Local organiser: Inga Linde, Latvian Association of Teachers of English (LATE)
ECML experts: José Noijons, the Netherlands; Gábor Szábo, Hungary
Participants: 24 (teacher trainers, EFL methodological board leaders from across Latvia)
"The RELANG workshop with a focus on the module on “Alternative, continuous methods of assessment in line with the CEFR and the Companion Volume”, under the ECML-EU cooperation agreement, was held in cooperation with the Latvian Association of Teachers of English (LATE) on 13 – 15 June 2022 in Latvia.
The workshop was conducted by the ECML experts José Noijons (Netherlands) and Gábor Szábo (Hungary). 24 project participants - mostly teacher trainers and EFL methodological board leaders from all over Latvia – took part in the event.
Currently, Latvia is undergoing changes in the education system and a new competency-based curriculum is being introduced, emphasizing the introduction of the competency-based learning content and transversal skills. Therefore, the primary aim of the workshop was to raise the participants’ awareness and understanding of alternative and continuous methods of assessment, the most appropriate ways of their implementation and how to align the assessment with the CEFR and the Companion Volume.
The participants found the ECML workshop immensely beneficial. The positive environment of the workshop and the outstanding professionalism of the ECML experts was highly praised and valued by all the participants. The course content prepared the ground for numerous opportunities of group discussions and helped the teachers have a better understanding of how to develop appropriate tasks and assessment scales.
The project activities encouraged the teachers to develop a cooperation network - they will also participate in follow-up workshops. A set of materials on alternative and continuous methods of assessment that could be adapted to the needs of the EFL teachers was developed and will be presented at the LATE 30th Anniversary Conference on 17 – 18 August 2022."
Inga Linde, local organiser, 30th June 2022
ECML project website: RELANG – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2022 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"