National coordinator: Zane Olina
ECML consultants: Oliver Meyer, Kevin Schuck
The ECML project A Pluriliteracies Approach to Teaching for Learning event in Latvia proved to be a highly valuable experience for the core group of the subject matter experts of the project of the National Centre for Education who have begun their work on developing new competence based curricula for all school subjects. Among the participants of the workshop there were also school teachers, university lecturers, representatives of teachers’ associations and specialists of the Latvian Language Agency.
The ECML experts managed to involve everybody in the process of thinking about thinking, proving that deep learning is slow learning, making the participants think about how important it is for the teacher to be fully aware that their students have really understood the subject matter, as well as giving examples of how to make sure it has happened. During the workshop the experts, using a video of a lesson, clearly showed this process – how it goes on gradually, what actions are taken to achieve the final result, what roles the students are assigned, how they themselves witness the process of learning, how important it is for the students to reflect on their learning process and its outcomes. It does not matter what subject you study or teach, in any case its essence has to be revealed and understood.
The experts also introduced the participants) to a wealth of materials and websites on this topic for further reading, too.
The planning of the day was perfect – this was not only a presentation or a lecture – the participants were actively involved in the process, wrote their own examples, discussed them, exchanged their ideas.
The event made the participants rethink their own teaching and the methods they use. They went back to their work enriched, ready to share the ideas gained with their colleagues and to implement them in their own lessons.
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