The Council of the European Union (2020) points out that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on education and teaching systems and has fundamentally changed the way we learn, teach, communicate and collaborate within and between our education and teaching communities. The aim of this study is to explore the opinion of pre-school teachers on the opportunities and challenges faced by them in organizing and conducting pre-school education at a distance. The strategy of qualitative research was chosen for the study, Klaipėda city pre-school education teachers were interviewed. The study revealed that teachers did not change the content of education programs, sought to maintain the continuity of education and develop all the competencies of preschool children. Various digital and technical tools for distance education were used. Participants of the educational process experienced a variety of emotions and disturbances. Teachers missed for more decisive action of the institution’s administration. The opinion of educators discovered during the research helped to highlight advantages and disadvantages of distance pre-school education.

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The development of information technology (IT) in the process of modern primary education poses new challenges for participants in this process. Despite the fact that the development of IT enhances teaching/learning, and makes it modern and attractive, the unrestricted and irresponsible use of IT can have negative consequences for both the physical and the mental health of younger school-age children. The article analyses problems related to features of creating a healthy child-friendly teaching/learning environment in the context of the development of IT in primary education. A total of 237 primary school teachers in western Lithuania were interviewed by means of a written (questionnaire) survey research method. The research results show that a computer is the main IT tool in the primary education environment. Almost all the interviewed teachers had them in their classrooms. Teachers lack in particular interactive boards and tablets. Only a very small number of teachers had them in their classrooms. The teachers interviewed lack more diverse means of IT in their classrooms, which limits the possibilities for using IT in the education process. The results of the research reveal that although primary school students know about safe use and health-care when working with IT, they are not able to apply the available knowledge in practice. Children lack the acquisition of practical actions and skills in applying them in life situations. Only a third, and even fewer teachers, agreed that while using IT children are able to sit correctly at a desk, protect their eyesight, do eye exercises, coordinate eye and hand movements, etc. Therefore, not only are modern means of IT and their safe installation important for the creation of a healthy child-friendly primary teaching/learning environment in the context of IT, but so is the development of safe and healthy child-friendly behaviour with IT: the regulation and distribution of work time with IT at school and at home, the responsible use of IT; not only the provision of knowledge about the use of IT to students, but also the formation of practical skills and their application in life situations.

In this article the authors present the system assessing the achievements of preschool children in Lithuania, the teacher's opinion regarding the description of achievements assessment of preschool children and its adaptation in a preschool education institution. This article presents the recommendations for the optimization of achievements assessment of preschool children. The quantitative research was applied in accordance with the interpretative attitude, a total of 130 preschool education teachers and managers from Klaipeda region. The results: optimization of implementation of description, assessing the achievements of preschool children, by preparing the model of description; motivation of teachers to improve the skills of assessing the achievements of children, rationalizing and allocating the cost of labor in the teaching process; better education planning process with regard to children's individual needs and abilities, which are determined in the model of achievements assessment of preschool children.

Klaipėdos universitetas, Pedagogikos fakultetas, Vaikystės pedagogikos katedra, Herkaus Manto g� 84, 92294 Klaipėda, aida�norviliene@gmail�com Anotacija. Straipsnyje įvairių mokslininkų idėjų analizės ir autorės atlikto tyrimo pagrindu pateikiama tarpkultūrinės kompetencijos esmė ir struktūra, nagrinėjami reikšmingiausi studentų tarpkultūrinės kompetencijos ugdymui(si) veiksniai. Pristatomi ir analizuojami pedagoginio kvazieksperimento metu gauti rezultatai, leidžiantys įvertinti studentų tarpkultūrinės kompetencijos pokyčius.

This paper analyzes teaching and learning in the context of the implementation of digital technology in educational practices. On the basis of the data obtained from focus group discussions and creative workshops with primary school teachers, ways are identified to recognize and strengthen student engagement in learning through the use of digital tools, based on artificial intelligence and integrating learning analytics. As evidenced by the analysis of the research data, students’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement in learning increases due to the use of digital learning tools. To support and strengthen student engagement, teachers need to rethink their habitual educational practices, anticipate the barriers to engagement caused by digital technologies and the ways of coping with them, make use of digital tools for personalized and in-depth learning, and apply effective means to manage classrooms and interactions between students.

