Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies ... - Unicef

65
Central and Eastern Europe
and the Commonwealth
of Independent States
Simulation exercise at school in Metla,
a mountainous village of Georgia.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1584/Bell
the Earthquake topic has activities for grades 5, 6 and 7,
while the Climate Change module covers grades 8 and 9.
Multiple opportunities for parental and community involvement
and fieldwork are offered.
Pedagogy
The teaching of disaster risk reduction in the Head of Class
Hour employs interactive methods. The Head of Class guidebook
reviews the following methods: mini-lectures, discussions,
brainstorming, excursions, interactive presentations, case studies,
role-plays, the Socratic Method, learning by doing. The teacher
guidance offered is supported by schematic drawings
(for example, a sample community hazard map) and by various
checklists to be completed by school children together with
their families (for example, a quake-safe home checklist,
family disaster plan and safety checklist). Teaching implies
not only teacher-student engagement, but also the involvement
of parents and the community at large, with the activities to
be undertaken co-jointly provided.
Below are pen portraits of two Head of Class lessons:
Example 1: The teacher asks students to give their definition
of a ‘hazard’. Then s/he writes on the blackboard: ‘which are
the safest and the most dangerous places in our classroom
in case of an earthquake?’ and asks students to name such
places. All responses are recorded on the flipchart. During
the exercise, the teacher explains to the class that in case
of an earthquake the most dangerous places are those where
things can fall down, get broken and cause traumas, e.g.,
heavy bookshelves, unfastened cabinets. In the next step,
the teacher asks students to discuss what the room design
should be and what changes should be made in the classroom
in order to make it safer during an earthquake. If the class
finds it necessary, items can be relocated in the classroom
to ensure its safety.
Example 2: The teacher divides the class into groups of four
and asks each group to prepare brochures and posters with
illustrations that will help in the dissemination of information
about potential landslide hazards, prevention/mitigation
measures and the safety rules among the local population.
This exercise is done after the class has studied the thematic
module on landslides thoroughly with the help of the Head
of Class teacher 15 .
Student Assessment
According to the National Curriculum of Georgia, there are
two types of learning assessment used in schools: determining
and developing.
Determining assessment is applied in grades 5 and above and
focuses on control of the quality of learning, determining the
level of achievement of students in relation to learning outcomes
defined by the National Curriculum.
Developing assessment focuses on controlling the dynamics
of the development of each student and supports improvement
of the quality of learning. It is based on the following means
of assessment: oral/written comments, advice, self-evaluation
schemes.
15
Ibid.
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries