Case Studies

Name of the teacher

Vaida Zvinkliene

Email:

Country:

Lithuania

Subject taught:

mathematics

Years of experience:

24

Name of the School:

Klaipėdos Prano Mašioto progymnasium

School Typology:

Lower Secondary School

Country:

Lithuania

City:

Klaipeda

Web site:

Background and Context:

The school is located far away from the downtown in the area of blocks of flats. Currently there are 639 students from Pre-School group to class 8. The school is distinguished from other schools as its education program is based on Christian values. Nevertheless, the school enrolls students of different religious beliefs. Mainly middle-class residents live in the district where the school was built. Therefore, there are very few children from families at risk in this school. Most families take care of their children well, actively participate in school life and solve the issues related with their children. At present, 0.2 percent of immigrant children learn in this school, that is one child. He learns in the 1st class and he came to our school one month ago.

Factual Description:

Since the school implements Christian value based education, is constantly works to educate broad minded and tolerant to the people of other views and values. The project "I have rights provided the opportunity to devote more time to think about the human migration-related issues. Our school doesn’t face with the issues of discrimination, especially to foreigners as there is only one student from another country. He is in a primary class; therefore direct forms of discrimination haven’t been noticed in advanced classes. However, it is likely that they can occur. The crisis of refugees in Europe and the information about it in the media make us think about it. Students are involved in the discussions about this issue during the class meetings and lessons. It should be noted that their opinions are various. On the one hand students support the measures to help the refugees; on the other hand, they criticize the behavior or attitude of some refugees towards the countries where they are located. The discussions with the students on the resettlement of refugees into Lithuania and the opportunity to learn with them in one school exposed different ideas. Some students do not see any problems while others have a variety of fears related with refugees’ cultural and religious differences. The parents' opinions on the crisis of refugees in Europe are also different. They often are transmitted to their children and school. Many adults are worried about the experience of European countries with refugees and Islamist bloody attacks. During the lesson pupils’ discriminatory behavior is rarely revealed, thus there are no difficulties to working in the classroom. Teacher's job is more of a preventive nature, forming students’ positive views of other people, regardless of their nationality, race, and religious beliefs.

Activities carried out:

There is no direct discrimination against foreigners at school due to the fact that there is only one first-class student who came from another country. The largest and most important work of teachers is to establish non-discrimination views related with foreigners and people in general. Teachers carry out various activities during the lessons and non-formal activities. The most important task is to allow the students to get to know other people as knowledge helps prevent from various unjustified fears. During various events students have to present other cultures, languages and so on. Pupils accept willingly various methods used in classrooms but most of all they like informal events and meetings. Pupils' parents are still very little involved in activities that broaden their knowledge of non-discrimination value and human rights.

Assessment and lesson learnt:

At present, it is difficult assess how effective are the school’s actions in educating students' positive attitudes towards other ethnicities, non-discriminatory behavior and human rights. Only a real encounter with foreign students' participation in the educational process can show if the activities of the school were effective. There are still a lot of ways to teach students tolerance. However, the best results are achieved when parents from a very young age show their children a non-discriminatory behavior and the school is just a continuation of the work.

Description of the Case Study in National Language: