Following the announcement by the Government of Ontario to extend the lockdown, 4,828 public schools serving over 2 million students in Kindergarten to Grade 12, are now closed. Classrooms have transitioned online and though teachers are heroically rising to the occasion, there is a tremendous need to improve the learning experience for students.
To support Ontario teachers in delivering online learning, Future Design School has launched a website offering a calendar of free workshops for teachers to sign up for, as well as easily implementable lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school students. The website is available at: SHOP.FUTUREDESIGNSCHOOL.COM/ONTARIO.
While Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has stated publicly that teachers have received adequate training, many across social media networks, as well as teachers’ unions dispute this, claiming that they have not received sufficient support to navigate these challenges. Additionally, many parents and students have lamented the lack of effective, engaging learning opportunities and articulated the need for improvement.
To lend support in this moment, Future Design School has launched free practical professional development to support Ontario educators in online learning. The new philanthropic initiative will provide multiple live sessions per week where teachers can engage with experts, get targeted feedback and learn how to leverage technology.
“Despite the best intentions and efforts, we are failing many kids. The variability in the approaches to online learning is vast, and teachers have not been supported adequately to deepen their online learning teaching capacity. As a key group of front-line workers, they need empathy and most importantly tangible support,” said Sandra Nagy, Future Design School’s Director of Learning.
Future Design School partners with schools and districts across North America to support effective and long-term education transformation. Their team of senior education experts serve as trusted advisors to school leaders around the world and their experienced coaches have worked with tens of thousands of teachers. They have worked with hundreds of schools across North America to assist in a successful transition to virtual learning and provide relief to overburdened teachers. While schools typically provide funding, this free training initiative was created in recognition that public schools are in a moment of crisis.
“We want to level the playing field across the province, so that all teachers feel confident in virtual learning. School districts across the province are having to contend with limited budgets, over-stretched resources and unprecedented demand for professional development. We want to do what we can to support them at this moment,” said Nagy.
Learn more at futuredesignschool.com.
