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On November 25-26th Lithuanian heritage schools educators from Ireland, United Kingdom, USA, Norway, France, Russia and Sweden gathered at the Lithuanian Language Testers Training Seminar in Vilnius. The first such seminar took place last January in Boston for the Lithuanian heritage schools teachers in the US. Seminar in Vilnius invited teachers from the European Lithuanian Heritage schools.
Newly created tests will help to establish Lithuanian heritage language schools' students' proficiency level (A1, A2, B1). Such tests have been already tried out at the schools in the US, now will be used at similar schools in Europe. Common Lithuanian language testing system designed for the Lithuanians living abroad and the foreigners, was created using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CERF), taking into account Lithuanian cultural traditions and specific context of the Lithuanian schools.
After the seminar teachers were expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to gain more knowledge about testing Lithuanian schools' students and shared their thoughts and suggestions how to make this initiative most productive. All schools run into some similar and some different issues. Each country has its own system, own culture, to which Lithuanian schools adapt their work. However, all participating teachers agreed that wherever they are, such tests are in high demand and the knowledge gained at this seminar was very valuable.
Teachers participating at the seminar in Vilnius expressed the same concerns as the teachers in the US. Continuity of these tests and the need for higher proficiency level (B2, C1, C2) tests were on everyone's list.
Lilia Bakanauskaite, the teacher at the Lithuanian school "Saule" in Sweden, was comparing certain aspects of teaching Lithuanian language to teaching foreigners Swedish language what she does daily in Stockholm, while Apolonija Kalniute inquired if such tests are available for the adults as well, because most of her students at the Saint Petersburg Lithuanian school in Russia are grown ups. At the meantime, Nijole Jankauskiene, the principal of the Lithuanian school "Lighthouse" in London, is already enthusiastically planning how approximately 30 school's students will take this test on March 25th together with the students taking it on the same day in the US.
It is exciting to see teachers enthusiasm, energy and support that such tests are not just extremely valuable but also highly anticipated at the Lithuanian schools all over the world.
KFF is a proud supporter of this project.
Photo: Courtesy of Lilia Bakanauskaite