Ikasberri: another way to learn

2003/04/01 Andonegi Beristain, Garazi - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Unibertsitateak

To guide this change and define the model itself, the opinions of society, students, teachers and all those involved in education have been taken into account. In this sense, the characteristics of the new system have been defined and, subsequently, the functions that these agents must perform, including teachers and parents, have been defined. This work has set new guidelines for the performance of teachers, selecting new teaching methods and obtaining technological resources. And all this in the Diocesan Institute of Vitoria.

The Ikasberri model, therefore, is a revolutionary educational model born of Professional Formation and manifested in the Diocesan educational center itself, especially in its way of teaching. “The Ikasberri project is that the student is able to learn for himself,” explains Paco Martínez de Contrasta, director of the center. In addition, the Ikasberri model aims to promote two more things: that the student has the most current computer and technological means and also has a multilingual system.

Although the goal seems simple, it requires a lot of work – reorganizing the role of teachers, establishing methodologies. Finally, it is intended that students become the protagonist of their studies and, if they make this contribution, students will have a system to develop their skills and abilities.

However, among the adaptations it has been seen that the student also needs his own and, to begin with, needs adapted spaces to become protagonist. In Ikasberri, not only is the work done in school hours taken into account, but the student himself has to obtain information, organize it, explain it to the teacher, etc. To do this, you need written press, Internet, graphic resources, magazines, books and CD-ROM, and to access all of them it is necessary to create new rooms and spaces: mediatecas.

Mediatecas, favorite areas of students

The mediatecas are spaces adapted to the different types of work that the student must perform: tables necessary for individual learning, group workrooms, video corner, library, Internet access points, etc. The latter seem to be the most used, in which they learn to use computer programs, seek information on the Internet and then organize it. In the media library, however, it is not surprising that teachers see, advise or guide group work. In fact, the mediatecas are spaces designed by the teachers themselves, but with a clear orientation to the students.

Therefore, the Ikasberri project seeks greater participation of students in studies and, at least in Vitoria-Gasteiz, is working on this objective.

Pastry on the pediment The frontons of Mendizorroza de Vitoria-Gasteiz are the most ‘sweet’. Why? At the Local Hospitality School, you can now learn pastry and bakery. This is: While playing ball games in the prestigious Ogeta pediment, in the kitchen, schoolchildren make sweet cakes. In addition, it is not the only thing that works in the pastry shop: in the restaurant there is menu of the day and letter within reach of everyone.

From books to CD-ROM Who likes to search for information in potolos books as a student? For very few, it is clear, and proof of this is that the use of CD-ROM has also been extended. There is no doubt that if the student finds the information he currently has in a book on a CD, he will do so immediately. Turning on the computer and reading the CD is all one, not only because the search for information is more comfortable and fast, but also because it is more attractive. Images, texts and navigation in CDs are more attractive to the student. So, will we soon have to discard the word library and create a ‘CDtegia’?