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TEACHER’S NOTES

SCRIPTS

DURING AND AFTER THE USSR

Today, as in so many other countries, higher education in Russia is facing financial difficulties.

Carole Sigman, «Higher educational system used to be entirely state financed, especially after World War II, with the generalization of secondary and higher education, there were strong links between companies and vocational colleges».

Business partly financed education and graduates worked in those companies for three years after graduating. They are sane from the management point of view, actually the Soviet model was presented by the OECD with France. They were presented as models, that means public financing and a planned timetable of producing graduates. There were obligatory classes in Marxism and Leninism, the curriculum contained a certain amount of ideology, even at technical courses.

The system allowed for social mobility, particularly for the most deprived. But first Perestroika, and the economic crisis arrived. Finance, both private and public, dried up and universities became more autonomous with a quota of paying places.

Carole Sigman, «In fact, to get a free place, you had to pay private tutors in order to pass the entrance exam».

Business withdrew and the state took over education funding.

Carole Sigman, «Since the year 2000, we see the state once again taking over the management of the sector, many thanks to oil profits as of 2005 and the strategy they developed, supporting a few national champions».

Around 40 universities are therefore financed by the Russian government, i. e. only 5 or 6 % of them. So for Carole Sigman free universities and the resulting social mobility belong to the past.

Carole Sigman, «Public underfinancing, which has constant since the 90ies, will probably continue in most establishments, especially with the crisis, and, in fact, this system will force universities to increase their fees».

SERIOUS GAMES

Serious Games use computer technology for teaching and training purposes in a variety of fields. Developers claim they are revolutionary tools to help people learn difficult tasks in a simple and amusing way. In Leon, France, exhibitors pre-

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sented the latest technologies at the Serious Games Expo. It’s a growth industry replacing traditional teaching methods.

«Serious Games have existed for years. What are the current trends?»

Tanguy Selo, Exhibition organizer, «We use Serious Games in training, to test employees’ reactions to new situations. We also target products for the general public. We also use Serious Games for health and well-being. We can also use the technology for the treatment of serious addictions and to reassure patients while they are undergoing treatment in hospital».

Many Serious Games can be found online and teach workers how to react to different situations in the workplace, some use psychology. This game developed by Itycom is designed for managers and teaches them how to deal with staff problems at work offering different options and solutions.

Yann Teyssier, CEO, Itycom, «We try to help to reset a difficult situation. For example, you are a manager and you have a worker who is excellent at a commercial level, but he is causing problems in the team. How as a manager do you resolve this situation? Working with us the manager can interact with the employee and get closer to the problem. They can find out about their lives, interrupt or not, improve the morale or talk directly about the problem».

«What is the advantage of e-learning compared to traditional methods?» Yann Teyssier, CEO, Itycom, «Serious Games complement traditional meth-

ods. We can simulate situations like interviews or other events. We work from experience and people can learn from their mistakes».

KTM have designed a 3D game for engineers to teach them online engine repairs. It teaches the correct techniques and methods in a risk-free environment.

Apurantis have developed a simulator to teach and test train drivers. The technology replaces large simulators and trains. The scenarios cover most of actualities the driver will come across while at work. The teacher can then evaluate performance quickly and accurately.

Here at Serious Games Expo there are other simulators. This one is for learning the tricks for driving on snowy ground. Another driving simulator from Serious factory shows truck drivers eco-driving. It’s designed to help save fuel. The results are instantly available.

Another game informs young people about the dangers of abusing alcohol in a graphic manner.

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SCHOOLS IN BRITAIN

Do you go to school on Saturdays? Do you wear a uniform? Do you like school? Well, in this programme, we look at British schools and British students.

Most children start primary school at the age of five. Then at eleven they go to secondary school. All children stay at secondary school to the age of 16. And at sixteen in England they take GCSE examinations, that is the General Certificate of Secondary Education. After these exams about thirty percent of students leave school. The others usually study three subjects for two more years and then take «A» levels or Advanced level examinations. About 20 % of eighteen-year-olds go to university. They usually leave home and go to a university in a different town or city. Another 20 % go on to other kinds of education and training.

This is the John Mason School in Abingdon near Oxford. Students go to school from Monday to Friday and school starts at nine o’clock. Hurry up, it’s nearly nine o’clock! Most school are mixed – they a re for boys and girls. And at most secondary schools the students wear a uniform.

This is the first class of the day. It’s Maths. Hmm. That’s a bit difficult.

On average, there are about twenty-two students in a secondary school class and about 27 are in a primary school class.

British students have a wide choice of subjects. This is an art class. Here’s a Food Technology class, the students learn about food and cooking. This is a Design and Technology class. Science, of course. And foreign languages. Many British school children only learn a foreign language from the age of 11. Most students study French. Other popular languages are Spanish and Italian. They also study other subjects – like Information Technology, Histo ry, Geography, English Literature and Religion.

Students have lessons in the morning and then a break of an hour for lunch. Some go home for lunch, some bring sandwiches with them and some eat here in the school canteen.

–«What’s on the menu today?»

–«Chips and beans».

There are classes in the afternoon and school finishes at about four o’clock. After school some students do other activities like sport. Football’s very popular, but so are other games like netball, rugby and badminton. And some students learn music. Daniela plays the violin. She’s good.

– Oh, thank you. I’m not!

