Skolotāju seminārs Bradfordā pulcē 38 dalībniekus no Īrijas un Lielbritānijas

Anta Spunde | 

Latviešu nacionālā padome Lielbritānijā (LNPL) sadarbībā ar Latviešu valodas aģentūru (LVA) viesmīlīgajā Daugavas Vanagu namā Bradfordā 14. un 15. martā organizēja ikgadējo diasporas skolotāju semināru. Tajā piedalījās 38 diasporas skolotāji no Īrijas un Lielbritānijas, kopā pārstāvot 20 skolas. Semināru atklāja Latvijas Republikas vēstnieks Lielbritānijā un Ziemeļīrijā Andris Teikmanis, sveicot dalībniekus un informējot par jaunākajām vēstniecības aktualitātēm gan diasporas izglītības jomā, gan organizējot pasākumus ES prezidentūras ietvaros. Vēstnieka kungs visus klātesošos aicināja domāt par pasākumiem Lielbritānijā, kas atzīmētu Latvijas simtgadi. Ievadvārdus teica arī Latviešu valodas aģentūras direktors Jānis Valdmanis, ELA priekšsēdētājs Aldis Austers, Izglītības un zinātnes ministrijas pārstāve Zaiga Sneibe, PBLA Izglītības padomes izpilddirektore Anta Spunde un šī semināra galvenais organizators no Lielbritānijas puses Māris Pūlis (LNPL Izglītības nodaļas vadītājs un ELA izglītības referents).

Pirmo reizi diasporas skolotāju seminārā ārvalstīs piedalījās Izglītības un zinātnes ministrijas pārstāves. Savā runā Zaiga Sneibe (IZM) uzsvēra, ka viņas pārstāvētā ministrija vēlētos apzināt diasporas skolotāju problēmas, lai IZM varētu palīdzēt tās risināt.

Kā jau pierasts, semināra atklāšanai sekoja LVA diasporas projektu koordinatores Aijas Otomeres stāstījums par 2015. gadā plānoto Latvijas atbalstu izglītībai diasporā. Kā svarīgākie tika minēti no 28.-30.jūlijam plānotie diasporas skolotāju kursi Latvijā, kā arī no 10.-15. augustam plānotā diasporas un reemigrējušo bērnu vasaras nometne. Abu pasākumu norises vietas pašlaik vēl nav zināmas, jaunumiem var sekot līdzi LVA mājaslapā www.valoda.lv.

Skolotāju interesi raisīja VISC (Valsts izglītības un satura centrs) speciālistes Antas Lazarevas stāstījums un prezentācija, kas bija balstīta uz LVA izstrādāto latviešu valodas apguves programmu 10-12 gadus veciem bērniem, tādējādi nododot apspriešanai programmas fragmentus un mācību materiālus. Skolotājiem bija konkrēti ieteikumi un jautājumi, kas, kā atzina Lazarevas kundze, noteikti palīdzēs programmas pilnveidošanā, jo tikai sadarbojoties var nonākt pie vislabākā rezultāta. Sarunās tika uzsvērta nepieciešamība latviešu valodas apguves programmu veidot atbilstoši bērna līmenim, nevis vecuma grupai un augsti vērtēta iespēja piedalīties radītā materiāla apspriešanā. Ļoti tiek gaidīta arī valodas apguves programma 13-14 gadus veciem bērniem, kas esot jau izstrādāta un drīzumā būšot pieejama LVA mājas lapā, protams, papildināta ar mācību un metodiskajiem materiāliem.

Kā novitāte diasporas kursu programmā tika iekļauts pārskats par veidiem kā tiek veikta valsts (latviešu) valodas prasmes pārbaude bērniem un jauniešiem, kas latviešu valodu apguvuši nesaistīti ar kādu konkrētu valodas apguves programmu. Vēlāk tika runāts par prasībām augstskolu reflektantiem un iespējām kārtot neatkarīgo latviešu valodas eksāmenu. Tēma izraisīja daudz jautājumu un pārdomu,parādot, ka šis jautājums ir ļoti aktuāls tiem diasporas jauniešiem, kas vēlas atgriezties Latvijā un turpināt savu izglītību kādā no Latvijas augstākās izglītības iestādēm. Acīmredzot, nepieciešama plašāka informatīva kampaņa par šo tēmu, jo iespēju nepārzināšana jauniešus attur no piedāvāto iespēju izmantošanas. Lazarevas kundze norādīja, ka VISC ir gatavs palīdzēt un ir atvērts sadarbībai.

Par radošu latviešu valodas apguvi pirmsskolā un sākumskolā stāstīja LVA speciāliste Ērika Pičukāne, kuras prezentācija tika ļoti gaidīta un augstu novērtēta, it īpaši no to skolotāju puses, kuri strādā ar paša jaunākā vecuma bērniem.

Semināra laikā katra skola stāstīja par saviem jaunumiem, vadīja meistarklases, pārrunāja labās prakses piemērus, diskutēja par problēmām, ieteica risinājumus, apskatīja jaunākos mācību un metodiskos līdzekļus, kā arī darba grupās kopīgi radīja ideālo diasporas izglītības sistēmu, tādējādi pavadot divas aizrautīgas, iedvesmojošas un saturā bagātas semināra dienas.

 

 

Is this the dawn of Latvian e-services?

Arnis Gross | 

The e-signature was officially introduced in Latvia more than 8 years ago (see Is Latvia ready for e-signatures?), but has remained stagnant for most of these years. Recent developments including the major redesign of the Latvija.lv government services portal as well as a recent video campaign featuring “Suitu sievas” (which has already gone viral in the social networks) to promote more than 200 e-services may be a sign that things are about to change.

My first experience with e-services about a month ago was totally unexpected. As a Latvian citizen currently residing in Australia I had to track down a bill which was supposedly mailed to a Riga address, but got lost in the process. Dreading the reaction that I would receive from ringing yet another bureaucrat at the Riga City Council I was instead greeted by a helpful person who not only provided all the necessary details, but also suggested that I go to e-pakalpojumi.lv to retrieve all future bills electronically. Hesitant at first, I decided to give it a go. Five minutes later I was already finalizing the payment of the bill on my computer many thousands of kilometers away from any of the Riga City Council offices.

If you are a Latvian citizen you may be curious as to what data is being held about you by the various government agencies. Go to Latvija.lv and search for “mani dati” (or click on the English version and search for “my data”) and choose from a host of databases including individual and passport details, property ownership, registered pets, outstanding fines as well as a list of application forms. Over a 100 more e-services will be introduced in the coming months. In order to access these services you will need to authenticate yourself within the system using your Latvian bank details or by using the eID (electronic ID card).

If you have had to renew your Latvian passport in recent years you would also have been offered the eID card. Estonians have had these cards for a number of years and being the size of a credit card they are a convenient alternative to carrying your passport when travelling within the EU or if you require further identification at various government institutions and service providers.

eID

The eID also comes with 120 free e-signatures. What this means is that you can digitally sign a document from wherever in the world and avoid the hassles and expense of a notary lawyer. In practice however, it is still not quite there in the usability stakes. First off you will need a card reader. Secondly you need a Windows, Macintosh, or Unix computer to download the “eParakstītājs 3.0” software. Thirdly you will need to dig out both the PIN1 and PIN2 codes that were issued with your eID card. And lastly you need to ensure that the receiving party accepts a digitally signed document. A new virtual e-signature option has become available, but then you no longer need your eID card, as authentication occurs via your bank login details.

My eID card was issued nearly two years ago and the e-signature facility is about to expire in June. I am still trying to find out how to extend this, but I keep going around in circles when visiting the website.

With the relaunch of Latvija.lv and the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU highlighting e-government and e-Europe as a priority we should see more widespread adoption of the eID card. But we have some catching up to do: 90% of Estonia’s 1.3 million residents have active eID cards and they are already using their eID in new and innovative ways: as a national health insurance card, a pre-paid public transport ticket in Tallinn and Tartu, for digital document signing, internet voting that allows voters to cast their ballots from any internet-connected computer and for picking up e-prescriptions.

Get with the program: Latvian schools today

Mara Gulens | 

“Change is good,”* wrote Latvian poet Janis Rainis. More precisely: “Change is necessary for survival.”

So who would have thought that the Latvian National Federation in Canada Latvian School Teachers’ Seminar held in Toronto this February – primarily for schools of third-generation Latvian immigrant children – could still get emotionally stuck in the language versus culture debate? Fortunately seminar participants were able to come together to embrace new teaching methods and tools.

First the facts

So much has changed since Latvian diaspora schools opened their doors 70 years ago. Third-generation immigrant children have a wider scope of activities – hockey, dance and skiing are reasons to skip class. Latvia is accessible. We have the Internet. And most diaspora Latvian kids don’t speak, read or understand Latvian. Nor do their parents.

Elita Petersone, Education Chair of the LNAK (Latvian National Federation in Canada), kicked off the one-day seminar with findings from a spring 2014 survey of Canadian Latvian schools.

