La Estrategia de Educación a Distancia del
Ministerio de Educación Pública durante la Pandemia Covid-19 y las Adecuaciones
en la Mediación Pedagógica y Funciones Administrativas en el Profesorado de
Inglés del Bachillerato San José de Alajuela durante 2020
RESUMEN
La pandemia causada por el coronavirus ha generado un sinnúmero de
situaciones adversas en los diferentes escenarios en los que se desenvuelven
los seres humanos. Particularmente en el ámbito educativo, la pandemia causó un
cierre masivo de centros educativos que tenían dentro de su operación el dictar
lecciones de manera presencial. El entorno socioeconómico de las diferentes
sociedades que conforman Latinoamérica, especialmente la costarricense, tienen
grandes índices de pobreza y pobreza extrema trayendo altos grados de
insatisfacción social y un alto grado de desigualdad económica y educativa para
las personas que conforman la sociedad civil costarricense.
En este contexto la pandemia ha traído una gran crisis al pilar educativo
porque las instituciones han tenido que suspender sus lecciones y migrarlas a
alternativas más factibles como lo es la educación a distancia a través de
plataformas tecnológicas. Esta migración ha traído un gran cambio de paradigma
al incorporar al cuerpo docente y a las comunidades educativas a actualizar su
manera de dictar lecciones, con la clara consigna de sobrellevar de una mejor y
oportuna manera el impacto tan negativo que ha tenido la pandemia en las
actividades que los seres humanos realizan como la parte educativa.
Palabras Clave: M.E.P,
Plan de estudios de inglés, competencia, enfoque.
Artículo recibido: 10. Junio. 2021
Aceptado para publicación: 16. Julio.
2021
Correspondencia: cristian.calderon@uhispano.ac.cr
Conflictos de Interés: Ninguna que declarar
INTRODUCTION
Distance
education has been one of the novelties with the greatest impact in the Costa Rican
educational system and the rest of the world, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in
2020. It caused a series of changes in teaching methodologies since teachers
had to face several new provisions emanating from the Ministry of Public
Education (MEP). Those changes included long days of training, new learning
strategies, the use of Information and Communication Technologies in education
(ICT´s), and a series of orientations to apply during that year.
Teaching in a distance learning environment means an
adaptation to new styles that has positive and negative outcomes of a greater
magnitude than the traditional education. Espinoza (as cited in Maddox 2015,
p.3) suggests “[We should] instead consider the need to adapt to the times for
the sake of the student” Every student has the right to receive quality
educational attention. Therefore, the existence of various educational
modalities makes the school system more flexible and efficient. This
flexibility is a paramount for those who for several reasons such as financial,
family, work, or disability, need to access to educational services which they
would otherwise be excluded.
The
disruption caused by COVID-19 in everyday life meant the missed out of millions
of children and teenagers in education. The United Nation states, “An estimated
40 percent of the poorest countries failed to support learners at risk during
the COVID-19 crisis, and past experiences show that both education and gender
inequalities tend to be neglected in responses to disease outbreaks” (2020,
p.8). The challenges faced by under developing countries with students
currently out of classes has an enormous negative impact in aspects such as
food insecurity, economic instability, and the increase of social issues like
violence, prostitution, and drugs consumption.
Nevertheless,
the new conditions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic caused the reinvention of the
majority of the educational systems around the world. For instance, as soon as
Costa Rica confirmed the first cases back in March 2020, the government along
with the Ministry of Public Health, ordered the closure of all private and
public schools in the country. Since then, teachers started to develop distance
education initiatives to maintain contact with their students by using some
technological tools such as WhatsApp, emails, phone calls, and virtual
platforms like Google Classroom to provide teaching material to work at home.
Later on, The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) provided some general
guidelines to support the continuation of teaching and learning during confinement,
taking into consideration different scenarios emerged in that new reality. In
addition, the official MEP´s website, updated digital resources where students
and teachers had easily access to interact to develop some of the curriculum
objectives for the school year.
