school, during the last year before their "Reifeprüfung" and submit an external final examination.

The idea is to create a last Abitur-year, which gives them the possibility for independence and autonomy, where they learn to take responsibility, for them self, for the others and for their goal - a pure "Reifeprüfung". (= maturity examination).

How?
First they create a program, which fits with the schedule of the employed teachers and fulfills the requirements for a longer period. A learning session lasts for 4 hours, but the end corresponds to the end of the content and not to a strict timetable. Furthermore a big importance is given to the combination of the learning contents for long time periods. One day contains also some rhythmic elements, like theater, music, exercises and time for individual work, consolidation and coaching between students.
Every day, one student is responsible for the course of the activities, this means that he/ she prepared him-/ herself in advance for the topic of the certain day.
An internal evaluation should take place from time to time, in form of colloquia, to test the effectiveness of this way of learning and the methods they use.

"For an education, which guides to independence and individual responsibility...beyond this year."

This is a short overview about the power of education, about initiatives which could be seen as utopian, but I think this is the "Vision generation", as Bogdan called it in one of his posts and gives me more trust in creating the "Students' University"!

For further information take a look on the Website or get in contact with the Methodos group.

We change education!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool :D

Traian Bruma said...

Student's university :) ... deabia astept sa mai vb despre asta

tamoeta said...

Am asa un feeling bun in legatura cu asta... De fiecare data cand ma gandesc la ea (universitatea), nu pot decat sa ma gandesc cu entuziasm :)