Project by Dr hab. Agnieszka Nowak-Łojewska, associate professor, entitled “Teaching for Holistic, Relational and Inclusive Early Childhood Education” (THRIECE) receives funding as part of the Erasmus + Key Action 2 Programme

The project will incorporate three universities ─ the Marino Institute of Education (Ireland), the University of Gdańsk and the Universidade do Porto (Portugal) as well as six educational establishments for children under the age of eight (kindergarten and early education level).  

The project aims to demonstrate the influence of good quality early education on, and its links to, a number of future positive social, emotional, behavioural, educational and even physical results. Such an approach may guarantee significant change in education systems and influence children in the future.

This research and development project is based on three theoretical pillars ─ the holistic, inclusive and relational approach:

1. Holistic education: the most modern approach to the way in which children learn. It is based on research into the brain which points to the correlations between various fields of development and the significance of allowing children to draw on their talents, emotions, experiences, cultures, languages and interests. In the project, the conceptual approach will be translated to pedagogy through employing constructivist methodology in early education.
2. Inclusive education: the existing scientific research points to cultural bias as an integral part of the standard approach to the understanding of young children’s achievements. The project will highlight and provide support for the practice of integration in which diversity is encouraged, as opposed to methods of exclusion which may lead to such reproductive social behaviours as, for example, finishing education prematurely. In addition, the potential of learning through play will be stressed.
3. Relational education: scientific research available points to the significance of the relationship between children and teachers and stresses the increased role of positive interactions and relations in the assessment of the quality of early education when compared with results of standardised tests. Such an approach will help teachers understand that focusing on relations rather than test results is not only possible but even advisable, yielding positive educational results while defining a practical approach to building and managing such relations.

The project will be implemented between 1 December 2017 and 31 January 2020.

The University of Gdańsk budget is 36,844 EUR.

Source: https://ug.edu.pl/media/aktualnosci/72339/projekt_dr_hab_agnieszki_nowak...