The
Ministry of Public Education (MEP) has not only the responsibility to organize
the educational system in Costa Rica, but also the commitment of supervising that minors receive proper education in the country, and
equal opportunities to learn, regardless social conditions. It is an imperative
task to focus on that in all regions of the country. In the document, “Guidance
for educational intervention in educational centers before the COVID-19”,
states some of the following principles:
a)
Educational centers are fundamental
contexts for the effective promotion of virus contagion prevention practices,
not also at school but also at home and in the community.
b)
Students are active agents who can lead
and disseminate both, within the educational center and in the community, valid
and reliable information about the virus and the promotion of prevention of
contagion. They are not simple receivers of the information.
c)
The global and pandemic situation offers a
context of highly powerful learning for skill development and relevant
curricular knowledge approach, which allow the students understand clearly.
d)
Students and some other people suffer
worries, have anxiety, and want to know in detail what is happening in the
country and worldwide. They must receive constant information, clear and
according with their levels of development, as well as having spaces to express
doubts, ideas, or proposal on the subject.
e)
The continuity of the educational process
in case of absenteeism or partial or temporary closure of the educational
center, depends on actions and specific pedagogical programs that recognize how
to transcend the space of the classroom to promote the autonomy of the
students´ population, with the support that can be provided from homes. Experience
and teaching innovation to offer didactic alternatives that can respond to the
students´ needs.
f)
In this context, the contribution of
families is essential as partners in the actions that the Ministry of Public
Education executes to guarantee the continuity of the students´ educational
process. (MEP, 2020a).
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the conventional
education with the closure of schools at the national level. However, the
Ministry of Public Education considered essential to maintain bonds between the
students and the educational system. Therefore, the implementation of
protocols. guidance and strategies to carry out the school year. In addition,
authorities saw an unprecedented opportunity to transform the national
educational system, by adding the use of virtual tools for learning purpose
considering students´ technological resources, and some other strategies to
engage in distance education.
MEP and the implementation of new scenarios
Healthcare and lifetime measures during the COVID
19 pandemic promoted new learning scenarios. Therefore, in April 2020, The
Ministry of Public Education (MEP) implemented a nationwide strategy for
supporting learning at home. In this policy, they gave relevance and pertinence
to the use of technological resources, and specific and contextualized actions
for learning distance environments in all possible contexts, due to the
circumstances implied from face-to-face model of classes to a non-face to face
model, or remote contact. Based on access to technological resources and
connectivity, MEP (2020b) organized the educational system in the four
following scenarios to assist students:
a)
Attention to
students with internet access and device at home.
b)
Attention to
students who have a device.
c)
Attention to
students who have technological devices but not connectivity.
d)
Attention to
student who do not have technological devices.
In those variety of contexts, teachers promoted
different educational experiences and mediation strategies with technical
support for students with partial or full connectivity, and printed material
for the ones who did not have access to technological devices or internet at
home. In addition, the family contribution became essential to accompany and
supervise their children in the new role of learning at home, as well as the
timely completion of the assignments to provide evidence of learning. The
supporting learning at home guidance during the distance educational process
had the following purposes, (MEP, 2020b).
§
Design learning
spaces for the students considering the context and possibilities to access to
technologies or other sources.
§
Avoiding
disconnecting students from schools and activating all those communication
mechanisms that promote their permanence in the educational system.
§
Rethink the forms
of pedagogical mediation to promote and generate learning from the immediate
students´ contexts.
§
Form support
networks as a strategy for professional and technical skill development.
Therefore, The Ministry of Public Education was
able to provide equal opportunities, and thereby took action to ensure that
most of students remained in the educational system, minimizing the impact of
exclusion and the loss of short- and long-term learning. In addition, the
implementation of technology in distance education, as never seen before in the
country in such a magnitude, was a great achievement to support the learning
process through new abilities and skills.
For the scenarios and strategies intended for pedagogical
mediation in distance learning, the Ministry of Public Education states the
following descriptions (MEP, 2020b).
