Discussion highlighting the importance of history lessons in disseminating knowledge about values instilled in Satversme and how to achieve better learning outcomes across Latvian schools, “History lessons: study plan and impact on constitutional values awareness”, will take place at the Riga Castle on Friday, 13 January. It will start at 10:00.
History contains accounts of a nation’s collective progress in the past, also depicting core values that have crystallised and united people over time. The current school history programme is based on education standards developed in scope of School 2030 project. Do these standards offer educators sufficient guidance on how to teach history while also deepening pupils’ awareness of definitive values of the Latvian State described in constitution, Satversme? How to apply critical thinking to our past and avoid the downplaying of historical facts at the same time? Can history lessons also make you a better citizen?
These and many other aspects of history teaching in Latvian schools will be discussed by President of Latvia Egils Levits, Aija Kļaviņa, education expert, University of Latvia (UL) Interdisciplinary Centre for Educational Innovation, Roberts Ķipurs, teacher, History and Social Sciences, member of the board, Association of History and Social Science Teachers, Sanita Osipova, professor, UL Faculty of Law, Gvido Straube, director, UL Institute of Latvian History, Valters Ščerbinskis, professor, UL Faculty of History and Philosophy, chief editor, National Encyclopaedia. Discussion hosted by Riga Castle will be moderated by Mārtiņš Mitenbergs, head of public awareness and communications, Latvian War Museum.
The discussion will be livestreamed on Presidential Chancery webpage www.president.lv and President Levits’ social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
Discussion is hosted by Presidential Chancery in collaboration with the Association of History and Social Science Teachers.