A working group set up to coordinate activity following the closure of schools is discussing mitigation strategies on the curriculum and the future of examinations should the current situation persist.
The working group is made up of representatives from state, church and independent Schools, together with the Malta Union of Teachers. Its remit is to explore methods of online teaching and the impact of the situation on the curriculum.
In a statement on Thursday, the group said it welcomed the commitment, dedication, and hard work being shown by hundreds of educators to provide educational material to their students using online means.
"These last few days have shown the strong and committed professionalism of educators in such challenging times," it said.
It said it strongly encourages educators to continue with online teaching for their students. Educators can ask for support through their schools or through the dedicated website and helplines https://digitalliteracy.skola.edu.mt/. An educational resources repository is now freely available on www.curriculum.gov.mt and it is constantly being updated.
Educators were encouraged to find the best way which works for them to communicate with their students. This can be done through the support of their school and/or, if needed, through the support available through https://digitalliteracy.skola.edu.mt/
Educators were also encouraged to collaborate and with their school to enable the pooling of resources for the benefit of all. www.curriculm.gov.mt is a valuable tool for resources freely available to all educators and in which all teachers can contribute.
Keeping up with the syllabus
"Educators should plan their communication and dissemination of educational material in a manner which is realistic for themselves and also for their students. They should attempt to cover the most important parts of their relevant syllabi in a manner which takes into consideration the fact that school closure may cover an extended period. Educators are to be reassured that due consideration is being given that business is not as usual for anyone and mitigation strategies on the curriculum are being discussed," the group said. "Nevertheless, they are encouraged to continue pacing the material provided gradually so as not to overwhelm students with too much material at one time and ensure a realistic mode of working in exceptional circumstances from home."
The group said educators are being encouraged to give feedback to students with regard to any tasks submitted. However, it is not realistic to expect educators to correct all the work which students may carry out at home during this period.
"A balance should be found by each educator in this regard in which feedback is given to students in a realistic manner. Parents are being invited to be supportive in this aspect as well, by trusting in educators’ professionalism and keeping expectations realistic."
The group said the use of model answers and marking schemes, especially for older students, could be a valuable tool to enable students to self-assess their work. In this regard, the examination papers section on www.curriculum.gov.mt provides a vast amount of past papers and marking schemes for the annual national examinations of state schools. These are freely available for all students from all sectors.
A number of schools provide similar resources through their respective portals or online presence. The MATSEC Unit will also be uploading a number of available marking schemes for a number of SEC subject past papers. This resource is available for free together with past papers on the MATSEC website: https://www.um.edu.mt/matsec/pastpapers/
Annual exams
With regard to the annual examinations, the benchmark assessment, the SEC examinations and the advanced and intermediate level matriculation examinations, the group said it is discussing possible scenarios which take into consideration the current situation.
Discussions are also taking place with the MATSEC Board.
Clear direction will be given to educators, students and parents in due course.