As education systems around the world continue to adjust to online learning in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Qatar Foundations Education Development Institute has launched a platform that enables school teachers from across the country to work together in the digital sphere to improve student outcomes.

"Educators are having to pivot rapidly from face-to-face teaching to distance learning in order to continue providing quality education to students," explains Joanna Moe, Assistant Director for Learning and Teaching, Education Development Institute (EDI). "Therefore, teachers need to learn new skills quickly and have access to other educators who can share ideas and support their learning." While the platform PU e-LEARNING SITE was designed and launched by EDI, it is entirely powered by educators, and is designed to encourage teacher-to-teacher learning. The platform, offering pages in English and Arabic, can be accessed by all K-12 educators, and any visitor can suggest a learning resource, with the EDI team assessing all contributions.

Through the online space, educators are invited to share examples of effective educational practices and useful resources to help other users acquire the knowledge and skills to plan and deliver quality online learning experiences. Teachers are then able to find information quickly, get new ideas, and draw inspiration from others.

"The site is very much an educator led platform, and it will depend on where they take it and what the engagement is. Ideally we would like it to be a model of cross school collaboration that will be sustained beyond the crisis?and used as a model by other groups of schools," says Vanessa Miller, Lead Trainer, EDI, in charge of coordinating the PU e-LEARNING SITE.

"Peer learning and collaboration are known to be strong professional learning strategies, and in Qatar Foundation alone we have many quality educators who can share their knowledge, experience, and best practices with other teachers.

Members of the EDI team are responsible for different pages, and assessing the recommendations from educators so, it isnt just a list of suggestions, rather it is a collection of resources that are actually helping other educators.

"EDI is responsible for the professional learning of QF teachers, and, ultimately, this platform showcases how we are continuing to prioritize learning amid the current pandemic, and ensuring that students continue to receive quality education."

Source: Qatar News Agency
Image credit: QF

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