Lifelong Learning Programme

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Teachers’ Guidelines

Homepage > Teachers’ Guidelines > Understanding Early School Leaving

An overview of the current situation of early school leaving in Europe

Understanding Early School Leaving

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4. Difficulty in the Eyes of the Teachers
The module describes the conditions and the risk factors that contribute to determine situations of school-related stress under the viewpoint of the Teachers. The focus is on (a) the analysis of strengths and weaknesses related to the phenomenon of Early School-Leaving and (b) the adoption of methodological tools to engage students and prevent the school unease, assuming a multi-factorial glance on the multiple issues connected with the school experience.

The module focuses on how it is possible to construct knowledge, skills and cultural artefacts enabling to tackle the phenomenon of school dropout at the level of schools and places of policy decision-making, starting from secondary school teachers’ perspectives. The literature on the topic reveals that the risk factors, probably all common to the European countries, are personal factors (such as a variety of values leading to disorientation or the increasing problem of the individual to integrate him/herself) and sociocultural factors (such as low chance of getting an attractive job, relevance of education not being apparent enough in public, poverty- ripple effect on emotional wellbeing, such as bullying and stigmatisation from their peers, low socio-economic status/background of the area where the young people live, poor social behaviour outside school, sometimes leading to criminal prosecutions, high number of working hours outside school, thus leaving little time for school work and attendance) (Grange, 2011; Tilleczek et al., 2011; Colombo, 2008; Ress, 2007). How can teachers contribute to avoid the conditions that determine situations of school dropout among adolescents who are attending the secondary school? Which strategies and tools do teachers have in order to engage students in their learning paths? Against this background, the challenge lies in:
  • Helping the teachers recognize the positive impact of promoting students’ engagement in their learning processes and participation in the school life in order to hinder the school drop-out;
  • Recognizing, enhancing and validating the educational practices and repertories that teachers have, considered promising for learning practical knowledge in secondary school.

In order to meet those objectives, in the last decade there has been a greater sensitivity towards the dissemination in secondary school of teaching and learning models based on research and practical experience, such as experience-based learning (O 'Neil & Marsick, 2009), practice-based learning (Billett, Harteis & Gruber, 2014), inquiry-based learning (Haq, 2017), which engage students in working together on real and meaningful problems, in and out classroom. In this sense, project and problem based learning (Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2006; Savery, 2015), such as work related learning too (Tynjälä, 2009), give a strong contribution in proposing as often as possible new ways of contaminations among practical and theoretical knowledge. In order to prevent the mismatch between the students’ expectations and the school offer, teachers are required to learn how to put into practice in their classes the following: (a) practical strategies and interactive teaching methods, (b) good basic knowledge in the core areas of literacy, numeracy and IT (Billett, Harteis & Gruber, 2014); (c) strategies of cultivation and development of cross-curricular competences, essential for all learning today, (d) flexible course opportunities, suited to each individual student’s needs. According to those requirements, all the methods and techniques for learning by doing, co-operative learning and e-learning should be integrated and embedded within lessons in class, not only at the level of secondary school, but also at the level of primary school and Higher Education.
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.