Use of the individual educational plan by teachers in Slovenian primary schools

Teachers play a key role in the optimal development of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) by providing an inclusive learning environment. Strategies used for the education of pupils with SEN are typically based on an individual educational plan (IEP). Based on extant literature, we aimed to understand (1) whether primary school teachers were involved in the preparation of the IEP, (2) the extent to which they were familiar with the adjustments written in the IEP, and (3) the significance of the role played by the IEP in a teacher’s daily work. Eighty-nine primary school teachers from different schools in north-east Slovenia participated in this questionnaire-based research. The results show that fewer than half of the teachers were always involved in the preparation of the IEP for the pupils with SEN they teach. A few reported that they had not taken part in the preparation of pupils’ IEP at all. Furthermore, just over half of participants were familiar with all the adjustments recorded in the IEP. There were also differences in the responses to the research based on the professional title and experience of the teachers. The differences were in favour of teachers with more experience and teachers with more senior professional titles. We also found that most teachers believed that an IEP plays an important role when working with pupils with SEN and writing a regular lesson plan. Our findings represent the starting point for the preparation of education for pupils with SEN and act as a basis for the self-evaluation of a teacher’s pedagogical work

Otvorena nastava i sudjelovanje u donošenju odluka u razredu

The article focuses on the problem of students involved in the education process. The study comprised students aged 10-11, 13-14 and 16-17. The total number comprises 322 students attending schools in Austria and 458 students from Slovenia. The data were collected with a questionnaire and processed on the level of descriptive and inferential statistics. We determined that student participation in practice has not fully developed yet. The students who are attending schools in Austria detected more opportunities to participate in the decision-making process than their peers in Slovenia. The majority of the students wish to participate. We also determined a statistically significant positive impact of open class on student participation. The students who see their classes as open detect more opportunities to participate in the decision-making process.Rad se fokusira na problem inkluzije učenika u procesu obrazovanja. U studiji su sudjelovali učenici starosti 10-11, 13-14 i 16-17 godina. Od toga 322 učenika pohađaju škole u Austriji , a 458 u Sloveniji. Za prikupljanje podataka koji su obrađeni na razini deskriptivne i inferencijalne statistike koristio se upitnik. Utvrdili smo da učeničko sudjelovanje u praksi još nije dovoljno razvijeno. Učenici koji pohađaju škole u Austriji uočili su više prilika za sudjelovanje u procesu donošenja odluka od svojih vršnjaka u Sloveniji. Većina učenika želi sudjelovati. Također smo utvrdili statistički značajan učinak otvorene nastave na učeničku participaciju. Učenici koji nastavu percipiraju kao otvorenu primjećuju više prilika za sudjelovanje u procesu donošenja odluka

Učiteljevo pridobivanje znanja v kontekstu poučevanja nadarjenih učencev

Učitelj velja za kompetentnega strokovnjaka na svojem predmetnem področju, zato je pomembno, da svoje znanje vseskozi nadgrajuje in posodablja. S tem v zvezi smo želeli ugotoviti, kako učitelji razrednega pouka pridobivajo znanja o nadarjenih učencih, ali čutijo potrebo po (dodatnih) izobraževanjih na področju poučevanja nadarjenih ter kakšna je vloga šole pri zagotavljanju tovrstnih izobraževanj. Raziskava je bila izvedena v šolskem letu 2020/21. Sodelovalo je 107 učiteljev razrednega pouka. Rezultati kažejo, da učitelji največ znanja o nadarjenih učencih pridobijo s poklicnim udejstvovanjem in branjem strokovne literature. Najmanj znanja o nadarjenih so učitelji pridobili v času študija. Odgovori učiteljev nakazujejo, da so največ znanja o nadarjenih učencih z različnimi načini poklicnega razvoja pridobili starejši učitelji in učitelji z višjimi strokovnimi nazivi. Ugotavljamo še, da večina učiteljev razrednega pouka čuti potrebo po dodatnih izobraževanjih na področju poučevanja nadarjenih učencev, sploh ker po njihovem mnenju šole v celoti ne izkoriščajo vseh možnosti, ki se jim ponujajo pri zagotavljanju tovrstnih izobraževanj