Attention to students with
Internet access at home.
§
It must be
characterized by a pedagogical mediation that promotes autonomous learning for
the construction of knowledge, using technological tools made official by the
Ministry of Education. The intention of it is carrying out learning session
among teachers and students to promote construction knowledge and skill
development by using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). That integrates
the design of online learning activities.
§
The planning of
a virtual class requires strategies and resources different from those that
would be face to face mode and generate autonomy and the ability to learn with
the support of self-study material.
§
The office 365
package was selected and particularly the Microsoft Teams platform, with free
and secure access to teachers, students, parents, and caregivers. It also
allows to define profile policies and traceability of the data. This is the
MEP´s official communication tool.
Attention to students who
have a device with limited internet access.
§
The teachers
used autonomous work guide as tools for planning activities with students as
the previous scenario.
§
The priority is
given to asynchronous activities in which teachers must previously record their
voice, images, or short procedures easily to distribute by different means
(Facebook, WhatsApp, Teams, electronic)
§
The existence
of technological resources make sense when it has been previously designed and
planned.
Attention to students who have technological devices, but not
connectivity or technological devices.
§
Educational
support for the students without devices or internet: Autonomous work guides
printed by subject, Infographics with topics reviews, educational games
specialized to address contents readings, anthologies, and copies Retrieved in
libraries.
§
Educational
support for the students with device but no access to internet: USB storage
devices, digital autonomous work guides, specialized readings to address
contents, anthologies, related audios, videos or multimedia presentations,
audios or orientation videos for parents, educational games for preschool
children and I cycle. In addition, in the document for supporting learning at
home (MEP, 2020b) the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) established the
teachers’ role in the mediation strategies in distance education for the four
possible scenarios, as follows:
§
Plan, prepares
and develops synchronous or asynchronous mediation strategies for learning
according to study programs and focusing on the current Educational Curricular
Policies for the areas and levels.
§
Identify
students´ access to technological resources and connectivity to communicate
promptly to their superiors, providing ideas and strategies to make possible
the continuation of the de educational process.
§
Apply
collaborative strategies between coworkers to optimize virtual tools that
contribute to pedagogical mediations.
§
Inquire about
trainings and self-training options offered by MEP.
§
Prepares work
materials and practices that guide the students during their autonomous work at
home for the maximum use of the designed learning space and timely feedback to
the students.
§
• Request
support from the immediate leadership and the pedagogical consultancies of the
Regional Directorate when it is required to meet specific needs of the students
‘population.
§
• Participate
in virtual meetings with the immediate leadership to report their progress or
particular situation.
Teaching in distance education highlights the
role of the teacher as the mediator of the students’ educational process by the
development of activities and tasks carried out in distance environments. They
are also in charge of motivate ad facilitate learning experiences through
virtual activities or printed material. However, the new contexts in education
require teachers’ preparations and student’s proactivity to efficiently
contribute to meeting the objectives. That means more teachers´ time and
dedication but also a new way of learning, improving, and updating teaching
strategies.
The Autonomous Work Guide (GTA in Spanish)
As part of strategies for the new reality,
the Ministry of Public Education implemented the Autonomous Work Guide in all
programs, as the didactic tool in the distance pedagogical mediation during
COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose was to support the continuity of the learning
process by creating a standardized format and recommended activities to complete
school assignments and objectives, with the support of technological devices or
printed resources, according to the corresponding scenario. The Ministry of
Education (2020c). The structures of the Autonomous Work Guide considered the
three following aspects: planning, self-regulation, and evaluation. However,
teachers were still responsible for curricular decision making in distance
educational support. In other words, they needed to know the reality of each
student to determine the reinforcing expected learning strategies, and when it
was appropriate to start the approach to new knowledge.
