1997 activityreport SorosFoundationMoldova SorosFoundationMoldova ActivityReport1997 Photography ©SergheiKARTASOV,Seriesof Photos“Pãmîntrãnit”(Woundedland) Editor StelianaHANGANU Design CorinaCOTOROBAI Producedby OpenWorldHouse 2 SorosFoundationMoldova TABLEOFCONTENTS: Foreword 4 Modernizationof Education 6 HESP 25 InvisibleCollegeof Moldova 32 Scholarships 38 EducationalAdvisingCenter 44 Debate 47 HighSchoolExchange 48 HealthEducation 49 EnglishLanguagePrograms 50 YouthProgram 53 TravelinEducationalPrograms 55 StepbyStep 57 East-East 61 LibraryProgram 67 ComSoros 71 3 InternetandE-mail 73 CivilSociety 76 PublicAdministration 89 EconomicReform 92 Law 95 MedicalPrograms 98 Mass-media 104 ArtsandCulture 114 SCCA 122 Publishing 128 TheBoards 132 SorosFoundationMoldovaStaff 134 ListofAbbreviations 136 ActivityReport1997 ThepublicationyouhaveopenedistheSorosFoundationMoldovaReportfor1997. ThiswastheyearwhentheFoundationcelebratedfiveyearsof activity.Thewaythe Foundationhasevolvedintheseyearsreflectstheevolutionof Moldovansociety. Someof themilestonesof thisevolutionareaclarifiedmissionof theFoundation,a synthesisof problemsweconfront,growthof theteam’sexperienceandtheir professionalskills. Nooneof usisperfectandisinpossessionof theultimatetruth.Anditisvery importantthatwehavesucceededinelaboratingmechanismswhichprovidealarger andmoretransparentdiscussionof problemsanddecisionmaking.Iwouldliketo bringspecialthankstoalltheexpertcommittees,boards,andtothenationalboard of thefoundationfortheircontributiontothis. Matchingthestrongercommitmentof Moldovansocietyforreforms,theimpactof theSorosFoundationProgramswillincrease;theywillfocusonmajorproblemsof oursocietysuchascreatingastrongcivilsociety,constitutingindependentmass- media,forminganopenandhigh-qualityeducationsystem,sustainingeconomic reforms(especiallyinagriculture),andsupportinglawandpublicadministration 4 reforms.Alltheseprogramsaimtoestablishanopensociety,wherenobodyisinthe possessionof theultimatetruthandtheexistingproblemscanbedebatedand solved,basedonsoundjudgment. VictorUrsu ExecutiveDirector SorosFoundationMoldova 55 MOE,HESP,InvisibleCollege,Scholarships, EAC,Debate,HighSchoolExchange, HealthEducation,YouthProgram, TravelinEducationalPrograms, StepbyStep,East-East,Library, ComSoros,Internet ActivityReport1997 Modernizationof EducationProgram expenses:$960,525.00 commitments:$232,687.00 Bytheendof 1996,duetothetremendouscontributionof theSorosFoundation MoldovaEducationBoardandthroughconsultingasignificantnumberofspecialistsin thefieldofeducation,acomprehensivesituationanalysiswasconductedbytheMOE programstaff.Theresultsconfirmedthesamepriorityworkareasof pre-university educationidentifiedandtargetedsince1995,forprogramelaboration.Theseareas withcorrespondingneedsandprogramobjectivesarelistedasfollows: I.Facilitationof AccesstoInformationSourcesintheFieldof Educational Sciences Goals: -toconnecteducationalinstitutionstoInternet -topurchaseanddonaterelevantforeigneducationalmaterialstoschools -totranslateanddisseminaterelevantmaterialsconcerningmodernresearch achievementsineducation II.CurriculumDevelopment Objectives: 6 -tosupportbetterpreparationof specialistsineducationalmaterialdevelopment, whoarehamperedbylimitedaccesstoinformationonnewcurriculadevelopment andimplementationinothercountries -topromotenewalternativesinteachingapproachesandmethods,coursecontent, andevaluationpracticestodemonstratetheresultsof theteachingprocess -tosupportextra-curricularactivitiesasameansofpromotingstudents’creativityand inprovidingalternativesintheeducationprocess III.EducationalManagement Objectives: -toimprovethequalificationlevelof schooladministratorsintheareaof institutionalmanagement -topromotemodernstrategies,mechanismsandtoolsforplanning,decisionmaking andevaluationintheeducationalinstitution -topromoteandsupportparentalinvolvementintheeducationalprocess IV.TeacherTrainingandRe-training Strategiesforproblemareas: -tobetterpreparelocalteachertrainers.Unfortunately,thosewhohavethepower andresponsibilityfortrainingandre-trainingof teachersatalllevels,donotalways haveenoughknowledgeandexperienceregardingcontemporaryteachingtechniques. -tounderlinetheimportanceofteachingasanacademicdiscipline.Mostof thetime, ourteachertrainersmighthaveagreatdealofknowledgeinthedisciplinetheyteach (e.g.,geography,philosophy,etc.),buttheylackefficientpresentationskillsandteaching techniques.This,of course,leadstoapoorfulfillmentof thegoalsandobjectivesof SorosFoundationMoldova theteaching-learningprocess. -Toeliminateconservatism,inflexibilityandintoleranceamongteachersfromalllevels. Thegreatmajorityofteachersdonothaveanyexperienceininteractive,learner-centered teachingmethodology.Theydonotapplygroupworkorteamworktechniques,norany problemsolvingstrategies.Experientiallearningandcriticalthinkingarenotfeaturesof