The Capitalization Of Local Potential Through Extracurricular Activities Developed In Real Environments

Abstract

Declared by the WHO on March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by a number of measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus. Returning to normalcy will certainly have a major impact both on pupils, students and teachers, through dynamic activities carried out in the formal framework of the school but also through extracurricular activities, so that everyone is aware of the benefits of participating in such activities.: the feeling of belonging to a community, the need of the others, co-participation in the formation of their own personality and culture, the integration in society, the creation of a balance between individual and collectivity, as a model of behaviour which is to be reached. This article proposes to present a research project aiming at the implementation of extra-curricular activities having in view the discovery and capitalization of the local potential (cultural, geographical, historical and sport). This way of approaching is more efficient because there is a need to identify the information acquired in the real environments, answering thus to more associated challenges with the students’ theoretical preparation, general experience and design of extra-curricular activities.

Keywords: Capitalization of the local potential, extra-curricular activities, real environments

Introduction

Thinking, conceiving, proposing, organising and coordinating the extra-curricular activities represent challenges for every teacher. It is required to have a thorough theoretical preparation, passion and the last but not the least, you should have respect for the teacher’ status. Continuing the predecessors’ tradition, once arrived at the teacher’s desk, the teacher will transmit the interest and passion for the capitalization of the richness of native places, understood under more aspects: cultural, spiritual, historical, geographical, sport and not only.

The present educational system has in view the preparation of the student concerning their personality formation from the psychic, intellectual, physical, emotional point of view, in this direction the curricular and extra-curricular activities are combined (Rohozneanu, 2020).

The involvement of the teaching staff in the conception and organisation of extra-curricular activities in establishing the contents and their assessment, the involvement of some personalities in the proposed demarche represent some conditions which offer them value.

Problem Statement

The extra-curricular or extra-school activities come to complete the contents of the Learning master plan and the Curriculum at the school’s decision, developing under the attentive supervision and guidance of a specialised and qualified teacher, having as aim to complete the formation of the student’s personality, which is ensured by the formal education or the development of other aspects proper to his/her personality.

Research Questions

• What is the extent in which the extra-curricular activities contribute to the student’s preparation concerning the formation of his/her personality from the psychic, intellectual, physical, emotional point of view?
• How can the extra-curricular activities contribute to learning, observing and keeping the local identity in the national and European context?

Purpose of the Study

The paper proposes to present the way in which a program of extra-curricular activities developed in real environment (natural landscape) can contribute to the discovery and capitalization of the local potential, preparing the participants having in view the formation of their personality from the psychic, intellectual, physical, emotional point of view taking into account that these activities suppose many times an interdisciplinary or pluridisciplinary approach.

Research Methods

The research methods used are methods of data gathering: questionnaire-based survey and, respectively, the design of a research project with a view to proposing extracurricular activities

Findings

The project we propose includes extra-curricular activities which, from the perspective of the prevalent educational dimension, are: cultural, sport, moral education, intellectual education, artistic. By this project, we desired to research the benefits of the students’ participation in extra-curricular activities, the way in which learning after school differs from learning in school and the promising approaches of their programming outside school. For such a project to become reality we have to define a, a context in which all the arguments for such a demarche should be displayed: the promotion of local cultural values by different educational activities; the capitalization of cultural education approached in school by means of non-formal activities, in the spirit of diversity respect; the development of the student’s personality by highlighting cultural, artistic aspects by capitalizing the aesthetic side of objects which make up the surrounding world, by offering real models; approaching and applying some visible connections between the realities of Caraș-Severin county; organising the students’ physical activity outside the classes of their school timetable, by using instructional-educational contents which complete the national curriculum.

The activities that the project-camp contains have an interdisciplinary character, among them we can find Romanian language and literature, civic education, arts, physical education.

