CZ+Primary+Schools+Case+Study

=**Primary schools CZ case study** =  In the Czech Republic we tried to contact and visit a primary school like we did in both Sweden and Shetland but unfortunately both primary schools we had contacted were too busy for any cooperation. Luckily Gymnazium Zlín has an 8-year program (see below), which means we managed to carry out at least some research focused on primary education in the Czech Republic.



Education in the Czech Republic is mandatory from the age of 6 until the age of 15 and education between these ages is called “basic” or “primary”. Basic education is separated into two “levels” – lower-primary (5 years) and upper-primary (4 years). Lower-primary education is usually the same for everybody unlike upper-primary education in which students (or usually their parents) have the opportunity to transfer to an 8-year type of high school called “gymnasium”.

We tried to make the most of the opportunity to carry out at least some research in primary school education and so we designed three Rich Tasks with primary school kids and also observed one English lesson.

**English lesson about Great Britain**
 * In this lesson we have observed a very innovative method of teaching – an interactive textbook, which means that students have their own textbook and teacher is working with the smartboard and is also adding tasks that are not included in students’ textbook so that they can work with the smartboard as well.

Shopping Rich Task

Music Rich Task

Christmas Rich Task

 **Thanks to all these examples of primary education in the Czech Republic we came up to a conclusion that there are definitely some great examples of personalization and also other benefits and disadvantages:**  Benefits: Disadvantages:
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Those who learn faster are not held back (this is given by each student taking an entrance exams which guarantees some selection of students with abilities necessary for gymnasium education)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students get used to high school education sooner and faster (thanks to higher pace and intensity of learning)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students find out about the gymnasium type of high school before they actually start their high school education therefore they can decide whether this type of high school suits them or not (and can possibly start another type of high school if gymnasium is not the best option)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">There is not much time for extra curriculum activities and hobbies because of more and harder work
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">In most cases it is the parent’s who decide if their children study at a gymnasium type of upper-primary school (that is caused by low age of students who might not be sure what will suit them better)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers have to use wider variety of teaching methods because they teach both primary and secondary (high school) students (it is usually not part of their teacher training)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Thanks everybody for taking part in our research!