Spring 1 2021 Teaching and Learning Newsletter

Online Learning and the return
to face-to-face teaching
By Joe Morrin
• Balance of synchronous and asynchronous – with A level classes students prefer the content to be
recorded so they can control their own pace. During the timetabled lessons we review the
learning/key points in readiness for independent practice. This has been useful for students who
have been isolating and allows sufficient time to develop detailed responses.
• Engagement can be achieved through questioning and multiple short activities with plenty of
opportunities for consolidation. For some students, they like to have the lesson material before the
live lesson to allow for them to prepare and reduce anxieties, especially with the vulnerable
groups. Moreover, I have found that a balance of screen and non-screen activities help to increase
this level of engagement.
• Connection – for some students feeling isolated – the classroom can often be a sense of escapism.
Maintaining the normality and the usual idiosyncrasies linked to the classroom, like the countdown
and being upbeat, brings that personal approach. Probing for understanding, acknowledgement and
praise on and off the screen and using exemplary work goes a long way to recognise the students’
work and reinforced that connection.
A return to face to face teaching and future of education
Like me, every practitioner will have had different experiences with online learning and this may have
been informed by practice, evidence, or research. There will be successes and failures but what is
important is the ability to share these ideas openly and freely. Coming back into the school will be a big
change for staff and students and it’s important to collaboratively work with others to consolidate and
discuss the priorities for change.
As mentioned earlier, it is worth noting that many teachers were not trained in online learning before
lockdown and, throughout the lockdown, students and staff have upskilled themselves and this has
reduced future barriers, opening up opportunities for training and development to improve technical
fluency.
The blended learning approach of in-person lessons and distance learning will become a key focus for a
post-pandemic pedagogy. Blended learning will provide flexibility, accessibility and allow staff to track
and improve student engagement and make quick gains. This will be essential in helping to address lost
learning associated with persistent absenteeism. Moreover, there will be a shift from crucial to critical
knowledge to ensure maximum gains are made in the short space of time.
Assessment will take a different course as well and will be detached from the physical location of the
school and will instead rely upon pragmatism, for example, considering multiple pieces of work and
using this as a measure of student success, rather than their scores from a single exam. There have been
discussions about a shift to online assessments in the future and we need to upskill our teachers and
students for this eventuality. The online platform provides strong opportunities for self-marking quizzes
and multiple assessment evidence. For example, Seneca, Sam Learning and the use of Microsoft forms
and Teams assignments. This has the potential to provide greater accessibility and diagnostic feedback,
especially with the more vulnerable groups and help drive improvements in teaching and learning.
Finally, it is important to re-establish those connections with students and parents so they continue to
be seen and valued and bring about the change needed to support the return to face-to-face teaching.