Our current health crisis has given remote learning a global platform. For younger children, we break down segments of the class/ lesson to tackle one concept at a time rather than having them finish a whole lesson in one sitting. We need to allow flexibility in the regular schedule and modify it to suit the online platform needs. Giving the children a ten-minute break between every two classes is suggested to prevent them from getting too distracted or anxious. If we need to slow the pace for a challenging topic in an International School, then it is okay to give the students more time to think and process it for better comprehension.
The integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated in International Schools in Mumbai, as online education will eventually become an integral component of school education.
It is very important to create a classroom community where meaningful conversations take place even if it is on a virtual platform. Using online discussion tools can be one great way to help the students build these skills. Moreover, the ability to engage in online discussions responsibly is a great 21st-century skill in and of itself.
Over a period, we have observed that clever integration of games has demonstrated higher engagement and increased motivation towards learning especially among younger students, making them truly fall in love with learning. An online learning plan covers the teaching strategies, communication rules, devices, solutions, and policies supporting online or blended learning in the International School community. Keeping the plan as simple as possible, but making the expectations clear for learners, teachers and guardians will help to learn and teach online br/>
There are two kinds of online learning and teaching that schools will need to balance based on their circumstances: synchronous (happening collaboratively and at the same time with a group of online learners and usually a teacher) and asynchronous (happening at any time, not necessarily in a group, but with teacher feedback).
Schools should not assume that synchronous teaching is required or even desirable in order to support effective learning. The goal is not to try to re-create face-to-face (F2F) classrooms, which is impossible to do. Online and blended learning programme in International Schools in Mumbai have provided opportunities for learners to work more independently, and enable them to use tools and strategies that they otherwise might not have. It is okay to experiment, use innovative methods, creativity and resilience in order to make things work on a virtual platform. Most International Schools in Mumbai will discover they need to be adaptive and fast thinking in order to ensure that learning continues in a healthy way.
Some of the strategies that are commonly used in online and blended learning programme in an International School in Mumbai are:
- Discussion forums
- Story telling
- E-portfolios
- Gamification/ Online games to keep the learners engaged
- Online teaching and assessment tools
- Quizzes and surveys
- Video creation and sharing
- Virtual reality field trips
- Content production and collaborative writing through Google classroom platform
- Power Point Presentations
- Visual resources to ensure better comprehension of concepts
- Experiential Learning to keep the learning more hands-on instead of using worksheets and formal methods. For e.g., use of flashcards, playdough, painting activity, sand tracing, games etc.
Parents are our partners in this journey of remote learning. One way of keeping them in the loop can be by sharing the ongoing curriculum with them through monthly review letters. It is also possible to share quarterly feedback of their child in the form of Performance Feedback Records on the virtual platform.
It is important to keep children engaged in fun and creative activities like Art, Yoga and other physical activities to improve their physical fitness even if it is on a virtual platform. This may improve their academic performance and help to keep the children socially and academically engaged. Hence, monthly newsletters would be a good way to inform the parents about the daily fun activities planned for the learners on the virtual platform.
Some of the ways for teachers to authenticate work that is being completed remotely are:
- Teachers are required to monitor students’ online activity more closely than in normal classroom situations. This is more applicable for school-based assessments.
- Use more formative assessments that are designed to get students to work together and use online resources.
- Have a very clear policy on how to submit work online.
- Create questions and inquiries that require learners to embed their personal experiences and context into any assessed content.
- Use plagiarism checkers whenever students have to submit individual work.
To conclude we can ask more open-ended questions to check their online learning and to know what they may or may not be concerned about. We should engage with them in conversations about when the physical school will resume so that the children have time to prepare themselves emotionally and socially for the changes they might expect. We assume children know that we as adults are there for them, but open conversations are simple and natural reminders of the security we as adults can offer in difficult times. Many teachers, leaders and learners in the International Schools are experiencing an unprecedented situation. However, despite the difficult conditions we as educators can provide possible learning experiences even though we are on a virtual platform.
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