Educators of Rezekne municipality share experience with global education success stories

In June, the Rēzekne municipality's pre-school and primary school teachers entered into professional competence development courses in the field of development and global education. 48-hour continuing education training programme “Global Schools: EYD 2015” (No. DCI-NSAED/2014/1#188450345#) was chaired by the experienced Lectores Ingoin Irabite and Dina Ziemele.

The training started on 25 February 2016, when teachers were informed of global education and global development, sustainable lifestyles, safe food, social justice and other issues. Lectures continued on a regular basis until 6 June of that year, with experience and success stories of the methods and examples of the teaching of global education in the educational institutions of Rezekne.

“We are trying to integrate global education themes into the learning process”, “with their experience, Silmalas of the head of the pre-school education institution Yelena.“ In the spring we had a beat on the burning of a cake — at first we saw the animals and insects living in the meadow, but then we had an experiment — in a small container we burned the grass. ”When the cup was burned, the children with Magnifier examined whether there were any traces of life in the ashes.“ Of course it wasn't, so the kids could learn what the burn was about. ”

In other educational establishments, children had the opportunity to pass a life cycle for glass bottles, exotic fruit, as well as water, learning where water could be found, which still requires water and how to beat water. “At first, we studied with pupils in theory that we can and must not do in the vicinity of the water, but we later went to the lake,” said the teacher Ivars Rjabowski from Nautrēnu High School. “At the lake, one dad gave a boat and lifejackets so that children in life can check the previously taught and feel, on their own skin, how uncertain it feels when someone walks on a boat or rocks it. In future, children will certainly be cautious! 'On the other hand, THE children of THE Ozolaines pre-school educational institution were learning how to save water:“ we did an experiment — while one little Skipper cleaned his teeth at a cut-off waterway, the other was doing the same thing at an open waterway. ”At the end, we all measured how much water dragged off just because we didn't turn the water-run,“ says Valentin Malisheva. ”

In the meantime, a modern method was discovered at Feimaņu primary school, as a teacher at some time, the largest enemy – mobile phone – to be a friend and involved in the learning process: “In Helovine by school there were folded pages with QR codes. The pupils scanned images with mobile phones and then opened our prepared information on Heligoline marking traditions in the Internet browser. At the end of the day, the knowledge of the pupils was tested in the quiz,” said Inita Otikova.

“The teachers of pre-school educational institutions will agree that there is a lot of gloves that have lost“ brothers ”every winter. We thought that these lonely gloves could be converted into unusual gloves, Sunshine, kites and other animals,“ Aija Ruhmane from Rezekne discovered her experience. ”Aija tells me that there are a wide range of other materials used in the work, including candy papers for colleges.“ The kids are only four to five years old, but they're going to show each other now if someone is doing environmentally-friendly things, such as a candy paper that might be used for a second time, thrown out in a garbage. ”

“One of the global educational slogans is“ not too late but never too early, ”said Lectore Ingoin.“ The fact that it is never too early to talk about global education issues is also confirmed in life when children of three to four years of age formed a complex Latvian coat of arms in their own hands, learning that each country has its own basic symbols. ”

By gathering experience stories, the lecturer acknowledged: “your ideas and methods have confirmed the motto of global education:“ living better – in a better world! ”“ The success stories of global education are based on practical, day-to-day life-related tasks, competitions, games, or some intrigue element, and much, much creativity from the pedagogical side, ”

In general, courses were attended by teachers from 24 schools in Rezekne. Teachers who participated in training will, in the future, be able to be a lecturer at their own school, transferring their knowledge, working methods and ideas to their colleagues. It should be noted that following the activities of the project “Global Schools: EYD 2015”, on 25 August a seminar of professional development courses for teachers will be held at the centre of Luban Lake on 25 August with the participation of project experts.

Madara Burtina,
Public relations specialist of the municipality of Rezekne
Intas Ozolenta photo

This project is financed by the support of the European Commission. This publication reflects only the opinions of the author and the Commission cannot be liable for any possible use of the information contained therein.