When Changes Become Necessary

Conference on Innovative Development in the Teacher-Learner Relationship

In order to even discuss the question “How do you get new things to the learners?” in the context of the EYCI, one has to reflect on how to deal with the diversities and differences among the individual learners.

As Paul Mecheril (Professor of Educational Sciences at the University of Innsbruck) explained in his opening presentation at the first of three conferences devoted to creativity and innovation in education, “even though equal starting conditions are provided for in the educational system, for example in line with the principles of equal rights and equal opportunities, nevertheless a reproduction of inequality often occurs”. Mecheril took up the approaches of gender and disability studies and intercultural pedagogy, which not only demand equal treatment but also attempt to seriously consider the differences between pupils with the object of enhancing fairness in education. However, these approaches often tend to put pupils into predefined, binarily classified categories. What is actually needed is both the recognition of differences and the exercise of caution in recognising them. One of the questions that Mecheril raised was: “How can we achieve the communicative inclusion of those who are different in school in a way that does not force them present themselves as different but allows them the freedom to do so if they wish?” Mecheril’s talk inspired a lively and constructive discussion which illuminated the subject from a wide variety of perspectives.
The objective of this conference, the first in the series of three, was to formulate demands, concepts and instruments aimed at innovative development in the teacher-learner relationship. Various working groups developed a map of “conditions for success” which showed that in general, a consensus is needed in the central issues of education: education standards, error culture and coping with marginal groups. In order for learning at school to be successful, various preconditions are necessary: more flexible learning structures, the creation of judgment-free spaces, more co-determination by the pupils, the promotion of pupils’ social and personal competences. As far as the teachers are concerned, a number of changes are needed, such as compulsory further teacher-training or the appointment of teachers by the school administrators with co-determination by representatives of the pupils.
The participants agreed that there is a need for networking at the institutional and individual levels. Other basic prerequisites mentioned were the expansion of hiring/budgetary and pedagogic autonomy, a common school for all youngsters of compulsory school age, and a depoliticisation of the schools.
Everyone agreed that many of these requirements could actually be realised very quickly. The levels of organisational development and system control were dealt with in two other conferences. All the results will be integrated into a national enquiry in the autumn. Their subsequent realisation will be the responsibility of the stakeholders of the aforementioned three levels.

http://www.kreativinnovativ09.at/

“I would like to see an innovative ‘school’ (organisational form, habitus of the teachers, curriculum, didactics...)

Paul Mecheril

• that appreciates and deals in a friendly manner with the differences (e.g. language differences) exhibited by the pupils and indicated in their school biographies;
• where the teachers, as a result of their university education and a school structure that promotes a reflective and self-critical approach to what they do, are perceptive teachers. I would thus like to see teachers who, on the basis of discerning principles of pedagogy and social theory, are capable of reflecting on their teaching, the situation of the pupils, school as a societal institution, etc. in a way that enables them to pursue their highly challenging task, with all its conflicting demands, professionally and not motivated primarily by defensive knowledge;
• that makes it possible for the pupils to enjoy going to school, because they feel that they are respected there and that the changes they are offered and expected to deal with there are ones they can accept.”