work-sheets by Post or by teaching via video conference? If the Corona-pay case in Germany, again a strong rise, could also be schools closed after the summer holidays again – to the chagrin of the students.
As Uta Hauck-Thum, Professor for primary school pedagogy and didactics explains, not many were left behind just had sufficient access to digital media. In an interview with FOCUS Online, the expert in digitization, what have learned in schools so far from Corona explained.
you know, however, that In many schools there is still a lack of equipment and adapted methods of teaching. To be for a second wave prepared, many schools lag behind. hauck-thum, Uta Hauck-Thum, Professor for primary school pedagogy and didactics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. About the expert
Uta Hauck-Thum, Professor for primary school pedagogy and didactics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. She has been conducting research to digitisation, with a focus on digital opportunities, and organ of the Online Barcamp #school rethinking focused this year, together with the Federal Chancellery.
FOCUS Online Ms. Hauck-Thum, when you look back on the first Lockdown: What is Corona in the education sector face? And how the schools react?
Uta Hauck-Thum: Corona has taken care of the day to ensure that the traditional teaching did not work anymore. The schools had tried, then, first of all, the lesson to convey in the way you knew him before, the children.
schools that have already used Corona digital media, it fell into the crisis, of course, easier to reach the children.
Other schools, in which digitization has played so far no role, had to find Alternatives. It E-Mails and letters were sent out. I have, however, heard of boxes with worksheets, which were provided for pick-up in front of the school. Of teachers, the boxes with the wheel-the letter of your students abklapperten. That in the end, children and young people remained on the track, no question. And that is dramatic.
No digital Work, no video conferencing
FOCUS Online : Digital classroom as an Alternative to the conventional school didn’t work out anywhere?
Hauck-Thum: I think it was many of the teachers previously not even aware of how different home equipment is in the families of your students.
While the a Laptop, Tablet or Smartphone, have nothing of it. So you had no Chance to get the same access to education, materials as their classmates. No digital Work, no video conferencing – they were simply left behind.
FOCUS Online , especially children safe from socially disadvantaged families?
Hauck-Thum: , Especially students whose families are socially weaker, are affected, of course. In some schools, teachers were able to achieve only half of their students, because their parents have not stated a E-Mail address at the school.
But their children were not suspended just because they had digital access. A key point, which in families during school closures has played a major role, is the support of the parents. In many families, the parents have to act as a home-teacher in socially disadvantaged families, this is rarely the case.
But also in well-educated families in which both parents work in the home office, are not able to give the parents their Notebooks while working on the children’s. Young people often have no own Laptop, but only your Smartphone. So you can read E-Mails, maybe attending conferences. Active with digital media will Work, however, is more difficult.
- Reading tip: children’s physicians-in-chief promotes Opening: “the risk that schools are Hotspots, is low,”
New teaching and learning processes
FOCUS Online This means that schools must now equip all the children with Laptops in order to be a second Lockdown armed?
Hauck-Thum: That would be the first step. the The equipment is important. Without this, a child in School, can’t work from home. Children to be suspended, therefore, must be prevented.
The current developments should be used in schools, but also urgent, in order to make the basic thoughts on teaching and learning processes . We need both analog and digital more project work, a breaking of disciplinary boundaries – of class boundaries. Children can benefit from the older, and Vice versa. And you need real issues in the world around you a role.
This is accompanied by a change in performance evaluation . There is more time in accordance with only results of follow – up is not during a crisis, even less. Instead, it should be considered in the grading of the whole learning process. It should be evaluated alongside the results of other aspects, such as the ability to work with other classmates. Urgently new audit formats need to be developed – not only in times of Corona.
- Reading tip: South Korea: school life in the Corona pattern of the country
FOCUS Online : This all sounds original, innovative – but is this actually the reality?
Hauck-Thum: It be possible to implement the concept, we have been testing for some time at the Munich project schools. I have during school closures, such a project with students and children in a primary school implemented. The theme was: “We are the climate”.
children have made at home for family members on the topic of climate protection interviewed, with cell phones photos, how garbage is separated and electricity is saved. After that, the results in video were presented to conferences and discussed. The students then created from the results of the movies and presents.
During the project the children had the opportunity to discuss important topics and to work at home, active and creative. They were not busy, the hundredth worksheet to be completed. Instead, you have made really thought.
The world is better than your bad news – FOCUS Online provides you every Friday with the best stories from the field perspectives. Subscribe here for free Newsletter:
schools need to change their methods
FOCUS Online schools have to change in the long term, your methods. But alone, the equipment that would be needed is expensive. Who’s paying for this?
Hauck-Thum: There are the digital Pact, a pot of money from which schools can use and so far, only about 20 percent have been used. Schools create media concepts.
That means in the best case, that all the stakeholders first consider, together, how education can transform, and calculate what appliances can contribute to change. After you get your Budget. And it should be taken into consideration from now on, not only the schools but also the students themselves need to be equipped with the devices.
I think That’s a very sensible measure, so that no one will again or continue to be suspended. Whether the money will be enough in the end, this is of course a different question. But for example, there are also companies that assist schools with their discarded devices. Also, the economy should be involved in the education sector.
Overall, I hope that the schools develop the process of digitization, which was triggered by the crisis, even after Corona more. Unfortunately, there are also schools that are just waiting for you to open again, as usual, and the operation as before can run.
During the school closure, some applications, such as Microsoft Teams have been used temporarily – now, after three months, you will be logged out the Whole thing again. This is anything other than future – oriented- not only in the face of an impending re-lock downs.
FOCUS Online : it sounds like you’ve learned nothing from the first Lockdown. Not one would be prepared for now better?
Hauck-Thum: This is from school to school just in very different ways. Nevertheless, I think that schools in General would also be better prepared. Many of the teachers and also the students have become accustomed to the Format of the video conference, and new forms of cooperative work tested.
The flexibility of schools has increased overall. The Same applies for the willingness to face challenges and to break new ground.
See you in the PCP you can See in the
