School of Values: The Democratic School

Authors: Silvia-Dana Bogdan & Natalia-Maria Duruș

Publication: iCercetare Initiative, (2025, May 21 and zenodo.org (2025, July 8)

ISBN 978-973-0-42101-9, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15834609

Our article joins the efforts to promote democratic culture and civic citizenship in Romanian schools. The article proposes a comprehensive school approach based on interaction and democratic values. The qualitative analysis highlights the pedagogical practices and practices of the teaching community (primary, middle, and high school teachers), namely connecting practices, responding practices, observing practices, and practices of (re)cognizing students' needs, contributing to a better understanding of the values of democratic, innovative, and digital schools.

School of Values: Challenge-Based Learning

Authors: Silvia-Dana Bogdan & Natalia-Maria Duruș

Publication: Revista Educația 21, Department of Education Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (open access) and zenodo.org (2025, October 8)

ISBN 978-973-0-42826-1 from October 7, 2025

https://zenodo.org/records/17297805

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17297805

Our article investigates how professionals preparing to become trainers for the "School of Values" association engage in the learning process through simulation-based training. Anchored in Engeström's (2002) four questions about learning—who learns, why, what, and how—the study focuses specifically on how trainers learn by performing a "type of activity" (Gajo & Mondada 2002) in simulated environments. Drawing on Goffman’s performance theory and Hymes’ SPEAKING model, the research analyzes data from a simulation-based learning activity conducted in January 2025 as part of the Civic Digital Incubator project. Using conversation analysis (Sacks et al. 1974), the article explores how participants coordinate roles, manage interactional cues, and shift from natural to performative conversation. The results show that learning is performative because simulation promotes role-taking, emotional engagement, and collaborative meaning-making, with pedagogical implications for trainer education. The study concludes with practical recommendations for structuring simulations to support professional identity development, peer learning, and interactional competence in educational settings.

Școala democratică: Învățarea bazată pe provocări

Autori: Silvia-Dana Bogdan & Natalia-Maria Duruș

Publicație: în curs de apariție Dec 2025

Our article identifies the key elements of the challenge-based learning ecosystem by analyzing three case studies: APPLE - Water Challenge (2008), Vesuvius Challenge (2023 and ongoing), and "Everyone's Story" Challenge (School of Values, Technical Career Academy, 2023-2024). The article proposes directions for using this practice in a learning context, ultimately highlighting the values that emerge from this type of interaction.