Case Studies

Name of the teacher

Jolanta Bliūdžiuvienė

Email:

Country:

Lithuania

Subject taught:

Years of experience:

11

Name of the School:

Klaipėda „Verdenė“ progymnasium

School Typology:

Lower Secondary School

Country:

Lithuania

City:

Klaipėda

Web site:

Background and Context:

Klaipėda „Verdenė“ progymnasium is an educational institution implementing the primary education and the first part of lower secondary education. At this moment there are 951 student of 1‒8 grades.
Klaipėda „Verdenė“ progymnasium is located in the northern part of the city rich in recreational areas. Each year more and more parents choose this school for their children because of a rapid expansion of the city, higher birthrate, school community cherishing the idea of the leadership, educators’ professionalism, good education results of this school, wide choice of self-expression options in school life. Because of the lack of premises it is not possible to accept all willing students and there is not enough space for active games.
Because of a favourable location educational processes are being organized in city parks, by the sea, in various educational areas in the old part of town. The school is associated with all education institutions of this part of town by a long-term cooperation.
Every year students actively take part in various contests, activities and traditional school events. This institution is characterized by good social context, education of leadership and creativity, major events, young and active collectivity, strong sense of identity and close community relationship. There are 80 teachers, a social pedagogue, a special pedagogue, a speech therapist, and a psychologist.
Having chosen a suitable surrounding, having used the means teachers have, having applied methods which raise interest, strengthen the process of learning, motivation and responsibility, teachers seek students to experience the sense of pleasure, the joy of knowledge and discovery, create conditions and situations which allow to experience the success of learning and activeness what positively affects students’ learning results.
We could distinguish a plentiful students’ participation in school festivals, actions, cleaning assistances, major events, state competitions and nature conservation projects. Students express their volunteering ideas. Students are successfully included into non-formal education programmes in which 60.8 percent of students participate in music, art, dance, ethnic, sport, nature conservation, secure traffic, ICT, basics of economics, social sciences, foreign languages and other activities. Students are taught to recognize their personal characteristics, during the activities of career education and other non-formal education activities, also during the class meetings and lessons as well. They also have got a possibility to find out about their personal hobbies and competences.
There are no immigrant families. There are up to 10 percent of composite families.

Factual Description:

The difficulties arose for the student of gypsy nationality, who studies in primary class. The girl didn’t attend the classes before school, that’s why there was a lack of social skills. The student confronted with direct discrimination (appearance, social position, language, principles, nationality) in the adaptation period. At school she avoided to communicate with other students, she tended to be alone not with others. The girl isn’t open- minded, very often didn’t come to school. A few classmates abused her in virtual reality. Classmates, teachers helped her to relate, they talked to her, praised her made progress, encouraged, consoled. While solving her problems, school’s workers talked to her, to her classmates and their parents. We think that it is very important her and school’s relation for her better psychological state. She was motivated to participate in activities after lessons, taught to admit failures, not to give up when confronted with some problems. It is related with parents about everything, what happened during the day, all facts, the parents are not blamed, and a student- punished. It is talked about how the girl behaves when she gets angry. What parents do and what they say to her. The teachers talk to parents with respect to different opinion. If the opinions differ, the teachers say their position without criticizing parents’ opinion. The teachers care that parents feel their support.
When occurred a discrimination case at school, the teachers, specialists solve the problems. It is noticed, that students, who have links with migration, learn worse, are late to the lessons, skip the lessons. Very often decrease the motivation and liability for the learning results. It is more difficult for them to concentrate, keep attention, to finish works until the end, they can become more aggressive, avoid to communicate, feel fear and anxiety. Although some students start to learn better, it could be understand like the wish to point out parents’ attention.
It is discussed with students about refugees’ crisis, because they are interested in their problems.

Activities carried out:

All students at school have the opportunity to acquire the most important skills, the basic features of country like language, values, culture. The school is such an institution, which gives the basis student’s adaptation. Because of teachers and parents collaboration, the students integrate into school’s community. At school it is formatted psychologically safe environment, where it would be good to learn, despite of nationality and race. However school workers often meet challenges, which incite to think about methods, how to co-ordinate Lithuanian learning standards and student’s learning experience, how to teach a student, who used to learn in different education system. It is organized an education, supplementary activities, are given individual tasks. The specialists help students, realize various methods of help, teach how to solve social problems, give psychological and special support. The teachers initiate good practice to colleagues, parents. It is seeked a constant and strong collaboration. A special attention is addressed to activities after lessons because this action motivates foreign students’ culture, ethnic knowing. At school it is initiated teachers and management representatives’ involvement into projects, related to foreign students’ education process evolution and development.

Assessment and lesson learnt:

It emerged that Rom children’s needs are not specific because the majority of school students confront with similar difficulties. We are sure the school provided against them on time, that is why there are some results achieved: various emotional problems of this student were being solved, what made her a bit more open and she communicates with her class friends. The responsibility for students’ internet taunting while being online at home was posted to their parents. These adults are obliged to monitor their children’s behaviour while being online. It was enough to pay more personal attention to this student while solving the problem of skipping lessons because this relation is important to her.

Description of the Case Study in National Language: