In March 2020 the traditional education model was switched over to distance education, and most schools have been successful in implementing online technologies (strategies, methods, techniques, tactics) in the teaching of theoretical subjects. However, secondary vocational schools still lack a methodology for online practical education. According to the Schools Act, practical training in the Czech Republic is divided into training for students of two- or three-year courses, training for students of four-year courses and on-the-job training. For the project purposes, we have therefore approached secondary vocational schools of the same focus in the European area, because we are aware of the importance of confrontation of procedures and methods especially at the time of a non-standard and untested teaching process such as digital education in fields that include practical training and are linked to the application sphere. As far as fast-evolving fields with innovative technologies are concerned, experience sharing, mutual confrontation and inspiration, and consequently the creation of a network among organizations are important accents of a successful education process. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis and the introduction of distance education, the teams of experts in the field of information and communication technologies, field-specific didactics and school psychologists have been working on an optimum implementation of online education, an embodiment of teaching principles and didactic rules into digital education, and introduction of innovative technologies especially in the field of vocational training of students. These school teams of experts also need to draw inspiration from partners abroad where schools and institutions have, due to the dual system, different options and solutions concerning the use of digital tools and methods (Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Belgium). With respect to the long-term use of a constructivist approach in the work with students with specific educational needs, and in connection with the emergency measures associated with COVID-19, new challenges and tasks have appeared with regard to the inclusion of such students in the education process. The main objective of the project is to update older education paradigms, which means to gradually switch over from a transmission approach to the education process to a constructivist approach based on the activity of students for whom the teacher is only a facilitator, tutor of the education process. One of the project outcomes is a comparison of the digital education systems in secondary vocational schools with practical training in selected European countries and a panel discussion on effective inclusion in a high-quality education process. International cooperation and individual project meetings will be focused on particular topics. The project involves 6 institutions from 5 European countries (3 secondary vocational schools with technical fields, a pedagogical university, a technical university and an educational institution focusing on corporate and further education). From each organization, 3 participants will always be involved in project activities: teachers of vocational subjects, ICT coordinators, experts in subject didactics, employees of counselling centres and workplaces, school management. The partner organizations have communicated via email and video conferencing already during the project preparation and have defined the partial activities and priorities of the project so that they will benefit all involved organizations. Within the individual activities, the project will compare how the individual participating organizations approach the changed situation in education. The subject of international cooperation and individual meetings will be specific topics. There are a total of 7 international meetings, 2 project management meetings and 5 professional educational activities. The main topic of strategic partnerships of participating organizations is the comparison of ideas, plans and thoughts on how to solve the fundamental problem revealed by the experience with the immediate switchover of schools to distance education: How to secure, in pedagogical and, above all, technical terms, meaningfulness and effectiveness of the online teaching of vocational subjects implementing practical education in the education process.
The result of the strategic partnership of this project was 6 face-to-face meetings of 6 involved organizations in 5 countries within the framework of planned project activities with a specific form and a specific sub-theme. These international meetings met expectations in the form of professional discussion, exchange of experience, comparison of procedures and ways of solving specific topics. The liaison topics for the international meeting were three areas: 1. technological solutions, possibilities and innovative procedures of digital education for disciplines with practical teaching 2. pedagogical process - suitable pedagogical procedures and principles in the process of digital education, 3. digital education and equal opportunities - involvement of pupils with specific educational needs in the process of digital education. The output of these meetings is a comprehensive comparative case study. The current benefit was monitoring the development of digital technologies even after the end of the pandemic and the possibility of their use in vocational education. A natural and very successful outcome of the project was the establishment and deepening of active cooperation between the organizations involved. The project helped to map and classify various procedures and solutions in the monitored area of the use of digital technologies in the educational process, drew attention to errors and dead ends, offered the opportunity to compare procedures and methods at the international level, outline potentials and goals, and mutually support and enrich each other.
In March 2020, the traditional teaching model was re-evaluated towards distance education and most schools managed to implement online technologies (strategies, methods, techniques and tactics) in the teaching of theoretical subjects. Vocational secondary schools, however, lacked a solution to ensure practical teaching online. According to the Education Act, practical teaching in the Czech Republic is divided into professional training, teaching practice and professional practice. The central theme of the strategic partnerships of the involved organizations was therefore to be a comparison of ideas, plans and ideas for solving a fundamental problem, which was shown by the experience with the transition of schools to distance education: How pedagogically, but above all technically, to ensure the meaningfulness and effectiveness of the teaching of professional subjects that implement practical teaching into the learning process. The project set itself the goal - thanks to the involvement of similar types of secondary schools and educational institutions from different countries with different education systems - to find an optimal solution to include all the mentioned aspects in the process of high-quality distance education and at the same time ensure the equipment of the pupils. All involved organizations experienced non-standard situations and problems in the spring of 2020 after the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, which they had to urgently solve. Often they could not rely on legislative regulations, they did not have detailed methodologies of superior authorities at their disposal, they could not turn to advisory bodies. In retrospect, it turns out that the schools' problems were and are very similar, and it turned out that the schools had to deal with themselves, created their own teams of experts and cooperation, and tried to find a systemic and comprehensive solution to the unexpected situation. Because it was a project within the framework of strategic partnerships focused on cooperation on innovation and the exchange of procedures and good practice, the vision was created at the beginning that each of the involved organizations would present, in the form of a conference, panel discussion, workshop, seminar or professional excursion, as part of one educational activity , in which it is strong and successful in relation to the topic addressed. This resulted in sub-themes of the project, which were the basis for confrontation and comparison of methods and procedures, mutual enrichment and inspiration. The result was to increase the awareness of the participants of individual countries about the ways of solving defined issues in other European countries. Thanks to the involvement of similar types of high schools and educational institutions from different countries with different education systems, the project aimed to find an optimal solution to include all the mentioned aspects in the process of high-quality distance education and at the same time ensure the equipment of the students. He wanted to compare how the individual involved organizations approached the initial situation and how they coped with technological and sociological aspects, which were shown during the implementation of digital education by the specifics of secondary vocational schools with practical teaching and a close connection of the educational process to the application sphere. As part of inclusion, the project wanted to map equal opportunities for students to learn even during the transition from face-to-face teaching to online education. The outcome of the meeting is one comprehensive comparative case study.