INNOVATIONS IN SCHOOLS: BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Modern times create new challenges for education. The world around us undergoes very dynamic changes, which makes it difficult to predict what it will look like in a few years’ time. The main responsibility of educational institutions is to prepare the next generation of young people for life in an unknown future. Children are eager to go to modern schools that could teach them to rely on their own potential, believe in their own abilities, cope with difficult situations and solve complex problems. There is an overwhelming need for cooperation between science centers and cultural institutions.The present paper begins with the characteristics of basic assumptions underlying humanistic psychology and constructivism. This is followed by the advantages of problem-based, i.e., affective and project methods, after which the authors outline a variety of innovative initiatives that may support autonomous learning and creativity as well as emotional and social development of pupils. In this paper innovation is understood as a change contributing to a positive social effect associated with improving the functioning of an educational institution. Its implementation is intended to prepare young people for work on their own comprehensive development.