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Liepāja Academy of Pedagogy

Second Level Professional Higher Study Programme

A Foreign Language Teacher

(English and German; French)

(index 45 1414 04)

A Pack of Accreditation Documents

Programme Director:

I.Muižniece

M.paed., lecturer

Confirmed

at the Senate sitting of the LAP

on 22 April, 2002

Chairwoman of the Senate

A.Samuseviča

Second Level Professional Higher Study Programme

A Foreign Language Teacher

(English and German; French)

CONTENTS

1. Goals and Objectives of the Study Programme………………………….3

2. Self-evaluation Report…………………………………………………….3

2.1. Structure of the Study Programme……………………………………….4

2.2. Implementation of the Study Programme and Assessment…………….5

2.3. Students……………………………………………………………………6

2.4. Academic and Administrative Staff involved in the Study Programme.7

2.5. Financing, Equipment and Educational Facilities……………………...8

2.6. Foreign Contacts………………………………………………………….9

3. Conclusions………………………………………………………………. 9

4. Appendices ………………………………………………………………10

1.  Goals and Objectives of the Study Programme

The Higher professional study programme “A Teacher of a Foreign Language” (index 45 1414 04) designed at the Liepāja Academy of Pedagogy complies with the first thematic group of the structure of Education Classification “Teacher Education and Educational Science” and the Education Classification of the Republic of Latvia. The study programme was licensed on 1 November 2000 (license No. 04043-1).

Goals of the study programme:

1. To give students professional education and developing such competence of foreign language teachers, which would give them a capacity for efficient and creative work in the field of teaching foreign languages in the present dynamic conditions of communication, competition, information and culture for the benefit of Latvia and the Latvian people;

2. To train highly qualified foreign language (English and German and French) teachers for work in basic 9-year and secondary schools.

Objectives of the study programme:

- to provide conditions and opportunities for obtaining high-quality higher professional teacher education;

- to develop students’ competence and create conditions for acquiring the necessary knowledge and for learning the skills needed for work with pupils in the given foreign language;

-  to develop social and organisational skills and communicative ability.

2.  Self-Evaluation Report

The self-evaluation of the study programme “A Teacher of a Foreign Language” was made by a working group consisting of I.Genese, Dean of the Humanities Faculty of the LAP, I.Muižniece, Head of the Department of the Germanic and Romance Languages, Director of the study programme, lecturers R.Grāvelsiņa and V.Vanaga, students D.Sungaila, A.Aleksejeva, L.Ardava.

The self-evaluation report was discussed at the sitting of the Board of Humanitarian Sciences Study programmes (4 April 2002), by the Department of Studies (8 April 2002), and confirmed by the Senate of the LAP (22 April 2002).

2.1. Number of the students involved: 81 (28 in state financed groups, 22 self supporting students).

2.2. Characterisation of the teaching staff (see appendix 2).

2.1 Structure of the Study Programme

2.1.1 The study programme was drawn up in 1999.

One group of students is admitted to the programme “A Teacher of English and German”, another to the “A French Teacher” programme.

Introduction of this type of a programme was stimulated by the data collected by the Ministry of Science and Education on a shortage of foreign language teachers in 9-year basic and secondary schools of Latvia. Thereby the programme can take a stable place in the labour market, it puts into effect the recommendation stated in the National Conception of Development of Higher Education and Higher Education Institutions” on strengthening the role of Humanitarian education in the conditions of market economy.

Specialists with qualification in two modern languages will have good opportunities of getting a job. With their theoretical and methodological-didactic knowledge, their ability of conducting classes in both languages the graduates of this programme will be able to find work in secondary schools easily. Also in smaller regional schools, where due to the limited financial means quite often only one foreign language is taught, teachers with two qualifications will find greater opportunities - this complies with the European conception of learning several languages.

2.1.2. In Latvia a similar programme is being implemented only in the Daugavpils University; in Europe programmes of this type can be found in the prospectuses of Universities in Scandinavian countries, Germany and others.

2.1.3. The study programme is structured in a way to provide the whole volume of professional knowledge and skills a foreign language teacher needs. It is organised in accordance with the annual curricula confirmed by the Board of the Faculty.

