Positive experience OF THE “Erasmus +” programme in Rēzekne municipality AT Kaunatas secondary school
More recently, THE VIAA Erasmus + and Comenius programmes AT Kaunatas secondary school associate mostly with teachers and pupils' mobility to EU partner countries with a view to familiarisation with the experience of foreign schools and sharing their way through the expansion of English-language communication. But in this year OF school, Kaunatas secondary school teachers gained new experience: 2016 THE Kaunatas High School Administration, in cooperation with the Teacher's team, wrote and presented THE project “Developing creativity and entrepreneurial capacity in secondary schools” under THE “Erasmus +” programme K1.
Upon receipt of the project approval, the school started implementation of the project, and in the time period from September 2016 to December 2016, five Kaunatas secondary school teachers – Skaidrīte Uzulina, Evita Cairiaa, Marina Atiechenkova, League of League, and Inara Paramonova – achieved new, innovative, excellent experience in professional development, visiting international further education courses within the framework of the project “Erasmus +“ Nr 2016-1-LV01-KA101-022510 “development of creativity and entrepreneurship in secondary schools” in Cyprus, Spain and Slovenia.
Returning to each of the project's mobility participants, they shared their experiences with their colleagues. Following the implementation of all teachers' mobility, an 8 academic hour programme “Developing creativity and entrepreneurial capacity” was established and co-ordinated with the Rēzekne municipality. The aim of the course programme was to introduce teachers with the latest pedagogical approaches to the development of creativity and entrepreneurship in pupils, sharing experience gained through the attendance of international continuing education courses on the topic “development of creativity and entrepreneurship in secondary schools” within the framework of the Erasmus + project “Erasmus +” Nr 2016-1-LV01-022510.
On February 24, 2017, the professional development courses of educators “development of creativity and entrepreneurial capacity” were acquired by 26 Kaunatas secondary school teachers. During the course of professional development courses, teachers recognized 9 leadership styles through 3 intelligent dimensions – body, mind, heart; historic development of socio-emotional competence theory, the essence of the socially emotional competence of leaders. The teachers had an idea of the Spanish education system, the structured learning and the cultural historical dimension of Spain. Learned self-learning strategies that can be used in the process of developing foreign language skills. In working groups, teachers learned the principles of building business projects for the development of students' entrepreneurial skills, teachers met the basic principles of public speech and feedback in the context of an inspiring learning process.
Course lessons were entered BY Kaunatas High School Director Skaidrīte Uzulina, who visited international continuing education courses “Intelligent LeaderSHIP - Use Enneagram to Bring out the Best inYourself” (“Voluntary Leadership-Ennegram”) in the Cypriot city of Limassol. The director presented the teachers with the theory of the Middle East philosophy. During the course of the activity, teachers sought to recognize their style of leadership through a description of its expression. Teachers were given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the influence of each of the leaders on the environment, to meet its strengths and weaknesses.
In the course of his work, the English-language teacher Marina Atiečenkova presented his experience with the experience gained in the Spanish city of Malaga, where mobility “Structured Study Visit & Training seminar”(“structured school visits and training seminar”) the teacher recognized the structure of the Spanish education system. Within five days, the teacher visited various Spanish schools, both public and private. The teacher acknowledged that the education systems of Spain and Latvia were relatively similar. However, as the most important difference, she mentioned the sensitive treatment of pupils in Spanish schools. For example, if a student has come to school in a bad mood, he is not admitted to the training, but is accompanied by a library where the pupil's emotional status is improved until the pupil can return to the learning process. The teacher in Spanish schools is positioned as a consultant, supporter. There is a teacher assistant in each class. They are usually teachers who do not only help organize work in an hour but also gain pedagogical experience. All the latest technologies are available for pupils, especially for private schools.
In both groups and individual course participants, they gained insight into English-language self-learning strategies, which the Latvian language teacher Inara Paramonova had learned in continuing education courses “Selflearning Strategies - a Guide to Becoming an Autonomous Learner of English” (“self-learning strategy-guide to become an independent English learner”) in the Cypriot city of Limassol. The English-language self-learning strategies are based on their work and time planning and are used for learning any foreign language. One of the most important guidelines for self-learning strategy – to set clear reasons for the need for language learning, motivation, motivation, and perceive language as a whole.
Today business is not conceivable without foreign language knowledge. This, through the empirical approach, was demonstrated by the League of Housing Teacher's League, sharing experience gained in continuing education courses “Teaching Entrepreneurship” (“teaching methods”) in the capital of Slovenia in Ljubljana. Kaunatas teachers are familiar with business project and business plan differences and basic principles through practice. During the lessons, the teacher shared the influence of active work during the course of international courses in Slovenia, the ideas gained, the different, creativity of entrepreneurship, demonstrated by colleagues from other countries.
At the end of the course, everyone had the opportunity to listen to the lessons learnt from the primary school teacher Evita Cairih in the continuing education courses “Train the Inspiring teacher-Permission to be Yourself” (“learn to be an inspiring teacher-look at yourself”) in the Cypriot city of Limassol, where she had the opportunity to explore the basic principles of inspired learning through the groups, to develop knowledge and skills in teaching and learning strategies, to explore the social styles of Karen Horni, to practise public speech skills, to share their experiences and to explore international experience in the organisation of inspiring learning.
Thanks to the various forms of learning, the experience gained in the innovative psychology and pedagogy guidelines and the experience of learning mobility participants, Kaunatas high school teachers expanded and improved their professional knowledge and skills, encouraging further work.
It should be noted that the working language in all international training courses was an English language that serves as a testament to the competences of colleagues and encourages other teachers to learn English, which is carried out by 15 teachers in THE Kaunatas secondary school this year, visiting English-language teachers under the guidance of Marina Aminchenkova with the financial support of the Erasmus + project.
As a result OF the opportunities offered by THE Erasmus + programme, Kaunatas high school teachers expanded their knowledge, acquired new knowledge, improved their professionalism and implemented the objectives of the project. The beneficiaries of the project are both Kaunatas secondary school teachers and, of course, pupils, as the lessons learnt will be used by teachers in the learning process.
In the month of April, courses are planned FOR Kaunatas secondary school secondary schools on leadership and business organisation, development, business project and business plan development. Not only secondary school students, also IN THE spring OF Kaunatas secondary school students will be offered the opportunity to become acquainted with the project's benefits. But in the near future, the courses of the professional development programme “Creation and entrepreneurial capacity” of teachers will be invited by teachers of Rezekne municipality.
Inara Paramonova
Photo: Guna Savicka