Daina Gross, PBLA Education Council member from Australia, touched on findings from another survey, which she presented at the PBLA (World Federation of Free Latvians) Diaspora Conference in Riga in October 2014. The survey of Latvian school graduates found that the majority of 300 respondents valued Latvian school experiences primarily for geography, history and friendship-building, while language took second place. Respondents also said family and community were more important than schools for building awareness.

Daina Gross deepened the understanding of the current global Latvian school situation with the following findings:

  • There are currently 100 Latvian “weekend” schools outside of Latvia (Europe (70), USA (19), Canada (6), Australia (6)). Many of the schools operate every other week; some are not held in Latvian.
  • 26 of the schools in Europe were founded after 2012. Conversely, all the diaspora schools in Australia and North America were founded in the 1950’s (there were 70 Latvian schools in the USA in the 1960’s).
  • About 2,000 kids attend weekend schools worldwide (Europe (1,200), North America (650), Australia (150)). In Europe only about 10% of recent emigre children attend Latvian schools.
  • The number of kids per school ranges from six in Würzburg, Germany to 50 in Reykjavik and Stockholm.

Then what. So what

For some, the stats are a downer. “We’re worried about what’s happening to the Latvian language,” said one teacher at the Toronto seminar. For others they’re just reality and language loss is not considered a deterrent. “Anyone can be an ambassador to Latvia,” said one teacher.

I initially heard about these facts and figures back in the fall when our Toronto Latvian School Valodina had sunk to an all-time low. We had no principal, no desire to really be there anymore, and what do you do with a tiny school that’s shrunk to 11 students?

Daina Gross’ stats provided a group of parents with a much-needed kick-start. Compared to six kids, Valodina’s group of 11 didn’t seem so tiny anymore. Europe was blossoming with new weekend Latvian schools. If Valodina’s current model wasn’t working, why not change it? Some parents even considered renaming the school “Valodina 2.0,” except that Valodina was founded on the principle of change, which the group had obviously lost sight of.

Four months later, Valodina’s head count is up from 11 to 14, feedback is enthusastic, and the team of parents is considering ways to reach other kids in the community who might appreciate the Valodina model.

Together and apart

In fact the group of 30 educators gathered at the Toronto seminar represented a broad spectrum of thinking. Participants included:

  • Proponents of standardized Latvian language tests (absolutely necessary when language levels are so extreme, said Andra Zommere, Head of the Schools Sector of the American Latvian Association).
  • A school that meets on an ad hoc basis only if everyone wants to.
  • A school built on the vision that culture can only grow from language.
  • A school developing around Latvian-as-a-Second-Language needs.

The diverse seminar group was united by three key presentations, which provided participants with tools to do the work, regardless of leanings. Participants learned that:

  1. What’s going on around the world is relevant to everyone. Daina Gross’ presentation reiterated that change is global and that we can learn from one another. There’s an increasing number of resources available from Latvia on the Internet. Many schools are dealing with the same issues – we need to share resources and stories.
  2. Teaching LSL (Latvian as a Second Language) makes sense when Latvian is a second language. Aija Mazsile is a Toronto teacher with 20 years experience teaching ESL (English as a Second Language). Mazsile’s ESL bag of tricks is great for teaching Latvian, which is something Latvian teachers who aren’t in the LSL-reality-headspace might consider getting acquainted with. Inquiry-based learning is the key to engagement.
  3. There’s more to teaching than books. Tech-guru Arnis Gross from Australia rounded out the day with a presentation of apps, iPad miracles and various Internet sites, such as Maci un macies that bring learning into the 21st century.

One example of change: Toronto Valodina’s kick-start

For ideas on what changes can be made, here’s what Valodina did to make the school more appealing:

  1. Classes are now held every other Friday and start half-an-hour later. That’s a big change from the way Valodina has operated for 37 years, but it gives everyone an extra 30 minutes to make it through Friday-night traffic, and removes the stress of having to make the weekly trip.
  2. An engaging group workshop is held at the beginning of each evening. With just over a dozen kids, activities can still begin even if a few students are missing.
  3. Workshops always have new themes, are run by guests (preferably Valodina grads), and aim to inspire. Kids have painted Latvian symbols on mugs, learned to play Novuss, and built model Latvian homesteads. In a few weeks Valodina will be running Iron Chef: Pirags.
  4. Kids are split into classes by age, not language ability. Valodina doesn’t have enough kids to separate by age anymore, and history and geography can easily be taught in English. In addition, kids need the opportunity to develop friendships independent of their language abilities; speakers and non-speakers have been segregated for too long.
  5. Valodina really makes use of social media. Valodina’s Vardi un burti blog functions as the school journal. The school also has a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and key info is posted on the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre’s site.

*“Pastāvēs, kas pārvērtīsies.”