Structure of the programme (see appendix 1).

Part A (compulsory part) - its volume is 94 CRP, it includes intensive courses of English and German or French, Latin, Introduction into Linguistics and Literary Theory, Translation Theory and Practice.

Part B - its volume is 100 CRP, it includes courses of a third foreign language, literature, educational science and psychology, methods of teaching foreign languages etc.

Part C (free choice) - its volume is 6 CRP, any courses from “The List of Elective Subjects” can be chosen.

Teaching practices are planned in the 7th and 9th terms; qualification is awarded after the defence of the qualification paper.

2.1.4 Enrolment and matriculation are organised in accordance with the corresponding Regulations for Admittance and Matriculation confirmed by the Senate of the LAP, i.e. on competition basis, evaluating the results of the test and/or entrance examination.

Applicants to the programme “A Teacher of English and German” have to take a written test on grammar and pass an oral examination in the first foreign language, a sort of a discussion / interview is organised in the second foreign language. Applicants to the French group have to write a test comprising questions about France, its people, language and culture.

Every year 10 students admitted for studies in state financed groups, 5 are fee-paying students. The competition in the academic year 2001 was 2.3 applicants per one place in the state-financed sector, in the French group it was 4.00.

About 60% of the applicants come from Kurzeme region, others from Zemgale and Vidzeme. The average age of the applicants is 19.

2.1.5. An integral part of the study organisation is acquainting first year students with the library funds and the system of catalogues. Discussions between the lecturers of the Department and the students about the process of studies is of great importance in order to maintain high quality of the study programme, this results in extending Parts B and C of the programme and the procedure of the first teaching practice (4th year) and the study content might be adjusted. In this context increasing the number of disciplines specific for this programme by at least 30% in Part B (required option) is a very urgent issue, as well as involvement of new qualified teaching staff in the work of the Department (Decision of the Senate, 17 April 2000).

2.2. Implementation of the Study Process and Assessment

2.2.1. The didactic picture is characterised by the following forms of work - lectures, seminars, tutorials, project work, purpose organised excursions, individual work.

The books and the equipment available at the Foreign Language Library (D-A-CH) centre which was set up with the support of Switzerland, Germany and Austria can be used during the study process, as well as the books presented by the French Embassy and materials of the R. Schumann Cultural Centre.

2.2.2. Scientific and methodological experience of the members of the teaching staff gained through co-operation with foreign institutions is of great importance in enriching the programme.

A permanent and successful co-operation has developed with Goethe-Institut and the Academic Exchange Service of Germany (DAAD), fostering organisation of :

- study courses for educating advisers in the framework of the programme for teachers of German of the higher education institutions of the Baltic countries, with participation of our academic staff, undergraduates and graduates, teachers from Liepāja secondary school No.5 and students of the Department of Germanistics from Klaipeda university;

- educational and cultural activities (a meeting with Hugo Loetscher, a writer from Switzerland, a German poet Uwe Kolbe, the writer Felicitas Hoppe, the touring exhibition “Europa - live erleben”, international summer academy of students and young scientists FORUM EXIL etc.).

A successful co-operation has developed with the British Council as regards purchasing teaching aids and supervising professional development programmes for seminars and teacher re-qualification courses.

A regular and useful co-operation has developed with the French Embassy to foster contacts with higher education institutions in France.

2.2.3. To evaluate the results achieved the following methods are practised:

- traditional methods of testing the acquired knowledge and skills at the end of the course - during the sessions (twice a year) in the form of oral or written exams and credit tests ;

- differentiated testing, i.e. depending on the student’s progress during the semester the content of the examination can differ; evaluation is given after the reports, tests have been handed in or presentations made;

- when working in groups students give self-evaluations and estimate the work done by other groups.

The results of the work done can be seen in the annotations and references to the tests and annual papers. Assessment is based on a ten point scale - complying with the order of the Ministry of Science and Education No. 208, dated 14 April 1998, with each point corresponding to defined criteria, which include the necessary volume of knowledge, skills and abilities.

2.3. Students

The quality of the study process and flexibility of its implementation depends to a great extent on the student involvement in discussions and evaluations of these issues.

