School innovation in Europe: Fostering equal chances for children from different social backgrounds by making learning more active at the Béla IV Primary School in Hejőkeresztúr

The ‘Complex Instruction Programme’ (CIP) provides equal chances for children from different social backgrounds. The method seeks to change children roles and responsibilities in active learning. CIP is based on four principles: (1) education involves a varied level of non-routine, open-end tasks to mobilise students of different abilities; (2) responsibility is shared, learners are responsible for their personal work while the group is responsible for individual achievements; (3) work is evaluated against set norms and roles; (4) hierarchy within the group - the status of the students is mobile. In addition, the school uses other innovative practices, such as a reading programme for the elementary grades where students regularly read aloud to each other in pairs, and then exchange their thoughts, and the ‘learning between generations’ programme where children draw their family trees and label each member with a special skill they have.