On February 29th, nearly 150 logistics teachers from secondary schools and universities came to Poznań for the Teachers’ Forum. In addition to lectures, participants also worked in workshop groups. Izabela Świtalska conducted a workshop where teachers worked on changes to the curricula for logistics technicians and freight forwarding technicians. Tomasz Janiak from the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, who deals with textbooks for teachers, led a panel on upcoming books and updates to those already written. The WSL Chancellor coordinating the university’s cooperation with secondary schools, Assoc. Prof. Ireneusz Fechner, led a workshop dedicated to the Logistics Olympiad.
Logistics teachers in Poland face many problems in accessing teaching materials. For several years, they have been training students in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarding technician, yet in reality, no one prepared them for this. No one had previously written a suitable textbook for them. They lack teaching aids. No one showed them how to teach this. Moreover, most of them are not trained in the field of logistics. They also have many reservations about the curriculum. Over 120 Polish secondary schools providing education in these professions struggle with similar problems.
Fortunately, thanks to the cooperation between the College of Logistics and the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, these unresolved problems are becoming fewer. Teachers meet and debate changes to the education system; an information exchange platform was created especially for them, where users can familiarize themselves with a growing database of teaching materials. Five textbooks adapted to the curriculum in upper secondary schools have also been created. The authors were in constant contact with teachers who, using their own experience, consulted on individual chapters. It is worth noting here that textbooks developed specifically for teachers and students training in the profession of logistics technician have recently been published in the “Logistics Library” series.
The College of Logistics has launched postgraduate studies titled “Logistics for Teachers.” Thanks to these, they deepen their logistics knowledge, applying it to education in schools. The studies last 3 semesters and constitute one of the forms of self-education during the implementation of subsequent stages of teachers’ professional advancement.