Thus, for Romanian language and literature we had in view some activities which concern a side less (or at all) approached in the school curriculum: the capitalization (a literature unique at national level). In this direction we propose an itinerary which contains more localities of Caraș-Severin county where the writers of Banatian speech were born, lived and created: at Cârnecea – Petru Petrica, at Comorâște – Paul Miclău and Pau Târbățiu, at Bocșa – Tata Oancea (Petru E. Oance), and at Zorlențu Mare – The House of the writers of Banat patois. Some of these places are set up, others are in course of setting up and others are not set up. It is an invitation for both the teaching staff and the authorities to think about financing projects in order to re-consider the status of these peasant-writers and from the perspective of setting up some documentation points – memorial houses – in order to offer information concerning this unique phenomenon. Once the places and the type of poetry created by these authors were discovered, we propose their capitalization under at least two aspects: reading the accessible poems, learning and reciting them in the camp, for the beginning, then in the framework of the “Father Oancea” Festival of creation and interpretation in Banat patois which takes place in Bocşa, respectively the attempt of the students to create themselves such verses/ poems. By this type of activity we had in view the perception and understanding of Banat words and their significance; understanding the phenomenon of thematical and compositional diversity of literature; learning about the main representatives of Banat literature in general, of the literary creation in regional patois especially; familiarizing the children with the literary works written by writers of Banat language that our County had; visiting some memorial houses of the writers in Banat language; the creation and development of the interest for the works in Banat patois.

Concerning the physical education/sport we propose, first of all, recreational gymnastics each morning. Then, in order to visit the places on our itinerary, we recommend biking, and on the Dognecea Mountains we can go hiking and do activities of touristic orientation, a good communication between participants representing an essential condition (Rohozneanu, 2019). During the free afternoons, we propose the organisation of some matches/games: handball, football, volleyball, chess, which should contribute to the creation of friendships, relationships of collaboration, cooperation (Mood et al., 2007). When possible, the students can do rafting on the fast mountain rivers. Kanellopoulou et al. (2021) states that the sport connected activities should be promoted by public health policies.

There is always need of information about the established objectives and the results obtained. Feedback represents the basic principle of the communication activity, respectively efficient teaching-learning-assessment (Bocoș & Jucan, 2019). Regarding the assessment of the project activities, it would be desirable that they offer the students the possibility to prove what they know (a set of knowledge) and what they can do (the way of applying knowledge). In this context, the assessment aims at the elaboration of some essays/compositions; building some explanatory alternatives to the received messages; the debate on some problems seized by the students; systematic observation of the students’ activity and behaviour; self-assessment; reciting poems in Banat language.

Another way of assessment that we propose is represented by the achievement of a portfolio which should contain information about the “visited” Banat writers, texts in Banat language, photos of the visited places but also from the hiking, form touristic orientation, the matches, drawings representing aspects that impressed them etc. The texts in Banat language could be reunited in a brochure – made by the students under the guidance of the teaching staff present in the camp.

The last but not the least, we bear in mind the organisation of a festivity – in the last evening of the camp, in which we should highlight the conservation and promotion of popular traditions and preserving the national identity through poems in Banat language, popular dancing and costumes, this having as purpose, among others, the conservation and promotion of Romanian national values in the context of belonging to the European Union.

Conclusion

Applying such a project would highlight the benefits of the extra-curricular activities from the perspective of local (cultural, geographical, sport) potential capitalization by the students in the primary cycle. Knowing, acquiring and reciting poems in Banat language, the song, game and traditional costume from this part of the country represents an indicator of the preservation of our national identity. The richness and variety of the relief, the fauna and flora, personalities, customs and traditions of the place, all these outline the unique and original picture of Banat on the map of Romania.

The extra-curricular activities are positive elements (Heaslip et al., 2021) for students, having an important role in both the teacher’s activity and the students’ because they come to complete the information acquired by the students during the classes, they offer the possibility to visit certain touristic objectives of cultural heritage, enlarging the horizon of knowledge, awaking students’ interest for reading literary works and reciting poems. By visiting a writer’s memorial house, the students develop feelings of admiration, appreciation, gratitude for that personality’s creation, directly coming in touch with the place where the writer lived and achieved his works.

By all the proposed activities we promote fair-play, team spirit, self-understanding and self-esteem and the sport games aim at stimulating motivation, emulation, interpersonal relationships and social integration, influencing and forming the human character regarding correctness, courage and modesty, contributing to the students’ preparation having in view the formation of their personality from the psychic, intellectual, physical and emotional point of view.

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