PROJETO FÉNIX

September 2012

Luísa Tavares Moreira

OUR SCHOOL

Number of Teachers

Elementary School – 6 to 9 years of age (1st cycle)

Middle School - 10 to 11 years of age (2nd cycle) - 12 to 14 years of age (3rd cycle)

High School – 15 to 18 years of age (secondary cycle)

Vocational education

Kindergarten School – 3 to 5 years of age

Number of Students

100

225

344

70

76

5

22

Administrative service – 12Assistance workers - 20

390

• The school is located in a rural area near the town of

Póvoa de Varzim. There is a wide variety of

socioeconomic backgrounds amongst our population.

• The school opened in 1995 and in 2003 it was

constituted as a Group of Schools named “Campo

Aberto – Beiriz”, which includes two kindergartens, four

elementary schools and the main building, with middle

and high school.

CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT• Projeto Fénix had its origin in Beiriz Group of Schools;

• The Ministry of Education included our Projeto Fénix in Programa Mais Sucesso Escolar (More School Success Programme), a governmental programme that regulates projects intended to fight against academic failure. It has given the opportunity for other schools to adopt this specific typology.

• It has been implemented countrywide in 43 schools since 2010, having the supervision of a University and the Portuguese Ministry of Education.

• Each school operates according to a four year contract which defines the increase of the success rates to 1/3 of the results in a specific grade level as an annually stipulated target .

• In order to achieve these results, schools are given a credit of 35 hours to be distributed among two grade levels (one from the 1st cycle and another from the 2nd or 3rd cycle).

• In “Projeto Educativo” (Educational Project) the educational community defines the school guide lines which are included in Projeto Fénix.

An inclusive school, guided by values, towards academic success

Decreasing academic failure

Improving results

Preventing drop outs and absenteeism

Marzano (2005) who says that “(…) school is the indicated focus for the reforms”.

PROJETO EDUCTIVO

EvaluationSuccessLearning achieveme

nts

DYNAMICSEIXO I

EIXO II

EIXO I – constitution of classes

Possible to implement in each grade level

Portuguese and Maths ≤ 3 (C/D/E grades) Low and Medium performance

Good performance Very good performance

Principle of the Relative Homogeneity

Fénix classes Non-Fénix classes

EIXO I - DYNAMICS

FÉNIX CLASSES NON FÉNIX

CLASSES

“NEST” CLASS

A B C D E

• Possibility: 1 or 2 Fénix classes; 1 or 2 “nest” classes.

This Dynamic – EIXO I – requires certain conditions:

FÉNIX

“NESTS”

- management of school timetables (mother-class and nest-class at the same time);

- physical resources ( at least an extra classroom);

- human resources (at least an extra teacher for each one of the subjects);

EXTRA TEACHER

- Team workpermanent monitoring of the students’ progress;management of the curricular planning, defining what is essential;definition of the teaching-learning strategies.

STRONG PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP

EXTRA TEACHER

• Possibility: 1 or 2 Fénix classes; 1 or 2 “nest” classes.

AB

Students with specific difficulties may punctually reinforce curricular contents by shifting from one class to another.

A

A

A

A

A

A

B

B

B

BB

B

EIXO II - DYNAMICS

This Dynamic – EIXO II – does not require the same conditions as EIXO I

It implies management of school timetables (both classes must have the same timetable), teachers’ team work and consequently a strong pedagogical leadership.

1st Cycle

45 minutes a day – Portuguese

3 times a week – Maths

2nd or 3rd Cycle

45 or 90 minutes a week – Portuguese

45 or 90 minutes a week – Maths

Students’ representationsThey considered that the implementation of Projeto Fénix, made them:

• be more motivated;• feel more willing to learn;• learn “faster” in Portuguese and Maths;• learn better in the “other subjects”.

And they also thought:

• the mobility amongst Fénix classes / Nests didn’t cause any awkwardness;

• students felt comfortable with the fact of going to the Nests when they felt learning difficulties because they could overcome them more easily;

Parents/tutors’ representations

They also considered:

• their children learn more in these classes;

• school was able to find solutions to promote all students’ learning and academic success;

• family’s involvement at school increased.

They appreciated that their children attended the Fénix classes.

• Higher self-esteem to the students and teachers;

• Better learning, mainly in Portuguese and Maths;

• Better students’ individual results;

• Parents/ tutors’ awareness that school does

everything for all students’ success;

• Greater cooperation, involvement, articulation and

professionalism of the teachers;

• Better school environment;

• Greater global success of the School.

Projecto Fénix was capable of providing:

The scope of the Project

From the 43 schools that adopted the Project in the first year, 39 were able to achieve the stipulated success targets.

At the moment we have 60 new schools which are going to implement it

School Year Number of Schools with the Project

2009/2010 45 43

2010/2011 43 43

2011/2012 43 90%

2012/2013 + 60

• The overcoming of learning difficulties in nuclear subjects, such as Portuguese and Maths;

• The importance of students´ results, but also of their progression;

• The promotion of the student’s self-esteem and the academic self- concept;

• The effective use of the pedagogical differentiation principle;

• The definition of the educational learning goals for each school year, so that the curricular contents may be worked on;

• The reduced number of students in the Nests allows a real opportunity for a teacher/student interaction and also to work on lacking basic knowledge and skills.

Strengths of the Projeto Fénix

• The logic of the Fénix organization allows new ways of pedagogical partnership and a more frequent communication amongst teachers;

• The success of the Project brings forward:

• More communication amongst the teachers and the Head Teacher/School Board;

• The decrease of dropout rates at schools where the Project is implemented;

• Greater academic demands, a better academic culture and school environment;

• The Fénix schools’ network allows the exchange of experiences and the access to pedagogical resources.

PROJETO FÉNIX

School

Family

Com

mun

ity

ALL STUDENTS

can learn more...

have the same time, with another quality of time...

No one is left behind!