ALA Izglītības nozares 2014-15 gada projekts – valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumi

Andra Zommers | 

Gadu gājumā ALA Izglītības nozare ir kalpojusi ASV latviešu skolām, veidojot mācību materiālus, gatavojot un aprakstot mācību mērķus un rīkojot skolotāju konferences. Līdz šim skolas gadu beigās 7. un 8. klases skolēni ir rakstījuši ALA pārbaudījumus, kuros ticis noteikts, vai skolēni sekmīgi sasnieguši nospraustos mācību mērķus. Pa šiem gadiem notikušas arī plašas pārrunas par to, ka skolēnu valodas līmenis ir mainījies un ka tagad skolu programmai būtu jāatbilst dažādiem valodas līmeņiem. 2012. gada pavasarī ALA skolotāju konferencē izskanēja lūgums Izglītības nozarei veidot specifiskus valodas pārbaudījumus, kas noteiktu katra skolēna latviešu valodas prasmes līmeni. Prasības pamatojums: ar šādu informāciju skolas spētu efektīvāk veidot mācību grupas (ņemot vērā atšķirīgas skolēnu vajadzības), programmas un piemeklēt attiecīgus mācību materiālus.

Tika veikts izpētes darbs un apzināti jau esošie latviešu valodas pārbaudījumi. Par ASV latviešu skolu vajadzībām piemērotāko tika atzīts jau vairākus gadus pastāvošais Eiropas valodas portfelis (EVP). EVP ir standartizēta valodas apguves līmeņa vērtēšanas sistēma Eiropas Savienības valstīs, kas nosaka personas dažādu valodu prasmi, iedalot to sešos līmeņos. Izmantojot EVP, Eiropā valdošajā daudzvalodu un atšķirīgo izglītības sistēmu vidē Eiropas universitātes var noteikt ārvalstu studētgribētāja valodas līmeni, iestājoties studiju programmā, vai Eiropas institūcijas un uzņēmēji var noteikt un adekvāti izvērtēt potenciālā darba ņēmēja valodas līmeni. Izmantojot šādus valodas pārbaudījumus ASV latviešu skolu kontekstā, skolotāji iegūst vajadzīgo informāciju skolēnu mācīšanai un izaugsmes vērtēšanai. Svarīgākais aspekts ir paša skolēna iespēja apzināties valodas prasmju līmeņus un turpināt sekot to izaugsmei un attīstībai, kopā ar skolotājiem un vecākiem nosakot valodas apguves mērķus.

Vairāk par EVP, tā izmantošanu un iespējām var uzzināt http://maciunmacies.valoda.lv/valodas-apguves-limenis.

Lai labāk saprastu, kāpēc tiek veidoti latviešu valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumi, nedaudz jāatgriežas ASV latviešu skolu vēsturē. 2013. gada pavasarī diemžēl vairs tikai puse ASV skolu kārtoja ALA pārbaudījumus. Pēc skolotāju sniegtās informācijas, lielākais šķērslis pārbaudījumu kārtošanā bija skolēnu atšķirīgais vai nepietiekamais latviešu valodas līmenis. Tāpēc Izglītības nozare, uzklausot skolotāju vēlmi saprast, kā skolēniem vislabāk palīdzēt, nolēma veidot valodas prasmju pārbaudījumus. Tie noteikti neaizstāj līdz šim izmantotos ALA pārbaudījumus, bet ir palīglīdzeklis skolotājiem darbā, lai veidotu un noturētu vienmērīgāku valodas līmeni visiem skolēniem. Nākotnē ceram, ka, mērķtiecīgi strādājot, skolēni atkal sasniegtu tādu valodas prasmes līmeni, lai pēc iespējas vairāk bērnu varētu rakstīt ALA pārbaudījumus.

