80 Civic Education teachers from 65 vocational secondary schools participated in four online training sessions regarding the elaboration of the contents and teaching methods from Module 1 and 2 from the newly-made Guide for teachers (available in Macedonian and Albanian). The training took place between 6 and 9 October, 2020, as a part of USAID Youth Ethnic Integration Project, in cooperation with the Bureau for Development of Education and Youth Educational Forum. Among the attendees were teachers, representatives from the school staff and advisors from the Bureau for Development of Education, who discussed and got to know the modular units in detail.
Guidelines and ideas about planning and conducting the Civic Education teaching process were covered through various interactive methods. According to the new curriculum, Civic Education is taught in first year in the vocational secondary schools. Special attention was dedicated to elaborating the activities that are suggested in the guide and their implementation through distance learning. The participants in the training got a chance to share their experiences and suggestions related to conducting the Civic Education teaching process. Through the training, they acquired skills, knowledge and materials for conducting the teaching process in accordance with the new modular curriculum.
In terms of the most significant experience and knowledge that were gained during the training, the participants pointed out, “We received clearer instructions, new ideas and reflections regarding the ways for preparing the teaching contents. The most important thing is that we expect the students’ interaction to increase through the offered modules and techniques and above all, to be more attractive for the students themselves. Every new experience like this one is welcome, especially in these conditions of isolation when we can’t consult our colleagues and school staff. That’s why these instructions are more than needed for our better and more successful professional performance as teachers”.
The participants in the training sessions also provided a positive feedback for the prepared contents in Module 1 and 2 from the Guide for Civic Education teachers, “Excellently done, prepared down to the last detail so that every student can find their way around. And the teacher has space for certain changes and an individual approach. The manual is a unique solution that contains many precious guidelines and instructions for the teacher both in the theoretical part and the guidelines for reflection and evaluation”.
In the upcoming period, a training like this will be implemented for the other three modules from the Civic Education teaching curriculum in first year in the vocational secondary schools.
This activity is part of the Youth Ethnic Integration Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of MCEC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
