Case Forst in Lavia

Lelde Vilkriste

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Seminars

Data PlaceNumber of

participantsDuration

July 28 – 29 Ezernieki, Madona region

40 teachers from different regions of Latvia

2 days(9 hours)

July 31 Vidaga, Aluksnes region

30 teachers from different regions of Latvia, 7 pupils

1 day(11 hours)

September 22 – 23

Jurmala, Riga region

18 teachers, mostly form Jurmala and Riga

2 days (15 hours)

October 29 Vilkene, Limbazi region

21 teachers from Limbazi region

1 day (10,5 hours)

Totally: 109 teachers, 7 pupils

Cooperation

Joint stock company “Latvia State Forests”

Association of Enviromental Educators Kemeri National park Kirbizi Forest Museum Latvia Forest Reseach Institute

“Silava” Lectors

Dislocation & organization

Programm Information about CF + whishes of participants Theoretical part:

“Case Forest” project background and information; lectures about sustainable forestry and environmental issues,

actualities in forestry (in 2 seminars); theoretical introduction to Case Forest pedagogy and methodology; + practical training – driving questions and keywords ( “stakeholder

groups” - (environmentalists, aesthetes, businessmen, private forest owners, hunters, foresters, politicians, economists etc.)

Excursions (Ezernieki - 3 hour excursion “Sustainable use and management of forest”; Vidaga - 3 hour excursion in forest trail; Jurmala – excursion and practival tasks in Kemeri National Park; Vilkene - schools’ forest trale and Kirbizi Forest Museum

groups (4….. 6 teachers in one group) – different methods Group works - in classroom and in nature Presentations of groups always were very creative process! Evaluation of seminar and conclusion part; discussions

Start!

“Dzenošie jautājumi” Atslēgas vārdi (3 ilgtspējības

aspekti)

problems using the CF methodology in your school teacher needs

good intention, wish to work (only) with that methodology;

have forest and trail, nature is with us every day – no problems to use methodology;

can attend museum, library, forest, parks – excellent places for learning;

children watch, observe, research, move out problem and come to a conclusion themselves.

no finance for visit real objects; no knowledge about IT technologies (for

teachers) – no idea what we can ask from pupils;

no finance for material resources (a lot of schools don`t have enough IT technologies);

Forest is far away from school area; a limited period of time to make

presentations during the lesson; Very densive programms and small amount

of lessons – no time for presentations; limited information in open air museum of

Jurmala about forests; only on voluntary bases; too many pupils (32) in class to support all

of them in limited time.

CF is good interesting for children; very

creative work with non –prognoses on result; it is possibility to express themselves pupils with “hard head” (no interest to study; bad points) , but good computer and technical skills; improve team building in class; pupils has choice to make presentation or to keep old reporting style; very flexible work; it is possible to watch on phenomenon from different viewpoints – each group take one of them and work more deeply with it as it is possible in normal class work

It makes learning process more interesting; children learn to batch information, to work in groups or individually, to represent their work; their achievement is estimated positively; to use museum connect with nature, environment and IT technologies attachment; cognition formation; free perform;

Group work on evaluation “Case Forest” method provide possibility to explain

sustainability from different viewpoints at once when class is divided in smaller groups by driving questions (was use of forest materials from clear cut effective? do we have home and can we survive after clear cut (view point of forest fauna and flora)? how private forest owner can make profit?);

“Case Forest” method is good for creative pupils and it is their chance to make lessons interesting for others by doing presentations on voluntary bases;

Teachers have to cooperate with teachers of informatics or other specialists to get to knew new trends of technology (some teachers are afraid because they don’t knew what they can ask from pupils, but it was also opposition that it is enough to say to pupils “interesting presentation” to demonstrate with projector.

Positive about CF knowledge and skills what we learned in seminar everything or completely all (5 answers) we can use CF method in learning process – in each introduction lesson to explain

background of task, than to entrust to pupils individual task, and train to use keywords I learn how to improve learning process and use together oral presentations with

technique different approach to learning process and multifarious use of technique and methods A lot of valuable information was included in presentation of CF methodology group works and use of IT everything and learning in nature I like this method, because it is possibility to work in nature and use different modern IT,

very suitable and interesting to try in one museum new approach, I have to think more gently on driving question to keep pupils in right

frame, keywords for starting it is possibility to draw in pupils who like IT, very valuable are keywords and driving

questions by stakeholder groups to make frame for further studies we use in practice similar method, but CF is very comprehensible and good I like that CF method is based on “step by step” method – theme, driving questions,

keywords, objects etc. practical work in groups and creativity individual or group activities, creative process, to look on small question more deeply

and based research on real life ideas

Reasons that prevent or hinder use of CF method lack of IT and/or other technique (camera, video), projectors (6 answers) lack of IT knowledge to make presentation as it was planned in

beginning (8 answers) nothing!!! It is only need to do. time limit (5 answers), but it is very OK for project week (2) I would like to use everything, but I have to less knowledge on IT. It was

good that we got help from pupils from grade 4 and 5 to make our presentation ready

my subject is chemistry and it limits to use CF method; no interest or whish from pupils

there are resources, but no skills or it is skills, but no resources lack of themes too much reorganisation in learning and administration process

in last year that decrease importance of environmental questions

forest is far from schoolConclusion--> it is necessary to stress in printed material that

presentation is responsibility of pupils!!!! Also practical advises how to solve different situations according our learning system.

Publicity Internetpages (regional; municiplait;

school) Forest portal & vortal http://www.latforin.lv/index.php?id=70&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=927&tx_ttnews[calendarYear]=2010&tx_ttnews[cale

ndarMonth]=8&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=b2633e73fc

Region newspapers Report of Agrivulture Ministry on forest

dector activities in Schools Forest newspaper “Čiekurs” CF newsletter Info page

Info page

Newsletter information about project

activities in Latvia (page 2 & 3);

introduction in “Case forest” methodology (translated material; page 4 to 7);

Lusto method (translated material; page 8 to 13)

“Case Forest” pedagogy (translated material; page 14 to 22)

“Case Forest” method in practice (page 22 to 28).