21 research outputs found
Ignacy Solarz (1891-1940) in Polish post-war educational literature. Conclusions for the contemporaries
No full textIn the article the author tries to analyze the place of Ignacy Solarz and his educational activity in the publishing output of the theoreticians and practitioners of Polish education/andragogics from the end of the Second World War until modern times. The author indicates three post-war waves of increased interest in the achievements of this remarkable education activitist working mostly in rural areas among Polish teachers/andragogues. Each of these waves resulted in an increased number of publications devoted to his educational ideas and practice: firstly in the 1940s, when the authors tried to refer directly to Solarz’s post-war activity, then between the 1960s and the 1980s, when Solarz was mainly presented as a promoter of people’s the People’s Republic of Poland, whose educational ideas could be used for education in the new – people’s – social reality, and lastly at the beginnings of the Third Republic of Poland, when the authors tried to focus on Solarz’s achievements in the context of the search for Polish models of civic education and democratization of rural education. The second part of the article presents a proposition of the author to read anew the educational/andragogic achievements of I. Solarz, emphasizing the common, socially universal educational values and practical educational actions. Only such an approach to Solarz’s legacy, as the author of the article believes, can help to integrate him in the general Polish educational legacy and to save the activist from gradual but clearly progressing sinking into oblivion
Zofia Solarzowa, the one, who had inexhaustible strength for showing people their lives in a creative wa
No full textThis article is dedicated to the life and work of Zofia Solarz, the pioneer of Polish folk education and andragogy, an enthusiast and creator of folk theatre. The reader is given an opportunity to learn about her education and life, full of family intricacies. Also presented is her evolution as an education activist and cooperation with her husband, Ignacy Solarz. The author provides the genesis and mode of operation of folk high schools, which resulted from the Solarz couple's joint work reflecting their great devotion to folk issuesArtykuł poświęcony został życiu i działalności Zofii Solarzowej, pionierce polskiej oświaty ludowej, pionierce andragogiki, miłośniczce i twórczyni teatru ludowego. Czytelnik ma możliwość poznania usianej licznymi rodzinnymi meandrami drogi edukacyjnej i życiowej bohaterki, jej stawania się działaczką oświatową, ale i współpracy z mężem, Ignacym Solarzem. Autorka przedstawia genezę powstania i funkcjonowanie uniwersytetów ludowych, ich wspólnego dzieła, będącego wyrazem ich wielkiego oddania sprawie ludowej
Equine Assisted Learning: An Evidence-Based Intervention for Families
No full textabstract: Background: It is estimated that 50% of all mental illness arises prior to age 14, an incident attributed in part to disruptions and imbalances within the family system. Equine assisted learning is a complementary and alternative approach to family therapy which is being used increasingly to promote mental health in both adults and children. This study sought to build and deliver an evidence-based, family-centered equine assisted learning program aimed at promoting family function, family satisfaction and child social-emotional competence, and to measure its acceptability and preliminary effect.
Method: Twenty families with children 10 years and older were recruited to participate in a 3-week equine assisted learning program at a therapeutic riding center in Phoenix, Arizona. Sessions included groundwork activities with horses used to promote life skills using experiential learning theory. The study design included a mixed-method quasi-experimental one-group pretest posttest design using the following mental health instruments: Devereaux Student Strengths Assessment, Brief Family Assessment Measure (3 dimensions), and Family Satisfaction Scale to measure child social-emotional competence, family function, and family satisfaction, respectively. Acceptability was determined using a Likert-type questionnaire with open-ended questions to gain a qualitative thematic perspective of the experience.
