Bridge of Weir Primary SchoolLockdown LearningIt’s hard to believe we’re looking back on another period oflockdown, when the pupils of Bridge of Weir Primary once againhad to learn at home.The online learning platforms Seesaw and Google Classroomswung back into action, as pupils checked their devices daily fortheir lessons. They completed some maths, literacy, health andwellbeing, and one other curricular area every day.Every week we had face to face interactions using Google Meet.It was great to see our teachers and classmates, even if only on ascreen.The teachers at Bridge of Weir Primary were delighted with the levelof online engagement, and the amount of work pupils submitted.School also remained open for children of key workers and becameknown as ‘The Hub’.Pupil Anya said “Hub schooling is very different to normal school.Usually in school you work all day, but for hub school the teachersets tasks to do over the duration of the day everyone gets aChromebook to work on. Once everyone in the class is finishedwe get to play outside! There are lots of activities to choose fromlike tig, hide-and-seek, and sometimes drawing on the concretewith jumbo chalk! It is great fun, and it gives everyone the chanceto make new friends”. She continued “While having lunch at thehub school, all the pupils love to watch movies and if one wasn’tenough, every Friday the P5 – 7 have a movie club where they canenjoy a drink and a sweet treat.”At the point of writing, we are all looking forward to seeing everyoneback in school, and we are looking forward to better times.local community, local life ............... 36St Columba’s Thrives inLockdownSince 2020, the closure and partial reopening of schools hasbeen an inescapable part of school life. While it is undeniablethat there is no substitute for face-to-face teaching and learning,virtual school and everything our community has achieved inthe last year has been nothing short of extraordinary.On March 23rd, 2020, St Columba’s School moved the entirecurriculum online, with immediate effect. Since then, teachers’faces have been projected into the homes of their pupils andour children and young people have been able to continuelearning, both independently and by working collaborativelywith staff and peers.In building our virtual school, we have continually soughtthe views of our parents, adapting the school day and ourexpectations of our pupils, to ensure the learning experience isas enjoyable and as effective as possible. School events, fromthe Summer Fete to the Infant Christmas show have takenplace online; assemblies - pupil led, of course - have beenbroadcast every week; and drama, public speaking, music andsport have continued unabated wherever possible.Inevitably, some pupils initially struggled with this new way oflearning, but others did not just cope, they excelled. Those withspecific learning needs, such as dyscalculia or dyslexia, havebenefitted from being able to work at their own pace, revisitingrecorded lessons and PowerPoints after the ‘school day’ isfinished. Some pupils who would sit silently in the physicalclassroom have found security in learning from behind a screen,and contributed readily in online forums and discussions.Remote learning has given students greater autonomy to workat their own pace, in their own way, choosing whether to havetheir camera on or off, to contribute orally or via text; to listenpassively or engage actively. Given this flexibility and control,many pupils have thrived.When pupils returned to school in late 2020, webcams allowedfor teaching and learning to continue seamlessly, despitefrequent absences of both staff and pupils due to self-isolationor illness.We cannot go back to the model of teaching and learningof 2019. Instead we must look to the future, based on anunderstanding that now, more than ever, we are living ina digital world and we have a responsibility, as a school, toensure that we are equipping pupils with the skills they neednot simply to participate in that world, but to shape it.Visit us online by registering for one of our virtual open events– we look forward to meeting you! st-columbas.orgFollow us on social media for details of an exciting communityart trail round Kilmacolm. We will be hosting this event over theEaster weekend, in partnership with local families, organisationsand businesses.34-41 SCHOOLS-SPORTS 313_SPRING-APR21.indd 36 01/04/2021 14:17:47
e: info@advertizer.co.uk | www.advertizer.co.uk | SPRING April 2021 3734-41 SCHOOLS-SPORTS 313_SPRING-APR21.indd 37 01/04/2021 14:17:49
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