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Psychologist Tomas Lagūnavičius runs an atypical educational institution. It is not even more typical when the manager describes the school as a variety of diverse and rewarding services, and quarantine-driven distance learning in the overall system promises to continue in the future.
“Three in one”
Kaunas Adult and Youth Training Center (KSJMC). What is “This is an educational institution where children and adults study. It is a place where their age does not matter, only the desire to improve and function is important”, this is how T.Lagūnavičius, the director of the school he directs, describes.
The Adult and Youth Training Center offers the same education that children receive in traditional schools. The only difference is that in the 5-12 classes of youth and adults selected for formal education, peers of different ages can study.
Did the announced quarantine for the coronavirus pandemic make it difficult for the school to prepare for distance education? T.Lagūnavičius does not doubt that this is a challenge, but the center already had the luggage for the video lessons, because people who live permanently abroad or have gone for a short period of time to study at school.
T.Lagūnavičius makes no secret that the discoveries and experiments that took place during the quarantine inspired him.
“We are the first educational institution in Lithuania to offer the offline + online + Moodle learning model. It is a ‘three in one’. Offline: learning takes place by participating in a class that takes place in the classroom.” Online “: learning is carried out by participating in a lesson remotely together with” Moodle: by joining the KSJMC “Moodle” system, it is also possible to view lesson records, find relevant teaching materials, complete assignments for students ” , – The principal presented the non-traditional model created for the students.
Of course, currently, as in all of Lithuania, there are no live classes in the classrooms. Teachers communicate with students virtually, but T. Lagūnavičius is convinced that this “three in one” principle is very convenient and encouraging to learn.
“Like in the best supermarket. Why is it good? Sometimes a student is away for a short time and cannot physically go to school or get sick, but can attend an online lesson. He can listen to the lesson being taught , ask questions and interact with other students. We will implement this innovation from autumn, “T. Lagūnavičius said happily about the prospects.
Daily evaluation
The Kaunas Adult and Youth Training Center also places great demands on today’s distance education process. And not just for teachers. “Children should join all the lessons. Why is this important? If the child is not connected to the lesson, perhaps he is doing something wrong. In this case, the educator of the child who is not connected to the lesson calls immediately to his parents. Or maybe the child is sick or something else happened. ” “for children to participate in lessons remotely”, – T. Lagūnavičius defined the requirements for students.
According to the director, the quarantine, like everyone else, has led to the adoption of new forms of communication. The educators of the center transmit all the lessons, practically there is no lesson that is removed from the schedule. All lessons take 45 minutes. Each lesson has a clear structure: first the teacher has learned the new material that is needed, then there is discussion, reports, repetition. Students view slides, a teacher’s face, and assessments can be done both orally and in writing.
“We have a lot of lesson records for grades 5-12. Large collection of beautifully recorded lessons. Like a performance. If a child did not understand something in a live lesson, they can look at the entry again and verify that they have understood correctly. If that it is not enough, you can write a request It is not the case with us that the teacher has abandoned the task, and the children have to read, search, find how to do the task. There is a direct connection “, – T. Lagūnavičius taught the procedure distance learning.
Another important thing at the Adult and Youth Training Center is the introduction of a new evaluation system. Each lesson is evaluated. If the child actively participated, he receives four points for answering three evaluation questions for each additional point.
“Every day, a child receives an appreciation for their efforts. Parents immediately see if the child was online or learning how they were. After all, parents cannot always control these things,” he stressed the importance of informing parents.
Results have improved
Distance learning for several weeks has yielded remarkable results. T.Lagūnavičius does not hide that these results are very gratifying. “We noticed that attendance and grades have improved during the quarantine period. This is the most surprising thing. If the school wants, it can really find ways to improve the results it used to be. We will deliberately expand distance learning, regardless of circumstances they can no longer be a pandemic. ” quarantine “, – the Center Director shared his discovery and enthusiasm for tailoring the training for children in an acceptable and interesting way.
T.Lagūnavičius is convinced that by participating in the lesson remotely, the student is not far behind, deepens his knowledge. “There are great advantages here. Quarantine in the process of improving training is an opportunity to experiment and find new interesting solutions. We have tried and see good results,” continued T. Lagūnavičius.
The psychologist also emphasized that there is now better motivation. There is nothing to do, and learning when there are no jobs, other occupations and activities is very appropriate. How many can sit online and watch videos through other online platforms? It turns out to learn something through distance learning. “Especially since the motivation system works. They get grades every day, which is a small victory, the next day they get a better grade and that motivation grows”, T. Lagūnavičius exposed the achievements of students and teachers.
However, are not the best results, remote control of motivation a consequence of the ability to turn around? Perhaps the perception that one can learn remotely leads to the perception that one can consult a classmate remotely or take and copy from an already completed classmate job, of course, if the classmate is agree.
“There is no possibility of cheating, because the agreement takes place here and now. The teacher sees it. Also, the questions must be individualized for each child, not a common task for all of us. We were children, adolescents and we looked for ways to avoid various difficult situations”. “I will ask on the one hand, on the other, and know if the student really knows or is just trying to relax. It is very important to me that the teacher keep in touch with the child here and now”, T. Lagūnavičius cut the possibility of fraud and once again emphasized the importance of control and the fact that teachers cannot leave homework on children.
Focus on others.
However, it must be admitted that not long ago, the Kaunas Adult and Youth Training Center was better known as a place for difficult children and youth: when there was nowhere to go, it was the end of the road. However, it must also be recognized that, in conversations with specialists from the Kaunas Pedagogical Psychological Service about other children of concern to those around them, repeated observations were made that it would be really good for that child at the T. Lagūnavičius school.
After such observation, T. Lagūnavičius did not cling to the compliment and did not attack the details of the schoolchildren. The psychologist highlighted three whales in the educational system, two of which many forget.
There is no possibility of fraud because the agreement is made here and now. The teacher sees.
“Each school has a class of children that are a concern for teachers. There are three words in the education system, two of which are often forgotten and only remembered as ‘integrated’. There are two more: differentiate and individualize. There are than to consider the best interests of the child. ” The specificity of the school was prepared by T. Lagūnavičius.
The Kaunas Adult and Youth Training Center separates the work of educators from the work of subject teachers. Teachers only teach and communicate with educators during breaks, and educators only work as educators, calm down, explain, and prepare for consultations.
“We have a very clear system. When there is such a child in the classroom, at least two people attend the lesson, that is, a subject teacher and a psychologist, educator or special educator. And so, in each lesson. Second Instead, we have a different structure: Children who are potential leaders, “hyperactive, characterized by a lack of concentration or aggression, need to learn to deal with these things”, – the director paid individual attention to the characteristics of the child.
For such children, the lessons take place a little differently: a quarter of an hour of learning, a break, relaxation, concentration, then learning again, and then relaxing again. According to the psychologist, these children cannot learn the whole lesson alone, they cannot concentrate as much.
“We call them children of special abilities. What are special abilities? You need to find a way to learn it. If the problem is reading, then perhaps you need to find a way to teach through images and do those lessons,” said T. Lagūnavičius. – A potential leader needs help, so as not to ignore and not to say: integrate. How can it be integrated? Let the scientist enter the ring with the boxer. You will be knocked out immediately. And the scientist should be prepared.
Service user
The conversation with T. Lagūnavičius took place over the phone, but the impression was that the discoveries and experiments that took place during the quarantine so inspired the manager that he did not stop on the spot. “This situation has created opportunities for us to improve, to move forward. After the quarantine, we will be even stronger and have even more services. As the Acropolis or Mega wants,” T. Lagūnavičius spread the virus of optimism.
The director assured that the Kaunas Adult and Youth Training Center had not stopped any activities in principle. T.Lagūnavičius estimates that the school community unites around 400 people. Some of them received free meals daily. The school ensured that the free lunch also reached the children during quarantine.
It was common at school for coffee or tea to be available to everyone here for free, as is the case with lectures. With the help of the Food Bank, the school administration made sure that the additional food rations and quarantines reached the students.
The Adult and Youth Training Center is also distinguished by the fact that there is a permanent center for contemporary art. T.Lagūnavičius laughs that Sandėlių Street, where the school is located, has become a street of contemporary art. Drobės Street remains to be overcome and the work of the school community is already coming to A. Juozapavičius Avenue.
The school also offers an open youth space for all children ages 14-29, and a free space for them to relax, listen to music, watch movies, play computer games, and have fun. There are eleven academies of various activities. Suppose you become a member of the school community to learn English for free.
“We need to change attitudes. The money goes to the teachers, to the school administration. We have to work. Parents are clients and children are consumers of our services. If our client and consumer are not satisfied, it means that we are not doing something like that. At some point we discovered the child’s needs. ” and we found access to every child, “said the director.
T.Lagūnavičius is convinced that individualization and differentiation should be applied when working with a child. When a child is not ready to integrate, he suffers. The child feels bad when the whole class attends the lesson, responds and is lost. It needs to be able to function well and then integrate. Children need to find and give what fascinates them, and then they can easily push.
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