GoodyearÔÇÖs Road Safety ABC For Elementary Education Teachers

12.10.2015

GoodyearÔÇÖs Road Safety ABC For Elementary Education Teachers

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height:normal;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:">Tire Company Debica S.A., Goodyear Dunlop Tires Polska Sp. z o.o. and Center for Citizenship Education jointly developed a kit of teaching aids for the elementary education teachers. The kit includes but is not limited to lesson plans, games and colouring books about road safety.</span></b></p>

“Goodyear’s Road ABC” is an educational initiative, with the aim to support schools and teachers in their activities enhancing road safety of the youngest road users.

On the occasion of the National Education Day Tire Company Debica S.A. has handed over to the headmasters of primary schools and kindergartens at Debica the activity plans and other materials, dedicated to children attending Forms I – III and reception classes. The teaching aids are supposed to help teachers to add variety to classes on road safety, which are a part of the core curriculum. They are also supposed to inspire proprietary ideas for classes about road safety and road traffic rules for teachers. The lesson plans do not form compact cycle. The teacher is free to select from them individual components or implement them fully during classes.

The Goodyear's Road Safety ABC takes into account the issues of road safety and effective getting around the city. Thanks to the Goodyear’s Road Safety ABC’s teaching aids children learn not only road signs or rules of safe bicycle riding, but also, among others, practice reading comprehension, addition, subtraction or multiplication. They will also develop abstract thinking skills and will learn teamwork” – said Sylwia Żmijewska-Kwiręg, Director of the Citizenship and Economic Education Programmes at the Center for Citizenship Education.

The teaching aids were developed by the authors and experts of the Center for Citizenship Education – an independent educational institution, which has been supporting schools and teachers for more than 20 years now, takes measures to improve the quality of educational system, to propagate citizenship knowledge, to promote attitudes vital to building civic society.

“For many years now we have been strongly committed to the enhancement of road traffic safety level. Effective children education to this extent is of primary importance. We do believe that educational materials provided during the “Goodyear’s Road Safety ABC” will raise interest and in a user friendly and wise manner will help the youngsters to enter the world of road traffic and will enhance road safety at Debica” – said Stanislaw Cieszkowski, the President of Management Board of Tire Company Debica S.A.

In 2014 in Poland 2183 road accidents were recorded involving children falling into 7-14 age category of which 50 were fatalities and 2413 were injuries. The highest number of fatalities was recorded in the category of pedestrians, and the road accidents most frequently took place on weekdays (Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. These statistics prove the point how important and needed is road safety education among the students of primary schools.

The “Goodyear’s Road Safety ABC” programme is a part of the activities of Tire Company Debica S.A. run to promote education about road safety of the youngsters. For five (5) years now the Company, acting hand in hand with the Debica Townhall, has run a campaign titled “Safe Road to School”. Under the campaign each year the Company donates safety kits with reflective elements for first formers enhancing children visibility on the road after nightfall and with a colouring book promoting the road safety procedures.

The teaching aids being a part of the “Goodyear’s Road Safety ABC” package are also available on the websites at www.1klasa.edu.pl and www.debica.com.pl/konspekt_dla_szkol.

The “Goodyear's Road Safety ABC” programme comprises teaching aids such as lesson plans or activities with assignment sheets as well as colouring books, board games and jigsaw puzzles.

Road safety education that we offer in developed teaching aids is an integrated educational offer covering, among others, such areas as: maths, topography, teaching through experiments, fine arts etc. Thanks to executed assignments the students realize, among others, a need to follow road safety procedures, learn the skill of crossing the street safely, they improve their powers of observation, recognise traffic lights and develop skills of anticipating hazards.

During classes students have many opportunities to acquire skill and knowledge in selected areas, but also to develop their communication and collaboration skills, language competencies etc.

In the lesson plans and assignment sheets titled “Safe Road” (“Whether you cycle or go on foot the road has to be always safe”), the students practice how to behave safely on the road, they learn road sign and signalling informational coding through in-field assignments and exercise. Children work individually or in groups, they observe behavioural patterns of pedestrians, evaluate their safety and incorrect behaviour. The lesson plan uses also physical games and activities to identify road signs. Thanks to the colouring book attached to the lesson plan children can practice their powers of observation. The prepared teaching aids is recommended for use to teach first formers and in reception classes.

In the “Safe Town” lesson plan the students learn geometrical figures and learn how to tell difference between them and they also learn how to determine the road from one section to another.
Based on comparison of selected product prices, children calculate the best prices. An additional assignment involves making of a board game using figures learn and bike accessories. Additional assignment sheets may be used in Forms I-III.

Under the “Able Minds” scenario (“The one who has skilful ears and eyes – treads on roads bravely”, the students check what is the impact of human senses on road safety. During classes they are supposed to perform a lot of experiments with or without the involvement of the senses of hearing, sight and balance. Using their senses children observe how they can come useful in everyday activities and road safety behaviours. Thanks to colouring book children learn how to avoid dangerous situations through correct behaviour on zebra crossing and how to use bike accessories. The developed teaching aids can be used in teaching both first-formers and higher grade students (following appropriate modification).