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Small but smart: international shared virtual class link-up during the pandemic 2020-2021 - third-level students in Ireland and Israel

O'Reilly, Gerry and Yaar-Waisel, Tal (2022) Small but smart: international shared virtual class link-up during the pandemic 2020-2021 - third-level students in Ireland and Israel. European Journal of Geography, 13 (5). pp. 58-74. ISSN 2410-7433

Abstract
This paper explores the experiences of a cooperative class link-up between geography students and teachers in Ireland and Israel in 2021 during the Coronavirus lockdowns, and hence the use of virtual education. There was a followed-up class in 2022. The aim was experimental T&L, enhanced by cooperative approaches, with the objectives of getting students from different cultures to interact, discover their shared geographies, and reflect on their self-perception of their countries and preconceptions of other countries and people. Implicit in the PBL was to gain greater awareness of cultural and critical geopolitics. Another aim was for the two lecturers managing the course, to share their pedagogies and experiences. This paper is not simply exploring the ‘teacher telling or guiding the trainee teachers’ what to do but calling on lecturers and trainers to reflect on theirown attitudes and perceptions in delivering quality Geographical Education. Student group work entailed a series of activities: (i) Icebreaker: Hello –Ireland and Israel. (ii) Model lesson: joint preparation of a geography class on Ireland and Israel. (iii) Fieldwork: development of a joint virtual trip for students to Israel and to Ireland emphasizing the places selected by each subgroup; and (iv) an evaluation of the experiences of the class link-up. The main communication devices used were Zoom for joint class sessions, while students selected WhatsApp for small mixed group work. Despite some challenges for students and teachers, in their evaluations, they all agreed that the experience was positive for them.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Virtual class, Pandemic-Lockdowns, Ireland, Israel, Cooperative T&L, PBL.
Subjects:Social Sciences > Education
Social Sciences > International relations
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of History and Geography
Publisher:European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO)
Official URL:https://www.eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/articl...
Copyright Information:Authors
ID Code:30136
Deposited On:05 Jul 2024 11:23 by Gordon Kennedy . Last Modified 05 Jul 2024 11:23
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