English

Vocational schools, secondary school graduates, practical subjects and student participation

Vocational schools, secondary school graduates, practical subjects and student participation

Objavljeno: 20. ožujka 2020.

Ministry of Science and Education Republic of Croatia, March 2020. For the Ministry: minister prof. Blaženka Divjak, PhD

The problem of vocational schools and numerous programmes for which online teaching cannot be centrally organised. The teaching of practical subjects is particularly problematic.

The Ministry of Science and Education has created online content for all general subjects taught in secondary schools. This will ensure that when students in vocational education come back to their schools, they have time for practical subjects. Moreover, vocational teachers are encouraged to develop creative solutions to also teach practical subjects online if possible.

Here is an example of a plan to teach practical subjects online submitted by a vocational school: We prepare students to become cooks, waiters, farmers, car mechanics and appliance installers. Our teachers have come up with a creative solution to prepare video materials related to subject content which include simple tasks students can do at home. These are preparatory tasks and exercises that students can include into their practice portfolios and to which teachers can provide feedback. The students training to become farmers mostly own family farms and can do most tasks at home if provided with proper guidance. For subjects dealing with mechanics, teachers will prepare video materials demonstrating exercises which the students will be able to do once they return to school. This enables students to prepare for the exercises at home by making blueprints and sketches. In this way, we will make sure that what can be, is taught online, leaving more time later for those activities that can only be done when students are in school.

In addition to that, the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education has launched a portal for online classes. The portal also contains classes for practical subjects, and all vocational teachers are encouraged to develop online classes at home and share them with their colleagues.

Preparing secondary school graduates for the state matura exam

In addition to creating online content for all subjects in the final year of secondary education, the Ministry is also preparing additional video materials to prepare students for compulsory exams at the state matura exam (Croatian and English language and Mathematics).

Teaching in hospitals

Hospitalised students have the same access to online classes as students at home. Those in lower primary education can watch classes on TV. In upper primary education, teachers set up virtual classrooms to communicate with the students, teach and develop activities for students.

How to monitor student participation in online classes?

All students are expected to be responsible for their own learning and to fully participate in all online classes and activities. However, teachers have been instructed to abstain from grading in the first two weeks of teaching online, focusing instead on monitoring and encouraging students as well as getting used to the limitations of the technology.

In case a student does not sign in to an online class, the homeroom teacher first needs to contact the parents to learn of any obstacles, such as lack of access to the appropriate hardware, no Internet access, illness, or lack of skills, and establish if the student needs professional support. In virtual classes, students are meant to take part in discussions, read the content provided and submit their work. It is not sufficient to monitor sign-ins only: the students need to take an active role in the class.

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCES AND FAILURE TO SUBMIT HOMEWORK

All students are expected to be responsible for their own learning and to fully participate in all online classes and activities. However, teachers have been instructed to abstain from grading in the first two weeks of teaching online, focusing instead on monitoring and encouraging students as well as getting used to the limitations of the technology. Due to the overload of system some student may experience difficulties, therefore we expect the system to stabilize during this week, and then the solutions to the tasks can be submitted later.

What about classroom attendance records – if a student does not sign in, do I list that as an unauthorised absence?

In case a student does not sign in to an online class, the homeroom teacher first needs to contact the parents to learn of any obstacles, such as lack of access to the appropriate hardware, no Internet access, illness, or lack of skills, and establish if the student needs professional support. In virtual classes, students are meant to take part in discussion, read the content provided and submit their work. It is not sufficient to monitor sign-ins only: the students need to take an active role in the class.


Podijelite članak:Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin