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In 2020-2021, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (ŠMSM) allocated an additional 14 million. digitization of schools to ensure smooth distance learning. With this money, schools could buy the necessary digital teaching materials or equipment.
But there are fears that textbooks and digital exercises will be meaningless after the pandemic is over and students return to school, as children will begin studying with regular books and notebooks.
We will say goodbye to paper books
However, ŠMSM is in no rush to end distance education and claims it can stay with the country’s students forever. One thing is clear for the ministry: Schools will look different after a pandemic.
“We do not believe that schools will return to the previous educational process, to its implementation, as it was before the pandemic. Let’s go back to completely different schools. Current legislation stipulates that under normal, non-pandemic conditions, 20% of the content of teaching in schools can be implemented remotely, ”said Jolanta Navickaitė, Director of the Department of General Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, in the Seimas Education and Science Committee meeting on Monday.
According to her, at least partial distance education would help to solve the problem of schools in small districts, where there is a lack of specialists in some areas.
“This would allow in smaller schools or where there are distances between schools, to use not only teachers from their school, but also teachers from nearby schools and use them to teach some subjects,” suggested J. Navickaitė.
A ministry spokeswoman points out that there are several possible models of how distance education can serve the educational process, and that digital teaching materials purchased by schools during a pandemic are likely to replace paper.
“The digital teaching aids that a school purchases are likely to actually replace the paper exercises that schools or parents still buy for their children in the future. Because habituation and tests for everyone will lead to it becoming a new reality. We will definitely not go back to things on paper much anymore, ”predicted J. Navickaitė.
Teachers can record lessons in advance
At that time, the president of the Lithuanian School Leaders Association (LMVA), the director of the Kaunas KTU Engineering Lyceum dr. Dainius Žvirdauskas is in no rush to write books on paper.
“I think that the school community, both students and teachers, should have a choice. In some cases there should be books, in some cases – digital content”, – said D. Žvirdauskas on tv3.lt.
Here, however, it supports the digitization of curricula so that teachers, for example, can record lessons taught in advance.
“Those lessons can be filmed, modeled, made as documentaries. After the teacher has given such a lesson, the counseling would remain: children, what they did not understand, let’s turn it around, let’s repeat ”, reflected D. Žvirdauskas.
In addition, according to the president of the LMVA, this type of pre-recorded lessons could be taught to students from more than one school, with the help of the best specialists in the field. And distance education tailored for general education would benefit students who, for one reason or another, have to stay home.
“Really, I think that schools, teachers, have learned to choose more digital content, to adapt the lessons more. For example, a student who has a disease is sick for a long time, the school will already be able to connect him to the lessons, he will be able to connect remotely while at home, see what is happening in the lessons, perform the same tasks, “he said. D. Žvirdauskas.
Parent meetings and lesson work will change after the pandemic
Considering how the educational process can change even after a pandemic, D. Žvirdauskas distinguishes several meetings, including parent meetings.
“The pandemic has taught us new things, some will probably remain forever. We will save a lot of time without going to contact meetings, to meetings. They will remain remote and will be contacted when necessary. <...>
In the past, there have been parent meetings, where they came to the assembly hall, 100-150 of them came, they all travel, they obstruct the streets at night, large traffic jams. Now that they can join a remote meeting, schools have learned how to hold these types of meetings. Then, if necessary, individual meetings are organized, conversations with families, with the class teacher, the teachers of the subject ”, predicted the director of the Kaunas KTU Engineering School.
Bad weather will not be a reason not to go to school
Educators themselves agree that the pandemic will change schools beyond recognition. Egidijus Milešinas, president of the Lithuanian Education and Science Union, has no doubt that, in the long run, we will no longer have textbooks in the hands of students, but will instead be replaced by digital teaching aids.
“And the first [Švietimo] ministry leadership, and the current one doesn’t say it wasn’t worth it in the past to create massive digital content. Now we are talking about updating the curriculum, if a new curriculum is created, everything that has been created now will have to be redone automatically. I believe that by creating new educational content, it will be taught electronically and digitally, ”E. Milešinas told tv3.lt.
In addition, according to the union leader, it will be necessary to get used to the fact that even after the end of the pandemic, part of the lessons will be carried out remotely.
“Depending on how the general curricula are established, what thoughts come from politicians and what plans, a part of the lessons each year will be distance learning. May the practice acquired during this year be expanded and not forgotten ”, said E. Milešinas.
Finally, you see that partial distance education will help prevent dropouts due to adverse weather or other reasons.
“It just came to our knowledge then. For example, things like before, when classes were interrupted by heat, cold, exams, I don’t think there will be things like that in the future, because there will be an immediate transition to distance learning”, E Milešinas I consider.
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