LCWebinar

Webinar Series on Best Practice in Distance Learning

Social distancing and lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have brought a transformation to distance learning and training in a few short weeks. Educators have revamped lesson plans and moved courses online, exploring  alternative delivery methods leading to innovation in VET, and the dynamic use of distance learning. Yet, in the rush to react, few practitioners have had time to reflect.

Many examples of good practices in vocational education and training (VET) are already emerging. To help practitioners move from a crisis response to a more systematic approach, the European Training Foundation (ETF) is scheduling a series of webinars in the coming weeks and months to connect and support practitioners and policy makers in ETF partner countries. Vocational Learning at a Distance: Supporting Vocational Teachers Under the Lockdown, will take place tomorrow, Tuesday May 26, at 10:30 CET.

The multilingual event will include presentations by representatives of ministries, training agencies and schools from eight countries, including ETF partner countries and European Union Member States focusing on four main topics:

  • national support and training for teachers for distance learning
  • school-based teacher support for distance learning (teacher peer-to-peer learning and school-to-school)
  • teacher networks
  • monitoring and coordination of training and support

The webinar will feature examples from Armenia and Portugal to elaborate on the role of ministries and national agencies. For example, they can offer national online platforms and helplines for teachers. They might also provide inspectors who can monitor the work of teachers and provide feedback. Representatives from Kazakhstan and Israel will discuss monitoring and coordination at national level which can provide avenues for measuring success and disseminating best practice.

At the school level, examples from Moldova and Estonia will highlight how teachers and administrators with sufficient knowledge and experience can share information and practice with each other. Good practice from Albania and Latvia will inform how teachers can form broader networks to share expertise and information. These can be based on clusters of institutions that share common traits or happen to be nearby.

The webinar will conclude with a poll to allow participants to give input about what they would like to see in future editions.

The ETF webinar series will run through until September.

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