Gaigalavas primary school teacher participates IN THE ERASMUS + contact seminar in Germany

Between 18 and 21 October 2018, the European Union Erasmus + National Agency for Education, Training, Youth and Sport Erasmus + National Agency for International Cooperation - Contact seminar Education for Democratic Citizenship in Erasmus + School Exchange Partnership Freiburg, Germany took place between 18 and 21 October 2018. 73 participants (teachers of general education) from 22 European countries or 2-3 participants from each country participated in the seminar. The most widely represented country was Germany, while there was only one participant in the Latvian contact seminar, Gaigalavas primary schools and Rikavas primary school teacher Ilze Kuhaļska.
The aim of the contact seminar was to bring together general-educational schools and teachers working with children aged 6-16 who would like to find cooperation partners for the development of Erasmus + KA2 strategic school exchange partnerships.
During the contact seminar, participants were given an insight into the Erasmus + School Exchange Partnership Programme KA2, providing useful information on the planning, development and implementation of partnership projects. Two projects were also presented at the contact seminar - examples of good practice from German schools, and the participants of the seminar had the opportunity to ask questions on the representation of these schools, as well as the Erasmus + and eTwinning Ambassadors in Germany. As all the participants of the seminar were teachers of general education schools, the seminar was also a great opportunity to meet colleagues from other European countries, to gain insight into their education system and work methods, which are particularly topical now that the transition to the new, competencies-based learning standard is taking place in Latvia. A very interesting conversation took place with a representative of a German school. This school does not give us the usual lessons, but the principle of “one-to-one” is respected, that means that each pupil will learn independently, by an individual plan using modern technologies (i-pad, computer), and by visiting individual counselling at a teacher or learning with a teacher. In addition, there are around 600 pupils and 55 teachers in the school.
The Contact Workshop was highly successful in providing each participant with the opportunity to find potential project partners, and working in small groups (4-6 participants from different countries), within two days, to plan the core activities of the strategic school partnership exchange project and then present the project to other participants in the contact seminar. Much more detailed and more thorough work on writing the project will take place now with all participants returning home and collaborating in their school teams. The deadline for the submission of the Erasmus + KA2 Strategic School Exchange Partnerships is 21 March 2019.
The expenditure of the contact seminar was covered by the German and Latvian Erasmus + national agencies.
Ilze Kuhaļska