wirelessdude01 wrote: » Everyone is in the dark. I suspect that the IT are probably currently sitting on the scoop of what is to be announced.
NelRom wrote: » Exactly. A we all know we want school to return in a school environment safely. The problem is that if and when physical school cannot return, I cannot understand how anyone can try to justify not supplying taught material videos, more interactive lessons and anything else possible to parents to help the children out. Someone else said scandal- absolutely.
iamwhoiam wrote: » Parents can’t plan , teachers can’t plan and teachers who are parents can’t plan . Its an absolute scandal now that no task force was put in place by the DoE way back in April . Shame on them
Deeec wrote: » That's what I mean by standard - every school should be offering the same.
Deeec wrote: » Its very frustrating that they cant come up with some plan and solutions for each scenario. Us parents cannot plan ahead for what is happening In September. Im guessing teachers cannot plan ahead either.
wirelessdude01 wrote: » And once again back to the department for them to do their job.
Deeec wrote: » I agree online doesn't work for everybody. I think the easiest approach is to forget about live online teaching. It doesn't work for teachers, children or parents. I posted on this forum a few days ago a simple approach which I think some of the suggestions could work ( not online based ) . I would just love to see every school using the same approach to homeschooling so everyone knows what is expected of them. If it was kept simple I think it would work for everybody.
lulublue22 wrote: » I’ve no doubt that it was and I’m not condoning how your school responded to online teaching and learning. But the point I’m making is that there is no easy solution to this and while what you are looking for maybe a simple approach for your family situation it maybe an absolute nightmare for another. Unfortunately there is no easy answer. I’m still hoping for some sort of return to school. ETA - over the last few pages we have a parent who wants online teaching as its the safest option and doesn’t see where there may be difficulties with this. A poster who doesn’t want online learning as they only have one laptop and two children and they both work. A poster who wants streamed online classes for either the full school day or 3 hours a day. I’ve no idea who is going to mind the children accessing live lessons if parents work. Indeed if I’m in school live streaming lessons I’ve no idea who will be at home with my children ensuring they are accessing education. Huge disparity of views on what constitutes appropriate educational provision going forward.
lulublue22 wrote: » I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with you - but if the teacher covered the curriculum why does the thought of not having a standard homeschooling procedure fill you with dread ? What if how your school delivered the curriculum formed the basis of a standardised homeschooling procedure. If it did not suit your situation initially why would it suit it now ? or again is it that you would like a standardised homeschooling procedure that you feel is appropriate and meets your needs in terms of your family situation and or expectations. Then we are back to square one as while it might suit your situation it’s not going to suit everyone. That’s the difficulty with online teaching and learning.
lulublue22 wrote: » Online teaching part at primary level is no substitute for face to face teaching. Is it the best option during the pandemic possibly but it also raises a lot of difficulties. Just reading this thread alone you can see the disparity in parental expectations. Some have put forward live streamed classes either for the school day or 3 hours a day. How is this going to work in a family of 3 children and both parents working? or indeed with one parent working. Where are families going to access hardware to facilitate 3 school going children to be online for a min of 3 hours a day ? How about those with no laptops / computers are we going to expect children to access education on phones / ipads. Who wants a child staring at a screen for 3 hours solid. Some parents were happy with the one email a week and work away at your own pace - it suited their family expectations. Some found it extremely frustrating and challenging to keep children motivated. Some parents found the pre recorded lessons and use of google teams / seesaw / edmodo great others a total headwreak. How about those children from a disadvantage background or special ed where education encompasses so much more than academics. How about those in areas where broadband is poor or those who don’t have the technology to access on line learning. Or those who are not tech savy - one of the eyeopening facets of online learning for me was how I metamorphosed into the resident tech guru for my parents which I found really strange. I had a parent who had to be talked through sending an attachment via email. Then there are a the cohort of children who online learning is simply not feasible for - be that due to behaviour , sensory issues , anxiety levels , concentration difficulties etc. I hope this does not come across as inflexible �� but online learning is not without it’s drawbacks. ETA - I’ll probably be slated for this but it’s clear from this thread that a lot of parents don’t actually understand how the education system works. We’ve had suggestions that a standardised programne be implemented so that all children are covering the same topics as if this will guarantee equality of education across the board. While I understand that patents are concerned about the educational impact on their children such a suggestion will do no such thing. Children are not robots outside of academic ability there are numerous factors that impact teaching and learning. Children don’t learn at the same rate or in the same way. Some children need hands on practical tasks in order to absorb learning , others are more visual others more audio others fare better with a mix of learning styles. Intrinsic motivation and application are also important as is how the child feels on any given day - are they tired, had a fight with a sibling, worried about something. It’s extremely difficult to cater for such a range in an online context especially when parents think that all work set needs to be completed or else it’s a reflection that their children are not learning or not keeping pace with their peers. It ends up being a stressful situation for children and parents. Teachers end up being in the wrong either setting too much work or to little - whereas the reality is there is often a wide range of ability in the class and this coupled with the factors outlined above makes it difficult to suit everyone. Which results in parents becoming frustrated and unhappy with the teacher / school. In the classroom differentiation is second nature so much so that children are generally totally unaware that it’s happening.
Infini wrote: » I'll be honest if schools do open I only expect 3rd, 5th and 6th years in secondary to be going back at most if at all, it's likely a 2nd wave might put the dampening on thing's and could even delay reopening into October or even November.
NelRom wrote: » I doubt that any teacher would ask a child to remove a mask. I certainly hope they wouldn't. If schools do go back I'd say many children will be in masks. Isn't it just safer to teach online though? Surely that's where the long term return is best spent if we're in for years of this.
Sammy2012 wrote: » Why is there no plans for any side of the education sector?!? We are waiting months for some guideline and the new minister said during the week that guidelines have been issued?! 32 pages of waffle. No real plan. They said they would issue more guidelines by the end of the month. That now 2 weeks away. Secondary schools will start to open 3 weeks after that. Schools with hundreds of young people and staff. But no concrete plans on how to manage them. All there is is speculation on the internet. It's crazy. Schools want to reopen, teachers and children want to go back to school.
Bananaleaf wrote: » At the risk of sounding extremely arrogant, part of me would love this to happen.
morebabies wrote: » Just out of interest, if schools reopen fully with hand sanitisers, PPE for teachers but in the middle of a surge in cases, would parents on here send their kids back to school? I understand some parents would have no choice re: work. I personally wouldn't, but that's to do with my own ability to work from home and also having asthmatics in our house.
ginoginelli wrote: » Theres not a hope in hell schools will be able to go back at full capacity in September. Formulating an online system should be prioritized now. At least the kids will get some type of education then for next year.
History Queen wrote: » Schools and education will continue in some shape or form. Unfortunately none of us can say what shape that will take as there has been no real information from the Department as regards how it will happen. The sooner we (teachers/schools) get information on what measures have to be followed, the sooner we can get stuck in to planning, the more effective the education is likely to be.
mcsean2163 wrote: » I was thinking the same myself. I'm pretty good at math and it would be easier teaching a bunch of primary school kids than one child as the children work together. If the schools are closed it sounds like a good alternative, especially for families living in cities, maybe two parents could teach at the same time for child safety?
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