Innovative School
In 2017 the school was approved and started work on the innovative school project. Its main aims are through introducing new subjects to raise students’ motivation, as well as develop a number of their skills like creativity, presentation and team work.
Apart from new subjects in the curriculum we use project and web-based education, expeditions and role play games. The design thinking method is implemented with students being the active part in the educational process.
Another important part of innovative education are our teachers who all the time improve their approaches and competences in order to meet the challenges of our changing world and the personal needs of the “digital children”.
Which are the new, interdisciplinary subjects?
In the 8th grade the subject Personal Development is introduced aiming at clarifying students’ personal skills, psychological profile and learning style. School teachers work in cooperation with mentors and coach experts from the Innovation Management Academy.
In the 9th grade the subject Interpersonal Development is introduced, while in the 10th grade – leadership and team work. The aim is to establish students’ personal profiles, their interpersonal relationships and their competences; to present appropriate educational models for improving skills and acquiring new ones. In defining students’ personal profiles and learning styles the methodology of David Colb is used, the results being measured at the end of every school year through questionnaires.
Other new and appealing innovative subjects studied at first upper secondary stage are Ethnography (9th grade), Social Anthropology (10th grade), Man and Life Environment (9th and 10th grades).
Teachers from corresponding interdisciplinary fields also work in cooperation to lead students to the so called study “expeditions”, which are part of project-based education. The model has been borrowed from XP School, Doncaster, England and is already implemented in some study courses at “Prof. Ivan Apostolov” Private Language School.