Participation as a School Dimension

Eines der wichtigsten fachübergreifenden Lernziele im Unterricht ist der Erwerb von demokratischen Werten und Kompetenzen, wobei die Schülerpartizipation einen bedeutenden Baustein bei der Verwirklichung dieses Ziels darstellt. In der vorliegenden Studie werden Partizipationsmöglichkeiten der Schüler bedingt durch die Klassenstufe und das Land untersucht. Die Stichprobe bestand aus 322 Schülern, die eine österreichische und aus 458 Schülern, die eine slowenische Schule besuchen. 283 Schüler/innen besuchen die 5., 268 die 8. und 229 die 11. Klassenstufe. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass die Partizipationsmöglichkeiten der Schüler/innen noch immer sehr beschränkt sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen signifikante Unterschiede in der Wahrnehmung der Partizipationsmöglichkeiten (p = 0,000) zu Gunsten der Schüler/innen, die eine Schule in Österreich besuchen. Zwischen den Klassenstufen konnten dagegen keine signifikanten Unterschiede in der Wahrnehmung der Schülerpartizipation nachgewiesen werden. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse lassen erkennen, dass sich aktive Schülerpartizipation – trotz der bewiesenen Vorteile, formal gegebenen Beteiligungsrechten und ständiger Forderung danach – im Schulalltag noch immer nicht etabliert hat.Razvoj demokratskih kompetencija i vrijednosti smatra se najvišim ciljem u učionici. Važan element za postizanje ovoga cilja participacija je učenika. U ovom istraživanju participacije učenika uvjetovane su ocjenom i zemljom. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 322 učenika iz austrijskih škola i 458 iz slovenskih škola. 283 učenika pohađa peti, 268 osmi i 229 jedanaesti razred. Rezultati pokazuju značajne razlike u percepciji participacije učenika (p = 0,000) u korist učenika austrijskih škola. Nije bilo značajnih razlika među ocjenama vezano uz percepciju participacije učenika. Rezultati pokazuju da unatoč dokazanim prednostima, formalnom uključivanju i zahtjevom za aktivnim sudjelovanjem učenika, ono još uvijek nije pronašlo svoje mjesto u školskoj praksiAcquiring democratic values and competences is considered to be of the most importance objective in the classroom. An important element for reaching this objective is student participation. In this study student participation options are conditioned by grade and country. The survey was done on a pattern of 322 students from Austrian schools and 458 from Slovenian schools. 283 students attended the 5th, 268 the 8th and 229 the 11th grade. The results show significant differences of student participation perception (p = 0,000) in favor of students from Austrian schools. No significant differences between grades occurred, based on the students’ perception of participation. The results show that despite proven advantages, formally given equities and constant demand for an active student participation, it still hasn’t found its place in the school routine

Moznosti in zelje ucencev v Avstriji in Sloveniji po soodlocanju pri pouku

This article focuses on the issue of student involvement in the education process. The study comprised pupils aged 10-11, 13-14 and 16-17; 322 students were attending school in Austria, and 458 students were in Slovenia. The data were collected through a questionnaire and processed on the level of descriptive and inferential statistics. The right to participation is among the four main principles set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child from 1989. However, a study that aimed to identify the areas in which students already have the opportunity to participate in decision-making and areas in which they want more participation showed that they remain insufficiently aware of the right to participation in school. In addition, the study showed that students from Austrian schools have more decision-making opportunities than their peers in Slovenia do. The results also indicate that, despite its proven advantages, legal basis, and the repeated demands for its implementation, participation in the class environment has yet to become common practice. (DIPF/Orig.

