Over 620 members of UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) from over 80 countries came together to share their experiences of learning and living in confinement, in a webinar organized on 12 May 2020, organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE). The webinar was the first of its kind for the ASPnet community, UNESCO’s largest network, in its 65 years of existence.
ASPnet members, National Coordinators, teachers, students and parents shared their observations feelings and hopes for the future during this webinar that focused on two topics: the experience of remote learning, and reimagining the future of education based on this experience. Speakers in the two sessions included students, parents and teachers from Argentina, China, France, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Mongolia, Netherlands and Nigeria.
Commenting on the sessions, participants identified common themes, including the importance of addressing the socio-emotional dimension of learning, the impact of remote learning changing relationships between students, teacher and parents, as well as the importance of ensuring students’ and teachers’ well-being.
Prominent attention was also given to the role of arts education for the well-being of students, the need to equip teachers with skills, both in IT and media literacy, as well as psycho-social support to students.
For all participants, this was an experience of feeling connected across cultures and continents, as expressed by one ASPnet student from Greece: “It was amazing to hear students from the other side of the world and to feel like classmates. I was so glad to hear that we share the same thoughts about the role of teachers who are irreplaceable.”
Ralleio was represented by Ms Aikaterini Christodoulou, UNESCO Coordinating Teacher. https://en.unesco.org/news/students-teachers-and-parents-unescos-associated-schools-share-covid-19-experiences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ElolGmxzA&feature=youtu.be