From 2 – 6 October 2023, Daugavpils University (DU) has welcomed 16 students and 4 academic staff from Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy (Lithuania), John Paul II University in Biala Podlaska (Poland) and University of Castilla–La Mancha in Albacete (Spain) for a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Competence Development of Future Teachers for Sustainability and Cultural Literacy”.

The task of the project it presupposes development of social experience of school children not only during lessons, but also in real life; to evaluate and interpret diverse forms of creative expression, learning to understand cultural differences and building one’s own cultural identity. The content of the project will cover preparation of teachers for the implementation of the pedagogical process in school in the context of a competence – based approach: the ability of teachers to undertake a self-initiative, to plan cross-curricular integration within both one and several fields of study, by designing common topics on the sustainable preservation of cultural traditions, gaining emotional and aesthetic experience. The concept is oriented towards practice- and research-based studies, which allows young specialists with the specifics of work in the first stage of basic education (grades 1-6) already during their studies. There will be an opportunity to get acquainted with the development trends of modern society and different cultures both globally and locally, to search for a new approach in the context of cultural literacy. A new vision in education focuses on a competency-based approach towards learning content that enables teachers and students to interact with each other.

The program consisted from a virtual part that was implemented already from September 22^nd that was opened with a lecture by Raquel Bravo Marín from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain on: Basic Methodological Principles in the Teaching-Learning Process Music at the Primary Education Stage and the lecture by the project partners Dr. paed. Helena Konowaluk-Nikitin and Dr. paed. Joanna Waszczuk from John Paul II University in Biala Podlaska, Poland and by the lecture Dr. Regina Karvelienė, Deputy director for Studies at Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy and assist. prof at the Education Institute at Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy, Lithuania on Inclusive Education Through Universal Design for Learning. On September 29^th the lecture by DU cooperation partner from Bulgaria, PhD Mariana Petrova, St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, Department of Information Technologies on Digitalization of culture in the contemporary society on digital technologies to improve culture, initial and ongoing empirical work in digital media studies.

In cooperation with foreign colleagues, it was possible to determine in a short period of time how the future teacher could more effectively plan and organize the learning environment, the learning process; to manage teaching work; support and guide the learner’s learning and personal development in the context of sustainable education.

The physical part of the programme consisted from lectures and creative workshops delivered by docent Jeļena Badjanova and prof. Dzintra Iliško from Daugavpils University on Holistic approach in the promotion of professional competence. Students were engaged in interactive workshops in designing their own model of holistic education, by engaging in performing their own theatrical performance by integrating all new knowledge they have acquired during the week from 2 – 6 October. This will help new teachers to integrate into a social environment of the educational institution, as well as to motivate new teachers to implement tasks of the learning content, which include the competences of the learner, participation in the preservation of social heritage and inheritance of cultural traditions, learning in order to understand cultural differences by creating their own cultural identity.

Among the invited speakers were assoc. prof., Sergejs Čapulis who delivered a lecture on Fundamentals of a Teacher’s Professional Activity and assoc. prof. Valērijs Dombrovskis who delivered a lecture on Social-Emotional Learning.

The students had an opportunity to visit two Daugavpils city schools and analyze the experience gained by observing pedagogical process at Daugavpils Friendly Call Secondary School and Daugavpils Vienibas Basic School. The students have developed their own set of questions for the teachers of both schools.  The student and the teachers have evaluated their learning experience and very rich and useful for their further professional development.

We express our gratitude to all the staff members from the partner schools and well to the head of Daugavpils Vienibas Basic School Edite Zdanovska and the head Daugavpils Friendly Call Secondary School Kristina Ivancova for an opportunity to learn from the best experience gained in both schools. Our gratitude is to Marita Irbe who has taught the basics of Latvian dance and to the Student Council who have participated in organization of cultural part of the programme.

Special thanks are to all technical personal of Daugavpils University who made rooms comfortable for the intensive work during the whole period of mobility of international team.

Contact information:

Inese Hodanova

Project coordinator

E-mail: erasmus@du.lv

Phone: +371 65421606