ETF organised on 26 May 2020 the webinar “Vocational Learning at a Distance: Supporting Vocational Teachers under the Lock Down” . The webinar was part of ETF COVID-19 response initiative “Support and Training for Teachers & Trainers”, a series of actions launched by the ETF in order to support education in this challenging time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The webinar, organized with interpretation in English, French, Russian and Arabic, was followed by about 120 participants from a large number of countries and institutions.
If you have missed the live webinar you can watch it from the recording, available Here.
Speakers presentations are available in the different languages in the attached documentation.
Key Messages from the Webinar:
During the lockdown hundreds of thousands of teachers have learnt quickly how to use distance learning tools and have put their skills into practice helping their students to keep learning and to keep connected.
However, the proportion of teachers who have acquired these skills is maybe only around 50% - and is usually lower for vocational teachers and trainers than for other teachers. Furthermore, many learners have not been able to access distant learning or have not been engaged by what has been offered – particularly learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.
In many countries, teachers have been helped by large-scale, nationally organised on-line training – in the first weeks of the shut-down. In some countries there has also been training and ongoing support for school Directors, to help them to make decisions about how to set up and organise distance learning.
Some countries have been able to monitor participation of teachers and learners, to identify those that are not-participating (e.g. because they lack devices) and even to assess the quality of distance learning by remote participation.
Countries that had already invested in developing the digital competence of their teachers and had invested in digital educational materials, equipment and connectivity had a big head-start. For example, in Estonia, every vocational school entered the lock-down with a specialist Educational Technology teacher who can train and support her colleagues and three Master Pedagogues who are competent in digital pedagogy.
Schools that were already part of networks have benefited from established systems for collaboration and strong relationships of trust. Latvia’s Network of Vocational Schools informed and brought together school Directors and the Ministry. The S4J Network in Albania enabled specialists across schools to collaborate to produce digital education materials – which could be shared in their pre-existing Virtual Learning Environment.
In the future, blending of distance digital learning, classroom learning and workplace learning will become normal.
If you have questions or inputs on the topic discussed in the webinar, please let us know by commenting below.
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