On 23 October 2018 the 18th Annual Latgale English Language Teachers’ Methodological Conference was organised in Daugavpils by the Daugavpils City Education Department in co-operation with the LATE and the British Council Latvia.
The conference „Competence-based Teaching and Learning – a Gateway to Learner’s Success” encompassed 147 participants from Latgale (e.g. Daugavpils, Preiļi, Krāslava, Līvani, Dagda, Ludza, Zilupe, Rēzekne, Ilūkste, Jēkabpils, etc.) and had invited speakers from Rīga as well as a native-speaker lecturer from the UK - Rob Dean, an independent international teacher, trainer and academic consultant (Pearson).
Participants of this methodological conference – English teachers could participate in 2 plenaries deepening their knowledge in topics as “Adding Value(s) to The ELT Classroom” and “The New Foreign Language Curriculum”. They also had an opportunity to take part in 9 different workshops, learning about creativity, pupils’ involvement in the study process, a sense of balance in the classroom, and challenges and myths about the study process of the 21st century, etc.
On 11 – 13 June 2018 a professional growth programme for English teachers “Temporary Forever” was led in Daugavpils by the lecturer Andrew Mark McKenzie (Teacher Trainer, Mood Engineer, Instructional Designer, Sound Engineer) that gathered 30 English language teachers from Daugavpils city schools.
The course “Temporary Forever” is designed for those people who want (and need!) to see and grasp a new set of perspectives on a few things of vital importance.
The course theme was based on topics discussed in the competence approach: subjects that are linked with ways of thinking, methods of problem solving, creativity, responsibility, self-control and opportunities of co-operation. The most valuable knowledge teachers gained was how to create successful communication, to reveal problems through pictures, to lead the audience in certain direction, to reflect and digest information, to motivate students based on problem solving and creative work. Teachers became aware of the self-control, memorization and relaxation techniques.