A Pedagogical Handbook to Promote Holistic Learning Environments in ASEM Classrooms
Even two years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lock down situation in some countries are still taking place from time to time, As a result, schools across the globe are still juggling with various hybrid learning modes. Teachers are still facing with challenges linked to the delivery of quality education, curriculum development, access to technology or the lack of social engagement of their students.
These challenges have far-reaching effects on the teaching & learning environments. The 2021 ASEFClassNet School Collaboration, “Well-being of Teachers & Students” explored some of the pressing challenges that secondary and vocational teachers are facing to come up with useful suggestions that can mitigate these challenges. The collaboration invited its teacher participants to jointly create a Handbook that collects Pedagogical Stories from Asia & Europe. The stories illustrate how teachers in different educational & cultural contexts approach their subjects in an online context, and gives insights into techniques and tools they use to ensure a holistic learning environment for their students.
So far 39 pedagogical stories are collected from 27 ASEM Countries. In these stories participating teachers reflected on their own teaching practices that made a positive impact in the learning environments. Here is a glimpse of some of the stories shared:
“The first thing I want to mention is the book, “Teach Like a Pirate,” by Dave Burgess. For me, it is not only an inspirational manifesto but also a practical roadmap in my teaching. A holistic learning environment needs a passionate, enthusiastic, creative teacher who always tries to immerse in the lesson, build rapport naturally, ask and analyze more effectively so that she/ he transforms from a teacher to an educator.”
- Ms Thuy Hang NGUYEN, Viet Nam
“I have a particular interest in ensuring my students appreciate how important they are in my classroom. The best way I know how to make this clear, is to differentiate as much as I can by using inclusive practices. I use the Open Dyslexia font so that those in my class don’t feel singled out.”
- Ms Juliette Bentely, Auatralia
“Firstly, students should know that making mistakes when learning is okay and school should be a safe place for students to make mistakes under a teacher’s supervision. This process is important to help them build their confidence and perseverance. Life is a long journey rather than a one-time test.”
- Mr Syafiq Ridauddin RADUAN, Brunei Darussalam
“I have been developing flipped learning in Finland for almost a decade. In flipped learning, the shift in focus changes from the teacher to the student. In the classroom we are trying to enable students to achieve their best, and the valuable classroom time is wasted if it’s mainly used for distribution of knowledge.”
- Mr Lauri HELLSTEN, Finland
The ASEFClassNet Team is currently working on finalising the stories and the publication of the Handbook. It will be publicly available on our websites and will be shared on our social media channels in early 2022. Stay connected to learn more about the Handbook!