Skolotāju darbs latviešu skolās nav viegls. Visu cieņu tiem daudzajiem latviešiem, kas veltījuši laiku un pūles mūsu jaunajai paaudzei! Izglītības nozare apzinās, ka tai jādara viss iespējamais, lai sniegtu šiem skolotājiem atbalstu viņu svētīgajā darbā. Skolotājiem ir svarīgi zināt skolēnu valodas prasmes līmeņus un vērot skolēnu valodas izaugsmi. Novērtējot skolēna valodu pa atsevišķām prasmēm − lasītprasmi, runātprasmi, klausīšanās prasmi un rakstītprasmi, skolotājam ir skaidrs, kurā no tām skolēnam nepieciešams vairāk palīdzības, lai aizpildītu valodas robus un sekmētu pilnvērtīgu valodas attīstību. Izvērtējot pārbaudījumu rezultātus, skolotāji var attiecīgi pielāgot un individualizēt metodes un materiālus, lai dotu skolēnam maksimāli daudz iespēju uzlabot valodu. Skolēni kopā ar skolotājiem var nospraust konkrētus valodas attīstības mērķus un nākamajā skolas gadā vai citā noteiktā laika posmā censties tos sasniegt. Katrs nākamais skolotājs var izmantot iegūto informāciju turpmākai efektīvai darbībai, tādējādi nodrošinot skolēna mācīšanās procesa nepārtrauktību un vienmērīgu attīstību.

Mācoties latviešu valodu tikai sestdienas un svētdienas skolās, laika gaitā ir pierādījies, ka nepieciešama no Latvijas skolās izmantotās vai ASV skolās trimdas sākuma gados izveidotās atšķirīga metodika. Jāpiegriež vērība arī piemērotu materiālu izvēlei, kuri situācijas sarežģītības dēļ atšķirtos no līdz šim lietotajiem vai Latvijā izdotajiem līdzekļiem dzimtās valodas apguvei. Pieredze liecina, ka ASV latviešu skolās jāizmanto metodika un materiāli, kas drīzāk atbilst latviešu valodas kā otrās valodas vai mantotās valodas apguvei. Izmantojot otrās/mantotās valodas metodiku un pārbaudījumus, ir iespējams panākt tikpat labus vai pat labākus rezultātus valodas apguvē. Liela nozīme ir arī valodas un satura integrētajai apguvei, kas veicina straujāku valodas attīstību. Vēl jāuzsver vecāku lomas svarīgums bērna valodas pilnvērtīgā kopšanā. Latviešu skolās izmantotajai metodikai un materiāliem ir nenoliedzami liela nozīme, tomēr galvenā loma bērnu valodas apguves motivēšanā un ilgstošā nodrošināšanā ir ģimenei un vecākiem. Vecākiem noteikti jārod skolēniem iespējas izmantot un vingrināt visas valodas prasmes diendienā, lai pilnveidotu valodas izaugsmi. Skolām, savukārt, efektīvi mācot latviešu valodu, jāsekmē, jāatbalsta un jāmotivē vecāku vēlme ar bērniem sazināties latviski.

Sākoties 2014./2015. mācību gadam, ir sastādīti valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumi skolēniem no 5. līdz 12. klasei A1, A2 un B1 līmeņiem. Līdz pavasarim paredzēts sagatavot arī B2 līmeņa pārbaudījumus. Jaunāko klašu skolēniem būs iespēja veidot savus Valodas portfeļus, izmantojot Eiropas valodas portfeļa sešu līmeņu sistēmu četrās valodas prasmēs. Aizgājušā vasarā Gaŗezera vasaras vidusskolas un Kursas vasaras vidusskolas skolēni jau kārtoja vidusskolas līmeņa pārbaudījumus. Paldies GVV un Kursas vadībai un skolotājiem par sadarbību! Pieredze pārbaudījumu likšanā, vērtīgie dati un pieredze, kas iegūta par vasaras vidusskolēnu valodas prasmēm, − tas viss veicinās un palīdzēs Izglītības nozares turpmākajā darbībā.

