The “English Through Media Literacy” project has successfully concluded its third year. Aimed at empowering Lithuanian high school subject teachers with stronger English and media literacy skills, this initiative is part of the People to People cultural engagement programme coordinated by the British Council Lithuania.
Throughout the three years, over 200 teachers from regions across Lithuania have taken part, studying in six level-based groups ranging from A1 to B2 (according to the CEFR). They were guided by LAKMA members Gintarė Baltrūnienė, Jūratė Kirdeikienė, Vida Juškevičienė and Kristina Urbonienė, who led interactive online classes focused on developing English language skills, critically interpreting information in media and exploring a range of teaching methods for integrating media literacy into their subject teaching. The course results are encouraging: teachers feel more confident using English in both professional and personal contexts and report increased engagement with English-language media. They are implementing media literacy activities in their classrooms and sharing their learning with colleagues. Many have already applied their new knowledge in international school projects.
We are grateful to our colleagues at the British Council Lithuania for the support and encouragement and to the guest speakers of the course – UK Alumni ambassadors and US cultural exchange program participants – for their engaging sessions on media, culture and communication. Thanks to these partnerships and enthusiastic teachers, the project leaves a lasting result – empowered educators and a growing culture of critical media engagement in Lithuanian schools.
