COVID-19 lessons: experience in organization of distance preschool education

Abstract

The article is for analysis of new experience in the national context - organisation of distance education in preschool education and the challenges in application of the innovation, when the implementation as such has not been planned and modelled for getting ready for it in advance. In Lithuania, before the COVID-19 pandemic distance education in the preschool education meant for reparation of a child ready for school was not applied, there were no specific guidelines, tested teaching platforms or pedagogic practices. The study deals with the results of a focus groups research performed in June of 2020, designated for discussing of experiences of the Lithuanian preschool education institutions in distance education gained during the quarantine (16/03/2020 to 29/05/2020). The performed analysis of experiences in organisation of distant education in preschool education disclosed the essential challenges faced when applying this form of education in the education of six-year-old children. It has been established that the key challenges organizing distance education in the preschool education are related to lack of the IT solutions for distant education; readiness of the participants of the education process for distant education and engagement into such process of education, as well as the lack of support from national and regional institutions in organisation of distant education. The results of the research open possibilities for further researches which are necessary for efficient and sustainable distant education integration into preschool education. In this background, explicit, deep research related to analysis of appropriateness of distance education platforms in the stages of early age, search for didactic solutions of digital content for them and deep researches of implementation cases and etc. is necessary.