WILLEMSTAD - Last week a total of 16 teachers/educators received their certificate for Core Master Trainers for Online and Blended Teaching from Blackboard Academy during a virtual ceremony. A number of Caribbean countries, including Curaçao, participated in this training offered by Blackboard Academy as part of the Global Education Coalition partner’s agreement between UNESCO and a number of companies and organizations. This project aims to support UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition through the development of quality distance education and training in the Caribbean offering coordinated support to 20 Caribbean SIDS (Small Island Development States).
The project will strengthen countries’ capacities to implement quality distance and blended learning programmes, as part of their education systems, to ensure learning during and after the pandemic, especially for the most vulnerable girls, boys and youth, and address possible gender gaps from distance learning opportunities created by the programme. The project also focuses, on capacity development of teacher trainers, teachers and education leaders on digital skills and blended learning solutions, as well as increased access to professional development opportunities for teachers in 20 Caribbean SIDS.
The educators, who received their certificate, are now qualified to support other teachers in preparing, acquiring or improving their necessary ICT, digital or social media skills. Furthermore it enables them to deliver the “Blended Learning and Online Strategies” to a group of up to 400 teachers throughout the Dutch and English speaking Caribbean. As facilitators they will also contribute to the professional development for teachers provided by UNESCO particularly in the area of Blended Online Teaching and Learning. The timeline planned for these trainings are to start as of April and end in October of 2021. There will be three phases in which phase 1 will be the Design Phase, Phase 2 the Development phase for developing course material and phase 3 will review and revision of the course. The course will be delivered to teachers and educators to enable the participants to acquire knowledge and skills in providing instruction and support to learners in an online environment.