Country Report Lithuania
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COUNTRY REPORT LITHUANIA The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius Language Education Policy Profile 2003/2004 PART I : Strategy of teaching Lithuanian language at general education school (2004œ2009) The strategy was prepared by the following work group established under the Order of Minister of Education and Science: Dr. Rima Bacevići#t$, Regina Dilien$, Dr. Laima Grumadien$, Raimonda Jarien$, Irena Kaniłauskait$, Danut$ Kolesnikova, Laimutis Laušikas, Henrika Prosniakova, Dr. Meilut$ Ramonien$, Audron$ Razmantien$, Dr. Regina Rinkauskien$, Dr. Vilija Salien$, Antanas Smetona, Dr. Irena Smetonien$, Dr. Jolanta Zabarskait$. 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................... 5 2. Strategy objectives and goals.............................................................................................. 5 3. Position and evaluation of the Lithuanian language as a study subject .............................. 6 3.1. Favourable factors ..................................................................................................... 7 3.2. Unfavourable factors ................................................................................................. 7 4. Improvement trends of Lithuanian language teaching at school of general education....... 8 4.1. The use and importance of know-how society provided possibilities....................... 8 4.2. Topic of forming national identity under conditions of globalization....................... 9 4.3. Harmonizing of Lithuanian language teaching content........................................... 11 4.3.1. General documents .................................................................................... 11 4.3.2. Teaching materials..................................................................................... 14 4.3.3. Teaching methods and assessment ............................................................ 15 4.3.4. Examination and learners‘ achievements .................................................. 16 4.3.5. Nearing of dual general curricula of the Lithuanian language.................. 17 4.4. Modernizing the Lithuanian language and language teaching ................................ 18 4.5. Teaching of Lithuanian language during lessons of other subjects......................... 21 4.6. Training of teachers and their qualifications ........................................................... 22 5. General Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 23 PART II: Education of national minorities and immigrant children Authors: Ona Cepuleniene, Danute Kolesnikova, Virginija Stumbriene 1. Education of national minorities ....................................................................................... 25 2. Language teaching for the children of immigrants ........................................................... 28 2.1. National definitions and demographic context of immigration............................... 28 2.2. Organization of education of immigrant children in schools of general education.................................................................................................................. 29 2.3. Measures in support of possibilities for immigrant children to learn their mother tongue ................................................................................................................... 30 2.4. Organisation of the official language teaching........................................................ 31 2.5. Programmes, learning materials and teacher training for immigrant children ........ 32 i PART III : Foreign Language Education Strategy Paper Authors: Dr. Loreta Šadeikait$ (head of task force), Nijol$ Bazarien$ (coordinator), Algirdas Cibulskis, Danguol$ Paulauskien$, Stas$ Skapien$. 1. Overview of foreign language education:......................................................................... 34 1.1. Foreign language teaching policy formation. .......................................................... 34 1.2. Aims of foreign language education........................................................................ 36 1.3. General trends of foreign language teaching in the European Union and the Council of Europe documents and their application in the Lithuanian foreign language education policy........................................................................... 37 2. Foreign language learning possibilities............................................................................. 47 2.1. Foreign language education in general education schools in Lithuania.................. 48 2.2. Foreign language education in vocational schools .................................................. 55 2.3. Foreign language education in professional colleges .............................................. 58 2.4. Foreign language education in colleges................................................................... 59 2.5. Foreign language education in universities ............................................................. 60 2.6. Foreign language education for schoolchildren with special needs ........................ 61 2.7. Foreign language education possibilities for national minorities............................ 62 2.8. Foreign language education for adults. Possibility of lifelong learning of foreign languages..................................................................................................... 62 3. Organisation of the foreign language curriculum through the implementation of Curriculum and Standards for Foreign Language Education ....................................... 64 3.1. General principles of communicative skills development....................................... 64 3.2. Description of foreign language teaching tendencies and materials: ...................... 66 4. Achievements in foreign language education ................................................................... 67 4.1. Assessment of foreign language achievements in the context of changes in the educational process............................................................................................ 67 4.2. Assessment of achievements in learning and maturity examinations ..................... 70 4.3. Levels/standards achieved and their link with the Council of Europe Common European Framework............................................................................... 73 4.4. Statistics of spoken foreign language credit and maturity examinations ................ 74 5. Foreign language teachers:................................................................................................ 78 5.1. Training of foreign language teachers. .................................................................... 79 5.2. Improvement of qualification of foreign language teachers.................................... 88 ii 6. Key developments, priorities and problems for the implementation of foreign language strategy............................................................................................................... 93 6.1. Implementation of General Curriculum Framework and Foreign Language Standards. ................................................................................................................ 93 6.2. Principles of school activities implementing the foreign language education strategy. ................................................................................................................... 93 6.3. Problems and solutions concerning foreign language teaching............................... 93 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 94 References .................................................................................................................................. 96 iii PART I : Strategy of teaching Lithuanian language at general education school (2004œ2009) 1. Introduction Under the Official Language Law of the Republic of Lithuania, the Education Law, the Laws of National Minorities and their supporting documents there have been created the basics of language legal protection and development. However, the society needs, the official use of the language, the circumstances brought about by globalization and integration into EU influence the use of the Lithuanian language in the country and its cultivation at schools of general education. The necessity to adopt the strategy of Lithuanian language teaching at schools of general education is conditioned by the changes in the situation of the Lithuanian language observed since Lithuania regained independence and in the attitude towards the Lithuanian language both within the society and at schools of general education. In the situation when Lithuania starts integrating into the European structures, it is necessary to emphasize the country‘s efforts of retaining and developing the use of the official Lithuanian language in all domains of public life and today‘s need for people to know as many foreign languages as possible, at least one of them being the language of neighbouring countries. In the process of creating the competitive and know-how based economy in Lithuania, as well as in the entire European Union, the foreign languages could contribute to the achievement of this goal through the enhancement of cognitive native language and foreign languages skills.