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From classroom boards to screens: what is the present and the future of education?

Adelino Sousa recognizes that, in the case of students, this situation is a serious problem and this being politically correct, he guarantees. Still, he considers it really easy to solve with money and equipment given to students. For the specialist, an even more serious issue has been the exclusion of students, which has been occurring for some years, when they are not inserted in schools. Putting young Roma people to study: we have been trying to solve this for years, exemplifies.

The lack of equipment is really easy to solve, says Adelino Sousa

Although she believes that there must be a bet on the devices, the President of the CNE warns that the equipment must be at the service of the government and not the other way around. In this context, the issue of worsening social inequalities also arises. Maria Emlia Santos refers not only to the lack of equipment such as computers, tablets or smartphones, but also to connectivity. Some students were never contacted again, he guarantees, in the most extreme situation. On the other hand, the President of Fenprof also highlights the issue of student autonomy, the low digital literacy of many children and their own parents, and students with special educational needs.

Of course, social differences already existed, but distance learning made them more evident and made them worse, considers Maria Emlia Santos, President of the National Education Council

Evaluation method was one of the main complaints of teachers

For the President of the CNE, teachers presented difficulties in relation to the evaluation method in distance learning and with good reason. In the case of basic and secondary education, the basis should be the grade that the student had in face-to-face teaching and this distance teaching period should count, only positively and not negatively, he explains. However, the truth that did not count in a positive way in many schools, with teachers simply assigning the grades of the 2nd period. This type of decision, in his opinion, devalues ​​students' work, even recognizing that students work to learn and not to be evaluated.

Mrio Nogueira, referring to secondary school students with national exams in particular, and who since May 18 have had face-to-face classes, guarantees that there are reports from teachers who attended learning difficulties regarding the subject given during distance learning. This was true even for students who, typically, were able to follow the classes well.

In distance learning, assessment was very difficult to do, even in university education, says Mrio Nogueira, President of Fenprof

Autonomy: a key word in distance learning

As Adelino Sousa explains, distance learning is based on a basic premise: autonomy, which is not achieved overnight. For this reason, set the example of children in the 9th grade, who guarantee that they are not prepared for these methods, precisely because this competence has not been stimulated. Therefore, it considers it critical to give students autonomy and different levels of freedom.

Generally speaking, I think that distance learning worked better with older students than with younger ones, considers the President of the CNE. However, in the opinion of the specialist, and in general, teachers were concerned with making their students, regardless of age, more autonomous in their learning.

The future of education in Portugal: a reality that will never be the same?

The opinion regarding the two teachings, classroom and distance, is clear: they are not enemies, but complementary. After four months of a totally different reality for the education sector, Mrio Nogueira does not make a negative balance, but considers that for an increased work the results were below what was intended.

However, the President of Fenprof makes it clear that distance or 100% distance learning is not a good solution. If the school were only to transmit knowledge, it was still debatable But the school more than that, since the teaching side involves the relationship between the teacher and the student, socialization, he comments. For this reason, and in case the situation does not get worse, it considers that it is possible to carry out 100% face-to-face education, provided that the ME grants the necessary conditions for this to happen.

Distance learning is always an emergency education, says Mrio Nogueira

Making a spectacular balance of these last months, Adelino Sousa recognizes that people are social beings, but recalls that the social context has changed over the years. For this reason, he considers that socialization goes far beyond physical contact, also referring to the various platforms available to distance him.

The President of the CNE, on the other hand, considers that, obviously, teaching must be in person and only in the case of emergencies should we resort to distance learning entirely. In the future, the expert says that it is most desirable that technologies are used to serve the learning of students in the classroom. Maria Emlia Santos adds that the Ministry should have its own platform for students, parents and teachers to communicate with each other. This without forgetting the other alternatives at your disposal.