Job shadowing Lithuania

2024-1-ES01-KA121-SCH-0000197930

School Functioning and Structure

We were welcomed by Andzelika Uysaler (andzelikauysaler@gmail.com), the Erasmus coordinator and Science teacher, who has been teaching remotely (via video call) since the pandemic.

To enter the school, all students, staff, and teachers use a magnetic card. There are cameras in the hallways. They say this system ensures control over entries and exits and guarantees the safety of the school community.

The school includes students from ages 7 to 18 (1st to 12th grade).

Each class group has a small cloakroom on the ground floor, where they leave their coats, shoes, etc., before going to class. They take only the materials needed for the day in their backpacks. These cloakrooms remain open at all times.

In addition, primary students have lockers in the hallways. These lockers have no locks (there seems to be no fear of theft or vandalism). Primary students do not leave their classrooms throughout the day. They stay with their tutor at all times, similar to our system.

In lower and upper secondary (DBH and Batxiler), students carry the materials they need for the day in their small backpacks and move from class to class. Each subject has its own classroom (each teacher has their own room), and students are the ones who move between lessons—similar to how it works for Technology, Arts, Music, PE, and ICT in our schools. Teachers remain in their specialist classrooms.

As for the daily timetable, students have several breaks throughout the day, and depending on their age, they attend between 4 and 7 lessons. The school day starts at 8:30 a.m. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes. Example schedule with breaks:

Lesson 1   10-minute break / Lesson 2  20-minute break / Lesson 3  20 -minute break 

Students do not need to ask permission to go to the toilet during lessons; they may go silently if necessary. However, we didn’t see anyone go during class time.

In general, students wear uniforms (trousers or skirts, shirts, and blazers), but very freely. Some wear casual clothes, and those who do wear uniforms often personalize their style, combining different garments and accessories.

Regarding lunchtime, each student (even the younger ones) decides when to eat during their break. There is a canteen, which is very small. Students purchase their meals using a card—even the youngest. There is no supervision while they eat. They seemed responsible. Some eat alone. We don’t know whether eating disorders or ensuring healthy food intake are concerns. The canteen works like a small buffet, with several options: soups, salad ingredients, 3–4 main course choices, side dishes (rice, potatoes...), and dessert. Students eat during 10–20 minute breaks, choosing when and what to eat. They often have to eat quickly due to the limited time.

Teachers have a small staffroom, but they don’t seem to spend much time there. As mentioned, each teacher has their own classroom, where they stay and wait for students between lessons.

Teachers’ involvement in school life is reflected in their salaries—the more involved they are, the higher the salary (we don’t know the exact figures). Teachers working in this school must be willing to participate in many projects, as great importance is given to them.

The headteacher has full authority over teacher recruitment, even though it’s a public school. Teachers are hired based on their CVs. If the headmistress/ headmaster wants someone to join the team, they are invited to work there, knowing what level of involvement will be expected.

Teachers focus on preparing their lessons and participating in projects of interest. They do not supervise recess, corridors, or the canteen. In fact, when we asked a teacher about the supervision system, they were surprised by the question. They told us that during breaks students are in the hallways running, playing, chatting, etc., while teachers stay in their classrooms (usually preparing the next lesson).

Regarding mobile phone use, there is a distinction between Primary and Secondary. In Primary, teachers collect phones and store them in a classroom box until the last period. In Secondary, mobile phones are banned inside classrooms. In hallways, however, even though they would like to ban them, it is currently seen as an unattainable challenge. From our observations, students sit on hallway benches during breaks and are absorbed in their phones.

As for computer use in class, students do not have personal devices. ICT is a mandatory subject throughout lower secondary and optional in upper secondary. The digital environment is only used at home and in ICT classes. The ICT department is in charge of developing students’ digital competence. Tasks such as creating presentations or digital projects are assigned as homework. No one mentioned programming or robotics.

In terms of PISA comparisons, their results in reading, maths, and science are similar to ours. The digital domain assessment will be carried out for the first time in 2025.

Some notes about some subjects

Food Technology Lesson (Secondary Education)

The subject is taught from an early age, with students attending two sessions per week. Initially compulsory, it becomes an elective in the later years, transitioning into a more theoretical approach focused on economics.

The goal of the subject is to teach students how to cook using healthy ingredients, plan budgets, explore both traditional and international recipes, and understand sustainable practices. The concept of a circular economy is integrated into the curriculum.

One interesting project involved reducing waste: students dried and crushed organic materials, combining them with recycled eggshells to create flowerpots.

Students bring ingredients from home. Although the school does not have a garden, all information is taken from textbooks, and digital tools are not used. A library is available for research.

Methodologically, the teacher assigns specific tasks—such as researching and preparing a traditional dessert. Students must plan the purchase, time management, and organization of the cooking day. At the end, everyone tastes the result, and the teacher evaluates the entire process, applying principles of technological processes and reinforcing life skills such as healthy eating habits.

The teacher kindly offered to share the flowerpot formula with us. She does not speak English.

We were advised to look into the “Junior Achievement” programme, which was mentioned in the context of this subject.

Biology  Lesson (Secondary Education DBH)

The lesson took place in a classroom where three students shared a long table. The teaching was entirely lecture-based, and the students remained silent throughout the session. While some students were not fully attentive, they did not disrupt the class atmosphere. When the teacher asked a question, most students were able to respond.

Each student had a textbook and a small notebook. The tables were very tidy. The teacher used a projector to present the lesson with the digital version of the textbook. After explaining the topic, students completed exercises to reinforce their understanding—working individually. While students worked, the teacher took attendance.

During correction, the teacher directed questions to specific students, not allowing open volunteering. At the end of the lesson, students stood up and left for their next class.

When we asked about assessment, students explained that there is a test at the end of each unit. During exams, they leave  their shared tables clear. Assessment includes tests, presentations, projects, and homework.

Maths (Primary School )

The lesson took place in a primary classroom. The teacher used the app ClassroomScreen, which showed the time remaining in the session and the learning goals in a checklist format.

Students were seated in boy-girl pairs. When they wanted to speak, they raised their hands and waited for the teacher to call their name.

The session focused on reviewing how to calculate perimeters. Students experimented in pairs by measuring the perimeter of different shapes. The teacher had a well-structured time plan and moved around the classroom while students worked, providing help and observing their progress. This was the most approachable teacher we observed.

Although seated in pairs, students worked individually and were not allowed to help each other. Corrections were done orally; answers were not written on the board. Students had to listen carefully in order to correct their own work in their notebooks.

The teacher did not give feedback on whether answers were correct or incorrect—just provided the right answers and moved on.

Students reviewed formulas using a worksheet with two levels of difficulty, from easiest to most challenging.

At the end of the session, there was a short self-assessment. Students stood up—without running—and marked their answers on the board. Finally, they held a class discussion to reflect on whether the session had been beneficial. taugh

PowerPoint created for the internacional School Project Exchange to show the teachers from different European schools( Tenerife, Rome, Portugal and a musical school from Lithuania)  the job downswings carried out by Elexalde High School during its accreditation.