Foreign language in the first cycle of Waldorf primary education

V prispevku predstavljamo stališča staršev iz Slovenije, Avstrije in Nemčije, katerih otroci obiskujejo waldorfsko osnovno šolo, do učenja tujih jezikov na nižji stopnji osnovne šole. V prvem delu članka predstavimo glavne značilnosti učenja in poučevanja tujih jezikov v waldorfskih osnovnih šolah in primerjamo učne načrte za prvi tuji jezik v Avstriji, Sloveniji in Nemčiji. V nadaljevanju se osredotočimo na rezultate empirične raziskave, v kateri je sodelovalo 215 staršev. Rezultati raziskave kažejo, da so starši, ki imajo možnost neposredno opazovati učinke učenja tujega jezika v otroštvu, temu naklonjeni in seznanjeni s prednostmi, ki ga takšno učenje jezika prinaša otroku, saj so se v večini strinjali, da otroci kažejo boljše jezikovne zmožnosti za pridobivanje tujih jezikov kot odrasli in da učenje tujih jezikov nima negativnega vpliva na materinščino in otrokovo osebnost.This paper seeks to present the viewpoints of Slovenian, Austrian, and German parents whose children attend Waldorf primary schools, about learning foreign languages at the primary level. The first section of the paper outlines the main characteristics of learning and teaching foreign languages in Waldorf primary schools and compares the syllabus for the first foreign language in Austria, Slovenia, and Germany. Further on, the paper focuses on the results of an empirical research which involved 215 parents. The results showed that parents who could directly observe the effects of learning a foreign language in childhood were more inclined to it. They were also familiar with the benefits of learning a foreign language for a child. Also, the majority of them agreed that learning second languages was easier for children, and they did not think it had any adverse impact on the mother tongue or the child\u27s personality

Student participation in the classroom and in the school

Doktorska disertacija z dvodelno strukturo (teoretični in empirični del) obravnava participacijo učencev pri pouku in na šoli. V teoretičnem delu je predstavljen pojem participacija in argumenti za/proti participaciji učencev. Sledi primerjava avstrijskih in slovenskih šolskih sistemov in s participacijo povezane zakonodaje obeh držav. Opredeljeni so dejavniki, ki vplivajo na možnosti participacije učencev na ravni šole. Ta del se nadaljuje s predstavitvijo participacije učencev pri pouku in opisom dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na možnosti njenega uresničevanja. Nato so z vidika participacije učencev predstavljene strategije odprtega pouka, učni načrti izbranih predmetov, dosedanja znanstvena spoznanja o uresničevanju participacije v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu in pogojih za njeno uresničevanje v praksi. Pričujoča spoznanja predstavljajo temeljno podstat empirične raziskave, predstavljene v drugem delu doktorske disertacije, katere temeljni namen je osvetliti, kako učenci zaznavajo možnosti participacije in kakšna je njena vloga z vidika razredne (delovne) klime, motivacije učencev in njihovega znanja, izraženega z modalno oceno. Raziskava je razdeljena na dva dela. V prvem delu je sodelovalo 322 učencev, ki obiskujejo šole v Avstriji, in 458 učencev, ki obiskujejo šole v Sloveniji. Prav tako so sodelovali učitelji: 102 iz Avstrije in 131 iz Slovenije. Ugotavljamo, da participacija učencev v praksi še vedno ni zaživela. Učenci, ki obiskujejo šole v Avstriji, zaznavajo več možnosti soodločanja kot njihovi vrstniki pri nas. Pri večini učencev je prisotna želja po soodločanju. Ugotovili smo statistično značilen pozitiven vpliv odprtega pouka na participacijo učencev. Tako zaznavajo učenci, ki svoj pouk vidijo kot odprt, več možnosti soodločanja. Naši rezultati kažejo statistično značilno razliko v stališčih učiteljev do participacije učencev, ki izkazuje večjo naklonjenost participaciji učencev s strani učiteljev, ki poučujejo v Avstriji.   Nadalje smo ugotovili obstoj pozitivne in statistično značilne korelacije med stališči učiteljev do participacije učencev ter njihovim lastnimi možnostmi soodločanja, zadovoljstvom z delovnim mestom, s poklicem in šolsko klimo. Učitelji s pozitivnejšimi stališči do participacije učencev zaznavajo več lastnih možnosti soodločanja, so zadovoljnejši s svojim poklicem, delovnim mestom in šolsko klimo. V drugem delu raziskave smo s pomočjo opazovanja pouka s protokolom Flandersove analize razredne interakcije ugotovili, da glede na stopnjo govorne participacije ni statistično značilne razlike v klimi (P = 0,499) in motivaciji (P = 0,840). Povprečja so pokazala, da je razredna (delovna) klima ugodnejša v razredih z nižjo stopnjo govorne participacije, najnižja v razredih z višjo. Iz povprečij pri motivaciji učencev ugotavljamo, da se ta s stopnjo govorne participacije sistematično dvigujejo. Rezultati kažejo, da je razlika v znanju učencev, izraženem z modalno oceno, glede na stopnjo govorne participacije statistično značilna (P = 0,000). Višja stopnja govorne participacije je pogostejša v razredu z več dobrimi in prav dobrimi ocenimi, nižja v razredih z najvišjimi (odličnimi) in z najnižjimi (zadostnimi) ocenami.The doctoral dissertation with a two-part structure deals with participation of students during lessons and in school. The first, theoretical part, presents the concept of participation as well as arguments for and against student participation. This is followed by a comparison of school systems in Austria and Slovenia as well as participation-related legislation in both countries. The factors influencing the opportunities for student participation on school level are defined. The theoretical segment continues with the presentation of student participation in lessons and of the factors that impact the possibility of its realization. The first segment is concluded by a presentation of open class strategies and curriculums for selected subjects from the point of student participation. Existing scientific findings on realization of participation in educational process are presented, along with the conditions for its realization in practice. The presented findings serve as the basic foundation for the empirical presentation included in the second part of the doctoral dissertation. Its principal purpose is to shed light on how the students perceive the opportunities to participate and to determine its role from the aspect of classroom (work) climate, student motivation and their knowledge expressed with a modal mark. The research is divided into two segments. 322 students from Austrian schools and 458 students from Slovene schools participated in the first segment. 102 Austrian and 131 Slovene teachers also participated in the first segment. The principal findings from this segment are that student participation is still more of a rhetoric than actual practice. Students who attend schools in Austria detect more opportunities for participation than their peers in Slovenia. Most of the students also want to participate in the decision-making process. It was determined that open lessons have a statistically significant positive impact on student participation. Students detect more opportunities to participate in decision-making when they see their lessons as opened.   The results show statistically significant difference in the teachers\u27 attitude towards student participation, since the teachers in Austria are more in favor of student participation. Furthermore, it was determined that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between the teachers\u27 attitude towards student participation and their own opportunities to participate in the decision-making process as well as their satisfaction with their work place or vocation and school climate. The teachers with a more positive attitude towards student participation detect more opportunities to participate in the decision-making process themselves, they are happier with their vocation and work place, as well as with the school climate. In the second part of the research the classes were monitored with the Flanders analysis for class interaction protocol and it was determined that there is no statistically significant difference in the climate (P = 0,499) and motivation (P = 0,840) in regard to the level of speaking participation. The average values indicated that the classroom (work) climate is favorable in classes with a higher level of speaking participation. The average values for student motivation indicate that motivation is systematically raised with the level of speaking participation. The results also show that the difference in the knowledge of students expressed with modal marks is statistically significant (P = 0,000) in regard to the level of speaking participation. Higher level of speaking participation is more common in classrooms with good and very good marks, while it is lower in classes with the highest (excellent) marks on one side and the lowest (sufficient) marks on the other

