Click on the titles to open the collapsible content.
Stage |
Activity |
Time-frame |
---|---|---|
1. Pre-workshop preparation
|
1.1. Identify/train 3 facilitators.
1.2. Prepare participant information and consent forms.
1.3. Recruit participants.
1.4. Collect resources.
1.5 Identify suitable/accessible room - space for group work and to create a gallery.
|
|
2. 'Mapping' in groups: parents/carers, young people, teachers |
Groups create 'artefacts' - rivers/collages.
|
Introduction and ethical guidance - 10 mins
|
3. Exhibition |
Artefacts are 'galleried' around the workshop space.
Groups interact with the artefacts using 'emoji stickers'.
|
Up to Mapping 60 minutes
|
4. Reflection/review
|
Groups reconvene and discuss experiences of viewing supported by a facilitator.
Facilitators collate key points.
|
30 minutes
|
5. Plenary Discussion
|
Facilitators share summaries with wider group.
Introduction to Maker-space workshops.
|
50 minutes
|
Audiences |
Stimuli |
Potential resource |
---|---|---|
Parents/Caregivers,
Young People,
Teachers
|
Spaces/places (online/offline),
gaming spaces,
'view from my window'
|
Rolls of paper for each group
Scissors, glue, tape etc
Magazines
Photos
Comics
Newspapers
Public information documents
Images that can work as metaphors for thoughts/feelings (affective responses)
|
People |
||
Community Assets |
||
Experiences |
||
Artefacts |
||
Social Media |
||
News |
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Schools played a pivotal role in communities during periods of school closures often becoming
the only front-line public service open and accessible to local communities beyond emergency services
(police, fire brigade, ambulance service).
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Cooperation and mutual support are the educational community's essential elements. |
GREECE
(Athens)
|
Although schools in Greece don't have enough autonomy, they played an integral part in their communities during periods of school closure. |
HUNGARY |
State schools are highly centralised in Hungary and have very little autonomy. Schools maintained by
various churches have more money and opportunities to collaborate with the community. There are also a few
private schools that are for the privileged, but also provide scholarships for talented underprivileged students.
|
NETHERLANDS |
Schools played an important role in identifying the needs of working families, based on previous experience and
collaboration locally. It resulted in most children in need being able to attend school without a break. Schools'
opening their gates to communities also contributed to people being together outdoors and doing sports more than before.
|
GERMANY |
So everything we know from Corona is the importance of fast communication channels between learning companions,
students, but also learning companions and parents.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Definitions of 'school community' were fluid, contingent, and responsive to the rapidly changing needs of different groups.
The experiences of families, and the impact of Covid on them, within a school's locality varied greatly according to transiency.
More established communities experienced differing impacts, such as bereavement and overcrowding within households, compared
to more transient communities who had urgent welfare needs.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Target groups include children from other countries, Roma children, children with special educational needs, and children from
Greece from low-income families. A key common feature of these children is that they come from the lower social strata. Special
assistance to these children was provided through donations by the Ministry of Education, the parents' associations in each school,
and local businesses.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
The school community included al teaching and other school stuff, students and their parents and carers. Collaboration between teachers
and parents proved to be highly beneficial. Most obstacles were addressed through the cooperation and mutual support of the school community.
|
HUNGARY |
Teachers noted that a stronger, more communicative school community was very helpful during the online schooling, as parents often
helped each other and even the teachers to overcome the challenges posed by their lack of IT knowledge.
|
NETHERLANDS |
School leader autonomy made it possible for schools to best cater for local needs and take the level of comfort of community members
into consideration. Thus, those few who did not feel safe being among people could stay home without issues around sick leave or truancy.
The strict no-mask policy for children nationally also helped communities to sail through this period with higher levels of well-being.
|
GERMANY |
Innovative practices found were related to team activity.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
School functions expanded beyond education to incorporate a range of services including provision of food, redistribution of household
items (including washing machines and beds) as well as brokerage and advocacy functions. These provisions continued into the school
holidays in recognition of the ongoing challenges facing some families and schools are now continuing to provide food and basic necessities
for families as a 'year round response' to meet local needs as increased welfare payments agreed for the period of lockdowns are phased out.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Moreover, the headmasters think they have adequately responded to the new circumstances. The headmasters said they did the best they
could. It was challenging to implement socialization, the transmission of values, and ethics; Pedagogy changed, but it retained
its character. The main thing is that people must be immediately adapted to a rapidly changing environment.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
From the beginning of the schools' closure, all teaching activities were done remotely. For lower and upper secondary education, online teaching
platforms were used. For the upper grades of primary education, a mix of online teaching and the use of television was used.
The use of television was higher for the first grades of primary and pre-primary education.
|
HUNGARY |
Very few children (2-10 per school) attended school during the online schooling, and they were only offered supervision, not teaching.
Disadvantaged children who had no computers or internet access could sometimes participate in the online schooling by using the
computers in the school, but as social distancing had to be taken into consideration, only one or two children could sit in the same
classroom.
|
NETHERLANDS |
All schools remained open for those in need, especially families with more deprived circumstances and parents who either could not work
from home or actually had to work from home without being disturbed. In higher grades, collaborative online teaching as well as self
paced learning was supported.
|
GERMANY |
Schools surveyed did develop a rather late effective reaction to the pandemic which did start in 2021 only.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Teachers roles expanded significantly, and often without boundary, to span education, social service and sometimes parenting functions.
This included the necessity to accept heightened levels of physical, mental and professional risk without necessarily having access to additional
specialist training or support.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Teachers took on an extra demanding role during the quarantine period. In conditions of technological turmoil, they were called to develop
appropriate teaching material, teach remotely, do repetitions, and achieve new learning goals - at the same time some teachers had no computer skills
at all. As a result, the teachers suddenly found themselves outside the interactive living environment of a classroom, in which they could until then
guide their students, share their problems and with their presence reassure them of any concerns caused by the current reality.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
Teachers had to undertake different roles during schools' closure. At the same time that their role as teacher had to incorporate new techniques and meet
new challenges, most teachers had to also act as it technicians, psychologists while dealing with their own family issues.
The issue of digital skills and readiness was also of primary importance. teachers had computer skills and experience in distance education through their
participation in some distance programs or their relevant training. It is this experience that contributed to them having a positive and very positive attitude towards it.
|
HUNGARY |
Despite the growing number of digital tools in families the situation is still less than ideal, according to senior teacher's narratives. 'Paper-based'
and phone-based solutions did not lead to satisfactory results: teachers were not able to make progress. The freed-up time and energy of teachers
was used to handle the somewhat chaotic daily proceedings of online education. This is not changed by any number of the seminars that aim to train the
so-called digital immigrants (teachers) to be able to face the challenges the situation calls for.
|
NETHERLANDS |
Teachers' role has not changed significantly, although the use of digital technologies became somewhat more widespread. The ministry monitored
related teacher needs and tried to cater for them in constant collaboration with practitioners.
|
GERMANY |
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Whilst all school had to develop an online offer for the majority of pupils there is no settled view on the future value of digital learning as a
consequence of learning online through the pandemic. Leaders expressed a range of views about the value and purpose of digital in their
school curriculum that were highly situated in their understandings of their local context and community characteristics.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
The offer of tablets to students by the Ministry of Education can be considered a unique action. This action continues to this day, helping
several children.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
Teachers had to adopt in using new pedagogies and strategies as well as class management techniques. The headmasters had to support the school
community while they were the only ones to be able to go physically to schools. The provision by the Ministry of Education of tablets and laptops was very important.
|
HUNGARY |
The overall picture shows us that the educational system is simply not ready to fulfill its purpose properly in case of school closures and
switching to digital classes.
|
NETHERLANDS |
The Netherlands is well equipped for and students are used to independent work using digital means, while not focusing on school learning only.
Municipalities supported those in need of digital tools.
|
GERMANY |
There was a huge lack of digital infrastructures at general schools but to lesser extent at vocational schools. Considerable difficulties with
defining measures for continuing school services during the pandemic could be found as well.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Unlike expectations around teachers' roles and identities concept-making around of learning focused around the 'pre-pandemic' curriculum with
discourses around learning 'gaps' and 'deficits' frequently mobilised.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
The school learned to operate digitally, and the students showed particular interest in the lessons through computers.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
The shift towards digital and distance learning was challenging. The obstacles that prevent a teacher from making use of distance
education are technical problems, ethical issues of protecting personal data and intellectual rights, issues of student socialization and active participation,
doubt about the future of teachers and issues related to distance education itself (preparation of educational materials, use of special software).
Nevertheless, cooperation between teachers has proved to be beneficial.
|
HUNGARY |
The only plausible aim they could strive for was to maintain knowledge that had been taught before the Covid-19 pandemic. Another factor should
be addressed is the lack of protocols regarding the curriculum and its adaptation to digital classes. This is especially an issue in the case
of the youngest who were required to learn reading, writing and calculus online.
|
NETHERLANDS |
The government emphasised the importance of being together as much as possible and being outdoors weather permitting. This has resulted in more
collaborative learning and also in fields not necessarily curricular. Research shows a small decrease in curricular learning for primary school
that is understandable as online learning was not prioritised for this age-group, rather nonformal and informal learning was incentivised.
|
GERMANY |
There was a considerable focus on subject and contents but less on pupils.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Schools now place greater importance on student and staff wellbeing and embed this into their daily provision in different ways. For some schools
these are new additions, whilst for others they are expanding or developing activities that were in place pre-Covid. Examples include: embedding
wellbeing into their curriculum; expansion of after-school enrichment programmes; integration of online staff social gatherings; and continuation
of a Community Council which focuses on pupil performance and wellbeing. There were many unknowns as to the long-term impacts on CYP
mental health, such as the effect of deaths within school communities, and the conditions of poverty many CYP had experienced.
All schools said relationships of their staff and student community within school had become closer as a result of the pandemic.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
The educational community has demonstrated how strong it is and has managed to cope with this unique situation.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
The strong ties between all members of the school community were the cornerstone for overcoming this unique state.
