MORE than 130 teachers from Bahrain and other Gulf countries, South America, North America, Europe, Australia and East Asia came together for a “Virtual TeachMeet” event hosted in the kingdom.
Educational speakers from across the region and as far away as Sweden, shared a wide range of topics all focusing on ‘building capacity’ during virtual schooling in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.
Innovative
The event was staged by LEVEL 5, a creative space that normally hosts innovative events for the community focused on robotics, coding, 3D printing, design thinking and more at its Riffa View international School (RVIS) home base.
“The short five-minute presentations introduced practical strategies that can help reshape and enhance the virtual school experience for our children and families,” said RVIS admissions and marketing director Kenneth Davis.
When LEVEL 5 opened in the spring of 2019, one of its primary objectives was to activate the educational community in Bahrain, the Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region and beyond, he added.
Until now, this has been predominantly achieved through weekend workshops, community events that explore creativity, and ‘TeachMeets’ – gatherings for teachers to share best teaching practices.
“During these challenging times, many of these educational opportunities are being postponed or cancelled, leaving educators feeling disconnected with the educational community in a time when growth and learning is needed the most,” explained Mr Davis.
“To ease this disconnect, LEVEL 5 created a virtual environment where educators had the opportunity to share ideas and learn from experts in the field.
“Educators ‘signed off’ from the event with new and innovative ideas that can be put into practice immediately.
“Keeping the educational community connected through these challenging times benefits the educators as well as the children and families going through the same difficulties.”
Top shared tips included strategies to increase online student engagement, keys to designing digital content and building a community of engaged learners.
A recording of the event can be viewed on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTv-7G2JxrA&feature=youtu.be].
Another virtual TeachMeet will be held in May.
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