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Six Good Ideas for Distance Learning From Six Countries

Six Good Ideas for Distance Learning From Six Countries

If distance learning was a failure for your kids this spring, you’re probably dreading the possibility that classrooms will be closed again this fall. So it makes sense to go to school on how other countries manage when their kids don’t go to school.

The National Center for Education and the Economy has a new report that assembles the best ideas for distance learning from the countries with the most effective educational systems, from Singapore to Estonia to Canada. The nine-page report is worth a read.  Meanwhile, here’s a taste:

Singapore

The city-state had to figure out how to do distance learning after previous health threats, including the 2005 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Every year classes are taught remotely for one week just for practice.

Poland

A repository called Scholaris has almost 28,000 digital resources to help teachers design interactive lessons. Some of the resources are supplied by universities and museums.

Estonia

There’s a national hotline for advice on educational technology.

China

Experienced teachers record video lessons for primary school students.

Switzerland

About two-thirds of young people get vocational educations, so apprenticeships are key. But Covid-19 has shut down some of the places where students train. So the Swiss government is putting more money into supporting apprenticeships.

Canada

The province of Ontario is going big on summer school to help students make up for lost time.

Concludes the organization: “The continuing emergency will likely accelerate the integration of technology into the teaching and learning process, and promote the idea of organizing learning in different settings, in and out of traditional school buildings, and in different ways for different students.”

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.