Organize School Open Days: Becoming an inclusive school community
The following activity is part of a theachers' training unit. It was developed within the framework of the 9 month programme "Education for Democratic Citizenship Core Competences for Teachers" organized by the "Pestalozzi Programme" Council of Europe.
General aim:
Teachers, parents and students come together and decide upon common goals and actions.
Specific aims:
To decide upon common goals. What can all members do together?
To predict possible barriers and take prevention measures.
To take risks.
To deal with conflict.
Methods/techniques used:
Group work
Decision making
Within groups and inter-groups discussions
Resources:
Long paper (30x80cm approx)and coloured markers for every group
Practical arrangements:
Trainees work in groups.
Instructions/procedure:
Trainees work in groups and decide upon the structure and the process of an open school day programme.
Members of the groups assume different roles: teachers, students, parents.
Different sides use criteria (importance, necessity, feasibility etc) to construct their own agenda (goals, priorities, i.e. “school safety”).
Different agendas are put forth, discussed and revised. Revisions are based on criteria.
Community members decide upon priorities of the common action plan and a timetable on a year basis.
Each side is assigned a different action towards common goals.
Tips to trainers/anticipated difficulties:
Be aware of conflicts over contradicting goals.
Concentrate on criteria according to which decisions are made.
Debriefing/reflecting:
Discuss with participants the following questions:
It was a good idea to come together and construct a common action plan?
What are the challenges of this common plan for individuals, classes and whole school?
What are the benefits for individuals, classes and the whole school from becoming a democratic school community?
What else should be done to encourage community-building? Why?
Who else could help?