ourcurrenteducationalprocess,either.Besidesclassroomtools,teachers’lackof experienceforworkinginteamsorpeersconsiderablyreducestheefficiencyofthe teaching/learningprocess. Consideringtheabovefindings,theModernizationof EducationProgramactivityin 1997wascenteredon: 1)Facilitationof AccesstoInformationonRecentInternationalResearchAchievementsin EducationalSciences,through: -acquisitionof relevantteachingandreferencematerialsforProDidacticaInformation Center -acquisitionanddonationofrelevantteachingandreferencematerialstoschool libraries,pedagogicallibraries,RegionalInspectorates,andtoResourceCenterscreated intheschoolsthatcollaboratewiththeprogram -subscriptiontonationalandinternationaleducationalpublicationsforthementioned ResourceCenters 2)Promotionof EducationalAlternativesintheAreaof Pre-universityCurriculumReform, 7 through: -organizationof competitionsforsupplementarymaterialsdevelopment(special courses,tests,creativelessonplans,etc.) -supportforinitiativesforexchangeofexperience -trainingandprofessionaldevelopmentprogramsforcurriculumdevelopers,with participationofforeignexperts -trainingincurriculumdevelopmentandevaluation,forspecialistsfromvariouslevels, inordertocreateappropriateworkinggroups -scholarshipsforshorttermprogramsabroadintheareaof curriculumdevelopment andevaluation -selection,translationandpublishingofrelevanteducationalmaterials -supportofcreativeextracurricularactivitiesinvolvingteachersandstudents 3)Promotionof ModernEducationalManagementPrinciples,through: -experiencesharingandtrainingprogramsforschooladministrators -experiencesharingandtrainingprogramsinevaluation(ofstaff,system,curriculum, schoolperformance,etc.)forspecialistsfromvariouslevels -traininginproposalwritingandmanagingprojectsineducationalareasforResource Centerrepresentatives 4)SupportfortheTeacherTrainingandRe-trainingProcess,through: -establishment,throughcompetition,ofnewResourceCentresinschoolsand lyceums -supportofsummerschoolsforteachersandstudents ActivityReport1997 -supportof new,creativeinitiativesfromthefield,comingfromindividualsorgroups ofteachers -supportofexperiencesharinginitiatives -organizationofcomplextrainingprogramsabroad,forschoolteams -supportofprofessionaldevelopmenttrainingabroadforuniversitylevelteacherswho areinvolvedinteachertraining SECTIONI.“PRODIDACTICA”InformationCenter expenses:$96,145.23 The“ProDidactica”InformationandDocumentationCenter(IDC)currentlyoffers informationanddocumentationservicesinmodernteachingmethodologies.The Center’sfunctionscomprisemanymajorfeaturesoftheMOEProgram.Theobjectives oftheCenterinclude: -completinganddevelopingthebookcollection -compilingandorganizinganinformationaldatabaseonpedagogicalliterature -completingoftheperiodicalscollection -providingbibliographicalinformationservices -providingtrainingandassistancetoschoollibrarians -completingbookcollectionsinschoolResourceCentersinvolvedintheProgram -organizinganddistributingbookdonations 8 Objective1.CompletionandDevelopmentoftheBookCollection IDCoffersaccesstoabout2500booksandperiodicalsinRomanian,English,French, German,Italian,RussianandSpanish.Themajorareasof interestarepedagogy, psychology,sociology,philosophy,art,history,geography,andlanguageteaching. During1997,besidesbooksintheHumanities,IDCalsopurchasedteaching materialsformathandsciences.Thechangeoccurredduetobeneficiaries’requests (primarilyfromteachers). SomeofthemostvaluablebookseriesofferedbyIDChavetobespeciallymentioned: -collections:“Pedagogyof theXXthCentury”,“ContemporaryPedagogicalIdeas”,“Psychology. EducationalSciences”,“Sociology.PoliticalSciences”. -referentialmaterialsinotherlanguages:“AXIS:Dictionnaireencyclopedique”(1993),“The EncyclopediaAmericana”(1996),“TheNewBookof Knowledge”(1995),“WorldBook Encyclopedia”(1995),“FunkandWagnallsNewEnyclopedia”(1993),“TheInternational Encyclopediaof Education”(1994),“TheInternationalEncyclopediaof Curriculum”(1991),“The InternationalEncyclopediaof EducationEvaluation”(1992),“TheEncyclopediaof Higher Education”(1992),“TheBookof Art”(1994),“TheWorldBookMedicalEncyclopedia”(1994), “L‘histoiredumonde”(1994),“GrandAtlasHistorique”(1995),“Historyof aFreeNation” (1992),“Childcraft”(1995),“WelcometoReading”(1997),“YoungScientist”(1992). Objective2.Serviceof Beneficiaries SorosFoundationMoldova PrimarybeneficiariesoftheIDCareteachersandstudents.Basedonsomestatistics, thenumberof visitorsfor1997wasabout4065people,whichisquiteasignificant numberforareadingroomwithonly20seatsand4workingdays.About60%of themarestudents,andtherestconsistsof teachers.Freeaccesstotheshelveshelpsthe efficiencyof theprocess.Thefundcanbeconsultedonlyinthelibrary.Inexceptional cases,bookscanbeborrowedbyteachersfromtheregions,withthepurposeof organizingseminarsorothertrainingactivities.Butmostof thetimetheyget informationonbookcollectionsthatcanbefoundintheSchoolResourceCenters