OCTOPUS – Offering Cross-disciplinary Training for Inclusive Preparation for School Exams

In the Octopus project, we are developing a learning framework that offers an alternative alongside the traditional division into school subjects. Our goal is for learning to reflect the topics that interest and motivate young people—thereby helping them prepare for their final exams. We want to make the curriculum accessible, digestible, and enjoyable for all students, from those struggling with learning difficulties to competition winners. In creating the framework, we focus not only on the curriculum itself but also on fostering 21st-century skills such as self-reflection and critical thinking—skills that young people can rely on in life after graduation.

The framework is built on 11 mind maps that summarize the most important knowledge characteristic of different historical eras. If a student learns these keywords, they will gain an overview of the cross-era impacts and connections, and they will better understand why events happened the way they did. This structure then becomes a strong foundation on which additional knowledge can be much more easily built. However, the framework alone is not enough—we provide teachers with methodological guidance in the form of an eBook, and we are developing an online game for students that makes traveling through the eras enjoyable.

Throughout the two-and-a-half-year project, we are working together with our Polish, Greek, and Turkish partners. If you would like to follow our work, please contact our colleague, Zsuzsa Vastag, by email.