2014. gada septembŗa mēnesī ASV latviešu skolu skolotāji tikās Filadelfijā un Sietlā. Konferences ilga veselu dienu, un tajās kopā piedalījās 36 skolotāji. Konferencēs tika pievērsta uzmanība divām tēmām: klasvadībai (Classroom Management) un EVP valodas līmeņiem, valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumiem un mācību palīglīdzekļiem. Izglītības nozare pateicas skolotājai un skolu konsultantei Anitai Erkmanei par viņas profesionālo sniegumu un atbalstu latviešu skolām, palīdzot veidot efektīvas klasvadības sistēmas mūsu skolās. Par Eiropas valodas portfeli, valodas līmeņiem, un efektīvu pārbaudījumu izmantošanu skolotājiem stāstīja PBLA Izglītības padomniece un valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumu autore Dace Mažeika.

Šī gada oktobrī skolas tiek aicinātas veikt valodas līmeņu pārbaudījumu 1. variantu. Izmantojot gada sākumā iegūtos datus, skolas un skolotāji var analizēt savu skolēnu valodas prasmes un valodas vajadzības. Analizējot rezultātus, skolotāji var piemeklēt atbilstošus materiālus, pielāgot mācību metodiku skolēnu vajadzībām un nospraust mērķus, kuŗus kopā ar bērniem īstenot skolas gada laikā. Skolas gada beigās, veicot pārbaudījumus otrreiz, skolotāji un skolēni varēs izvērtēt valodas prasmju uzlabošanos un individuālā snieguma izaugsmi. Skolotāji varēs atbalstīt vecākus, kas vēlas veicināt savu bērnu valodas apguvi, iesakot atbilstošas nodarbības un dodot ieteikumus papildu materiāliem izmantošanai ārpus skolas. Izglītības nozare paredz arī izmantot iegūtos datus par skolēnu latviešu valodas līmeņiem, sadarbojoties ar Latvijas iestādēm. Ja Izglītības nozares rīcībā ir konkrēta informācija par skolēnu valodas prasmēm, līmeņiem un vajadzībām, ir vieglāk formulēt prasības dažādu materiālu un iniciatīvu izstrādē un varam lūgt atbalstu mūsu darbam dažādās Latvijas iestādēs, kuru uzdevums ir atbalstīt diasporas skolu vajadzības.

Vēlreiz liels paldies visiem, kas piedalījušies Izglītības nozares darbā aizgājušā gadā! Tikai kopīgiem spēkiem varam veikt to, kas nodrošinās mūsu latviešu skolu turpmāko darbu, mūsu kultūras un valodas saglabāšanu. Vēlu skolu darbiniekiem un skolēniem Dievpalīgu un veiksmi turpmākajā darbā!

12th Saeima Elections – A Few More Weeks

Kārlis Streips | 

The people of Latvia will be going to the polls on October 4 to elect members of the 12th Saeima, or Parliament. 100 seats are up for grabs, and voters are almost spoilt for choice, as there are no fewer than 13 lists of candidates to choose from. True, most of them have virtually no hope whatever of overcoming the 5% vote barrier that is needed to win any seats at all.

What is certain is that four of the five parties that are in the Saeima right now will retain seats there after the election. The exception is the Reform Party that was set up in advance of the previous election by former President Valdis Zatlers, who dissolved the 10th Saeima after becoming entirely fed up with its venal approach toward life and then established his own party, going on to win more than 20 seats. Alas, the party’s faction split up almost before parliamentary work began, the RP nominated several fairly eccentric government ministers who did nothing so much as to annoy the sectors for which they were responsible, and by the time this year’s election rolled around, the party threw in the towel. Some of its more popular and visible members were scooped up by the governing Unity party, but the RP as such remains present only at the local government level.

Unity will certainly return to Parliament. It won’t get anywhere near the nearly one-half of votes that it received in this spring’s European Parliament Election, but it will not do too shabbily. The others that will return without a problem are the Latvian Alliance of the Green Party and Farmers Union (ZZS), the National Alliance (NA), and what is now known as the Social Democratic Harmony Party – the one that grew out of the old far-left For Human Rights in a United Latvia and has undergone various transmogrifications ever since in an attempt to make nice with people outside of its traditional electorate of non-Latvians who are nostalgic about the Soviet Union. Polls right now suggest that Unity and Harmony are at the top of the rankings, with the ZZS and NA lagging behind. One or the other should win the largest number of votes, but as plenty of people who are polled still say that they are undecided, it would be foolhardy to make a guess as to which one it will be. Certainly people at Unity are hoping that they, the ZZS and the NA will win a majority so that they can put together the new governing coalition and leave Harmony, as always, in opposition.

