Practice and Theory in Systems of Education


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Editorial Board


CONTENTS
Volume 1 Number 2 2006
ISSN 1788-2591 (Online)
ISSN 1788-2583 (Printed)


Ilona K. Schneider , Franz Oberländer, Zoltán Tóth, Éva Dobó-Tarai, Ibolya Revakne Markóczi:
Natural scientific learning in primary schools: The Rostock Model, pages 1-23

In the framework of an investigation of the scientific learning processes of primary school children, we have developed a didactic concept ("Rostock Model") that takes into consideration not only the psychology of learning and neurobiology but also research on cognition and brain function. The concept is based on the preposition that learning is a long-term process, based on instruction, independent activity, and cooperation, that considers the pupil as a learning subject and that, above all, prioritises the acquisition of interrelated and generative conceptual knowledge. The model is organized not on the basis of individual lessons but rather on the basis of more comprehensive and complex (thus interdisciplinary) teaching units. The practical organization of the lessons is characterized by ten features. The model is presently being tested and qualified in a long term international research study ("Scientific Learning in Primary Schools")

Ágnes Ludányi, Rita Szebeni:
Self-knowledge and career socialization, pages 24-28

The paper discusses the role of self-knowledge in career socialization and presents a constructivist approach to its development, explicitly rejecting what are known as the profession model and the science and technology model in favor of a critical-interpretive approach, on which individuals are viewed as active organizers and interpreters of their own knowledge. These capacities enable them to construct and deal, within their framework, with their own internal world. The paper argues that role construction is part of a highly individual process in which everyone constructs their own understanding of the world they live in. Since conceptual change and cognitive changes are an integral part of this process, the principal goal of integrating the development of students' self-knowledge in the higher-education process is precisely to bring about conceptual change. Research is oriented toward a development program that can be integrated in social and teacher education.

István Lükő:
Competency-based curriculum development. Vertical modularisation in multi-cycled training, pages 29-36

It should not be proved, that competency or module is one of the most often used terms in the field of education. For almost every school level, today it is a widespread "fashionable" trend usage, and a curriculum developing principle, which explanation and usage is studied by several researcher in Hungary and abroad as well. In the following part, I would like to show relations - without completeness - that can help to clarify the terms, throughout firstly in the curricular, structural and developing work of vocational training and higher education.

Szabolcs Zalay:
Application of drama-pedagogical methodology in communication training sessions in Hungary, pages 37-47

The reason why training sessions, in which we use drama- pedagogical methods, are usually more efficient in the area of the development of communication competences than "conventional courses" is that in the latter the method of "planning-controlling-evaluation" is generally not elaborated on an appropriate professional basis. Drama pedagogical training however also makes it possible to acquire long-term knowledge as it ensures "cathartic learning" at a high level of awareness. On the other hand, making up for disadvantages and managing talents by the application of drama-pedagogy creates a great opportunity for building bridges between the training instructors and the training participants, who use different codes respectively. Drama-pedagogy is capable of mobilising energies, which could not appear and make an effect either in the traditional structure of the educational system or in the social discourse. This opportunity may create a special chance for drama-pedagogy to gain ground in various development programmes, thus creating a need for training drama-teachers and drama-trainers, which then may induce changes in the conservative structure of pedagogy. This may also indicate the necessity of a paradigm shift, which is bound to happen in every scientific disciple sooner or later. It is of vital importance for Hungarian society, which is seeking its identity in the globalising world of IT revolution and also in the European Union, to create a learning environment, in which children and adults are no longer engaged in studying dead knowledge during an endless row of dull lessons, but, while focusing on real problems and also trying to solve these problems, they, jointly with their teachers, may look for viable strategies for survival and development. In this way they may eliminate the tension that relates to language differences, and may free their talent.