Results: Preliminary pretest and posttest comparisons were statistically significant for improvements in family satisfaction (p = 0.001, M = -5.84, SD = 5.63), all three domains of family function (General Scale: p = 0.005, M = 6.84, SD = 9.20; Self-Rating Scale: p = 0.050, M = 6.53, SD = 12.89; and Dyadic Relationship Scale: p = 0.028, M = 3.47, SD = 7.18), and child social-emotional competence (p = 0.015, M = -4.05, SD 5.95). Effect sizes were moderate to large (d > 0.5) for all but one instrument (Self-Rating Scale), suggesting a considerable magnitude of change over the three-week period. The intervention was highly accepted among both children and adults. Themes of proximity, self-discovery, and regard for others emerged during evaluation of qualitative findings. Longitudinal comparisons of baseline and 3-month follow-up remain in-progress, a topic available for future discussion.
Discussion: Results help to validate equine assisted learning as a valuable tool in the promotion of child social-emotional intelligence strengthened in part by the promotion of family function and family satisfaction. For mental health professionals, these results serve as a reminder of the alternatives that are available, as well as the importance of partnerships within the community. For therapeutic riding centers, these results help equine professionals validate their programs and gain a foothold within the scientific community. Additionally, they invite future riding centers to follow course in incorporating evidence into their programs and examining new directions for growth within the mental health community
Aid to life – Montessori pedagogy in the service of autism spectrum children
No full textThis article explores the feasibility of implementing Montessori principles outside traditional Montessori environments, focusing on children with autism whose families cannot afford Montessori schooling. It examines whether Montessori education can effectively address the needs of autistic children in non-Montessori settings. The author, a Montessori educator, describes her efforts to adapt Montessori methods in diverse environments, including public kindergartens, schools, therapeutic centres, and extracurricular activities. The research refers to the growing prevalence of autism, as noted by the World Health Organization, and the necessity of inclusive educational approaches. The author presents practical examples of children’s interactions with Montessori materials and innovative adaptations of Montessori philosophy to suit various settings. Special attention is given to activities inspired by Montessori’s Great Stories, demonstrating their potential in engaging children from different backgrounds. The paper argues that Montessori education should extend beyond specialized institutions to benefit a broader range of children, particularly those on the autism spectrum. It highlights the importance of preserving the core tenets of Montessori pedagogy – individual, spontaneous activity, and holistic human development – while adapting to external conditions. The article provides valuable insights into integrating Montessori principles in non-traditional settings, advocating for more inclusive educational practices.This article explores the feasibility of implementing Montessori principles outside traditional Montessori environments, focusing on children with autism whose families cannot afford Montessori schooling. It examines whether Montessori education can effectively address the needs of autistic children in non-Montessori settings. The author, a Montessori educator, describes her efforts to adapt Montessori methods in diverse environments, including public kindergartens, schools, therapeutic centres, and extracurricular activities. The research refers to the growing prevalence of autism, as noted by the World Health Organization, and the necessity of inclusive educational approaches. The author presents practical examples of children’s interactions with Montessori materials and innovative adaptations of Montessori philosophy to suit various settings. Special attention is given to activities inspired by Montessori’s Great Stories, demonstrating their potential in engaging children from different backgrounds. The paper argues that Montessori education should extend beyond specialized institutions to benefit a broader range of children, particularly those on the autism spectrum. It highlights the importance of preserving the core tenets of Montessori pedagogy – individual, spontaneous activity, and holistic human development – while adapting to external conditions. The article provides valuable insights into integrating Montessori principles in non-traditional settings, advocating for more inclusive educational practices
Educational ideas within the Peasant Movement in the early 20th century: Three engaged voices
No full textResearch objectives (aims) and problem(s): The aim of this paper is to present the key ideas and proposals for educational work that emerged within the Polish peasant movement in the first half of the 20th century. It examines the principal educational and upbringing concepts advanced during this period by three prominent peasant movement activists: Stanisław Thugutt, Juliusz Poniatowski, and Ignacy Solarz. The basic research problem considered in the article is the question of which pedagogical achievements of these three activists can be considered timeless and valuable today.
Research methods: The study mainly makes use of original publications by the selected peasant-movement activists, as well as the methodological assumptions of the social history of education.
