As many as 420 primary school teachers in Kaunas city and district are already participating in the informatics and technological creativity program Vedliai (formerly Teachers Lead Tech), where they are learning the basics of digital literacy, creative programming, virtual reality and other technological concepts that they can later adapt and integrate into their lessons.

The creators of Vedliai project say their goal is simple: to turn the ability to create technology into a basic skill, such as reading and writing. That is why the continuous learning program in informatics and technological creativity Vedliai was created, which helps teachers learn informatics and technological creativity.

“Informatics and technological creativity enter primary school classrooms with an updated primary education curriculum, and our goal is to patiently and adequately help prepare primary school teachers, from the very beginning,” Viltautė Žvirzdinaitė, head of Vedliai program in Lithuania, says. This is the second year of the program. 50% of all primary school teachers in Lithuania study in it, a total of 3,400 teachers. We believe and see that all primary school teachers can teach informatics and we are here to help them do that,” V. Žvirzdinaitė is sure about the benefits of the program.

The team that works on implementing the program is convinced that teachers’ informatics competencies in primary education can only be ensured by supporting continuous learning and not by providing one-off courses. Therefore, during a project that lasts for at least four years, teachers regularly participate in virtual workshops where they get to know different technologies and learn to create while applying them. In addition, teachers are provided with classroom-ready content: a digital textbook and a digital exercise book, where technological creativity is combined with classroom topics through practices that stimulate creative and logical thinking. Finally, the program provides a support system. Teachers can consult with the mentor and teacher community anytime. The aim of this is for educators to feel as confident as possible, to trust themselves and to regularly apply the learned practices when working with beginners.

A total of 287 primary school teachers from Kaunas city and 133 teachers from Kaunas district (from 40 schools in the city and from 25 schools in the district) are currently studying digital literacy and technological creativity with Vedliai.

Kaunas teachers who came to the meeting with Vedliai community and the presentation of the program for schools, who are not yet participating in it, on March 17, noticed that one of the most attractive things about the project is its well-thought-out form. Teachers of any age group with varying levels of basic informatics knowledge feel comfortable during the training.

“One of the advantages of this program is that teachers get the opportunity to study with colleagues from different age groups and feel dignified. I trust Vedliai and I am determined to invest the school’s money, also because it is not just a short-term project,” Jekaterina Juknevičienė, the principal of Simonas Daukantas School in Kaunas, notes.

Birutė Krapauskienė, Vice Principal of President Valdas Adamkus Gymnasium in Kaunas, said at the meeting, “As far as I know, this is the first such program in Lithuania where a lot of respect and attention is paid to the teachers. Every topic and every aspect is explained very patiently and consistently, so no questions remain, and if any difficulties come up, everyone is given as much assistance as needed. Because of this respectful attitude, I want my school to continue to participate in the program.”

Meanwhile, Daiva Micienė, Vice Principal of Jonas and Petras Vileišis School in Kaunas, notices that although the school has had information technology lessons for beginners since 2015, it has been a big challenge for teachers to create content by themselves, “That is why we take our hats off to Vedliai and we regret that we have only integrated two teachers so far! It is great that such content exists, it is truly relevant for students.”

As most of the teachers in the program said, they notice a greater involvement of children in lessons when information is provided through technological creativity. It not only helps to better absorb information but also develops children’s creativity, independence and teamwork skills. Finally, through technological creativity, children of all abilities can experience the joy of learning.

Vedliai program invites all the teachers, who want to improve their own and their pupils’ digital skills and move towards higher competency – the ability to develop technology – to join and participate in continuing training. You can find all the information in www.vedliai.lt