The term “self-regulated learning” (SRL) has been introduced in the system of education in Latvia comparatively recently with the introduction of the new competency-based curriculum in 2016, therefore, the aim of the study is to explore teachers’ understanding and beliefs of the concept of self-regulated learning. Consequently, three research questions were posed: how teachers evaluate their SRL skills, what teachers understand by “self-regulated learning” and what teachers’ most commonly offered activities for developing students’ self-regulated learning skills are. The study consisted of several successive stages where the initial stage was to identify teachers’ understanding of SRL, surveyed at the introductory part of a year-long in-service teacher training course aimed at enhancing teachers’ proficiency in developing self-regulated learning skills in their students. The answers of 119 in-service teachers of grades 7–12 from all over Latvia were analysed according to the key words used to explain the concept of SRL. The data were used for planning teacher training courses and offering the most appropriate activities for elaborating teachers’ competence in developing students’ SRL skills. This article summarises the first results of the study reflecting teachers’ understanding of SRL. Further research results will be published in the following articles. The second part of the research analyses teachers’ offered activities for developing SRL skills at the online teacher experience exchange event attended by 344 teachers and reflects the results of the survey on teachers’ most commonly used activities for introducing self-regulated learning in the teaching process offered by 143 teacher professional development event attendees.
Year 2020 has introduced massive changes in the teaching and learning in traditional classroom settings all around the world as due to the abrupt outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, schools had to introduce remote learning systems and the amount of students’ independent workload increased exponentially. Self-regulated learning plays a crucial role in the learning process, and it is even more significant in remote learning as external regulation is low. The aim of this research was to study students’ self-evaluation on self-regulation processes during remote learning caused by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in autumn 2020. This paper presents results of a case study at a secondary school in Latvia. Over a period of two months regular surveys were carried out to investigate students’ opinion on their metacognitive, motivational and behavioural processes during remote learning. Results were analysed to determine the overall situation, changes over time and differences between distinctive students’ groups. Results reveal that 10–12th grade students are more self-rigorous when evaluating their performance than 7–9th graders. It is also evident that girls have better self-regulation skills than boys but seem to neglect their own needs more than boys. These and other results point to the need for customized support to different student groups during remote learning in order to provide all students with an appropriate learning environment.
The ongoing process of digitalisation requires teachers not only to use technologies in their lessons to provide high quality opportunities for learning, but also to learn through this format themselves. In recent years, a new competence-based curriculum has been implemented in Latvia, introducing new content and paying attention to self-regulated learning (SRL) as one of the transversal skills. This requires appropriate teacher professional development (TPD) and the implementation of various digital solutions in teaching and learning, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the benefits of online learning and the importance of SRL skills for ensuring sustainable lifelong learning, an online TPD course was conducted to enhance teachers’ knowledge of SRL and self-efficacy in developing students’ SRL skills. The course was attended by 126 teachers of grades 7–12. The research analyses teachers’ self-evaluation of the impact of the online TPD course on their knowledge and skills in developing students’ SRL skills, and data prove that both teachers’ theoretical understanding and competence in developing students’ SRL skills can be significantly improved through this format of TPD.
One after another, European educational systems are applying reforms to transform primary and secondary schools to fit continuously changing and dynamic environments. Reforms require schools to serve as lifelong learning centres for various learners’ groups, including school leaders, teachers and school staff, making them more flexible, collaborative and innovative in what comes to the teaching approaches. Simultaneously, gradual transformations in education are contextualised by the decrease in teaching staff and low motivation to remain in the profession due to a variety of reasons. ‘School as a learning organisation’ concept is introduced to define a school that continuously changes and adapts to new environments and circumstances through individual and collective learning of its staff. This paper aims to review the main impediments to implementations of the ‘school as a learning organisation’ concept, considering its functioning in Latvia and abroad. Literature and document analysis was done to assess the characteristics of learning organisations in the European context. With special focus on Latvia, several focus group interviews were conducted with the education managers and stakeholders to verify the implementation impediments in Latvia and define main risks of schools as learning organisations. Content analysis was applied to draw conclusions. The results have shown that institutional autonomy and leadership are the keys to positive changes in educational staff perceptions and motivation to take on risks and obtain new knowledge, skills and competence for the individual and organisational growth. However, there are other impediments, such as lack of time, financial resources and insufficient communication and understanding of the whole idea of the school as a learning organisation, that stops schools from being the agents of change. The obtained results will be further applied in the design of the ‘School as a learning organisation’ model and a tool for its measurement in Latvia.
Developing students' transversal skills is an important education goal, and its implementation requires equipping teachers with appropriate supplementary materials and methodological support. The aim of the research was to develop supplementary materials aimed at enhancing students’ problem-solving and self-regulated learning skills, and to pilot the materials in secondary school lessons. Problem-solving and self-regulated learning skills are transversal skills, so the supplementary materials were not subject-specific and were designed to help teachers promote these students' skills in the lessons of any school subjects. The set of materials comprised 10 worksheets with both questions and prompts that could promote the development of students’ problem-solving and self-regulated learning skills. In total 139 teachers applied to pilot materials for a month, and 36 of them provided feedback by completing a questionnaire. Participants represented different schools and school subjects and were teachers of Grades 5–12; the majority of them (80,6%) had more than 21 years of work experience. Overall, participants evaluated the materials as very helpful for developing students' problem-solving and self-regulated learning skills, as the materials paid particular attention to planning, self-monitoring and self-reflection through a detailed focus on each of these processes, stimulated by questions in the materials. However, the teachers also concluded that the students lacked the in-depth metacognitive skills to self-analyze and self-regulate their performance, and teachers provided feedback and valuable suggestions for improving the supplementary materials. The study contributes to the research area and work of practitioners by demonstrating that appropriately designed supplementary materials are a valuable and useful tool to help teachers develop students' problem-solving and self-regulated learning skills.
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