Teaching Cartographical Skills in Different Educational Systems of EU - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 47

Fig. 4.3 Types of school system in the European Union
Different models influence learners in different ways. The model with three
periods in different schools means more changes for children. When the first period
is short, selection is too early. (The early selection process means, the children of
the largest segment of the population are underrepresented at higher schools.
Educational systems tend to reproduce traditional social structures instead of
being a vehicle of opportunity or social mobility). If the first period is longer,
foundation of teaching is better. For the last years, emphasis is on openness and
individualization of education, on the process of teaching and learning, on devel-
oping claim for learning, on improving learning abilities, on attaining active
learning strategies, on forming abilities to cooperative learning. Learning has
expanded both in space and time and it takes place more and more outside school
building. These changes need a foundation of good quality where formal schooling
is in dominant position (Lannert and M´rtonfi 2003 ).
4.3 Curriculum in European Union
The curriculum is a partly pedagogical, partly educational guidance document
which consists of general teaching and training aims, aids of didactics, offered
teaching method, lesson plans, teaching material for subjects and grades (OKM
2003 ). The aim of the curriculum for each school type is to develop subject-specific
and new competences (new competences: e.g. foreign languages, entrepreneurship,
social skills and technical culture, information and communication technology—
ICT). There are five separate areas of studying: