A new draft EU Council recommendation was submitted to the EU27 over the summer. Unveiled by the European Commission on Thursday 5 August, it advocates the development of “blended learning” - an approach that aims to combine classroom and online learning time or, as the Commission summarises it, a combination of different learning tools, digital or otherwise.
The European institution notes that school closures and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted the innovative capacities of European education systems and their shortcomings. It therefore presents suggestions for exploiting some of them to offset others.
Blended learning, it believes, should in particular provide “additional learning opportunities”, especially for learners with difficulties. This learning could take the form of tutorials, additional learning time or access to public libraries.
The Commission also urges the EU27 to develop a system that combines face-to-face and distance learning for “more flexibility” and more “appropriate” classroom learning conditions.
In this respect, it even advocates the mobilisation of additional staff “to allow more time for individual support” and asks, among other things, to ensure high-speed Internet connectivity as well as support for head teachers in managing change.
What limits?
With regard to distance learning, however, the importance of taking into account the different socio-economic and housing conditions of students is emphasised.
Based on a study of distance learning during the Spring 2020 lockdown, the Commission recalls that many families and learners, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, did not have the capacity or resources to ensure good learning at home. It also points to difficulties related to motivation and poor quality of e-learning content.
The EU27 are therefore invited to support digital teacher development programmes and tools and to encourage teachers to participate in “exploratory projects and research”, for example by testing the use of digital learning technologies.
Physical and mental well-being as a priority
Among the solutions put forward in the document, the promotion of physical well-being is also mentioned several times. Both for learners and their families as well as for educational staff.
For students, the Commission suggests that mental health guidelines be developed, that “ student wellbeing and anti-bullying policies” be integrated into school objectives, as well as that access to qualified health professionals be facilitated. A point also taken up for the teaching staff.
The Commission calls on the EU27 to review these suggestions “quickly”.
To consult the draft recommendation: https://bit.ly/2XUYTcD (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)