From January to August, 2024 Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library participates as a partner in the implementation of the Erasmus+ program project T.E.T.E („Teaching English to Elderly“) coordinated by the Latvian NGO Vecmāmiņas.lv.
The main goal of this strategic partnership project is to adopt the good experience of European non-formal education institutions in the field of adult language learning, due to the partnership of the two countries, learning new effective methods of learning English, improving the linguistic and cultural competences of adult learners and promoting international cooperation.
In order to innovate in the field of non-formal language learning for adults, groups of adult learners in Latvia and Lithuania will present to each other the language learning methods they use and apply them in practice. The “Language Circles” method of the Latvian NGO English club for senior people will be transferred as a new tool to the “Let’s Talk” English conversation club Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library, while the Lithuanian partner will introduce the “Language Cafe” method to Latvian learners. Both of these methods will be tested with groups of adult learners in Latvia and Lithuania (twenty persons aged 50+ and older will learn in the target group of each country).
On the 5th–6th of February a meeting of the project working group took place in Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bite Public Library. The representatives of the NGO “Vecmāmiņas.lv” met with the library administration, talked about the programs for adults, projects and services operating in the library. During the tour of the library, the guests got to know the spaces where adult learning clubs, digital literacy training for residents, cultural events and educational classes take place.
During the working session, Latvian and Lithuanian partners discussed the activities provided in the project application, agreed on specific dates of activities, and divided responsibilities.
Currently, adult learners in Lithuania and Latvia are trying various methods of learning English. Panevėžys County Library’s English conversation club “Let’s Talk” uses the “Agree, disagree, comment” method shared by Latvian colleagues, when various topics of everyday life are discussed, and the participants of the discussion look for arguments to support their opinion. It encourages the development of language skills, expanding vocabulary and learning to make arguments.
On the 25th–27th of March an interim meeting of the project working group will take place in Latvia, during which the ongoing activities will be discussed, other methods of informal English language learning will be shared, and the progress of adult learners will be evaluated.
Virginija Švedienė
Coordinator of Adult Education Activities