Steps to follow during the implementation of the
Autonomous Work Guide
Teachers were in charge of performing actions
and the selection of the best scenario for each student, taking into
consideration technology and physical resources Retrieved. These criteria allow
them to determine the type of format (digital or physical) that should be
implemented in the assignment. Based on a previous research on students´ conditions
at home, teachers had to adapt the autonomous work guide in the best possible
way to each context. The Ministry of Public Education through the Directorate
on Curriculum Development established a template for it. The teaching and the
administrative staff must ensure that the academic load offered to students is
balanced considering individual characteristics, expected learning activities
and suggested time for the development. It had also to consider adaptations in
materials for students with disability. The teaching staff and the school
management should ensure that all students have the corresponding work through
digital or printed mechanism, so students must develop the work at home
independently or at least with the support of a family member (MEP 2020d).
The planning and elaboration of the
self-study work was a fundamental didactic tool for the distance educational
process during the confinement. The Ministry of Public Education organized the
mediation strategies for students to perform them efficiently in a timely
manner to cover all the schools’ subjects. Therefore, the administrative team
along with the teaching staff create a chronogram for the delivery of the
assignments and the deadline for students to complete them. The students who
had connectivity and devices to perform the assessment at home received the
self-study guide through the official MEP´s tool, “Microsoft Team Platform”
when they had synchronous and asynchronous classes during the week. However,
there were some other means for sending and receiving materials such as
Classroom, Facebook, Email, Google Form or WhatsApp. On the other hand, for
students who needed printed material, teachers worked together, elaborating and
anthology for each level with all the subjects. They also organized a monthly
schedule to send and received the Autonomous Work Guide. The assignments
included activities to cover the whole month, while the students with internet
connection had materials every two weeks.
Having mentioned what the main reasons were for this research, it began
by stablishing the problematization question which was What type of
adaptations in the pedagogical mediation and administrative functions had the
distance education strategy of MEP during the COVID-19 pandemic caused in the
teaching staff of Liceo San José de Alajuela?
In
addition, the strategies in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic is
a challenge for each teacher in this country, and to know the adaptations made
in their teaching practices during the new scenarios is one of the fundamental
elements of this research. The United Nations (UN) on their report, “Education
during Covid-19 and beyond” mention that from the onset of the pandemic,
teachers were immediately tasked with the implementation of distance learning
modalities, without sufficient guidance, training, or resources (2020.p14). The
systematization of this information gives important results and reveal the
reality in which some English Costa Rican educators were living for the 2020
school year.
One
aspect that needs to be highlighted is that people are facing a global disease
and education was also drastically affected at that level, causing teachers´
adjustments to new demands in a short period of time. The International
Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC)
states that although the focus placed on the pandemic is always on students´
impact, teachers also suffer significant impact at work and professionally. The
majority of teachers did not have previous experience in distance education,
and their institutions do not provide enough training, with all the
communication media at the disposal to transform the presential classes to a
virtual mode. This entry to a complex teaching modality with multiple
technological and pedagogical options could result in frustration and
overwhelming due to the adaptation to an educational system never experienced
before without the corresponding knowledge. (IESALC. 2020).
Hence
the reason for the research, that was, the reality that the teaching staff in
Costa Rica had to face to carry out the 2020 school year, and that as far as
possible, having less impact on learning and human formation of childhood and
adolescence in this country. Also, it was important to emphasize the purpose of
the research, such as the systematization of the information about the
adaptations that each teacher had made during distance education, in response
to the suspension of lessons due to the present pandemic. Besides that, the
input that this research might represent in decision-making in the national
education system to guarantee the labor rights of this very important sector in
the life of the country, and the correct functioning of educational activities.
Thus, this research organized the antecedents that led
to reality during a social and health situation on a global scale, which caused
the suspension of face-to-face lessons and led to the practice of other
procedures to maintain the continuity of the education process. With this, it
also generated various teaching modalities, applicable to the same class group;
but broken according to the requirements of each student.
Literature
Review
By having explained and deepened the main purpose of the research,
within the theoretical framework is intended to cite some previous authors that
had conducted some research to strengthen the distance methodology. It was pointed
out that the isolation during this pandemic period, has become technology as
the most appropriate alternative to keep the education system functional in
many parts of the world. The changes to remote learning contribute to improving
interactivity and collaboration between those who learn parents, and teachers.
