The project ‘The Educational Philosophy for a New Generation’ (EP4NG) is an EU-funded multilateral Erasmus+ project involving five secondary schools:
Lithuania Vilnius
Vilniaus Pilaites Gimnazija
Italy Martina Franca
Piazza Vittorio Veneto 7
Bulgaria Bielica
High Comprehensive School ‘Saint Kiril and Metodi’
Spain Abarán
Ies Villa de Abarán
Poland Wrocław
Liceum Ogólnokształcące Nr VII
The project started officially in September 2017 and will run until 31 August 2019. According to the plan there will be five short-term students’ exchanges and three teachers meetings. The first TNM ( teacher meeting) was held in Abarán in October 2017, where the project coordinators met to discussed and confirmed the project execution plan. Our aim is to create a new innovative and effective approach to education to meet the needs of a new generation of students often referred to as Generation Z.
General characteristics of Generation Z
Generation Z are young people born after 1995 who have been exposed to electronic gadgets since childhood. They are natural multitaskers, able to handle up to five screens at a time. Gen’Z know well how to make the most of their digital devices. They can efficiently shift from work to play, however, they get easily distracted and become quickly impatient. They would rather use an app to get a quick answer than search dictionaries and encyclopedias. These digital natives spend quite a lot of time on social media and prefer to communicate electronically to hanging out with their peers in person.
Gen Z are tweens, teens and young adults which comprise nearly 2 billion people of our global society.
As for their world view, they believe in diversity, equality and non-discrimination. They are rather optimistic and driven by their personal ambitions. Self-actualization is very important to them.
These young people are keen on travelling and making friends in faraway places. They like new challenges and are open to job opportunities all around the world.
Generation Z students are different from previous generations of students in that they have
fast and easy access to all kinds of information. In fact, Gen Z are the most connected, educated and sophisticated young society ever.
The students of today don’t have to rely on teachers to provide them with facts and details. Such information is easily accessible anytime on their electronic devices.
No wonder some educationalists predict that the demand for teachers will drop dramatically in a few decades.
We as teachers believe that the teaching profession will never become obsolete, however, we are aware that changes in our education systems are inevitable. We are aware that it is our professional obligation to keep up with the development and dynamics of educational environment.
Our international group of teachers have created a project which aims at developing a new approach to the educational process. It combines the proven principles of classical educational model with the recent developments in psychology and science. We hope that our approach will enable us to find the best possible ways of preparing young people to meet the demands of the modern world.
Philosophy played an important role in the classical educational model because it was essential for practicing logical thinking, running meaningful debates and in general provided a good training for the mind. This is one of the reasons we propose bringing philosophy back to schools.
We plan to take advantage of new discoveries in neuroscience to facilitate learning processes and help students handle stress, anxiety and depressive moods. We are going to apply mindfulness techniques to help the students and the teachers relieve tension, clear the mind and improve attention span. We intend to explore the modern theories of multiple natures and multiple intelligences and their role in helping learners discover their personality traits. We would like to encourage our students to develop their minds, not just memorize the facts. But at the same time young people should be made aware that hard work and perseverance are more important than talents when it comes to being successful in life. That is why our program stresses the responsibility of the learner. To be effective as teachers, we must first make sure that students know how to learn properly.
Another goal of our project will be helping students define their personal identity.
A famous quote attributed to Socrates, ‘To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.’ has become our project’s guidepost.
But what do we really mean by ’knowing ourselves’?
It is discovering who we are as human beings. It is being aware of our core values, priorities and dreams. The journey ‘to know thyself’ might and will bring us face to face with our insecurities, self-doubt and fears but it is a rewarding and challenging process. It will give us a sense of purpose and direction. Being ourselves, accepting who we are, knowing our limitations, passions and dreams will help us understand other people. We are all equal individuals regardless of race, religion and political beliefs. We are all humans who have the right to enjoy life and fulfil our potential. This awareness is crucial in the era of massive migration movements. Every day we meet people of different beliefs, denominations and cultural backgrounds. They become citizens of out towns and students of our schools. That is why multicultural education should be a part of every school’s curriculum. With our project we will be promoting such values as diversity, inclusion, democracy, acquisition of knowledge of diverse cultures and their contribution to the world. Our objective is to encourage all the partners to bring the aspects of their culture into our mutual work. Our prime goal is to promote openness, self-reflection, partnership and integration.
Throughout the programme we will promote cooperation among students. Group work, peer tutoring, taking initiative, fostering communication and foreign language skills will be part of our project work. We believe that all these activities will develop and enhance a range of entrepreneurial skills and competences that will enable our students to be active, successful members and contributors to the society.
Teachers and students are on the same team. We have a common goal to help young people develop their potential. In order to achieve it, each party should fulfill their responsibilities. Teachers should find the best possible ways to help students learn whereas students should do their best to be fully involved in the process. Teachers should always remember that their students are the leaders, of tomorrow who will create a reality based on what they learn today. Our role is to help them thrive in school and in life.
