CREATION OF A CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WITH MUSIC ROOM (SPILARI CLUB)

Early school leaving has been viewed by Baross Gábor Mechanical and Transport Engineering School in Szeged (South-East of Hungary) as a strategic issue for years; the school tries to exploit every possible formal and informal tool to cut back the number of students dropping out of school before obtaining their qualification.

One of the main motifs of the solution is to create a pleasant school climate that encourages students to take a positive attitude to learning and to the school.

To that end, the school is creating a conducive learning environment to promote student engagement: to arouse students’ interest in learning and boost their curiosity about the world. The Spilari Club is an element in this endeavour: a special soundproofed audio and music room, which was created from an existing classroom. Financing was obtained from a grant.

On this venue, teachers are able to deliver classes that require special media support. In addition, the room is equipped with various musical instruments. The music room sparked great interest among Roma students – who are at the highest risk of dropping out –, so much so that a music band has been formed comprising students who are interested in music or able to play instruments already. Belonging in a community and understanding that they, too, can have a sense of achievement generated a positive change in students’ behaviour and motivation. It has happened in the past that a student was about to drop out but playing music provided a motivation to change his mind and improve his overall performance at school.

Functioning as a club, the Spilari room is a venue for regular sessions: students are given an opportunity to spend time and chat with their teachers while watching movies or having discussions, which is a useful way to motivate students and encourage them to learn.