Glossary

Participation is a term used in democratic education. It refers to the participation and involvement of learners in democratic processes and decisions. In democratic education, learners are prepared for democratic processes in society and politics. In Freinet educational institutions, learners exercise their right to co-determination primarily through the –> group council or –> class council. However, the student council also makes a decisive contribution to the participation of children and young people in relation to school and social processes.

Peer review plays an important role in –> participatory assessment methods. Here, learners look at the –> documentation and / or –> presentation products for a research project before it is assessed by teachers. They give their learning partner feedback and formulate suggestions for improvement if necessary. An appreciative –> feedback culture is of crucial importance here. This is the only way to create a fear-free space in which mistakes and detours are understood as part of every learning process.

Performance assessment linked to “school grades” is a central process in the traditional school system. For a long time, performance measurement focused on written performance. It was demanded that all pupils were required to demonstrate their learning progress at a certain point in time on the basis of predefined task formats. The German school system is particularly criticized in international comparative studies (e.g. PISA) because it produces a socially unfair selection of performance (disadvantage of children from educationally disadvantaged households). The focus here is on the three-tier school system, which forces children to make a formative decision about their future school career at a much too early age.

In the meantime, the concept of performance has also been expanded in the state school system. Forms are to be used that include not only learning outcomes, but also learning processes and the progressive development of skills in the assessment. The Freinet movement rejects performance assessment that focuses exclusively on grades and is based solely on teachers. Rather, a variety of forms of demonstrating performance (e.g. presentations, project diaries, learning diaries and portfolios) are practiced in all institutions. Where possible, oral or written feedback that provides detailed information on learning progress is preferred to formalized grading. Learners are involved in assessing and appreciating their own progress.

The word portfolio is primarily used in the field of art for a folder in which special documents are stored. As early as the Renaissance, architects or artists carried references in such a portfolio for the purpose of applying for a building commission or an academy place. A portfolio for the learning sector also shows the skills, working methods and development of the learner in a similar way to the portfolio in the artistic sector. On the one hand, it is linked to the presentation and assessment of skills. On the other hand, the focus is on the further development of these skills. In the portfolio, one’s own skills are presented on the basis of self-selected learning or performance products (presentation of competencies). The learning or performance products are created in the course of learning activities that are as self-determined as possible. This requires freedom in deciding on goals, in planning and carrying out learning activities and in evaluating them (self-determination). Learning products and processes are equally visible in portfolios. The connection between product and process presentation is established through (self-)reflection. These bring about and promote the conscious acquisition of learning skills alongside the acquisition of subject-specific skills (connection between product and process).

In Freinet pedagogy, looking at my own attitude is the key to pedagogical practice. I look at the learners and take note of what they can do and what they bring with them. In this way, I discover and consolidate my understanding of learning that places the learner at the center. As a Freinet educator, I am always a learner myself. By allowing a variety of paths and methods, I create a learning process that strengthens self-esteem and self-confidence. By increasingly opening up the learning spaces, I experience a sense of self-efficacy together with the learners. As a Freinet teacher, I am allowed to be who I am. I perceive my environment and my surroundings and find meaning in what I do. I am allowed to explore new paths, rethink my role, try things out, reflect, discard and collect new “treasures”. This work on my attitude gives me joy and satisfaction in my job. In the learning group, we all experience the power of community and benefit from practising democracy, and Freinet’s ideas are timeless and just as relevant today. They become my pedagogical home.

A presentation is the targeted preparation of information to present content to a specific audience. Presentation means “display” or “performance” and can concern both a thing and a person. In Freinet pedagogy, presentations play an important role in the overall learning process. As learners frequently and deliberately work individually or in small groups on specific topics, the presentation has the task of presenting the acquired knowledge in a way that is profitable for the entire learning group. The basic realization that I can only explain to others what I have understood myself acts as an incentive and corrective for the presenters. The audience gains an impression and knowledge of a subject that they have not yet dealt with. In a systematic and age-appropriate manner, learners acquire skills in a wide variety of presentation techniques (from simple “cheat sheets” and poster design to digital forms of presentation and drama). Because of the great importance attached to presentation, these are an indispensable part of all further and continuing education in Freinet pedagogy. In this way, the learning guides acquire a broad spectrum of presentation methods.

Printing is a traditional Freinet method used to create journals or cards as products of the learners. This allows them to express themselves freely and practise manual activities. For Freinet, the setting of words during printing played a decisive role in learning to read and write. The process of printing automatically led to cooperation between the learners.