Among the other parties that are contesting the election, the best chances appear to rest with the rather clumsily named From the Heart for Latvia party that was set up by Latvia’s former National Auditor, Inguna Sudraba. Some polls have suggested that the party may overcome the 5% barrier, one going so far as to suggest a rating of nearly 9%.   Coming from the hard left is the Alliance of Latvians in Russia, which is unapologetically pro-Russian, continues to insist that Russian should be a state language in Latvia, continues to insist that citizenship must automatically be given to everyone, has cosy relations with the terrorists in South-eastern Ukraine and Crimea, etc.   Any votes that it gets will come from the Harmony column, and although the alliance is lagging far behind in the polls, experience shows that people who are planning to vote for the hard left sometimes do not tell pollsters that they are planning to do so. Certainly one of the leading lights of the party, Tatjana Zdanoka, found enough support in the European Parliament election to return to Brussels for another five years in spite of the fact that she basically represents Moscow and the Kremlin there, not Latvia as such.

Several other parties have been set up with big hopes, but, as Texans would put it, “that dog won’t hunt.” Former Prime Minister Einars Repše is hoping that people will forget that he was a fairly eccentric prime minister back in the day – raised his own salary as the first order of business after taking office, conducted a big, supposedly anti-corruption-based witch hunt at government agencies with the result that plenty of those who were sacked were later reinstated by the courts, once said that Latvian cinema should not receive any government funding because he personally could not think of even one Latvian movie that he liked, etc.   The peripatetic former transportation minister and deputy mayor of Rīga Ainars Šlesers, for his part, is hoping that people will have forgotten that he was the poster boy for nepotism at the Transportation Ministry, famously once appointing someone to a job at a state-owned company because the man’s father had once been Šlesers’ chauffeur. He has brought together some true dinosaurs of Latvian politics, including Jānis Jurkāns, who was Latvia’s first post-independence foreign minister, spent some time in hopeless opposition in Parliament, and has been gone from politics for a while now, former Prime Minister (twice) Ivars Godmanis, who lost his seat in the European Parliament when the party from which he had been elected (one of Šlesers’ many political projects during the past decade and more) dissolved, and, God help us, former Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis, who presided over the orgy of spending that drove Latvia straight into the ditch when the global financial crisis erupted in 2007 and 2008.   In both cases, it appears that there is little chance that the parties will win any seats at all.

Beyond that there are the usual more or less loony tunes – a party called Sovereignty, a party called Growth, a party called Freedom: Freedom from Fear, Hatred and Anger, the New Conservative Party, the Latvian Alliance of Regions, and so on. Almost certainly losers one and all.

Inasmuch as there has been mudslinging in this campaign, it has primarily been focused on Unity, which has led the government since March 2009 and may be suffering a bit of road fatigue insofar as the electorate is concerned, and on Sudraba and her party, apparently because she and it are seen as the biggest threat against the established parties. In the former case, some fuss has been raised about the fact that several visible Unity people (as well as the country’s defence minister, who comes from the ZZS) went on holiday this past summer with a man representing a company that earlier this month was chosen by the Cabinet of Ministers in a process that was rather less than transparent to become the lead investor in Latvia’s Citadele Bank. In Sudraba’s case, there have been many claims from others that she is a Trojan horse for Russian interests in Latvia, though little in the way of hard evidence in support of that claim has been produced and presented. Worse for her has been the fact that several members of her own party, including a few who were actually on the party’s candidate list, resigned earlier this year, with some of them going to law enforcement agencies to claim that documents were forged when the party was founded.

