2019

More than a Hundred Teachers Carry out Research in Forest

Within the framework of the “School 2030” project a new interdisciplinary subject has been developed in cooperation with experts of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Educational Innovation at the University of Latvia and JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM) for grade 8 - 9 students called “Forest Research”, where teachers were invited to take part in special further education courses this autumn. One-day, 12-hour (A) continuing education course “Development of Professional Competence of Teachers in Environmental Education on Sustainable Forest Management” was held on 26 and 27 September, as well as on 4 October, involving a total of 115 teachers from different schools in Latvia.

First, the participants learnt how to plan the research in groups, similar to what would happen at school. Only this time the teachers took on the role of students, while experts of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Educational Innovation Ģirts Burgmanis and Dace Bērtule, as well as Līga Abizāre, the creator of LVM school programme, became their teachers.  One of the biggest challenges for the teachers was getting know the LVMGeo mobile application: to understand where exactly the plots they were looking for were located, what forestry activities had already been carried out there and what the growing conditions of the trees were.

In the next phase of the study the participants went to LVM Vecumnieki Forest District to take measurements in nature in order to compare two adjacent forest stands. At this point, the teachers were advised by the experienced forester Kaspars Riže and LVM Senior Planner Kārlis Taukačs. The aim of the research is to show that the natural conditions of a forest stand, the composition of plant species and the amount of wood in the forest change with regular care and tending of the forest. Forest tending changes the growing conditions resulting in more favourable environment for tree growth.

Having returned from the active forest work, the teachers still needed to make on-site calculations using the data obtained, as well as analyse and present the group's results to the rest of the audience in the same way as the students would do. At the end of the course, the teachers were given a home assignment to share the knowledge gained in the course with their students by re-conducting a study in the forest by 18 November this year. Teachers share their experience:

It is planned that the next school year LVM will continue to work on the development of new plots for the implementation of this study throughout Latvia, as well as to offer additional continuing education courses for teachers interested in the implementation of this study at their schools. The professional development courses have been coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia and have been developed in cooperation with the Continuing Education Centre of the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Institute. For more information please visit www.lvm.lv/talakizglitiba