Curriculum, subjects, numbers of hours

National curriculum

The national primary curriculum is outlined in these national documents, which are approved by the Minister for Education and Science:

• Description of Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Curricula (Pradinio, pagrindinio ir vidurinio ugdymo programų aprašas). This sets out the general education goals and principles, explains the use of general curricula and describes the learning results. It outlines the structure and content of the general curricula, and it also includes the main learning process features, describes the learning environment, contains pupils’ progress and results evaluation, and sets out the quality assurance for general curricula.
• General Curriculum for Primary Education (Pradinio ugdymo bendroji programa) (2008, General Curricula for Primary and Lower Secondary Education, Annex 1). This lists the purpose, principles and provisions for primary education. It specifies the structure and areas of primary education, and it describes in detail the programme for each primary education subject: the possibilities for subject integration, teaching provisions, the purpose of the subject, objectives, pupils’ skills development, indicative achievements of pupils’ development, and what should be studied at a certain stage and to which extent.
• Lithuanian Language Primary Education General Curriculum (Lietuvių kalbos pradinio ugdymo bendroji programa).
• Curricula for individual study areas such as sex education, arts, music, etc.

General curricula are prepared and updated by schoolteachers, scientists and specialists. Feedback on submitted projects is provided by the educational community.

General curriculum

Primary education is organized according to a two-year education plan which specifies the start and duration of education, the forms of educational organization, the hour counts for each subject (hours per year, hours per week), etc. The 2020-2021 academic year is organized according to the General Teaching Plan for the Primary Education Curriculum 2019-2020 and 2020-2021(further in the document: General Teaching Plan) (2019–2020 ir 2020–2021 mokslo metų pradinio ugdymo programos bendrasis ugdymo planas). The latest General Teaching Plan was approved on 15 April 2019 by the Minister for Education and Science.

The General Teaching Plan regulates the implementation of the following programmes in schools:

• primary education curriculum
• specialized education curricula (primary education with music, arts, sports and/or other education programmes)
• individualised programmes for primary education applied for pupils with special educational needs
• primary education programmes for adults
• non-formal education programmes

School curriculum

Each school develops its own school curriculum (ugdymo planas) conforming to the General Teaching Plan and educational curricula (ugdymo programos). The school curriculum also defines the implementation of the educational curricula. Various solutions on how the educational process must be organized, how pupils’ progress must be evaluated etc., are provided.

The school curriculum is developed by a working group set up by the school principal. The working group is led by the principal or an appointed individual. The schoolteachers, pupils and parents (guardians) are involved in the development of the school curriculum, which is ultimately approved by the school principal in alignment with the school council and institution that has the status of owner.

The content of the subjects provided in the general educational curricula is of two years. The school decides how it will be distributed in the curriculum. The school curriculum can be projected for one or two years.

The school curriculum is comprised of classes of curriculum subjects, the hours for pupils to achieve their educational needs, and any hours for non-formal education. Curriculum subject classes are compulsory and non-formal education is elective. Curriculum subject programmes are usually drawn up for two-year educational concentres (grades 1 to 2 and 3 to 4, respectively).

Areas of primary curriculum

The compulsory primary curriculum subjects are divided into the following areas:

• Moral education (religion and ethics) (the pupil’s parents (guardians) select one of these subjects – ethics or the traditional religion of the community)
• Languages (Lithuanian, the native language of the ethnic group, and a foreign language) (the pupil’s parents (guardians) select one of the European languages suggested by the school – English, German or French)
• Mathematics
• Social and natural sciences (perceptions of the world)
• Arts education (music; arts and technologies)
• Physical education
• Education for the deaf and hard of hearing

Hours allocated for subjects during the 2020-2021 academic year

The school chooses how the hours of education are allocated:

1. It appoints the necessary number of hours for teaching a subject in a specific class. If needed, the school reallocates the hours designated for subject teaching over a four-year period. The school must ensure that when teaching hours are reallocated, the number of hours estimated for a subject within a four-year period is maintained.
2. It reallocates the subject’s number of hours planned per year per class. The school must maintain a general number of subject education hours set for primary curriculum (ugdymo programos) concentre (within a two-year period).
3. It establishes the weekly number of hours for subject teaching.

Education Hour Distribution during the week, for concentres, for four years according to the General Teaching Plan*

 Notes:

*In schools where teaching is conducted in the language of an ethnic minority

** First foreign language is taught in grades 2 to 4

*** Duration of an educational hour is 35 minutes in the first grade and 45 minutes in grades 2 to 4

**** The number of hours assigned to fulfil pupils’ educational needs is provided in a sum. The hour count is increased in correlation with the increased number of classrooms

Schools executing specialized education curricula (primary education with music, arts, sports and/or other education programmes) and children’s social centres can reallocate up to 25% of hours for General Curriculum for Primary Education implementation provided in the table above.

Cognitive, cultural, artistic and creative activities (further in the document: cognitive cultural activities) are mandatory for pupils studying primary curriculum. It is a part of the education process. The school considers the content of the subject, expected pupils’ achievements and the pupils’ age. Based on that criteria, the school decides the number of lessons for cognitive cultural activities, which must be in cohesion with the school’s educational objectives and with pupils’ learning needs. These activities must be organized not only in school but in other environments as well, such as museums, open access centres and virtual learning environments.

Languages

Usually education in schools is delivered in the national language, Lithuanian. In order to improve Lithuanian language skills, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are developed during other subjects as well.

Members of ethnic minority groups can choose one of the following:

1. They can study in schools where lessons are taught in the Lithuanian language and in addition they can study their native language as a subject. Some of the recommended courses can also be taught in the language of an ethnic minority.
2. They can study in schools where lessons are taught in the language of an ethnic minority. In such cases, primary education is delivered in the language of an ethnic minority. Lithuanian is taught during Lithuanian language lessons and integrally. Lithuanian language fragments are incorporated in primary education subjects. It is recommended to teach in Lithuanian those topics of world perceptions and understanding that are related to Lithuanian history, geography and culture. If parents (guardians) prefer, other subjects can also be taught in Lithuanian.

Information and Communication Technologies

There is no separate subject for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Nevertheless, teachers are encouraged to use ICT in the education process and to integrate it into other subjects.

The project ‘Information Technology in Primary Education’ („Informatika pradiniame ugdyme“) was initiated in the 2017-2018 academic year. Ten schools participated and developed an ICT curriculum during the first year of the project. During the 2018-2019 academic year, 90 more schools entered the project. The aim of the project is to test informational education by integrating it into other subjects, such as mathematics. If the schools that joined the project during the second year achieve the set goals, it is projected that primary school students will be able to acquire the basics of informational reasoning.

Teaching methods and materials

Possibility to choose learning methods and measures

In pursuing the goals of general education, every teacher is free to select the educational methods and measures, to combine a number of them and create his/her individual style of instruction. The specific educational methods should reflect the actual situation: the needs and abilities of pupils, the skills and characteristics of each individual teacher and the changing socio-cultural context. Teachers have the right to propose their individual programmes and choose various ways and forms of pedagogical activities. In choosing these methods, the teacher has to base the teaching process on interpretative and not on reproductive methods.

Teachers are encouraged to use new computer and information technologies in the educational process. The project method is one of those that easily integrates formal and non-formal educational content. From the 2017-2018 school year, cognitive, cultural, artistic, creative activities (cognitive cultural activities) are compulsory, an integral part of the educational process. The school itself chooses how many lessons it will dedicate to this per year. Cognitive cultural activities can take place in environments outside the school, for example in museums, open access centres, virtual learning environments, etc.

The teacher can create an integral curriculum, i.e. not divided into separate subjects. The pedagogue chooses how long such teaching will last – whether it will be an integrated day, month or the whole school year. The teacher decides what the connecting element in the curriculum (ugdymo turinys) will be, for example a relevant topic, issue, learning goals, etc. The teacher decides how the curriculum (ugdymo turinys) will be integrated – one or all subjects, or if formal or non-formal education should be incorporated. If the pedagogue choses the integral way of teaching, he/she indicates the time in minutes per week for a subject spent in the curriculum (ugdymo planas).

Textbooks and exercise books are not compulsory learning tools. Teachers can choose other sources, video and audio recordings and other learning tools that promote pupils’ creativity, autonomy, etc. The school decides which educational materials (handbooks, etc.) to purchase. The ‘money follows the pupil’ methodology foresees funding for the acquisition of learning tools. Apart from this, funds for schooling materials such as handbooks may be allocated from the municipality or state budget. Schools can also receive centralized support from the state budget.

Teaching materials may be ordered by governmental institutions or as a private initiative. Information about various educational computer programmes can be found in emokykla, Ugdymo sodas and in the Education Development Centre library.

The General Teaching Plan for the Primary Education Curriculum 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 does not describe the assignment for homework. It decides the school community and describes the school curriculum.

Personalization of curriculum content

The general curricula provide real possibilities to get involved in the development of the content of the curriculum. Teachers can tailor it to the individual needs and abilities of their learners, aligning the curriculum’s content with the school’s objectives and also the teacher’s experience and available resources. Individual teaching methods are used when working with gifted pupils and pupils with special educational needs.

Teachers use teaching methods which encourage pupils’ activity and independence, stimulate critical, creative and constructive thinking, problem-solving abilities, awareness of a given situation and responsibility for their actions.