LEARNING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

As schools around the world reacted to the unfolding events around COVID-19, the immediate focus was on a rapid transition to distance learning and the safety and wellbeing of school communities. After the initial shock of school closures, school communities have settled into new routines and are finding creative ways to ensure students are safe, happy and making progress.

As we approach the end of this academic year we are presented with the opportunity to reflect upon our practices as a school and to use our experience of COVID-19 and EHL as a driver of positive change. The rapid switch to distance learning has accelerated the rate of change and we must look to maintain those aspects of our new working practices which have enhanced the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

Teaching and learning are reflective processes and below I have outlined four themes around which many schools will be reflecting and developing their ideas and practices in the coming months.

Communities of Learners

Whilst the pace of teaching subject content may have slowed in recent months, students, teachers and parents have been busy learning (often through failure and adversity) a number of useful skills and abilities, the most significant of which may be the opportunity for us all to learn more about how we as individuals learn best.

The role of teachers, learners and parents has changed rapidly and teachers and parents have more than ever become fellow learners. As direct supervision of students has been made more difficult, students have gained independence and parents and teachers have adopted the roles of coach and mentor amongst many others.

The distance learning experience has highlighted the importance of effective collaboration between families and the school in supporting students and has given all community members the chance to see the challenges we face from alternative perspectives. Our core value of empathy has been essential in allowing us to appreciate the difficulties being faced by others and to encourage and support those arounds us.

Developing Skills for the 21st Century

It has long been known that the rapidly changing employment market means that the traditional school’s focus on knowledge acquisition alone is inadequate preparation for a world in which new technologies mean that many of the jobs our students will ultimately do not currently exist.

A report by Dell Technologies (2017) on the types of jobs that will exist in 2030 stated that ‘85% of the jobs that Generations Z and Alpha (those born between 1995 and 2015) will enter into have not been invented yet’. A report by the World Economic Forum (2016) provides a similar outlook when saying that ‘65% of primary-school children today will be working in job types that do not exist yet’.

As we prepare our students for a world in which adaptability, creativity and the ability to learn may have at least an equal value as content knowledge we must strive to develop lifelong learners who have the ability to apply knowledge and skills in a range of contexts.

As a school we must find the balance between essential knowledge and also creating the opportunities for students to experiment, fail, reflect and learn so that they are equipped with the skills and emotional intelligence to be both individually successful and ready to make a positive contribution to society.

As many schools move away from traditional content heavy curricula and towards more skills based approaches, those schools that have adopted a blended approach including synchronous and asynchronous activities in recent months will be best placed to react and adapt quickly for the benefit of their students.

Technology for Learning

Technology has long been a driver of change in education and the transition to distance teaching and learning has allowed students and teachers to adopt new and innovative practices. Teachers and students have experimented with new technologies at a faster rate than ever before. Necessity has truly been the mother of invention.

When information is just a click away the possibilities for flipped learning are enormous and as we look to develop knowledge and skills with our students through synchronous and asynchronous activities technology will allow us to develop experiences for our students which encourage learning to take place in different ways.

Technology is not however the panacea and schools must implement technology carefully to ensure that any technology adopted provides the opportunity for genuine improvement in teaching and learning whilst ensuring that students remain safe.

Education in a Globalised World

The current global health crisis has further highlighted the interconnected nature of the world. As events have unfolded, schools across the world have worked side by side to share best practice. With effective collaboration between institutions and colleagues across the world schools can prepare for the next academic year with greater certainty and can learn from the experiences of schools who are already returning to a greater sense of normality.

The global nature and international response to the current health crisis also demonstrates the need for schools to encourage a global outlook amongst their students whilst also celebrating the unique cultures and characteristics of each different context.

Final Reflections

The past months have undoubtedly been a challenge. As we close this school year however we must allow ourselves to celebrate the success that has occurred and the learning, intentional or otherwise, that has taken place.

As the saying goes “when given lemons, make lemonade”. With this in mind we must treat our current situation not as an obstacle but as an opportunity to learn together and to get even better.

Roger Stokes.

Headteacher

Bibliography

Dell Technologies.com. 2017. [online] Available at:

https://www.delltechnologies.com/content/dam/delltechnologies/assets/perspectives/2030/pdf/SR1940_IFTFforDellTechnologies_Human-Machine_070517_readerhigh-res.pdf