Keyword: distance learning, Kazakhstan, personal experience, pros and cons, influence
For 9 months already, the whole world has been actively fighting an invisible enemy which originated from the small province of Hubei, Wuhan. The first outbreak of coronavirus infection was reported in December 31, 2019 [1]. World Health Organization (hereinafter WHO) is working closely with international experts, governments, and partners to rapidly obtain scientific evidence relating to the novel virus with regard to its spread, virulence and containment strategies. This is in effort to provide countries with accurate guidelines and measures for implementation in educational institutions, hospitals, and crowded areas.
At the beginning of summer until the beginning of the autumn, the situation with coronavirus infection has stabilized. However, during the initial outbreak of the infectious diseases, the epidemiological situation around the world rapidly deteriorated. It is essential to impose quarantine measures in all countries, regardless of their epidemiological situation. However, in the view that students should gain knowledge, the educational process had to continue. In this regard, states had to swiftly implement measures to ensure that safety of learners is not compromised.
According to UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion school children, or 87 % of the total number of students, are currently out of school as part of efforts to combat the spread of the new coronavirus. Globally, e-learning has become an integral part of modern education-it is just that now it has turned from optional to necessity [2]. Many years ago, academic critics said that the education system requires change («However, the gradual formation of public-state and public institutions requires changes in the process of education management, ensuring the expansion of their participation in this process» L. V. Vesnina). The transition of most of the teachers and students was a major change around the world.
Many teachers argued long before the crisis that the school system needed radical changes. Homeschooling is already changing the approach to education during the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the Italian government has created a website to provide teachers with access to video conferencing facilities and ready-made lesson plans. The government of Iran has made all children's Internet content free. Mongolian and Greek TV stations broadcast classes. The next step of the Greek government is to move the primary school program online for distance learning, which has already been done for high school students who have been prioritized for upcoming exams. Phone lessons are another option that is offered to ensure that students without reliable Internet access will not fall behind the rest [3]. And what is the situation in the heart of Central Asia in Kazakhstan?
Due to the current epidemiological situation, the academic year 2020–2021 began with distance learning. In all schools in the country, grades 1–11, except for remote rural small-scale schools and primary school duty classes, students will continue in the distance form. On behalf of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, all training methodologies were finalized and parents’ meetings were organized online where managers were informed in detail about the upcoming educational process. As a result, 3.3 million children are currently studying in 7391 schools in Kazakhstan among them 396 thousand children are first graders. The government of the country has provided the transfer of about 500 thousand computers for use by children from the neediest families. By August 25, students and teachers were prepared for the remote start of the school year, appropriate training for teachers was carried out, and the necessary content was prepared in full-on Internet platforms and television. The issue of textbooks was completed by 25 August. Also, the availability and sustainability of educational resources, the quality and speed of the Internet in settlements was ensured [4]. Minister of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askhat Aimagambetov, in turn, noted that due to the pandemic, most of the schoolchildren are currently studying remotely — 2.6 million children. 800 thousand children study in the traditional form. 250 thousand children are taught in the traditional format in schools with up to 180 children. This is 7.3 % of the total population. In General, 24 % of students study in the traditional format. Also, out of 7 thousand schools in the country, 3 thousand, including in remote small schools, continue their education in the traditional format [5]. 435 thousand computers were transferred for temporary use for distance learning. Akimats (local government) are currently implementing these program. Soon, more than 300 thousand computers will be transferred to students from needy families. On average, 2 million lessons are taught per day. Lessons on online platforms get 70–80 million views a day. Every week, 12 million people use educational platforms, and more than 2 million people use them every day. Thus, it is important to realize that despite the short term, the authorities, namely the Ministry of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, were able to quickly find a solution for further education of children during the quarantine period. However, despite the rapid approach, distance learning affects children both positively and negatively.
