FREE webinar - from the VSO International, ICET, TPEA and MESHGuides networks

Engaging Marginalised Learners during the COVID 19 Pandemic: effective actions of teachers and community volunteers (MESH Global Knowledge Mobilisation Summit 3)

Invitation to: educationalists (teachers, senior leaders, teacher educators), community volunteers and representatives, volunteers, social workers, union representatives, professional and subject association representatives, councillors, youth workers and cultural workers e.g. gallery and museum educators who are doing outreach, media, education journalists and researchers - from any country.

Reason for the webinar: The coronoavirus crisis is leading to rolling school closures across the world and these are likely to continue for some time. This poses challenges for the continuing learning of all children but particularly marginalised learners. The aim of the webinar is to share solutions to challenges of supporting marginalised learners during school closures.

Goals of the webinar:

to bring people together who have examples of how teachers, volunteers and communities can work in a crisis to support continuity of learning for all. The focus is particularly on marginalised learners and the use of volunteers, people, skills, organisations and resources already in communities.
To identify and evaluate approaches that enable or build upon community resilience while maintaining safety so as to create exemplars that can be documented and disseminated using a range of methods including the snapshot summaries developed by MESHGuides (www.meshguides.org).
explore the extent and nature of marginalisation of learners to identify key factors that need to be addressed by the different stakeholders in education in their pandemic/disaster recovery documents (See the education sector pandemic planning framework in Younie, Leask and Hall 2020.)

Expected outcomes (these will depend on what is discussed):

1. A public report summarising the ideas and their implications for national/regional and local pandemic/epidemic/disaster planning. This will be be circulated to the audiences (teachers/policy makers/NGOs) for whom the information is relevant. It may be that the data will contribute to research articles and books if lessons emerge which can usefully guide development of educational practices.

2. Possibly follow up webinars around particular themes - see the emerging thematic list below.

Timing

11.30 informal networking and introductions

12.00 Welcome and setting the context:

Welcome: Professor Sarah Younie co-chair, Education Futures Collaboration charity and MESHGuides initiative.; De Montfort University, UK.
VSO international community volunteers: Experiences from the field - co-ordinated by Purna Shrestha VSO.
"Preparing for the new normal" Prof Irma Eloff Chair: Global Network of Deans of Education and Professor of Educational Psychology, Pretoria University, South Africa.
"Telephone School" Donna Miller Fry, Superintendent/CEO, Pine Creek School Division, Gladstone, Manitoba, Canada.
Examples from Mali and the School of the Air, Australia (Alice Springs example here) Professor Marilyn Leask co-chair, Education Futures Collaboration charity and MESHGuides initiative.; Visiting Professor De Montfort University, UK and University of Winchester.

note: Stephen Hurley from voicEd Canada (voicEd.ca) will be interviewing some participants for radio broadcasts. Sessions will be recorded and the data gathered with be analysed and reported using the British Educational Research Association ethical guidelines. (Please email enquiries@meshguides.org if you have any questions or concerns)

12.20 Breakout rooms for thematic discussions. Thematic leads for the final report are, with more to come:

Teacher experience/voice: Dr Carol Gentles, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica and chair of the International Council on the Education of Teachers
Teacher Education: Nabilah Abdullah, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Ed.Tech.: Purna Shrestha VSO International and Jon Audain, chair, Technology, Pedagogy and Education Association, UK
Early Childhood Education - Play Pedagogy for All: Debra Laxton, Universitu of Chichester, UK (building on VSO volunteers work in the Rohingya Camps with early years children, mothers and big sisters).
STEM subjects: Dr Ling Siew Eng, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Creative Pedagogies: Stephen Hall, University of Staffordshire and previously primary headteacher and European SchoolNet member.
Community Resources: Professor Marilyn Leask, co- chair MESH and visiting professor De Montfort University, UK.
Special Educational Needs - Mike Bamires, RIPPLE.

1pm Plenary and next steps - it may be follow-up webinars will be of interest to participants and some may be needed to gather data for the webinar report.

1.15 formal ending of proceedings

informal discussion

2.00 pm Close

Background

This webinar will bring together effective practices and further ideas of actions that can be undertaken to engage learners who have found it difficult to continue their education during the COVID 19 pandemic. It will consider the role of volunteers as part of a community response and the use of community resources.