The continuation of the school life, even in such a different state was very important for the well-being and mental health of its members.
|
HUNGARY |
This situation is not that much better in the case of digital natives (students or even parents), either. Some interviewees expressed their
surprise over the inability of children to adequately search for information or properly utilize the digital apparatus granted for educational purposes.
|
NETHERLANDS |
School autonomy made it possible to provide education in the school for all in need. It has proven to be a successful approach with better levels
of mental health, well-being and satisfaction while there were no negative epidemiological consequences.
|
GERMANY |
It was observed that the Pandemic meant an opening up for some pupils with different needs, i.e. a less authoritarian regime during times
of pandemic.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
Definitions of vulnerability shifted and expanded: with food and digital poverty affecting many more groups than schools had anticipated/than
had been previously visible. There was less emphasis on specific groups such as refugees and asylum seekers, and a much broader
understanding of intersectional vulnerability. Children and young people with SEND were referred to as particularly impacted yet there appeared
to be uncertainty as to what that looked like for those CYP with SEND who were kept at home during the lockdowns.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Teachers and schools may have made every effort to keep children out of hybrid distance education. Still, children from low socio-economic
backgrounds and low-income families experienced inequality and were left out of hybrid distance education for a while. To some extent,
this phenomenon began to weaken with the initiative of the Ministry of Education to provide tablets to children who needed them to participate
in hybrid distance education.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
It has to be noted that regarding the students, more difficulties were addressed with vulnerable children and those at risk of exclusion that were most likely to stay out
of the ICT context, this was the case in two out of the three schools. Furthermore, there were difficulties with internet access or computer use; this issue was gradually
resolved with the help of the Ministry of Education, the parents' associations, or other local organizations.
|
HUNGARY |
One of the key aspects of the current situation is the integration of digital tools into offline education. Though, on the one hand this creates
an opportunity for most children to catch up with the curriculum more easily, many face obstacles that are still present when accessing the
educational system online.
|
NETHERLANDS |
It was an understandable, but bad decision to not hold the school leaving exams in 2020. Many students had difficulties due to circumstances
outside of schools such as (temporarily) losing their jobs or rearranged households due to elderly relatives moving in with them.
|
GERMANY |
Observation reported that especially vulnerable pupils are at risk being completely lost. Evidence that risk is not only related to
migrant population but as well to those from groups with lower level of socio economic resources.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
School leaders struggled to keep up with the frequently changing Government guidance and operated as autonomous agents in many respects.
Decision-making for UK schools looked different depending on the type of governance of the schools. Schools within larger academy trusts
were able to access more support mechanisms, such as digital devices, and interpretation of Government guidance came from higher up within
the Trust. School 'closures' did not happen in the UK: all schools opened immediately following Government announcements of school closures
and school decision-making/leadership continued into the school holidays.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
Regarding Patras, COVID-19 decisively changed the way the headmasters managed the school. This process was done remotely by the headmasters.
The pandemic seems to have burdened the headmasters, and their obligations have increased.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
The situation under schools' closure proved to be very challenging with school heads.
Especially in Greece where schools lack autonomy, school heads had to "juggle" between the official guidelines and the reality of their school community.
|
HUNGARY |
Receiving no substantial help from the government, school personnel can only hope that the number of infections stays low, thus avoiding
any further lockdowns. Although the state was more lenient with administrative requirements, it did not help a lot.
|
NETHERLANDS |
The Netherlands was one of the few countries that had no full school closures and no mask mandates for children.
|
GERMANY |
Despite the frequent votes held by the teaching staff to address the crisis situation, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the decision-making process.
Specifically, it is unclear whether there are initial debates concerning new measures or if these measures can be implemented independently without prior discussion.
|
Country |
Outcome |
---|---|
UNITED
KINGDOM
|
There were affective differences that the pandemic has had on CYP bodies in school spaces. All schools have had to manage bodies/spaces within
schools in new ways such as 'bubbles', mask wearing, testing. Younger children had been affected in terms of muscle development (e.g. core
strength). Anxiety was a particular factor amongst the secondary school and college in terms of the impacts within school spaces long-term,
such as social distancing.
|
GREECE
(Patras)
|
During the closing of the schools and their opening, they strictly followed the protocol set by the National Public Health Organization.
For a student, teacher, or parent to enter the school, they would have to wear a mask and present a negative self-test. Otherwise,
entry was not allowed.
|
GREECE
(Athens)
|
During the schools' closure, only school heads could have access to them. The social aspect of school spaces was almost totally lost.
|
HUNGARY |
Most schools in Hungary still not allow parents to enter the school building. Parental engagement is a very new concept in Hungarian
education and the COVID regulations further strengthened the rigidity of the system that tries to keep parents out in every sense.
|
NETHERLANDS |
In many places, especially in big cities, schools became more embedded in local community through opening up their outdoor spaces 24/7
for the locals. This practice has remained in place with the yards being used by school children during school hours and the local
communities after hours and at weekends.
|
GERMANY |