Abstract:

Teaching and learning at Slovak education centres abroad was primarily focused on teaching Slovak language in the traditional form, with the personal participation of children in the educational centres. This is mainly because language education also includes strengthening the Slovak community and the feeling of belonging, practical language training in groups and raising the awareness and involvement of national customs such as Slovak national dances, songs or the preparation of traditional dishes.

The situation radically changed during the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and these traditional face-to-face lessons were disrupted because of the world pandemia and lockdown. All schools around the world, and also Slovak education centres were looking for new ways to deliver their lessons. In a very short time, without prior training and suitable technical support, the education centres switched to online teaching. The paper analyses what didactic and technical means were used by teachers in the centres for learning of Slovak children living abroad prior to lockdown, compared with what textbooks and teaching materials they used, and what online educational resource they used to teach the Slovak language during lockdown. Online education and distance learning brings new challenges, not only for teachers, but also for students.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the needs and possibilities of education in Slovak language for Slovak children living abroad and receiving distance education. The study also presents the newly created online educational environment Krajina Hláskovo /Hlaskovo Landscape/ prepared especially for children of foreign Slovaks, as an opportunity to provide education in the Slovak language. This unique opportunity, to provide training in language skills, in the Slovak language for children who have not been able to complete education in centres, due to distance or inaccessibility, is a challenge for education in the future.

Keywords:

Teaching means, Slovak education centres, multimedia in education, distance learning.