Learning analytics is identified as one of the essential preconditions for ensuring the quality of learning for each student and is associated with the wider possibilities of organizing individualized learning. One of the priorities of Lithuanian education is the individualization and personalization of science and mathematics teaching, which is related to one of the priorities of Lithuanian education, that is recognizing the need to develop students' mathematics, science, and technology competencies as well as to foster a culture of innovation in schools. The importance of integrated teaching (learning) for the sustainable development of a student's science and mathematics competence is recognized. However, problems arise in addressing the issues of integrated science and mathematics organization in the classroom, in finding the most appropriate didactic solutions at the level of a student and a classroom. The benefits of learning analytics in modern education are not in doubt, but in educational practice the approach to it is ambiguous: the search for learning analytics tools, the system of its use, the definitions of benefits for the learner. It is acknowledged that in the discourse of the use of learning analytics in science education, there is little research, examples of pedagogical practice that contain analysis of the possibilities of digital platforms with artificial intelligence and learning analytics tools, and the analysis of teachers' experiences. In the conducted qualitative study (focus group discussion) with mathematics and science teachers, who have accumulated experience in working with digital platforms and applying artificial intelligence-based learning analytics, the possibilities of using learning analytics in the lesson have been disclosed. Focus groups participants are teachers who in 2021. September - December participated in a project with the aim to test learning analytics tools in science education and math lessons. The results of the study revealed that teachers do not question the benefits of integrating digital platforms with artificial intelligence-based learning analytics in identifying student (classroom) learning gaps, learning characteristics, and making evidence-based decisions about learning differentiation and individualization. The results of the focus group discussion with science education and mathematics teachers regarding the use of digital teaching and learning platforms integrating learning analytics in lessons revealed that the priority of learning analytics in lessons is to identify and capture gaps in students' learning achievements and knowledge in a timely manner. The analysis of a student (students) learning data that is provided by digital platforms, which integrate artificial intelligence and learning analytics, allows teachers to make the most appropriate decisions about the organization of teaching: to differentiate and individualize teaching, to consistently develop pupils' general competencies. The results of the discussion highlighted the benefits of learning analytics tools for the learner (students): learning analytics tools allow students to see personal progress; receive the tasks assigned to them individually; implement collaborative learning; engage (intellectually and emotionally) in learning activities; learn not only during lessons. An important criterion for the integration of mathematics and science lessons is the use of the learning analytics tools, the joint work of teachers in analyzing students' learning strengths and weaknesses, finding the best learning opportunities, and making similar or different lesson organization decisions. Participants of the study emphasized the importance of learning analytics data in planning and organizing integrated mathematics and science lessons, i.e. synergistic opportunities for learning analytics in the organization of integrated mathematics and science education. The results of the research do not allow making generalized conclusions that would be suitable for the whole Lithuania, however the results of the research revealed that the development of models for the application of learning analytics and the analysis of their effectiveness are important directions for further research. Keywords: focus group interviews, learning analytics, science education, math lessons

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on education and teaching systems. It has fundamentally changed the way we learn, teach, communicate and collaborate within and between our education and teaching communities. This has affected learners, their families, teachers, heads of institutions, as well as the wider community. The purpose of this study is to analyse the pre-school teachers' experiences about changes in the organization of the educational process during the covid-19 pandemic period (in Lithuania). The strategy of qualitative research was chosen for the study, 15 Klaipėda city pre-school education teachers were interviewed. The study revealed that teachers did not change the content of education programs, sought to maintain the continuity of education and develop all the competencies of preschool children. Participants of the educational process experienced a variety of emotions and disturbances. Teachers missed for more decisive action of the institution’s administration. Many teachers note that it was difficult to manage time and organize activities for children. The opinion of educators discovered during the research helped to highlight advantages and disadvantages of distance pre-school education. Although the participants of the education process experienced difficulties, distance education enabled teachers to develop subject competencies and improve their ability to use ICT in the educational process.