Project for Social Learning

Project for Social Learning in School and Society

1. History of the project

"Let us possess things in common; for birth is ours in common. Our relations with one an-other are like a stone arch, which would collapse if the stones would not mutually support each other, and which is upheld in this very way."

As a committee of the German Bishops` Conference we chose these words of the Roman philosopher Seneca as a guideline for a project in social learning. We could not have known then, that ten years later we would be presenting this highly successful model to an interna-tional jury on ancient Roman ground.

What caused us as a group of people responsible for Catholic schools in Germany to focus on this particular aspect in education? After having experienced students and parents we were all convinced that there was an urgent need for the schools to awaken and stabilise the social sensibility of our youth. To put it in simple terms: to develop the capability of young people not only to focus on themselves but also to become aware of people around them, to observe and to listen to what they need. It was clear to us that we could not succeed without the parents` help.

We quickly put together a concept, found schools and social institutions to test it and in-stalled a scientific research group to evaluate it. The immediate acceptance confirmed to us the words of Victor Hugo: "Nothing in this world is as powerful as an idea, whose time has come."

Dr. Adolf Weisbrod, the previous director of the private Catholic schools (Schulstiftung) of the Archdiocese of Freiburg in Baden, the person we consider to be the spiritual father of COM-PASSION, will now talk about the significance of this project.


2. Significance of the project


In carrying out our project we followed the plausible postulates of two philosophers:
1. "Observe - and you will know!" (Hans Jonas) 2. "Try to understand your neighbour as yourself!" (Georg Gadamer)

A large number of young people grow up as only children, in part in a single parent family, and they don`t experience the socialisation within a larger family. School is the only institu-tion, which all future members of our society go through. Young people spend between 12 and 13 years in school, and these years are during the part of their lives in which their char-acters are most likely to be influenced. Previously some schools had provided for their stu-dents "social practica" in hospitals, senior citisens` centers, schools for special education etc. The impressions and insights of these practica did not leave a lasting effect, because they were not discussed and evaluated afterwards in classroom.

The main elements of our concept are:

a) All students in grades 10 and 11, who are 16, 17 or 18 years old, have to participate
b) The practicum lasts at least two weeks.
c) In the months following the practicum the teachers incorporate the experiences of the practicum, which have often been emotionally intense, into their present teaching material.
Our theory states: By incorporating the experiences of the practica into the regular teaching process we help to sustain the impressions and insights gained. We do this in the following steps: confrontation - emotion - information - reflection - insight - position - action.

The scientific evaluation convincingly verified our theory.

COMPASSION has been tested in all Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Freiburg (in the state Baden-Württemberg) for which I was responsible as well as in some public schools. We began by consulting the students` parents, the teachers, by contacting social institutions and by informing the students.

COMPASSION has been highly regarded by all media as well as the students (as can be seen in the written practica report).
Mr. Scherer, my successor as director of the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Freiburg, will talk about the results of the scientific evaluation.

3. Scientific evaluation of the project and the consequences


In 1996 the conference of the German Secretaries of Education recognised our initiative as a pilot project and together with the State of Baden-Württemberg and the Archdiocese of Freiburg they financed 250.000 Euro for the scientific research and evaluation. Professor Lothar Kuld and his team of the Hochschule Karlsruhe summerized the following result of their research:

- Incorporating the experiences of the practica into the regular teaching process signifi-cantly secured the impressions and insights gained.
- It is essential for all students of a particular grade or form to take part in the practicum.
- The sense of identity and responsibility of the students was enhanced.
- The atmosphere and cooperation in class and within the scholl essentially improved as well as the atmosphere and behaviour withing the family.

The Minister President and the Secretary of Education of our state of Baden-Württemberg have publicly expressed the wish, that in the future the project COMPASSION be carried out in as many public schools as possible. Parents, teachers and students are becoming in-creasingly interested in the project. This interest is supported and encouraged by the media. Hundreds of schools and thousands of students in Germany and Austria have already had experience with the project. One student, e.g., wrote: "In my years of Gymnasium I was con-fronted with an infinite amount of learning material; most of it I will soon forget. The experi-ences I made in these two weeks will always remain in my memory." Student representatives themselves demand that the state government does more to encourage the social sensibility of the students. Parents` Organisations consistently invite us to present this project to them.


"One person is no person" (Karl Popper)

COMPASSION may contribute to an increasing sense of social responsibility in today`s Ego-Society.

A society in which people care for each other in the goal of COMPASSION.