In a crisis, community action by volunteers becomes central in any response to local needs. Education in emergencies usually prioritizes creating a safe space, teaching self-help safety practices and then psycho-social skills that build resilience and prevent abuse. From these foundations education can then continue. We know there is a variety of community action occurring and the webinar will focus on teaching approaches and volunteer community action which reaches out to marginalised groups who may not be using online opportunities for learning.

The webinar continues the thinking from two global knowledge mobilisation for education summits in 2016 and 2017 which shaped the development of the MESHGuides initiative (MESH = Mapping Educational knowHow initiative). The MESH initiative focuses on making visible and explicit, pedagogic knowledge which, with subject knowledge, informs a teacher’s professional judgement about how to teach. This kind of knowledge seems to be invisible to those outside the education sector but is perhaps why so many parents in the time of school closures, report that the homeschooling they are asked to do is difficult. The ‘Marginal Gains’ report from the summits provides useful background reading in the light of the closure of schools worldwide and the search for quality assured teaching support. Other background papers are listed below.

The experience of MESHGuides partner VSO International in using volunteers to reach out to marginalised groups of learners across a range of educational systems will be drawn upon to inform this discussion.

.Ways of working: Zoom will be used for the webinar with breakout rooms for sharing solutions. The conversations will be recorded and analysed around particular thematic areas. You will be randomly allocated to a group as we have not been able to group attendees by theme for this webinar. We have had reports of a variety of teaching approaches: played-based learning for younger children, role-play for older children, outdoor learning, creative learning, project-based learning, games-based learning, simulations, various web2.0 pedagogies, intergenerational learning, free-choice learning, support for learners with particular special educational needs, technology and home schooling, well-being & mental health. Participants will be able to contribute ideas before the webinar.

Each Breakout Room will be chaired by a member of the MESH International Advisory Council or the MESH Executive Group and the discussion will be recorded in order to facilitate accurate analysis of effective practices.

Background reading

Laxton, D. et al (2020) Early Years Education advice for parents in the time of Covid-19. url to come

Tokuhama-Espinosa, T. (2020) Decision Tree for going on line: The Virtual Classroom. Available from https://thelearningsciences.com/site/portfolio-items/virtual-class-organization/?lang=en

VoiceEd Canada Podcasts: https://voiced.ca;

- Specifically Laird.K, and Younie, S. (2020) The truth about Covid-19 , and;

- Burns, A. (May 2020) Field Experience Planning in a Pandemic — Werklund School of Education

- Leask, M. and Younie, S. Pandemic Planning url to come

Leask, M., Younie, S. et al (2016) A low cost ‘Marginal Gains Strategy’ to support SDG4 - engaging educators and aid agencies as ‘change agents’ to bring a step change in teacher quality. Education Futures Collaboration charity.

Younie, S., Leask, M. and Hall, S. (2020) A Framework for School Plans to ensure continuity of learning during school closures due to pandemics, epidemics and natural disasters: A Framework for School Plans. Url to come

Additional reading

Blamires, M. (2015) ‘Building portals for evidence-informed education: Lessons from the dead. A case study of the development of a national portal intended to enhance evidence informed professionalism in education’. Journal of Education for Teaching: International research and pedagogy, 41(5) [Special Issue], 597-607.

DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (2008) Supporting learning if schools close for extended periods during a flu pandemic (December 2008) https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=192722&type=full&servicetype=Attachment. Accessed 22 April 2020.

Devitt, R. (2018) What is home schooling? www.howdoihomeschool.com https://howdoihomeschool.com/2018/07/30/what-homeschooling-definition/ Accessed 29.04.2020)

DfES (Department for Education and Skills) (2006) Planning for a human influenza pandemic Guidance to Schools Every Child Matters https://schools.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/schools/files/folders/folders/documents/healthandsafety/main_schools_guide.pdf Accessed 22 April 2020.

Dierking, L. (2005). Lessons without limit: how free-choice learning is transforming science and technology education. História, ciências, saúde--Manguinhos. 12. 145-60. 10.1590/S0104-59702005000400008. Accessed 22 April 2020.

Education Endowment Foundation (2020) Rapid evidence assessment: Distance learning https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Covid-19_Resources/Remote_learning_evidence_review/Rapid_Evidence_Assessment_summary.pdf. Accessed 22 April 2020.

ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) In collaboration with the European Commission and the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe ( September 2006 edn), Assessment tool for influenza preparedness in European countries – with a main focus on pandemic preparedness. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/media/en/healthtopics/seasonal_influenza/Documents/Tool/0609_Pandemic_Influenza_Assessment_Tool.pdf Accessed 22 April 2020.

EC (European Commission) (2009a) Why is pandemic preparedness planning important? https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/seasonal-influenza/preparedness/why-pandemic-preparedness. Accessed 22 April 2020.

EC (European Commission) (2009b) Guide to public health measures to reduce the impact of influenza pandemics in Europe – ‘The ECDC Menu’ https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/guide-public-health-measures-reduce-impact-influenza-pandemics-europe-ecdc-menu Accessed 22 April 2020.

Falk, J. and Dierking, L. (2002) Lessons without limit: how free-choice learning is transforming education. Rowman Altamira, USA.

Friedman, S. L. (2014) ‘There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen” – Vladimir Ilyich Lenin’, Journal of Hepatology, Volume 60, Issue 3, 471 - 472. Accessed 22 April 2020.

Halinen, I. (2016) Collaborating to create a relevant curriculum based on well-being for all. Keynote address to Learning Teacher Network Conference, Tallinn, Estonia.

Inter-Agency Standing Committee-UNICEF, WHO and IFRC (2020) Interim Guidance for Covid-19 Prevention and control in schools, March 2020. Accessed 22 April 2020.

International Labour Organisation, (2020) ILO Sectoral Brief: COVID-19 and the education sector https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/briefingnote/wcms_742025.pdf Accessed 22 April 2020.

Jeffs, T. and Smith, M. K. (2011). ‘What is informal education?’, The encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education. [https://infed.org/mobi/what-is-informal-education/. Accessed 26 April 2020]

McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. Accessed 26 April 2020

MESHGuides (April 2020a) COVID-19 SUPPORT: MESH International Advisory Council reports and meetings

http://www.meshguides.org/covid-19-support-mesh-international-advisory-council-reports-and-meetings/ Accessed 22 April 2020.

Morton, R. (2020) Home education: Constructions of choice. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education Vol. 3, Issue 1, October, 2010.

New Zealand Government (updated 30 March 2020) Planning for an epidemic/pandemic event (quick guide). https://www.education.govt.nz/school/health-safety-and-wellbeing/emergencies-and-traumatic-incidents/pandemic-planning-guide/ . Accessed 23 April 2020.

New Zealand Government Updated August 2011) Influenza pandemic planning guide for early childhood education services, schools and tertiary organisations. https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/Initiatives/Health-and-safety/PandemicPlanningGuideForEdSectorAug2011.doc Accessed 23 April 2020.

Spec, D. (30 April 2020) ‘A third of teachers have Covid-19 mental health fears’, London. Times Educational Supplement https://www.tes.com/news/third-teachers-have-covid-19-mental-health-fears. Accessed 22 April 2020.

UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank (April 2020) Framework for reopening schools. https://en.unesco.org/news/back-school-preparing-and-managing-reopening-schools Accessed 22 April 2020.

UNESCO (2020) Half of world’s student population not attending school: UNESCO launches global coalition to accelerate deployment of remote learning solutions https://en.unesco.org/news/half-worlds-student-population-not-attending-school-unesco-launches-global-coalition-accelerate Accessed 23 April 2020.

UNESCO International Teacher Task Force (in press April 2020) Policy Note – Guidance for school leaders and teachers for schools re-opening. Paris: UNESCO

UNICEF EDUCATION COVID19 Response Education Live Forum Reaching the Most Vulnerable 30 April 2020

https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UnicefUK_ChildrenInLockdown_RapidAssessment.pdf ("Children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, estimates that up to 2.3 million children in England are from a vulnerable family background. )

Uscher-Pines, L., Schwartz, H.L., Ahmed, F. et al., (2018) School practices to promote social distancing in K-12 schools: review of influenza pandemic policies and practices. BMC Public Health 18, 406 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5302-3.Accessed 23 April 2020. Accessed 22 April 2020.

World Bank (April 2020) How countries are using edtech (including online learning, radio, television, texting) to support access to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/how-countries-are-using-edtech-to-support-remote-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

Engaging Marginalised Learners during the COVID 19 Pandemic: recording effective actions of teachers and community volunteers (MESH Global KM Summit 3)

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