However, parents are concerned for their unpreparedness to assist their
children in online learning assignments, lack of access to the necessary
technology, connectivity, and economic difficulties. On the other hand,
teachers´ concerns are related to their capacities of conducting an online
process, with their level of knowledge, the skills in the use of technology,
and the access to it (2020). There is no doubt about the benefits brought out
through distance education during Covid-19 pandemic with the struggles that
implies to meets students´ needs, when they had not been able to attend face to
face classes, due to distance and time constraints. The consequences of not
being prepared for this modality affected the educational system efficiency
since in many cases, students ended up dropping out the schools, as the
opportunity to avoid responsibilities and face new challenges. It also
increased their frustrations for the expectations once undertaking at the
beginning of the academic learning process, leading them up to feelings of
personal and family failures. In addition, the main exponent of the qualitative
and quantitative effectiveness of the school system is based on students´
permanence in school, and therefore, the rarely school leaving affects the
teaching staff and their value in the society perspective as the fundamental
key in the modeling leaders and guidance to become better citizens for de
developing of their communities.
On the other side, UNESCO (2020, cited in Hyseni
and Hoxha, 2020) points out some concerns reported by many countries declaring
low-level of classroom technology prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a
lack of preparation for an abrupt changes and expectations on how the new
reality would affect the educational system. Ibid states that the requirements
for immediate adjustments to online formats were reported to increase the level
of stress and anxiety among teachers in different parts of the world (2020
cited in Hyseni and Hoxha, 2020). In addition to the
teaching inexperienced faced with online environment in distance learning,
teachers also encountered some other problems related to the increase workload
such as planning the best distance educational model to fit the students´
needs. During distance education, there was an increasing trend to recognize
and value the teachers´ role in the transformation of the society. However, it
had also caused physical an emotional implication in their life. For instance,
exceeding the working hours contracted, suffering cuts in their salary,
suffering pain for sickness and lost during the pandemic and scares of getting
fired, Therefore, many teachers experienced mental health disorders such as
disorientation, anxious, dissatisfaction and depression. Some researchers point out some other factors that can
affect teachers in the process to adapting to changes in the distance learning
environment. For example, privacy, economic and working conditions, authority,
responsibility, level of self- satisfaction, and the time and dedication for
the implementation of new models (2009 cited in Hyseni
and Hoxha, 2020). It is essential to underline that teachers
were trained to give classes in conventional settings not in distance learning
environments. Teachers were forced to do so, and it implied physical and
psychological adaptations that are no easy to adjust. Their working from home
included issues such as managing the time, remembering regular breaks, organizing
meetings, establishing segments to assist students, preparing virtual classes,
avoiding unrelated work activities, among some others. In addition, there were
also some practical issues in contents for subjects that could not be taught
virtually for their nature. However, despite the short comings, the sanitary
crisis generated excellent opportunities for teachers to reinforce technical
competences, creativity, and innovations.
According to Flamholtz
and Randle (2028 cited in Hyseni and Hoxha, 2020),
some psychological factors that can influence teachers´ ability to be part of
the adaptation are discomfort, feeling lost, and experiencing doubt and worry
when they depart from what they know, and feel comfortable to something that is
unusual and uncomfortable. Some other factors include teachers´ stress,
accumulation of fatigue, and mental exhaustion that affects not only the
resistance to change but also negatively affect their performance and level of
satisfaction (Margolis and Nagal 2006 cited in Hyseni and Hoxha, 2020). The tension accumulated by
teachers to try to develop their work in unknown conditions might affect their
physical and emotional dimension. Therefore, fatigue and mental exhaustion in teacher occurs because of continuous levels of
stress that exceed what is bearable.
Methodological Framework
Within this chapter, it is
intended to present the information based on theory and field observations done.
In the Methodological framework chapter, the researcher presented the purpose
of the project based on the new adaptations faced by the English teachers in Liceo San José de Alajuela, due to the implementation of
distance learning strategies from the Ministry of Public Education, as a result
of the confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a mixed research that
included quantitative and qualitative techniques to collect data and the
corresponding analysis. The sources and subjects of the information had been
carefully selected according to some characteristics that the researcher considered
as requirements to obtain accurate findings to understand the phenomenon.
Results
Presentation
Within this chapter, it is intended to represent and show the gathered
information from the participants who were six English teachers of Liceo San Jose de Alajuela who answered twenty questions to
know the pedagogical and administrative adaptations caused by strategy
implemented by the Ministry of Public Education during the COVID-19 pandemic in
the pedagogical mediations and administrative functions, in teachers of Liceo San Jose de Alajuela, during the Covid-19 pandemic
during 2020. The results obtained from the survey were presented in eleven
sections, according to the specific objectives described in the methodological
chapter. From Part I to Part IV, the participants answered questions connected
to identify aspects in the distance education strategies that forced English
teachers to learn new skills in the use of ICT tools, such as experience in
distance education, trainings for distance education, teachers´ health effects
during distance education, and the evaluation system implemented for distance
education. From Part V to Part IX, the participants answered questions to
describe the main adaptations for teachers to deal with the distance education
strategy such as preparation, work equipment, schedules, workplace, and
academic activities. Finally, from Part X to Part XI, the participants answered
what were the administrative adaptations during the covid-19 pandemic. The most
relevant collected data is presented among the following statements:
1)
Most of the
teachers recognized the lack of experiences in this new methodology. Martin
et.al consider it as an essential disadvantage in maintaining distance learning
as classes by stating “The vast majority of teachers has both academic and
professional experience, training to teach regular classes and are already used
to this mode. This may generate some difficulty for teachers to teach classes
of action at a distance” (2018, p.150). That also indicated the impact of
changing to distance methodologies during Covid-19 might mean for teachers who
were not prepared for this educational modality, considering that they only
interacted with students every day at the schools. However, the fact that 33.3%
had any type of distance educational experiences was probably through teaching
online curses or in distance education program. It facilitated them to adapt
easier to the news strategies implemented by the Ministry of Education during
the sanitary crisis.
2)
Most of the
teachers realized that the training implemented by the Ministry of Public
Education was not enough to help student to achieve their academic goals. For
instance, UNESCO mentions that the successful integration of ICT tools in the
classroom mostly depends on the teachers´ ability to structure the learning
environment by organizing the way students acquire cognitive competence and
manage to apply it in difference situations (2018 cited in Hernandez et. al
2018). Therefore, in order to improve skills and provide with better attention
to students, as part of their challenge, teachers tried to look for different
trainings in all possible websites to incorporate in their daily activities.
The teachers who did not see necessary to have other trainings might have used
the digital resources from the MEP´s website to cover the gaps and answer
questions during the process.
3)
The Ministry of
Public Education established that the teaching staff was in charge of performing
actions and the best scenario for each student, considering technology and
physical resources available (MEP 2020d). Teachers had to prepare their work
activities using the four scenarios. That included the preparation of the
autonomous work guide, planning the lesson for virtual classes every week,
evaluating the assignments, and making reports for the school management,
students, and parents. Therefore, most of teachers considered the teaching job
very tiring since the amount of work was excessive and a little time to
complete it.
4)
The evaluation
process implemented by the Ministry of Public Education in the English subject
was formative during the first semester of 2020 through the registration of the
Autonomous Wok Guide and some other evidence (2020d). However, for the second
semester of 2020, it was included a summative evaluation by adding a numerical
value to the final students ‘grade. That mean 55% for the Autonomous Work Guide
and 45% through a summative assessment instrument (MEP 2020g). This evaluation
was definitely new for teachers in Costa Rica since the Ministry of Public
Education reformed the Learning assessment regulation for that purpose. The
Basic learning Templates (PAB) established the main objectives to achieve
during 2020. Therefore, teachers had to prioritize contents in the pedagogical
tasks assigned to students. That also needed to be registered in the
Descriptive Report of Achievements at the end of the semester and the year.
