Web Abstract Presentation of
Dmitry Dragaitsev

Organizing Intensive Training Courses during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Dmitry Dragaitsev

Primakov School, Moscow Region, 143082, Russia

[email protected]

Abstract

The intensive training courses run by Vzlyot educational centre are intended to prepare schoolchildren for the All-Russian Olympiad of School Students. At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic we started organizing online training courses instead of face-to-face training courses. On the whole, the online courses have proven to be effective in developing a wide range of skills. Language skills: online tools shine a new light on development and training of all skills. Interactive tasks, games, quizzes, etc. have not only turned out to be effective in terms of lesson dynamics, but also introduced active dialogues, conversations and group discussion into lectures and seminars. Conversation skills: the new format is a perfect outlet for many to speak to people with shared interests. The courses created a community of teenagers who now have many topics to discuss as well as new development stimuli. Accessibility of the online courses is their best advantage. Soft skills: it is not just the ability to speak in different formats, but also skills such as talking to strangers, sharing ideas, teamwork, leadership, creativity, courage to voice opinions. It is during project work where all of these skills are highlighted the most. Hard skills: apart from language skills, children have mastered many online tools, created project presentations in various formats, exchanged knowledge of their favourite instruments, learnt to gather, and classify data and started using these tools when studying other subjects. Emotional intelligence: teenagers empathized with and supported each other, shared emotions, and received help and additional motivation from the team. We had messages from children telling us that it was the best experience in their lives which gave them a sense of community of like-minded people as well as motivation to move forward with their language studies - they started to believe in themselves.

Keywords: intensive training courses, online training courses, All-Russian Olympiad of School Students, language skills, conversation skills, soft skills, hard skills, emotional intelligence