The campaign has been a comparatively quiet one, largely because a few years ago Parliament voted to ban television advertising for a month before an election. This has led parties to focus on radio, the Internet, outdoor advertising and direct mail. A few times a week I find party “newsletters” in my mailbox (and toss them into the bin straight away).   Sudraba’s face is on billboards all around Riga, while many mini-buses are decorated with the photogenic image of Mārtiņš Bondars from the Alliance of Regions. Latvian Television and Radio Latvia give all of the candidate lists free airtime as a matter of law, debates are being held on television and radio, but TV ads are gone. That is all for the best.

Foreign policy is traditionally not much of a focus for Latvia’s political parties during election campaigns, and that remains true today. In the face of Russia’s ongoing misbehaviour in the geopolitical world, Unity, the ZZS and the NA all talk in their campaign platforms about strengthening defence, raising the defence budget, developing the Latvian Home Guard, and so on. The Harmony platform says nothing whatsoever about foreign policy at all, which is probably logical seeing as how the party probably would like everyone to forget that it is still an agreement-based partner of Vladimir Putin’s dictator party in Russia and that Harmony has been all over the map in relation to the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine.

To summarise, it is likely that the next Saeima will be rather similar to the present one, with the possible exception of the Sudraba party. For Latvian citizens who live abroad, I would suggest that there are really no more than two sensible choices. Unity has led Latvia out of the economic crisis, and although it is not at all perfect, it is the logical choice for those who wish to continue down the path of economic reform and international co-operation. The National Alliance is rather much too xenophobic for my tastes, but there are those in the electorate who favour its “everything for Latvia” approach to life. The ZZS in my view is disqualified both because it is utterly abnormal for pesticide-using farmers and environmental activists to be in a single party and because the party still has its agreement with the Ventspils Party and its venal boss, Aivars Lembergs. I absolutely cannot and will not recommend a vote for anyone else. A vote cast for a party that does not reach 5% is a vote wasted, because such votes will be redistributed among the parties that have surpassed the barrier, and so a vote for a petty party may mean accidentally voting for Harmony and its pro-Russian interests. Certainly I hope that citizens will make the effort to go to the polls on October 4 or have already voted by mail. I know that in many countries Latvian election precincts are far, far away. In Canada, for instance, precincts can only be open in official diplomatic facilities, which means Ottawa and Toronto, and that does nothing for someone in Alberta or Vancouver. But at the end of the day we are all co-responsible for the future of our country. We live in terribly complex times, and it is of utmost importance to elect a Saeima and, thus, a government that is sensible. This relates not only to Russia’s aggression, but also to the fact that during the first half of next year, Latvia will be the presiding country of the European Union. No time for fools.

Kārlis Streips was born in Chicago, studied journalism at the University of North Illinois and University of Maryland. He moved to Latvia in 1991 where he has worked as a TV and radio journalist. He also works as a translator and lecturer at the University of Latvia.

New Folk Song Arrangements on Latvian Choir Kamēr… CD

Egils Kaljo | 

One of the most surprising developments in Latvian academic music in recent years was the departure of conductor Māris Sirmais from the youth choir Kamēr… in 2012. After leading the choir for more than 20 years, and bringing it worldwide renown, and spearheading such memorable projects as World Sun Songs and Mēness dziesmas, Sirmais handed the baton over to his young colleague, Jānis Liepiņš. Liepiņš then had the gargantuan task of not only maintaining the choir’s stellar reputation, but also continue to innovate and forge new paths in choir music as Sirmais had done.

Liepiņš’ and the choir’s major project in 2014 was Amber Songs, which thematically builds upon its predecessors – World Sun Songs (choir compositions by international composers inspired by the sun) and Mēness dziesmas (choir compositions by Latvian composers, inspired by the moon). The twist with Amber Songs is that this time, a group of prestigious composers, both Latvian and international, were given the task of composing new arrangements of Latvian folk songs. As the album Amber Songs reveals, this international approach to arrangement leads to a diverse collection of folk song arrangements – some staying true to the original version, some folk songs becoming almost unrecognizable. Composers from nations as diverse as Turkey, Israel, India and the United States, among many others, have added their spin on these ancient tunes.