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92 % of British schools are state schools. That means they are free. The government pays – not the parents. Eight percent of sc hools are independent. The parents of these students pay for their education. Some of these independent schools are boarding schools. The students don’t live at home during term time, they live at the school. And some of these schools have very traditional uniforms. These boys are from Eton – a very famous independent school ne ar Windsor.

What do British students really think about their schools? «I think school’s great».

«I like school most of the time». «I really like History and Art». «I love Art and Drama».

«I don’t like Geography». «I don’t like French». «Homework’s OK».

«I don’t like homework». «I really hate homework».

«School food’s all right sometimes». «I love school food».

Well, what do you think? Are British schools good or do you prefer your school?

ALTERNATIVE TEACHING

Student-centered education, where pupils have their say on what they learn is a more open approach to learning that is gaining momentum around the world. It also encourages teachers to think outside the box about their relationship with their students. Students making up their own rules may sound like a recipe for mayhem, but the staff at the Summerhill School in the south of England say it can have a positive impact. They say the pupils are free to do whatever they want. But is that really the case? Let’s find out.

Summerhill was founded by A. S. Neill in 1921 with the idea that children should be free to decide what lessons to go to – or even to decide not to go to any of them at all.

Leonard Turton, teacher, «Someone else controls your time and your own actions and you are not as much developing as an authentic person, as an authentic

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learner. And if you watch children over a period of time here, they do make choices, that are really right for them at the time».

At Summerhill creative arts and manuals skills like carpentry have the same status as academic subjects like Maths and Science.

Pheobe Hotoph, student, «Well, at state school it’s a lot different, you know, you go to your lessons, you’ve got every lesson after one another. The people at state schools are a lot different. They care about themselves a lot more. But here it’s just like we care about each other ‘cause we a re like a big family».

Some children are borders and others are day pupils. Ages range from 6

to 18.

Zoe Neill Redhead, Summerhill head teacher, «Almost everything that you see in conventional education is kind of turned upside-down on its heads when you come to Summerhill. The core of philosophy of Summerhill has to be freedom for

the individual, and that would include whether you are adults or pupils».

But freedom doesn’t mean anarchy at Summerhill.

Rouxan Hewtson-Leroux, student, «I think it’s the best thing for a kid is to

start <…> like <…> freedom more like I don’t know, <…> know his own way».

–«I’m bringing also my book in the bin»

–«Also nothing innocent, but ‘cause I was there wh en it happened…»

–«Did you get 10 percent for not being here?»

The weekly meetings are where everything is discussed and voted on. Everyone has a vote, and noone’s vote counts for more than anyone else’s.

But achievement isn’t everything at Summerhill. As A. S. Neill said, «we would rather the school produced a happy street cleaner, than a neurotic scholar».

At Emilia in the heart of the Italian countryside lies a nursery school that’s won international recognition as the best of its kind in the world. So what’s so special here? Let’s discover in this report.

This nursery school in the north of Italy caters for preschoolers from 3 to 5 years old, and uses the Reggio approach, pioneered by Italian educator Loras Malaguzzi.

Simona Bonilauru, education expert, «Since the beginning, professor Malaguzzi, the founder of this nursery school, had a very clear image of a strong powerful child, born naturally rich and potential in skills».

At this school children learn to express themselves in a stimulating and friendly environment.

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– I’m building a boat.

Laura Rubizzi, teacher, «Our children don’t always fit into primary and secondary schools very well, because we teach them to discuss, to ask their teachers for the information they need. But they socialize easily, work together and respect the rules, even if they are very autonomous».

Parents play a big role here, organizing various different activities.

Marco Montanary, Carlo's father, «It’s my second time as a parent here. My son, Carlo, developed every day, when he was here. It was always a play, an idea, something new or invented, a drawing, everything that could help him develop».

Today these teaching methods have been extended across 20 other nursery schools in the region.

At the Rishivali school in India’s state, the atmosphere is one of peace and serenity. There the teachers and students explore their inner and outer worlds. It’s all part of the Krishnamourti philosophy. Let’s joint them and their journey of discovery.

Tanuj, junior school coordinator, «These days one of those disciplines that sort of develops the mind, the body and the spirit, so for us this fit in with the philosophy of Krishnamourti, where the idea of being able to develop certain quietness».

Krishnamourti found it the Rishivali school in 1926 with some very specific aims.

Kumaraswamy, secretary, «Krishnamourti wanted the school to produce good human beings, «good» means non-sectarian mind with a global outlook, concerned for environment, concerned for others».

The 360 students range from 8 to 18 years old. And lessons often revolve around the natural world.

Sita, English teacher, «I’m an English teacher, and I felt this tree had been bare for a long time, so I wanted them to see the change that has happened. So I’m trying to use the five senses to draw something out of them and then later use it to do some written work on the tree».

Pupils here do not compete between themselves. The youngest of them don’t ever even receive marks for their work.

Prateek, student, «We are given a lot of freedom, and I when mean my freedom as in we are having very friendly relationship with our teachers. It’s sort of

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informal way, but also it’s formal. When we come to class, you know, we can ask questions, doubts our teachers, whenever we feel like».

Most pupils leave here at the age of 18 to go to universities in various faraway cities.

Siddhartha, principal, «But the point is not to make children feel that they are different from the world. It’s important for them to understand that they are the world, that’s another thing that Krishnamourti often say, you are the world».

Contemplation at around 6 p.m. is the last class of the day.

Goodbye for now, but join us next week for more insights into the world of education. You can find all our episodes on our websites.

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