Teaching, is implementing a project - Discussion Rounds Using the Harkness method - Key Learning Competencies and Student Prospects on the Labor Market - 2024.

Caucasus School of Education has been implementing projects of the type since 2020: "Digital Literacy and the Challenges of Primary Education Teacher Training in the New Reality of Georgia" (2020); "Challenges of Education" - cycle of public lectures 2021; "Public Lecture Cycle 2022 - Primary Education and Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning"; Series of panel discussions on the topic "Development of the Country and the Labor Market - challenges of Teaching 2023".

The goal of the current project is to optimally integrate key lifelong learning competencies into teacher training programs.

To achieve the set goal, the following tasks are planned:

• Conducting multilateral dialogue with the maximum involvement of interest groups (employers, teachers, principals, students, parents, students, teachers) and cooperation with schools;
• Promotion of the topic of key competencies in the school community and preparation of conditions for maximum support for students within the framework of school practice, raising the quality of cooperation between the universities and schools;
• Identifying current directions for academic staff and students’ scientific work and developing teacher training programs.

Within the framework of the project, it is planned to hold 8 discussion rounds/working meetings on the following topics:

• Literacy (reading and writing) competence and student's prospects in the labor market;
• Multilingual competence and student's prospects in the labor market;
• Competence in mathematics and competence in natural sciences, technology and engineering and student prospects in the labor market;
• Digital competence and student prospects in the labor market;
• Personal, social and learning (learning to learn) competence and student's prospects in the labor market;
• Citizenship competence and student's prospects in the labor market;
• Entrepreneurial competence and student's prospects in the labor market;
• Cultural awareness and expressive competence and the student's prospects in the labor market.

The meetings will be held in the format of parallel discussions, and the Harkness methodology will be used to effectively conduct the dialogue. The meeting will last 1.5 - 2 hours.

The discussion rounds will be held in the project partner schools - 8 host schools in all, either a formal partner of Caucasus School of Education or a non-partner school.

4-4 representatives from the following interest groups will participate in each meeting: 1) employers; 2) school teachers; 3) school administrators; 4) middle school students; 5) parents; 6) students; 7) professors and/or field representatives from the non-governmental sector, a total of maximum 28 participants.

Parallel discussions will be held in 4 groups; each group will include one representative of the groups; the working groups will be led by the students of elementary teacher training program of Caucasus School of Education.

The meetings will be held in an interactive mode - participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments. The general facilitation of the process will be provided by Mr. Aluda Goglichidze - dean of Caucasus School of Education, affiliated associate professor, head of the integrated bachelor-master's program for general education elementary level (grades I-VI) and Mr. Paata Papava - affiliated associate professor of Caucasus University, general education elementary level (I -VI classes) co-head of the integrated bachelor-master's program of teacher training.