The term “self-regulated learning” (SRL) has been introduced in the system of education in Latvia comparatively recently with the introduction of the new competency-based curriculum in 2016, therefore, the aim of the study is to explore teachers’ understanding and beliefs of the concept of self-regulated learning. Consequently, three research questions were posed: how teachers evaluate their SRL skills, what teachers understand by “self-regulated learning” and what teachers’ most commonly offered activities for developing students’ self-regulated learning skills are. The study consisted of several successive stages where the initial stage was to identify teachers’ understanding of SRL, surveyed at the introductory part of a year-long in-service teacher training course aimed at enhancing teachers’ proficiency in developing self-regulated learning skills in their students. The answers of 119 in-service teachers of grades 7–12 from all over Latvia were analysed according to the key words used to explain the concept of SRL. The data were used for planning teacher training courses and offering the most appropriate activities for elaborating teachers’ competence in developing students’ SRL skills. This article summarises the first results of the study reflecting teachers’ understanding of SRL. Further research results will be published in the following articles. The second part of the research analyses teachers’ offered activities for developing SRL skills at the online teacher experience exchange event attended by 344 teachers and reflects the results of the survey on teachers’ most commonly used activities for introducing self-regulated learning in the teaching process offered by 143 teacher professional development event attendees.

From the school year 2020/2021 the implementation of a competence-based curriculum has started in Latvia which determines new learning outcomes for students and at the same time defines new professional development needs for teachers. There are changes in the content that teachers need to learn and the learning approach that teachers need to use for their professional development to ensure that they meet the new quality requirements of teaching. In order to successfully implement new teaching and learning approaches and to promote the development of a wider learning community, teachers’ formal professional development, such as attendance at lectures, seminars etc., has to be supplemented with informal professional development through sharing experiences, participation in learning groups, etc. The remote work experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has provided additional opportunities for a variety of online in-service teacher education activities based on principles of informal learning. The goal of the research conducted by the authors is to find out what is the interest of teachers to get involved in the teacher cooperation events “Emergency Methodological Assistance” organised by the Friendly Appeal Cesis State Gymnasium and what are the professional benefits of teachers’ participation in such informal learning activities. Within the framework of the research, a qualitative content analysis of the teachers’ reflection bulletins has been performed, which teachers have submitted at the end of events, evaluating their professional benefits from participation in the events. The data of the research show that teachers appreciate the opportunity to get acquainted with professionally tested and practical teaching methods and techniques for the implementation of new curriculum, to receive encouragement from other colleagues in the conditions of constant change and uncertainty, and to find professional partners among teachers for long-term planning and cooperation activities.

The ongoing process of digitalisation requires teachers not only to use technologies in their lessons to provide high quality opportunities for learning, but also to learn through this format themselves. In recent years, a new competence-based curriculum has been implemented in Latvia, introducing new content and paying attention to self-regulated learning (SRL) as one of the transversal skills. This requires appropriate teacher professional development (TPD) and the implementation of various digital solutions in teaching and learning, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the benefits of online learning and the importance of SRL skills for ensuring sustainable lifelong learning, an online TPD course was conducted to enhance teachers’ knowledge of SRL and self-efficacy in developing students’ SRL skills. The course was attended by 126 teachers of grades 7–12. The research analyses teachers’ self-evaluation of the impact of the online TPD course on their knowledge and skills in developing students’ SRL skills, and data prove that both teachers’ theoretical understanding and competence in developing students’ SRL skills can be significantly improved through this format of TPD.

Ongoing educational digitalization, as well as remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly promoted the use of digital technologies in education. Consequently, questions regarding the use of different digital solutions (DSs) have arisen, such as which DSs are best suited for teaching and learning, what types of digital learning solutions (DLSs) are freely accessible and what kinds of solutions are still insufficiently available to educators. The research questions were designed to answer (1) what kind of DSs educators are most interested in and (2) which DSs they have successfully implemented in their practice. To determine the answers to these questions, two separate data sets were combined. The first data set emerged from analysing site traffic data from the educational platform DigiKlase.lv, where DSs and educational resources that can be implemented in the teaching-learning process have been collected. The second data set was gathered during an educational technology mentor professional development course and from the Erasmus+ project “Network of technology INTEGRAtionists in pupils’ informal education” (INTEGRA) educators in Latvia, where 798 educators were surveyed about their success with implementing DSs in their educational practice. The results demonstrate that educators are most interested in electronic and digital teaching resources that are types of digital solutions with limited interactivity. Furthermore, educators are interested to further explore DLS that are accessible without registration, are free of charge, and contain methodological recommendations for using them in an educational setting. Nevertheless, instructions on how to use a DLS have a negative impact on their opening rate. Educators also prefer resources that are in the national language, visibly dismissing and not further exploring solutions that are in other widely used languages in Latvia, for example Russian or English. The data reveal that DSs are, overall, significantly less used in preschool settings and in subject areas that are not directly related to the usage of technology including solutions that could be used in any subject area like digital educational games, co-working documents etc. Furthermore, educators report that they have more successfully implemented DSs that emulate the analogue learning process, and fewer choose solutions that are related to working in a digital environment.