Raising language awareness and intercultural competence in primary school

Članek predstavlja jezikovno ozaveščanje in medkulturno razgledanost na nižji stopnji osnovne šole, ki v zadnjem času spadata, še zlasti v strokovnih krogih, med zelo aktualni temi. V prvem delu članka je opredeljeno jezikovno in medkulturno izobraževanje na nižji stopnji osnovne šole. V drugem delu so prikazani rezultati raziskave, katere osnovni namen je bil proučiti jezikovno in medkulturno ozaveščenost pri učencih razredne stopnje in ugotoviti morebitne razlike med starostnimi skupinami. Rezultati pričujoče raziskave so pokazali, da se otroci na razredni stopnji zanimajo za učenje tujih jezikov, so tudi pozitivno naravnani do tujih kultur in njihovih pripadnikov, a jih pri komunikaciji in druženju z njimi ovira predvsem neznanje jezika in nepoznavanje njihovih kultur. To dejstvo bi se z učinkovito jezikovno politiko in uvajanjem različnih medkulturnih vsebin v nižje razrede osnovne šole dalo spremeniti. S tem bi prihodnjim generacijam omogočili mirno sobivanje v večkulturni družbi.The paper presents language awareness and intercultural competence at the primary level. They are both highly important topics, especially in professional circles. The first part introduces theoretical issues of foreign language learning and inter- cultural understanding at the primary level. The second part presents the results of the studyits purpose was to determine language awareness and intercultural competence of primary level learners and to determine the differences between age groups. The results of this study show that young learners at the primary level are interested in foreign languages and they show positive feelings about other cultures and their members, however, insufficient knowledge in foreign languages and culture are the main obstacles for their lack of communication and socializing with other cultures. This could be avoided by introducing an effective language policy and intercultural contents in the lower classes of primary schools. This would allow future generations to peacefully coexist in a multicultural society

Changes in pupils\u27 situation in Slovenia in the 20th century

Položaj učenca je ena od tem v pedagoški teoriji in praksi tako pri nas kot v svetu, ki ji je namenjena pomembna pozornost. Pogled na položaj učenca se je skozi različna obdobja v zgodovini spreminjal, običajno je odseval duh časa, v katerem je nastal. V prispevku na podlagi analize domače strokovne literature analiziramo spreminjanje položaja učenca v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu 20. stoletja. Na osnovi analize ugotavljamo, da se je pogled na položaj učenca na Slovenskem prvič pomembno spremenil po prvi svetovni vojni, ko sta se začela poudarjati aktivna vloga učenca pri pouku in možnost svobodnega odločanja. Druga svetovna vojna je prizadevanja za izboljšanje učenčevega položaja prekinila. Že kmalu po njej so pedagoški teoretiki in praktiki jasno opozarjali na pomen vloge učenca pri pouku. Priča smo številnim razpravam o pomenu spremembe položaja učenca iz objekta v subjekt vzgojno-izobraževalnega dela. Prelomen dogodek v razmišljanju o spremenjenem položaju učenca v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu je predstavljal referat Ive Šegula na prvem pedagoškem kongresu. Zavzela se je za samodejavnost učencev pri pouku in njihov subjektni položaj. Zahteve za izboljšanje učenčevega položaja so se nadaljevale tudi po osamosvojitvi Republike Slovenije in so aktualne še danes. Žal pa ugotavljamo, da so učenci kljub neprestanim težnjam tako teoretikov kot praktikov pri pouku še vedno preveč poslušalci in premalo dejavni.Pupils situation is an important topic of pedagogical theory and practice in Slovenia and worldwide. During different periods, the views on pupils situation have changed, generally reflecting the spirit of the time in which they emerged. This article analyses the changes in pupils situation throughout the educational process of the 20th century, based on studying domestic and foreign literature. The analysis discovered that the first vital changes to the situation of pupils in Slovenia were recorded after the First World War, when the active role of pupils and their freedom of choice gained more importance. The Second World War interrupted the effort to improve pupils situation. Soon after the War, pedagogical theorists and practitioners called attention to the meaning of pupils role in class. There are numerous discussions on the significance of changing pupils status from being an object to being a subject of the educational work. The turning point in thinking about the changed pupils situation within the educational process was a paper by Iva Šegula, presented at the first pedagogical congress. She strived for self-activity of pupils in class and for their subjective role. The demands to improve pupils situation continued after Slovenia\u27s independence and are still going on. But unfortunately it was discovered that in spite of continuous efforts by theorists and practitioners alike, pupils are too often mere listeners, not engaging sufficiently in class