By Inta Agustāne, Rita Skara-Mincāne, Robert Buckmaster and Inga Linde
All photos by Inese Kalniņa 2025
In the 2024/2025 academic year, the Latvian Association of Teachers of English (LATE) offered Latvian teachers of English the opportunity to attend a Teacher Professional Development course focused on “21st Century Skills and Media Literacy.” The project was implemented with the support of the British Council in Latvia, and 242 teachers took the opportunity to complete the course and develop their competences in using 21st Century skills in their classrooms and raise their awareness of media literacy, so that it could be further developed in their students all around Latvia.
Seven 4-hour online workshopswere conducted in the first phase of the project. The speakers covered a wide range of topics which were aimed at enhancing the teachers’ ability to incorporate 21st-century skills and media literacy into their teaching practices. Joe Horgan looked at Practical Methods to Develop Media Literacy in the EFL Classroom, Using Authentic Text to Improve and Evaluate EFL Students’ Media Literacy and Language Skills and Cultivating Creativity by Turning EFL Students into Media Content Producers. Nora Jurjāne suggested that Human Intelligence + AI was a 21st Century Classroom Match Made in Heaven for Skill Building. Ingūna Melne suggested ways of Mastering AI Tools for the Classroom. Ivars Domeniks Zeps focused on Navigating Age of Information: 21st Century Critical Thinking Skills. Robert Buckmaster explored Materials and Methods for Developing Communication Skills.Anna Beļska examined Digital Literacy. Andrew Doxsey talked about Integrating AI in EFL Teaching: Enhancing 21st Century Skills and Feedback Practices.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, as evidenced by quotes from the participants:
- “There were a lot of great resources and materials to use with my students. A deeper insight into how to teach about media literacy in English lessons.”
- “What I really noticed was just how important effective questioning is in showing children how they should be questioning the things around them. It also helps us check learning and deepen learning, but overall, it teaches them this life skill which is becoming more and more essential to living in the modern world.”
- “There were good examples how to use ChatGPT mindfully, meaningfully and responsibly.”
- “It was practical, useful both for us – teachers ourselves and for the classes with our students, and it was exciting to try it all out practically.”
- “I gained an insight into ICT tools such as Menti.com, Kialo-edu.com, Gimkit.com. I also learnt how to use Padlet wall. It was fun to create my own avatar.”
- “I really appreciate the demonstration of practical activities with ChatGPT- 3 essay writing, conversation and interview practice, voice extension.”
- “I found out more about the multiple possibilities to use Chat GPT in EFL classroom.”
- “A lot of food for thought about the role of AI in the teaching/learning process and a lot of great practical ideas to try in the classroom.”
On March 14, 2025, the second and final phase of the project, a face-to-face meeting of project participants and trainers, was held at Riga Teika Secondary School. The event commenced with a warm welcome from Inga Linde, President of LATE. Teachers then had the opportunity to choose two interactive hands-on workshops from the five workshops offered. These were:
The workshop Use It or Lose It – Vocabulary Learning Strategies run by Rita Skara-Mincāne & Inta Augustāne encouraged participants to explore the Lexical Approach and media texts to enhance students’ vocabulary retention and production. Participants explored the choice of vocabulary collocations in media texts thus addressing students’ media literacy skills.
In Guidelines and Practice in Creating Posters Robert Buckmaster offered practical methods for designing effective educational posters.
In her workshop entitled From Idea to Assessment: Leveraging AI for Project-Based Learning, Inguna Melne did a deep dive into AI tools for lesson planning, assessments, and rubric creation. Hands-on activities demonstrated how to generate assessments, saving time and enhancing student learning outcomes.
Joseph Jack Horgan demonstrated hands-on techniques to improve students’ reading comprehension and analytical skills at primary and secondary level in his Text Literacy Strategies for EFL Students workshop.
Finally, Andrew Doxsey shared his experience of Using AI to Enable Self-Guided Learning, exploring how AI can empower students to take ownership of their learning journeys and improve self-guided learning skills.
Following the workshops, participants were grouped by different grade levels (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12) and engaged in practical collaborative group work, developing lesson plans, posters, and projects tailored to the different grade levels. These resources, emphasizing media literacy and 21st-century skills, were uploaded to a shared Resource Bank, and these, after they are reviewed, will be made available online so that EFL teachers across Latvia can benefit from the event’s outcomes.
A Commitment to Ongoing Professional Growth
The day concluded with a closing session, marking not just the end of a successful event but also the beginning of a continued journey toward integrating innovative teaching strategies in English language classrooms. The British Ambassador to Latvia Mr. Paul Brummell CMG attended and made his appreciation for the dedication of English language teachers in equipping students with essential 21st-century competencies clear in his speech. He emphasized the vital role of educators in promoting media literacy and critical thinking, highlighting the British Council’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovative teaching practices in Latvia.
He stated that LATE and the British Council in Latvia deserve special recognition for their commitment to supporting English teachers in developing the skills necessary to prepare students for an increasingly digital and interconnected world, and that such impactful professional development initiatives, Latvian educators will be well-equipped to foster critical thinking, creativity, and media literacy in the next generation of learners.
The event was also attended by Zane Matesoviča, Country Director at the British Council in Latvia, who thanked LATE President Inga Linde for the tremendous work in organizing the project.
We would like to express our gratitude to the British Council in Latvia especially Zane Matesoviča, Anete Blūma and Laura Kristapsone for supporting the implementation of this important project for teachers of English in Latvia, and to Riga Teika Secondary School for their hospitality and for supporting the activities of the Latvian Association of Teachers of English.