7 In the document below we describe the approaches and methods that underpin the OTA learning methodology and give examples and good practices as an inspirational material for implementation and conducting high quality activities. 2.1 WIDER CONTEXT For pupils to become active citizens in the society, they have to learn some crucial skills from their early age. School is very important for pupils from the moment they step in the classroom at the early ages and till the moment they finish their education. It is a process that fulfils a major part of their days and a place to grow, learn, socialise and set the roots for their actions during schooling and later on. To achieve the goal for pupils to activate in serious societal matters, the school has to present a good example and prepare the inspirational path for pupils. Active role for each individual in the society is getting more pronounced each year and the 21st century is emphasising a person’s activation in different fields – especially education, being formal, non-formal, adult or even informal. Changes in the perception of educational processes are happening frequently but there are still gaps which need to be addressed and there is still room for improvements which can be fulfilled. Stepping in the educational process a pupil instantly becomes part of a system and it is expected that he or she will follow establishment, rules, tasks and guidelines. The most direct contact for pupils are their teachers; persons who went through an educational process of their own and are, of course, still learning, and at this point also teaching. On the other hand, teachers are as well part of a greater educational system with specific rules to follow: and the most straightforward are curricula. They are thus exposed to several different indicators: such as the examples they received while in school, the external curricula, the internal curricula that can vary from one school to another, and finally their own preferred intuitive approaches they use while teaching. Moreover they are also expected to improve, educate, evolve, upgrade and modernise; with new approaches and examples given, they can upgrade their lessons, reorganise their classes and add or improve existing objectives. For changes to be achieved, we have to speak to teachers themselves and enhance their willingness to improve. Motivation for changes can be achieved by showing them a greater meaning of new approaches and the positive consequences such approaches can have for pupils in a long-term meaning. Projects, such as OTA, are in this sense very welcoming from various perspectives. Firstly, they address teachers’ direct needs and challenges and try to help to overcome reported barriers, gathered through questionnaires and discussions. The needs are also examined through research on the topics. Additional values are also concrete examples which teachers can freely use in their classes with no or little extra work or they can serve as an inspiration on how to approach this or similar topics.
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