High School Visits in Split, Croatia

Description

In recent years, the Croatian educational system has undergone an important curricular reform, aimed at introducing innovative concepts (e. g. the planning of learning outcomes), key competencies for lifelong learning (e. g. problem-solving, learning to learn, coaching), interdisciplinarity, and more student-centred approaches.

Upper Croatian secondary schools – including grammar and VET schools – have played a key role in experimenting with and implementing these changes, becoming examples of innovative practice at the national level.

This course is specifically designed for teachers who work in a High School environment (age 14-19) who wish to explore how upper secondary education is organized and renewed across Europe through direct observation, professional exchange, and guided reflection.

During the course, participants will gain first-hand insight into how the Croatian high school system responds to common challenges and the newest trends in education, such as curriculum design, teacher training, digitalization, inclusion, assessment, and lifelong learning.

Participants will also have the chance to learn about staff and learners’ daily life, school management, organization of lessons, projects, and extracurricular activities, which makes each Croatian school special and unique.

Throughout the week, teachers will visit a variety of Croatian high schools, each selected for its innovative practice. During the visits, participants will:

• Observe lessons, projects, and extracurricular activities;
• Engage in guided discussions with teachers, school leaders, and students;
• Take part in interactive workshops run by the hosting schools, focusing on topics such as the Erasmus+ and eTwinning projects, digital tools and AI in education, inclusion, formative assessment, interdisciplinarity, or sustainable development;
• Share their own school experiences and present examples of good practice to foster mutual learning and to make the visit more interactive, collaborative, and international.

By the end of the course, participants will have a clear understanding of the Croatian upper secondary education system, having explored its recent reforms and its cultural context.

They will return home with a portfolio of good practices and teaching ideas observed during the visits.

Concept by Alenka Miljević

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Learn about and describe the main features of the Croatian High School education system;
• Identify and compare key characteristics of different European education systems, recognising shared challenges and innovative approaches;
• Observe and analyse lessons, school organisation, and daily routines in Croatian schools using a visit observation guide;
• Understand Croatian history and culture;
• Develop new extracurricular or cross-curricular initiatives inspired by observed practices;
• Design school exchange (student and staff mobility) between European participants and Croatian schools.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course

• Introduction to the course and the Academy;
• Introduction to the host city and the week’s cultural activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools and institutions.

The Croatian educational system

• Overview of the Croatian education system, with a focus on upper secondary education (ages 14–19);
• Recent curricular reforms and their impact;
• Group discussion: common challenges and priorities in European high schools.

Day 2 – School visit I – teaching and learning in practice

• Getting to know the school (e.g., curriculum structure, projects, extracurricular activities);
• Taking part in lessons across different subjects;
• Focus on teaching methods, classroom interaction, student engagement etc;
• Workshop and discussion: comparison between participants’ own school contexts and discussion on strengths, challenges, and transferability.

Day 3 – School visit II – assessment and student support

• Observation of lessons and school activities;
• Focus on: formative assessment and feedback; differentiation strategies; teacher-student relationships;
• Workshop and discussion: exchange with teachers and school staff and comparative analysis with participants’ national contexts.

Day 4 – School visit III – innovation and international projects

• Observation of innovative practices during the school visit;
• Focus on: AI and digital tools used; interdisciplinary projects; students’ participation;
• Workshop: how to design Erasmus+ and eTwinning projects; how to use digitalization as a driver for school development.

Day 5 – School visit IV

• Final school visit: participating in lessons, projects, and students’ activities;
• Group discussion: identify key learning points from the visits and transferable practices;
• Workshop: design ideas for future cooperation, mobility projects, or partnerships;
• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance.

Day 6 – Structured cultural activities

• Structured cultural activity(ies) according to the hosting location;
• Learning journal: individual written reflection on the course experience;
• Course reflection: self-reflection and review of course materials and resources.

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