5)
Most of
teachers preferred the formative assessment in distance education since it goes
according to the achievements, limitations, and reality of each student in
order to develop self-learning. Therefore, every Autonomous Work Guide (GAB)
had the Self-regulation and evaluation matrix to identify themselves their
level of understanding, and the Self-evaluation of students´ performance level
rubric to recognize themselves the expected learning indicators reached. Every
time that students delivered their job, teachers needed to record the progress
and send them the corresponding feedback.
6)
Teachers
considered computers and telephones as the main tools for working remotely. The
Ministry of Education, in the actions to strengthen distance education during
the sanitary confinement, implemented The Microsoft Teams platform. That is
describe by Martin and Tap “… as a cloud app digital hub that brings
conversations, meetings, files, and apps together in a Single Learning
Management System, allowing its users to run it either in computers or mobiles”
(2019, p.60). In addition to that, most of teachers used to have the WhatsApp
application to contact students and parents to follow their progress and to
send and receive assignments, when there was no connectivity at home to support
the use of the platform.
CONCLUSIONS
In 2020, teachers had to relearn themselves to become designers of new
learning experiences to maintain students in the school under distance learning
scenarios. The researcher analyzed the adaptations developed by the English
teachers of Liceo San José de Alajuela to accomplish
the Ministry of Public Education strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The continuation of the
school system through the distance education process had some challenges to
face in terms of the lack of knowledge and training in technological
applications. Added to that, there were many difficulties that students
experienced for not having connectivity or devices to work in the assignments
at home. In this project each participant shared their experiences in distance
education during the last school year, in which it seems that many of them have
similar issues with their particular needs. However, the primary objective was
to utilize distance education as the platform to continue the learning process,
seen as an opportunity to provide a valuable teaching method, with the
corresponding adjustments.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Within this part, several
recommendations are provided to MEP, the educational institutions, and teachers:
a)
MEP:
§
Expand the national
curriculum for teachers to develop technological skills with the supervision
and guidance of specialized professionals to support, facilitate, and guide
process.
§
Overcome technological
barriers in education by investing in digital infrastructure and improving
connectivity for the schools and the teaching staff.
§
Promote at all levels and
all subjects’ trainings for the use of ICT tools through participatory and
innovative teaching methodologies in the classroom and outside of it.
b)
To educational
Institutions:
§
To orientate the teaching
and the administrative staff for the appropriated attention to students, during
distance education and changes arise during the process. For example, the use
technological tools and new procedures.
§
To advise the teaching
staff and exchange ideas about the implementation of pedagogical mediations
that favor the integral development of the students, without implying
overloading of teachers’ functions.
§
To promote open and sincere
dialogue between school authorities and the teaching staff, without neglecting
the needs and circumstances that each teacher lives, and the objectives pursued
by the institution to support the community, through distance educational
modalities.
§
To Support teaching staff
initiatives to implement methodologies and procedures to make their job efficiently.
For example, the use of blogs for didactic guides that promote a self-learning
environment or application for recording summative evaluations and reports.
c)
To teachers:
§
To provide support for all
students in distance education but especially for those who need more attention
because they do not have technological resources.
§
To take trainings to
improve knowledge and skills that allow them to be up to date in educational
procedures and technological application, to be prepared for new requirements.
In this manner, teachers might avoid stress or other types of psychological
manifestations for the lack of preparation in uncertain environments.
§
During teleworking,
teachers should maintain an organized schedule with weekly tasks to accomplish
goals. In addition, they must differentiate between his personal and labor life
to guarantee the accomplish of objectives during the contracted hours, so they
can enjoy time with the family and friends.
§
Collaborative work between
peers allows teachers to analyze common issues with better criteria to resolve
them. Therefore, in circumstance of a lot of pressure and work overload, the
coworkers advise, or help is essential to develop new skills and vent
frustrations.
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