Generally, we consider distance learning to be a convenient and at the same time useful form of learning. Maybe four walls are enemies for some people, but not for us. Studying at home helped to unlock certain potentials that we didn't even have a clue about, which by the way is one of the biggest advantages of this form of education. During distance learning, students learn most of the material on their own. Thus, relying on their abilities, they learn to be independent. For people who prefer to live in a non-standard schedule, distance learning can be a blessing in disguise. This form of education also goes well with work. As a rule, the time of online study can be easily adjusted to almost any work schedule.
Besides, this way of study helps to stay alone with your thought and ideas which is a great finding for introverts. You may ask why? So, imagine a lesson at school, a full class of noisy kids, blank walls of the classroom, the same desk is not the most pleasant atmosphere. In this case, the remote situation is completely different. In this situation, working at home allows you to concentrate completely on your studies. The atmosphere of peace and silence makes it possible to show a good result which is the most important aim today. In this way, you can achieve many goals and implement plans by showing good results in your studies, and there is nothing better for us when we complete the tasks from teachers in absolute peace of mind. For example, some groups pay special attention to working in silence. The Milanote startup team even introduced «quiet time «into its schedule. Not only do team members fall silent and stop communicating with each other, but they also stop communicating in Slack — they focus on their work. According to the head of the company, this helped to increase the productivity of the team by 23 % in terms of the speed of task completion [6]. In this way, silence allows the brain to rest and contributes to better intellectual performance. It is also worth noting that while you are at peace, you will also have the desire to do what you love and this is another advantage of distance learning.
During school, the main reason for the spread of depression among students is the lack of time for personal life and concern for school grades, and the unavailability of school materials after a certain period of time. So, in most cases, the schedule for the day starts with the fact that we go to school early in the morning and ends when we go to sleep later. And in between, we spend time doing homework, school chores, or other related activities. As a result, there is not enough time for classes such as taking vocal lessons, going to tennis or cooking. During distance learning, we had more time than during training at the school itself. So, we started to devote our time to our favorite activities.
However, does distance learning always have a positive effect on the student? It is not always like that. During distance learning, you will probably encounter unforeseen circumstances that will be a hinderance. For example, at the most inopportune moment, your lights may turn off or your computer may fail, and the Internet can be cut off right during an important online lesson, and you can't do anything about it. Remote learning makes you dependent on technical tools. Of course, on the way to school, you can get stuck in the elevator. But if you have already reached the physical place of study, there is little to prevent you from gaining knowledge.
On the one hand, distance learning has become a great tool for teachers to spend more time on the lesson than was previously fixed. That is, if the school bell allowed us to relax at least somehow and digest all the material covered, now the absence of a melody during each change has become the best friend of the teacher. Many teachers do not control the time and do not settle in the set time, which leads to the fact that children do not have time to collect their thoughts for the next lesson. This negative side of the distance learning affects not only the physical condition but also the moral one. This can result in many nervous diseases.
Everything is assessed by comparison. So, distance learning has its pros and cons, but the main thing is that we all tried this format of training and made conclusions for ourselves. For others, this may be the ideal way to get education, but at the same time a contrary for others. Even though we might be experiencing certain difficulties during online mode of learning, we’re still trying to make the best out of our potential and move on.
References:
- https://www.who.int/ru/news/item/29–06–2020-covidtimeline
- https://vlast.kz/obsshestvo/38612-kak-pandemia-perevodit-mir-na-distancionnoe-obucenie.html
- https://vlast.kz/obsshestvo/38612-kak-pandemia-perevodit-mir-na-distancionnoe-obucenie.html
- https://primeminister.kz/ru/news/reviews/distancionnoe-obuchenie-prodolzhitsya-v-kazahstane-s-1-sentyabrya-dezhurnye-klassy-obespechenie-uchebnikami-i-zakup-kompyuterov-1775416
- https://primeminister.kz/ru/news/reviews/distancionnoe-obrazovanie-epidsituaciya-v-shkolah-obespechenie-sel-internetom-kak-v-kazahstane-organizovan-uchebnyy-process-1084925
- https://habr.com/ru/company/audiomania/blog/411065/
