Page 39 - e-Kongre Bildiriler Kitabı-II

Uluslararası Covid-19 Kongresi

and forms previously unheard of on such a massive scale (Journal of Laws 2020, item 493) and this
approach was enacted from 25 March 2020 and, with some modifications, this form of teaching was
not suspended until the end of the school year 2019/2020 (Journal of Laws of 2 March 2020, Item 374).
Teachers had to change their methods of education practically overnight from the traditional class-
room system, to a remote form of education. There was no time for professional preparation for remote
work on the educational platform chosen by the school. Teachers were dependent on their own computer
equipment, their own IT skills and the teaching materials they developed for remote working. This article
focuses on the challenges of implementing distance learning for primary school pupils in Poland caused
by the global outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The aim of the study was to analyse and partially diagnose distance learning and the challenges
that were posed to everyone, but above all to the teachers. The conclusions of the research conducted
among Polish teachers of early childhood education confirm that, unfortunately, there are gaps and
shortcomings in the remote education system. Teachers were not prepared to work using the new edu-
cational platform, which is confirmed by the results of the research and the need for training in this area
reported by teachers.
Teachers were thus largely left to themselves to prepare an effective and efficient workshop based
on methods and techniques of distance learning, taking into account information technology, the age of
the pupil/child, which resulted in long time needed to prepare for classes, additional workload and, in
some cases, even health problems.
As the results of the researches have shown, the key issue in distance learning is to focus the at-
tention of teachers on meeting the needs of pupils as the main aim of the teaching process. Although
the data showed that the ‘falling out’ of pupils from the distance learning system was not significant, still
a certain percentage of pupils were not included in the teaching for various reasons, and teachers were
neither able to meet these pupils individually nor with their parents.
Therefore, the suggestions made by teachers concerning the need to purchase computers/tablets
for pupils by the school is a good solution not only in a pandemic, but also in a traditional learning envi-
ronment, as this will certainly reduce digital exclusion.
The difficulties mentioned by teachers related to explaining new material, assessing and communi-
cating both with pupils and parents should be discussed by the teams of teachers in order to find solu-
tions in this area and to develop an individual approach. In the context of these difficulties, the surveyed
teachers also noted some positive aspects of distance learning.
This mainly concerned individual learning, the lack of conflicts in the classroom and the need to
resolve them, the acquisition of new digital skills by both pupils and teachers. The problem of distance
learning is still a real challenge in view of the current epidemic situation in Poland and all over the world,
which predicts the recurrence of increasing intensity of coronavirus, and it should be assumed that scho-
ols and other educational institutions will continue to provide distance learning.
In Poland, the introduction of the so-called hybrid model is suggested in the education of students.
Schools, on the other hand, prefer traditional teaching, but in a situation of high epidemic risk, when par-
ticular area is marked as the so-called red zone, they will also switch to distance learning.
There is no doubt that the effectiveness of the work of a preschool/school depends strongly on the
education, skills and personal predisposition of the teaching staff. The situation caused by the pandemic
has confirmed how necessary it is for teachers to continue to develop their professional skills, to continue
learning throughout their lives, to see and follow changes, to improve the quality of teaching, and to look
for new forms and methods of distance learning which are called remote or online education, because
the future of young people is determined by the people who shape this society, which means the teachers.

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