Introducing creative pedagogy for nursery and primary schools in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely

Looking for EVS partners from Erasmus program countries!

The Youth Forum of Odorhei (Romania) is searching for 4 volunteers from Erasmus program countries in order to complete the 12 month long activity that will start on the 1st of August 2018 in the town of Odorheiu Secuiesc in Transylvania, Romania.

Context:

Creativity is one of the three key requirements in today’s world, which is changing at an unprecedented speed. The amount of information we can pass on to pupils in the time they are at school is very limited. On the other hand, access to all kinds of information has become incredibly easy. So it’s not what we teach that matters so much as making sure pupils know how to learn. Businesses all over the world have repeatedly expressed what they expect from their work force. The new ‘survival requirements’ are: confidence that we know how to learn; being able to deal positively with change (practically and emotionally); flexibility and creativity in the ways we think. To teach creativity, the teachers must be creative too. Even if it is important to master creative methods, it seems to be even more important, what happens in the other subjects. It is therefore important that the teachers now what hinder and what stimulates creativity. A lot of experimenting is necessary to find better ways of teaching creativity. And even more, to let the children keep their creativity, so they do not have to be taught so much creativity later on.

The long term EVS project named “Introducing creative pedagogy for nursery and primary schools” initiated by the Youth Forum of Odorhei recognises the need of introduction, consolidation and systematic use of  creative pedagogy methods on the level of kindergartens and primary schools in the city of Székelyudvarhely/Odoheiu Secuiesc (Hargita/Harghita county, Romania) using for this purpose the methods of non-formal education and intercultural dialogue developed by young volunteers from Europe, connecting through an innovative way the school and kindergarten with the awareness of the European cultural diversity by local children. In this regard the objective of the project is to run a 12-month long EVS internship in Odoheiu Secuiesc, directly involving four volunteers, 2 each from two different countries.

Volunteer activities:

The volunteer activities are built into three distinct groups, where they will be both creators and beneficiaries of the programs. The three groups of activities are in order of importance the creative pedagogy activities, which forms 70% of total activity of the volunteers, language courses and intercultural activities, which will occupy about 20% of their work, and the contribution to the daily work of the host structure, organizational support activities, which will mean the remaining 10% of the total work performed by volunteers during their period of 12 months in Romania. The volunteers will receive by mentors and professionals all the training that is necessary in order to accomplish their tasks.

During the internship EVS volunteers and implementation team will prepare The Toolbook of Creative Pedagogy, which will contain the essence of creative pedagogy, and several practical and non-formal education methods and tools discovered and used during their work at kindergartens and local schools. The book will contain teaching and information materials directly relevant to their work, thematic programs, suggestions of supporting teachers, the volunteer’s impressions, description of the financier Erasmus+, of the partners etc.

This project is the first out of the three planned in the field of introduction and usage of creative pedagogy in kindergartens and primary schools respectively mobilization of young volunteers and teachers, educators etc., with a direct impact on communities of pre-scholar and scholar children in Romania, promoters signed commitment that they will continue to support the work of volunteers after their internship.

More details about the EVS project, the hosting and other logistic issues regarding the EVS volunteers can be given upon request.

Youth Forum of Odorhei

Somogyi Attila

somogyi.attila@uff.ro