2012

Latvian teachers approve of forest education courses

Nearly 400 teachers, who work with over 26,000 children daily, attendedcontinuing education courses organized by the joint-stock company “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM) this school year. Assessment questionnaires showed that most of them were very pleased with their newly-gained knowledge.

The last courses of this school year were held on March 13-14. During the first part of the day, the teachers supplemented their knowledge together with forestry professionals from Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava” and the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Institute. The second part of the day was dedicated to acquiring practical knowledge in LVM Vidusdaugava Forestry. Under the guidance of forester Kaspars Riže, the teachers became familiar with forestry tasks and even participated in some of them.

This was the first school year when “Latvia’s State Forests” offered one-day continuing education courses for teachers - ”Development of Professional Competence of Teachers in Environmental Education on Sustainable Forest Management”. The courses were held three times – during autumn, winter and spring recesses. The teachers’ interest remains high, and such courses are also planned for the next school year.

The courses are organized by the joint-stock company “Latvia’s State Forests” in conjunction with the Further Education Centre of the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Institute and the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”. Their programme is harmonised with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia. The courses are part of the environmental education programme “Learn About A Forest”, which aims at educating teachers so that they would foster pupils’ comprehension of forests, their value and varied importance in our lives.

Teachers share spring course impressions:

Aira Vorslava, Rīga Secondary School No 71:

“I really like that the courses are well-organized. Even when something is not understood, it is still possible to find out, inquire or read about it. There were several practical questions, and they were answered immediately. I was also delighted with the large amount of wonderful handouts. I learned much about modern forest management devices. I could not even imagine that GPS is used in forests.

Daiga Rubene, Jaunpiebalga Secondary School:

“I am participating in these courses for the first time. They are truly interesting. There is plenty of easily-understood information. I have not heard so much about forests before. If you are a non-specialist, you may not even understand everything at once. It is good that discussions are also possible here. Everything is understandable and you may also ask questions. There are also wonderful handouts that can be used to make our work more interesting.”

Aija Liģere, Jūrmala Pumpuri Secondary School:

“I am really fond of such exciting events that make you move, take a look around and enjoy. I am participating in this event for the first time. My colleagues suggested taking part in it. They said that it is definitely worth applying.”