2.3.1. There exist two ways of co-operation: discussions with the Faculty administration, the programme director and the teaching staff of the basic department, and student opinion polls. In the first case the curriculum for the given year and the long-range plan are analysed, the volume of different study disciplines, ways of testing are discussed, self-evaluation of the student practise is analysed, balance between the content of the course and teaching practice is maintained.

2.3.2. Surveys and questionnaires are organised both by the administration of the Faculty and the lecturers. Issues about the lecturers’ professional readiness, their teaching style are included, the aims and objectives of the course are clarified, issues concerning discipline at work, organisation of individual studies, the availability of learning/teaching aids are discussed etc.

2.3.3. Through both types of the dialogue the problematic issues of the study programme come to light:

·  students’ adaptation to the given environment,

·  understanding the reason of studying and

·  motivation for studies.

It is also possible to form an idea about such significant controlling element of the study quality as

·  evaluation of the teacher -students mutual relationship.

The work of the basic Department and co-operation with the students in the process of study as well as extra-curricular activities are evaluated positively.

2.3.4. The questionnaires and general conclusions are available in the Dean’s Office of the Humanitarian Faculty.

2.3.5. The Administration of the Faculty uses this information in order to identify the problems students might face in the Academy and to give them timely support. First-year students are offered a special adaptation activity, the aim of which is to get the students involved into the specific environment of a higher education institution, to acquaint them with the teaching staff and the group-mates.

The Department organises weekly individual consultations given by the members of the teaching staff, as well as works additionally with the students having some difficulties.

The task of the Faculty administration is to evaluate problem situations and to help within the limits of possibility (academic leave, extraordinary social allowance, prolongation of the session period, dealing with the problem together with the lecturers).

Within the limits of possibility the students are provided with a place in the student hostels.

2.4. Academic and Administrative Staff Involved in the Study Programme

2.4.1. The implementation of the programme are mainly lecturers of the Faculty of Humanitarian Sciences - from the Department of the Germanic and Romance Languages, the Departments of the Latvian Language, of Literature, of Pedagogy and Psychology and visiting lecturers (since 1990) from the Federative Republic of Germany (Bosch Foundation, DAAD), France, Great Britain and the USA (Peace Corps), as well as from the higher education institutions of Latvia (Academy of Culture, Ventspils Higher School).

2.4.2. Analysis of the qualification of the teaching staff was made in 1998 (the study programme “A Teacher of the Latvian Language and Literature and a Foreign Language” was accredited for a period of six years) and in 2000 (evaluation of the work of the Department of the Germanic and Romance languages by the Senate).

2.4.3. The members of the teaching staff regularly participate in conferences organised by the co-operation institutions, such as the conference for English teachers “American Studies” organised by the Baltic branch of the Peace Corps, the conference organised by the French Embassy “Art of Creative Writing and Work with Beginners in Learning the French Language”, conferences for German teachers of higher education institutions of the Baltic countries in Rīga, in Jūrmala, in Vilnius, in Tartu, as well as at conferences organised by the Academy etc. In 2001 a Soros Foundation grant was used to enable participation in post-diploma training courses in the University of Central Europe in Budapest, the research theme: “Language, sex and society”.

2.4.4.Lecturers participate also in different international projects, such as SOCRATES programme “Civic education in the Changing Europe”, in the Soros Foundation project “Critical Thinking. Reading and writing” etc.

2.5. Financing, Equipment, and Educational Facilities

2.5.1. The existing resources at the Academy are sufficient to implement the study programme. The Academy buildings with their classrooms, purpose-equipped study rooms and centres (Foreign Language Library - D-A-CH centre, Centre of French Culture, Centre of Civics) are at the disposal of the students, as well as a purpose-equipped English classroom, a Sports Centre, a library, Health Education room and student hostels.

2.5.2. The existing technological and methodological resources are sufficient. Modern technologies are used in the study process, deeper acquaintance with them is reached through a compulsory computer course in Part B of the programme. A multimedia centre is available for students’ use. The integrated information system “Alise” is used in the study process, the CD-ROM database developed in the library as well as annexation to the INTERNET and the classrooms equipped for this purpose (By 1 January 2002 altogether 158 INTERNET annexation were available for the use of students and the teaching staff).