Why do we need pedagogical and educational reforms in primary school? A draft concept for the new basics of education and pedagogy in primary school

Abstract

To build an efficient and effective pedagogical and educational system it needs to be solid, safe and resistant to various changes, to produce healthy and competent citizens and which will be able to build a strong economy and well-being and foster a rich culture of living. Children and young people should be offered an education that respects their interests and abilities, nurtures and promotes their capacities and offers them opportunities to make choices and realize themselves through the pedagogical and educational process. Most of the interventions in the primary education are focused on the formal aspects of change. Even the initiatives aimed at the implementation of foreign models in primary education were not properly designed and adapted to the specifics of the current situation in our country. Primary education has failed to modernize teaching with correct curriculum interventions, by strengthening the didactic base and above all by establishing a career advancement system for teachers that will enable them to exceed the average individual investment in teaching. The new concept is based on the revision of first to third grade curricula in primary education and pedagogy. This period is taken as a relatively compact period in terms of the psychophysical development of children. The proposed concept results in: introduction of target-oriented teaching and learning; compatibility and succession between curricula that have a certain purpose and are comprehensive, coherent, compatible and with well-organized content, with the possibility of their target integration; unburdening of curricula and defining levels of student achievement or learning outcomes; establishing an efficient and effective system for monitoring, evaluating, and validating student achievement. With the new concept of reforming primary education, changes have been proposed from: organizational, programmatic and didactic aspects.