QF launches platform to facilitate teacher-to-teacher learning during COVID-19

The newly-inaugurated online platform encourages sharing of best practices among local educators

As education systems around the world continue to adjust to online learning in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Qatar Foundation’s Education Development Institute has launched a platform that enables school teachers from across the country to work together in the digital sphere to improve students’ learning outcomes.

“Educators have to pivot rapidly from face-to-face teaching to distance learning in order to continue providing quality education to students,” explains Joanna Moe, Assistant Director for Learning and Teaching, Education Development Institute (EDI). “Therefore, teachers need to learn new skills quickly and have access to other educators who can share ideas and support their learning.”

While the platform PU e-LEARNING SITE was designed and launched by EDI, it is entirely powered by educators, and is designed to encourage teacherto-teacher learning. The platform, offering pages in English and Arabic, can be accessed by all K-12 educators, and any visitor can suggest a learning resource, with the EDI team assessing all contributions.

AS education systems around the world continue to adapt to online learning following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Qatar Foundation’s Education Development Institute has launched a platform that allows school teachers from across the country to work together in the digital sphere to improve student outcomes.

“Educators need to move quickly from face-to - face teaching to distance learning in order to continue providing quality education to students,” explains Joanna Moe, Assistant Director for Learning and Teaching at the Education Development Institute (EDI). “Therefore, teachers need to quickly learn new skills and have access to other educators who can share ideas and support their learning.”

While the platform PU e-LEARNING SITE was designed and launched by EDI, it is fully powered by educators and designed to encourage teacherto-teacher learning. All K-12 educators can access the platform, offering pages in English and Arabic, and any visitor can suggest a learning resource, with the EDI team assessing all contributions.

Through the online space, educators are invited to share examples of effective educational practices and useful resources to help other users acquire the knowledge and skills needed to plan and deliver quality online learning experiences. Teachers will then be able to quickly find information, get new ideas, and draw inspiration from others.

“The site is very much a platform led by the educator, and it will depend on where they take it and what their involvement is. Ideally, we would like it to be a model of cross-school collaboration that will be sustained beyond the crisis and used as a model by other school groups, “says Vanessa Miller, Head Trainer, EDI, in charge of coordinating the PU e-LEARNING SITE.

“Peer learning and collaboration are known to be strong professional learning strategies, and in the Qatar Foundation alone, we have many quality educators who can share their knowledge, experience and best practice with other teachers.

The EDI team is responsible for the various pages and assesses the recommendations of the educators. Members of the EDI team are responsible for different pages and assess recommendations from educators so it is not just a list of suggestions, but a collection of resources that actually helps other educators.

“EDI is responsible for the professional learning of QF teachers and, at the end of the day, this platform shows how we continue to prioritize learning in the midst of the current pandemic and ensure that students continue to receive quality education.”

Heidi Beeman, Lead Teacher, Qatar Academy Doha, explains how the platform was useful, saying: “During our abrupt transition to distance learning, the EDI site, with its guidance and the resources provided by the teacher, proved to be invaluable.

“Not only does it showcase Qatar Foundation’s knowledgeable and resourceful educators by providing a platform for their tutorials, it also provides helpful tools for staff. For example, Duaa Al Bitar’s screencast explaining Google Forms was the perfect introduction for QAD’s fifth grade teachers as they learned how to remotely assess their students,” concludes Ms. Beeman.

For more information, or to access the platform, please visit: https: sites.google.com qfschools.org edi-public-gsite professional-learning-resources-for-educators