Warsaw 2002 - report

The DEEP Workshop in Warsaw, Poland

"Active citizen"

1. Place: Warsaw,
2. Time: October 18, 19, 2002

3. Participants:
24 teachers of high and primary schools of Warsaw - Bemowo, headmasters of these schools, representatives pf local authorities (Gmina - Bemowo) and press, the Director of the DEEP Project in USA, representative of American Embassy in Warsaw, teachers from Los Angeles, Montebello Intermediate School,

4. The opening plenary session

Lectures were given by: Mrs. Mariola Moczon, headmaster of Gymnasium No 1 in Warsaw, Mrs. Wieslawa Sawicka – the DEEP Project country coordinator, representative of local authorities, Mr. Wlodzimierz Calka, representative of the Department of Education, Gmina – Bemowo – Mrs. Barbara Stasikowska, Mrs Emily Abbott – Program Director Democracy Education Exchange Project, Mrs. Beata Milewska, Cultural Affairs Assistant, Public Affairs Section of American Embassy in Warsaw.

5. The goals of this session were:

- to present the DEEP Program as a whole
- to familiarize quests and participants of the DEEP workshop with an idea of civic society
- to present civic education in Polish schools.

Mrs. Beata Milewska, USA Embassy, has offered a support for our schools in developing international schools exchange and English Language Educational Programs.

The local authorities has offered their support for the DEEP Project in schools of Warsaw - Bemowo.

6 The DEEP workshop consisted of three main parts:

- Democracy
- Street Law
- iEARN

Goals and outcomes of each of them are described in the following parts of this report.

Democracy

Teacher trainers: Monika Figiel, Agnieszka Rymsza,

Goals:

- finding solution to controversial issues or conflicts recognized and described by participants of the DEEP workshop; promoting negotiations as one of the best solution,
- project method used in civics
- lobbing and writing grant application
- shaping projects for the following year 2002,

Results:

The participants of the DEEP workshop were introduced to a project method – how is it used in civics, what are advantages and disadvantages of this method. They began writing projects.

Street Law

Teacher trainer: Dagmara Wozniakowska, Witold Klaus

Goals:

- to familiarize students and teachers with the idea of how authorities (chosen and appointed) function,
- to show students and teachers the rights and responsibilities following different social roles we perform in every day life, ( citizen, customer, patient, pupil etc.)
- to show how to make lessons about law more interesting, playful, hilarious,
- to explain how understanding of law is very useful in our daily life.

Results:

The participants has acquired knowledge what are legal possibilities to work in social environment and solve problems by realization of different projects.

Content of this part of the DEEP workshop was based on CD and manual 'Randka z paragrafem' by W. Klaus, M. Platek, D. Wozniakowska.

iEARN

Teacher trainers: Wieslawa Sawicka, Marek G. Sawicki

Goals:

- to introduce iEARN, what kind of a program it is, how it works
- to show how iEARN can cooperate with the DEEP Program, and how to realize other international programs,
- to teach how to use an E-mail and the internet as helpful tools and make school lessons more attractive

Results:

The participants of the DEEP workshop learned what is iEARN and how to search its large number of civics and others projects and how to work with iEARN/DEEP projects. They also were participating in a discussion on iEARN web forum. They have acquired new skill. Similar, to above described parts of the DEEP workshop, iEARN part raised great interest among teachers; they had prepared few projects to work with students.

Teachers have received CD and manual 'iEARN 2001-2002 Project Description Book'.

7. Additional activities

During the workshop in Warsaw, there were guests from, Montebello Intermediate School, Los Angeles, USA, Mrs. Linda Quemada and Mr.William Quemada. Polish teachers had rare occasion listen to teachers, who have been working in American schools for almost 20 years. They introduced Polish teachers to Los Angeles educational system in high schools, they gave information about work circumstances of American teachers, and healing programs for schools with problems in educational and economic area. Polish teachers have acquired new knowledge and motivation to teach.

8. Continuation of the projects created during the DEEP workshop

There is ongoing monitoring of the DEEP Program realization by teacher trainers, the coordinator and sub coordinators. There are number of projects on going as a result of workshop or created later on.

The teachers, form the environment of Warsaw schools, who have participated in the DEEP workshop, have been carrying out 10 projects:

ˇ Competition on the knowledge about the United States - the aim was to raise the level of knowledge about the US, their history and constitution.
ˇ Competition on the knowledge about the Great Britain and North Ireland - the aim as above.
ˇ Project 'School with character' :
ˇ 'I have character' - teaching values such as wisdom, responsibility, cooperation, humor, beauty, etc.
ˇ 'The art of communication' - rules of correct communication, good speaking and listening, rules of conflict solving, rules of meditation and discussion, art of rhetoric and public speaking.
ˇ Competition of recitation of poems in foreign languages.
ˇ 'My school in the European Union'
ˇ 'Days of Europe' - students learn more about main institutions of the European Union.
ˇ 'Guidebook on Bemowo' (Bemowo - district of Warsaw, where the DEEP workshop was held), students find interesting places and learn more about local environment, where they live.

9. The following institutions and organizations have been cooperating with the DEEP Program:

Gimnazjum No 1, Warsaw – Bemowo
Polish Association For Legal Education
Internet Teachers Association
Local authorities ( Gmina Bemowo)

10. Additional Information

All participants of the DEEP workshop in Warsaw received certificates, and all trainers received certificates with regards to the subject-matter. An individual approach to every participant gain an appreciation of teachers. Teacher trainers were able to catch participant attention and made the workshop attractive to them. They gave participants orientation in law, local authorities, and use active methods of teaching as discussion, problem solving, plays, etc. The participants fully appreciate knowledge and skills of trainers the DEEP Project.


2 Profits from working in program; 3 Calendar of workshops 2002;
4 WILKANÓW; 5 NOWY SĄCZ; 6 WARSZAWA; 7 GDYNIA;
8 Project facilitators