Process of argumentation: Based on an analysis of the collected source material, an attempt was made to identify the most important educational ideas proposed by each of the three rural educators.
Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: In total, twelve educational ideas and proposals formulated by Thugutt, Poniatowski, and Solarz are identified, many of which may be regarded as timeless and still relevant today.
Conclusions and/or recommendations: The author argues that the pedagogical achievements of Thugutt, Poniatowski, and Solarz should be recognized as an important illustration of Polish contributions to the New Education Movement and considered a valuable and still relevant component of Polish educational heritage
Religion and International Relations in the Middle East as a Challenge for International Relations (IR) Studies
No full textThis article addresses the search for religion’s “suitable place” within International Relations (IR), taking as a starting point the social changes in the world (“reflexive modernity”) and the postulated “Mesopotamian turn” in IR. The assumption is that religion is present at each level of IR analysis in the Middle East and, thanks to that, more and more at the international system level. This presence of religion serves to undermine one of the basic assumptions lying at the heart of the modern international order (and therefore also IR), i.e., the so-called “Westphalian presumption”. The author, inter alia, emphasizes how more attention needs to be paid to the “transnational region” constituted by the Middle East—in association with the whole Islamic World. A second postulate entails the need for a restoration of the lost level of analysis in IR, i.e., the level of the human being, for whom religion is—and in the nearest future, will remain—an important dimension of life, in the Middle East in particular. It can also be noted how, within analysis of IR, what corresponds closely to the level referred to is the concept of human security developed via the UN system. The Middle East obliges the researcher to extend considerations to the spiritual dimension of security, as is starting to be realized (inter alia, in the Arab Human Development Reports). It can thus be suggested that, through comparison and contrast with life in societies of the Middle East as it is in practice, religion has been incorporated quite naturally into IR, with this leaving the “Westphalian presumption” undermined at the same time. The consequences of that for the whole discipline may be considerable, but much will depend on researchers themselves, who may or may not take up the challenge posed
The government stabilization programme and inflationary expectations in a society
No full textIn Poland the shock stabilization programme supported by the IMF encountered a social barrier in the shape of opposition to the government anti-inflationary policies. The author seeks to indicate factors impeding the effectiveness of the restrictive macroeconomic policy when the social system is undergoing sudden transformation. These factors are associated with the market infrastructure which makes it impossible to introduce a general income tax, and in the instrumental approach to the smooth functioning of households. The article aims to explain the sources of the high inflationary expectations in the Republic of Poland on a basis of random public opinion surveys.Inflation political inflationary cycle IMF stabilization programme
BOOK REVIEW: Marcin W. Solarz (ed.), ‟Atlas of Poland’s Political Geography, Geopolitical Atlas”, 2018, University of Warsaw
No full textMarcin Wojciech Solarz is a professor of Geography and vice-dean at the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies from the University of Warsaw. He is the author and editor of several important works in political geography and global studies, like “The Language of Global Development: A Misleading Geography” and “New Geographies of the Globalized World”, both of them in the prestigious Routledge. His new recent project, under the national patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, was dedicated to the political geography of the Polish state, one century after rebirth of modern Poland (1918-2018) and thirty years of regaining democracy (1988-2018).
The book combines political geographical analysis with the geopolitical consideration of one of the largest countries in the European Union, but also provides an excellent review of the current geography and policy of Eastern Europe, through a wide range of social, political and economic indicators for countries surrounding or related to Poland. The atlas has an introductory part, focusing on the original ideas about the state, its boundaries and location attributes and on the geopolitical concepts that establish Poland\u27s role and position in Europe. These are followed by a wide range of maps, from political to economic and cultural representations, in an outstanding cartographic condition.
Political Geography in Poland is one of the most visible in the scientific literature of this part of Europe. With a slightly longer history than the modern Polish state, the concepts developed in Polish political geography and geopolitics were strongly influenced by the location between two great European powers, Germany and Russia, and between Western and Eastern civilizations. The location is so important, that almost the entire book and analysis revolves around the concept. This position has been recognized as both a “geographical and historical fate” and a “director of life”, giving the location the role of resource or constraint. This advantages or disadvantages have been accentuated by the lack of natural barriers to the East or to the West of Poland, which makes this space more open to change, but also more vulnerable. At the same time, Poland was viewed not in the middle of Russia and Germany, but in the center of Europe, with a tumultuous history. This history has been marked by the status of a regional power, of a partitioned state, two times in two hundred years, and of a recent new regional emergent economy. The relative location gave Poland the role of an invasion route and a “barometer” of power relations between Germany and Russia: the state became a regional power when the two designated states were disorganized, defeated or eroded by internal conflicts or has disappeared at the time of the conflict or agreement between the two. Location has produced history and evolution is a product of location, between the centre and the periphery, as the margins of expanding empires
MICROWAVE OPTICAL DOUBLE RESONANCE IN ELECTRONICALLY EXCITED
No full textAuthor Institution: The James Frank Institute and, Department of Chemistry The University of ChicagoMicrowave optical double resonance lines have been observed by monitoring the fluorescence of a sample of which was irradiated with a strong microwave field. As the microwave frequency is swept through a resonance between excited state rotational levels, the spatial distribution of the fluorescence is altered and signals the absorption of microwave energy by the sample. The spectrum has been observed at both zero and finite magnetic field, and it has been shown that the microwave transitions are electric dipole transitions. The decoupling of the electron spin by a fairly weak magnetic field indicates that the molecule is bent
GŁUSI – NA MARGINESIE „ŚWIATA SŁYSZĄCYCH”
No full textThe deaf – according to the author – is from a sociological perspective the most interesting statistical cate-gory of disabled people. Some of them belong to linguistic – cultural minority known as „the Deaf world”, some are trying to be a part of the hearing section of the population, the rest is living between those two worlds. No matter which group they are identifying with, no matter when it has a place, no matter where it happens – almost all off the deaf, everywhere and always has been living beyond the margins of the hearing society. Where, or we should rather ask, who is the origin of this exclusion? The problem is not that the deaf can’t hear but that the hearing are not listening – they remain deaf for the deaf problems. The years of silent about „silent fellow citizens” build the wall made of stereotypes between the deaf and hearing worlds that cannot be easily break. Nowadays deafness, hidden in the shadows of prejudice for ages, becomes a part of our everyday life, but the deaf still remain beyond the margins of many areas of „the world of hearing”.Zdaniem autorki osoby niesłyszące to z socjologicznego punktu widzenia najciekawsza statystyczna kategoria osób niepełnosprawnych. Część z nich należy do językowo-kulturowej mniejszości nazywanej „światem Głuchych”, część pragnie być częścią słyszącej większości, pozostali żyją między tymi dwoma światami. Bez względu na to, z którą z tych grup się identyfikują, nieważne gdzie i nieważne kiedy ma to miejsce – niemalże wszyscy niesłyszący wszędzie i zawsze żyją na marginesie „świata słyszących”. Gdzie należy szukać źródeł tej sytuacji? A może raczej powinniśmy zapytać, kto jest odpowiedzialny za wykluczenie niesłyszących? Problem polega bowiem nie na tym, że głusi nie słyszą, lecz wynika z tego, że słyszący ich nie słuchają. Pozostają głusi na problemy głuchych. Lata milczenia na temat „cichych współobywateli” zbudowały mur stereotypów pomiędzy światami słyszących i niesłyszących, przez który z trudem przebijać będziemy się przez najbliższe dekady. I choć głuchota, ukryta przez wieki w cieniu uprzedzeń, staje się aktualnie oswojonym elementem codzienności, to głusi nadal są i długo pozostaną na marginesie wielu obszarów „świata słyszących”
