OECD | May 04, 2020
COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing mega-experiment in distant learning demonstrates that no country has been properly prepared for such a challenge.
To address the educational crisis, the most inspiring actions have been taken by individual teachers in both rich and poor countries.
Within national and international communities, some enthusiastic teachers recorded tutorials on how to use interactive platforms for online education.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing mega-experiment in distant learning demonstrates that no country has been properly prepared for such a challenge. Schools and universities in both developing and developed countries struggle with the complexity of providing equitable access to education. Owing to a dearth of international leadership in education suggesting “best practices” and “countries as educational models,” self-organized local communities of teachers and educators at the grassroots level are stepping up.
To address the educational crisis, the most inspiring actions have been taken by individual teachers in both rich and poor countries. Many teachers across the globe have taken the initiative to switch to a distant education mode with whatever tools and competencies they had. Teachers enthusiastically have come into the forefront of emergency teaching and learning with strong sense of self-reflection and self-management.
Learn more: WITH A RISE IN E-LEARNING, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS BROUGHT A LONG-LASTING CHANGE IN EDUCATION
“Results of our survey, “This pandemic has shown that the world needs new partnerships in education to ensure more equitable educational provision”.
~ UNESCO’s
Within national and international communities, some enthusiastic teachers recorded tutorials on how to use interactive platforms for online education; others created lesson plans and methodologies, and shared them with each other. Yet others became involved in brainstorming policy options of how to reach out to students in remote villages without internet connectivity, or discussed educational solutions for minority populations or students with special education needs. Many of them initiated partnerships with local charities to help socially disadvantaged students receive internet access, laptops, or mobile phones. Some enthusiastic teachers got involved in designing and developing programs for nation-wide TV lesson broadcasts.
Global Education Coalition reflects the necessity of collaboration among multiple partners, including grassroots movements and civil society actors, multilateral organizations, private educational companies.
~ OECD’s
This experience showed vividly that when educators were given freedom and autonomy, they came up with context-appropriate solutions; when existing hierarchies lost their power, albeit temporarily, teachers improvised, thus becoming the agents of change. Most important, such actions have strengthened local capacities, which will be more sustainable in the future. We demand so much from teachers, but often forget to trust them .
It is not an easy path, though. Switching to online modes of teaching has not been stress-free for teachers and it has taken its toll on the mental well-being of educators. Moreover, initiatives at the grassroots level are also filled with risks, disappointments, and frustrations, but they are democratic in nature, empower educators, and have lasting effects.
Learn more: ONLINE EDUCATION COMPANY COURSERA OFFERS UNEMPLOYED WORKERS THOUSANDS OF FREE COURSES.
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Future of School | July 01, 2020
Future of School (FoS) today announced that it will help fund up to 10 schools to participate in the newly formed Resilient Schools Project (RSP)—a program to assist K-12 schools and districts nationwide with developing an ongoing response to instructional disruptions during the 2020-21 school year. The Digital Learning Collaborative, managed by the Evergreen Education Group, co-created the RSP with FoS, and is offering memberships to schools and districts across the U.S. and Canada. Future of School will capture the experience of those schools and districts they help to underwrite in an effort to share best practices and outcomes from this pilot project."We have seen America's teachers do their best through this unprecedented period of crisis schooling brought on by the pandemic. We want to give educators the knowledge and tools to implement technology-enabled teaching and learning with a planned and proven approach," said Amy Valentine, Chief Executive Officer & Education Evangelist at Future of School. "This project is a first step in helping to address the need for our schools to effectively reach students beyond the physical classroom."The Resilient Schools Project will officially launch in July. Members may be individual schools (public, charter, private) or districts. The RSP will support member schools and districts in their response to disruptions in instruction caused by COVID-19. The RSP will operate a facilitated professional collaborative network; find, share, and/or create guides on key issues and best practices; offer consulting guidance; meet remotely with schools in a cohort up to twice per month; and provide support via a members-only discussion board. The project will culminate in sessions at the Digital Learning Annual Conference in Austin in June 2021.
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prnewswire | September 22, 2020
As part of its wider growth and diversification strategy, Universal Technical Institute , the nation's leading provider of transportation technician training, is evolving and enhancing its instructional and operational model to better serve the country's need for skilled workers, capitalize on fast-growing interest in its educational programs and meet the changing needs of students and employers. This learning model will blend UTI's high-quality hands-on training with best of breed instructor-facilitated online instruction. The learning model will not only increase access for students but will also better prepare them to be life-long learners. Students will continue to receive the industry-aligned hands-on lab training UTI is known for and the blended delivery model will allow UTI to continue to optimize the physical footprint at each of its campuses.
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