Secondary abstract: |
The roots of Alternative educational concepts go back to Reform pedagogy, known in the United States as Progressive pedagogy. Reform pedagogy relies on psychology and considers education as a process of the child's natural development. The central place belongs to the child, to whom the teacher is committed. The reform and pedagogical movement arose, because of dissatisfaction with the existing school system and the desire to change, humanize the school. Consequently, a number of educational models and concepts have developed over the course of history, among which is the concept of the Education for Life philosophy, originally derived from India, and was finally developed by the American Donald Walters. He also published a book titled "Education for Life", which combines all the principles and suggestions for changes in the school system and teaching according to the principles of Education for Life. In the United States, five elementary schools are currently operating under this concept, one in Italy, and here in Ljubljana the primary school OŠ Lila. In the master's thesis, we analysed the primary school OŠ Lila program and compared it with the existing elementary schools Waldorf and Montessori, which, in addition to Lila, are implementing programs according to specific pedagogical principles. We have found that these schools have several common characteristics, originally derived from reform pedagogy. Besides this, they are consistent in certain elements, which is attributed to the impact of school legislation. The program of the elementary school OŠ Lila was also compared with the program of Slovenian public elementary school. The differences are evident primarily in certain didactic specialties, the curriculum and the social aspect of the school. On the basis of teachers' education, we realized that for teaching in alternative schools, they key is supplementary education and training in accordance with the principles, philosophy and the way of work that teachers must accept and assimilate. In doing so, the teacher's personality plays an important role. In the master's thesis, we also focused on the possibilities of integrating alternative concepts into the existing school system. In this, we learned that certain elements of alternative educational concepts and schools have been established over the history of the public school, which have helped to improve schooling and are present in schools today. But we do not see a possibility, that an alternative concept would become a new way or pattern of public school's functioning. |