One of the many reasons this is such an engaging collection is that most, if not all, the Latvian folk songs are among lesser known folk songs, which means that many listeners will not at all know what to expect from this collection.

A frequent collaborator with Latvian choirs (see the album A Ship with Unfurled Sails with the State Choir Latvija), British composer Gabriel Jackson has shown a particular affinity for Latvian culture and music. This collaboration continues with his arrangement of ‘Neviens putnis tā nepūta’, an untraditionally tender folk song about love. Combining birdsong with the sentimental text, the song flows to a concluding crescendo, as two lovers are sad to part.

Young Latvian composer Evija Skuķe, a previous collaborator with the choir on the Mēness dziesmas collection (the composition ‘Mēness vokalīze’), continues her fruitful work with Kamēr… with the arrangement of the Latgallian ‘Zvīdzi, zvīdzi’, a song about a young man who wants to escape war, yet almost all of his family is unwilling to help him, except for his bride, who sells her bridal crown to help him. Skuķe’s arrangement gives each family member – father, mother, brother, and sister their own unique voice and image, vividly telling the story through the voices of the choir.

The tragedy of ‘Vēja māte’, where a young fisherman does not survive a violent storm, is brought to life with aching sadness by Basque composer Xabier Sarasola. The young fisherman pleads desperately with the Wind Mother to control her servants, but to no avail. As the song reaches its sad conclusion, the arrangement, through the voices of the choir, echoes the tragic lament of the discovery of the lifeless fisherman.

Russian composer Vladimir Martynov, not content with arranging just one song, tackles a whole six songs, in the appropriately named ‘Sešas dziesmas’. The composer moves deftly from one melody to another, in the span of a few minutes covering topics of birth, weddings, midsummer, as well as other seasons. The rhythmic, almost chanting singing, with the repeated refrain of ‘Aizkryta sauleite jau aizalaida’ (The sun has set, it has gone down), leads to an almost trance-like effect, with the choir singers of Kamēr… conjuring a panorama of Latvian seasons and landscapes.

Amber Songs comes in a richly bound book, which includes extensive notes on the project, all song lyrics, as well as biographies of each composer in both Latvian and English.

Amber Songs, at once ancient and modern, is an engrossing collection, offering a diverse and multifaceted view of Latvian folksongs. Though some listeners may be disoriented by the modern arrangements (some of the arrangements are quite complex, at times even harsh), it remains a fulfilling international journey. Conductor Jānis Liepiņš is clearly at ease in the role of the conductor of the choir, and has quite nimbly and confidently stepped out of the shadow of former artistic director Māris Sirmais. With Amber Songs and its 17 unique pieces of amber, Liepiņš and the choir Kamēr… yet again show why they are considered one of the best amateur choirs in the world.

For more information, please visit www.kamer.lv

Amber Songs

Track listing

  1. Rotāšana – Vytautas Miškinis
  2. Bumburjānis bumburēja – Pēteris Plakidis
  3. Garā pupa – Jan Sandström
  4. Gaismeņa ausa – Nicholas Lens
  5. Zvīdzi, zvīdzi – Evija Skuķe
  6. Ar laiviņu ielaidosi- Hasan Uçarsu
  7. Neviens putnis tā nepūta – Gabriel Jackson
  8. Kaladū – Michael Ostrzyga
  9. Divi sirmi kumeliņi – Ethan Sperry
  10. Aiz Daugavas vara dārzs – Peeter Vähi
  11. Tolku bolss – Kasia Glowicka
  12. Malējiņa Dievu lūdza – Henrik Ødegaard
  13. Kālabadi galdiņam – Param Vir
  14. Vēja māte – Xabier Sarasola
  15. Aiz deviņi ezeriņi – Gilad Hochman
  16. Gula meitina – Franz Herzog
  17. Sešas dziesmas – Vladimir Martynov

 

 

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.