No abstract

The virtue education curriculum ‘e-TAP’ is one of the recent efforts for improving character and virtue education at school in Latvia from preschool till grade nine. The objective of this research was to provide evidence regarding whether this curriculum is appropriate (‘fits’) to the Latvian context, in particular in reference to the Skola-2030 curriculum. Based on fit and feasibility theory, this work addressed the research question: “How does the treatment of virtues of the e-TAP curriculum fit to the treatment of virtues of the new Skola-2030 curriculum?”. The analysis used statistical descriptive frequency analysis of the virtues of each programme and comparative analysis between the two document sets included in each of them, using Excel software. The results show that Skola-2030 programme stresses performance and civic virtues, while the e-TAP programme underlines moral and intellectual virtues. Performance virtues are the most important ones in Skola-2030 (38 %), but account only for 17 % in the e-TAP curriculum. In addition, in Skola-2030 curriculum civic virtues account for 23 %, while in e-TAP they are only 8 %. In the e-TAP curriculum, moral virtues account for half of all the mentions (50 %) and intellectual virtues for 25 %, whereas in Skola-2030 those virtue groups account for 22 % and 18 %, respectively. The high ‘complementarity fit’ of both programmes suggests that the e-TAP curriculum could considerably enrich the Skola-2030 educational offer. Suggestions for e-TAP programme improvement and further research are put forward.

The concept of transversal skills is a crucial element in competency-based approach in Latvia, which is specified in project Skola2030 and gradually has been approbated since 2017 in schools in Latvia. Teachers were provided with the methodological tools to practise these skills successfully, however, there are still struggles in this field. The objective of the research was to demonstrate the evidence regarding whether the principles of IDEO workbook are appropriate (‘fits’) Latvian educational context, particularly, the notion of Skola2030 transversal skills. Based on fit and feasibility theory this work addressed the research question: ‘How does the design of IDEO workbook’s skill set fit to the transversal skills of Skola2030 methodological tool in English lessons?’ The examination used statistical descriptive frequency analysis of the transversal skills of each document and comparative analysis between the two document sets included in each of them, using Excel software. The results show that the Skola2030 methodological tool for teachers on transversal skills in language areas stresses critical thinking, collaboration, and digital skills, whereas IDEO workbook underlines critical thinking, creativity and entrepreneurship, and self-directed learning. The high fit of both documents suggests that the adaptation of the IDEO workbook in the schools of Latvia could considerably enrich the Skola2030 educational offer. Suggestions for the improvement of the IDEO workbook and its adaptation are put forward.

This article is predicated on a systematic review of educational examination and academic literature referring to creative confidence as a part and a great influential tool for secondary education. Regardless of the dynamic work of global design company ‘IDEO’ that constructs positive influence through design thinking in13 areas besides learning and education, there is a lack of practice on creative confidence in didactic learning of the secondary school. To explore the procedure of how secondary school students’ learning may be organized by using creative confidence, scientific articles on design thinking and creative confidence in the classroom have been explored, analysed, and compared. A particular emphasis was put on competency-based learning as a base of any educational curriculum in the 21stcentury. There was evidence of the influence for the usage of creative confidence as a part of a didactic approach with secondary school students. It was stated that design thinking goes next to creative confidence as a part of it rather than a different term. Further on the findings of this article may be used to adapt creative confidence in both a lesson plan and curriculum of a specific subject.

The article analyses Latvian teachers’ opinions regarding the feasibility of a virtue education curriculum for students aged 5–15 years, which they piloted in spring 2021, and identifies the challenges faced when implementing the virtue education curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings showed that the curriculum could be delivered successfully in both modalities – face-to-face and online – since the teachers’ approaches were creative and transformative in addressing all the challenges identified.