Judit Heszteráné Ekler:
Representing PE's values in public education - Quo vadis physical education?, pages 48-55

Physical education and sports offer unrecognised, however, considerable potential for developing students' competence and for developing personality and reinforcing community spirit, which is the main objective in the schools' educational and pedagogical programme. The introduction of local planning raised schools' awareness and enabled them to select and accept these values, by which they were given the opportunity to apply them as basic principle. Such high level of awareness can change one's lifestyle. Still, we could not observe such growing awareness in most cases during the research we conducted in schools. When following traditions, schools' sporting activities seem more effective than what the school documents suggest reflecting value judgement about the subject. Maintenance of health in the broadest possible sense is achievable by close cooperation among teachers of different subjects. In order to achieve this, PE teachers should be able to represent the values and physical education's content and structure must be modernised.

Tibor Polgár:
Conceptional model of sport science, pages 56-64

As compared to the other areas of science declared as "classical" in Hungarian society, the evolution of sport science is a new development, its commence dates back about 50 years. Its development and structure can be characterized by the attitude of the given social medium. It possesses the criteria necessary to be accepted as a science, its relationship with other fields of science is elaborated and its organizational structure is established. Beyond demonstrating the national circumstances, this study looks into the structure and system of relationships of international, primarily European sport science.


Doctorate Propositions

János Ugrai:
Dependence and independence. The functioning of the Calvinist College of Sárospatak from 1793 to 1830, pages 65-70

The main purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate the system, financial operation and student community of the Calvinist College of Sárospatak in order to gain an insight into the major aspects of the quotidian life of a school which in its time, dating back 200 years, was of decisive importance. The thesis, which deals mainly with the first third of the XIXth century, endeavours to unveil the connection between numerous initiations unique in their time and the maintainers and economic conditions of the college. According to our supposition the unusual flexibility of its syllabus (the rapid introduction of the Hungarian language and that of the science subjects, the realization of practical reading of the law) and in a political sense comparative radicalism (e.g. Sándor Kövi's "County of Páncél", Lajos Kossuth, Bertalan Szemere and László Palóczy who were among the students) could have been related to the absence of a well-definable and responsible maintainer and to the "dependent independence" of the institution further exacerbated by the necessity of self-maintenance...

Orsolya Némethné Tóth:
Comparative examination of study aptitudes of kindergarten children as a function of school maturity, pages 71-80

In these days guiding principles of educational policy encourage lifelong learning having its starting-line at Form 1 of primary school. I have gained my first hand experience regarding the problems arising during the transition from kindergarten to primary education both as a parent and as a teacher involved in teacher training. The above milestone can most be described by the notion of school maturity, which outlines the level of a certain biological-psychological-social stage of development indicating the child's readiness and maturity for starting the studies organized and conducted by the school...


Reports

Valéria Magdolna Balogh:
Differences and similarities: The schools in the Netherlands, pages 81-97

We had been living in the Netherlands from 1997 until 2002. My husband had been invited and appointed as professor by the Delft University of Technology. Living in the Netherlands was a new experience and a challenge for all of us, in particular for our children. Nevertheless, our strong intension was to provide the same education for them as they had had in Hungary. With this in mind, we also looked at the Dutch school system with parental eyes. Having been a head of a Section, my husband could see the university system from inside every day. In addition to lecturing for bachelor and master students and doing research, he also supervised and promoted Ph.D. students. At the beginning, I made myself busy with learning Dutch in 5-6 hours every day. Later on, I was working in a primary school as a voluntary assistant.

Anu Karrimaa:
Experiencies of an Erasmus-student from Finland at the University of Miskolc, pages 98-105

I wrote the first pages of my diary on an aeroplane on my way from Finland to Hungary at the beginning of August 2006. I was to spend the following semester in Miskolc as an exchange student, and I listed some of my expectations concerning my stay in Hungary. I asked myself a question: 'Why do I want to go abroad? And why to Hungary? And why right now?' Why Hungary? That is an easy question: as a student of Finnish Language it was natural for me to come to the country of a 'relative nation'. On the other hand, I cannot give any simple answer why I wanted to leave Finland for five months and come to Miskolc. I expected to get new experiences, to make new friends, to get acquainted with another culture, and to learn something about Hungary as well as about myself. Now, after spending almost three months in Hungary, I have happy news to write into my diary, as the reader will find it out later.


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