Girls’ school passes test of home schooling program
A Brisbane private school rolled out a new Learning At Home program for all staff and students last week instead of having pupil-free days. Find out how it went.
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A BRISBANE private school opted to roll out a new Learning At Home program instead of running student-free days last week, and early indications are it is a success.
All students and staff from St Rita’s College Clayfield worked from home during the trial run in the last week of term to “test the platform”.
Principal Dale Morrow said it received “a resounding thumbs up” from staff and families.
She said the College used a ‘low tech’ model to increase the opportunity for each student to experience “a seamless, productive and happy transition from campus to home”, and students shared their learning experience with teachers and parents more openly than anticipated.
“We took the opportunity to use this week as a chance for students and teachers to work with and provide feedback on this new learning environment prior to what could be a full term, or more, of off campus learning,” Mrs Morrow said.
“This enormous change in the way we educate was swift, came with little warning and could have been a tremendous upheaval for the mental health of students.
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“The girls and teachers have been exceptionally supportive and this change in the way teachers and students connect and communicate would appear to have brought out a confidence in the girls to take personal responsibility in their learning.
“They are eager to commence the day, experimenting with new tools and we are continuing to see a motivated and engaged community.”
A daily timetable starts with virtual House Group, followed by 55-minute lessons.
Platforms such as Zoom are used for instrumental music lessons, Drama and Health and Physical Education, as well as a range of other subjects including Mathematics.
The program has received praise from parents, who have appreciated the consistency of the daily schedule and consistent communication.
Sally Conn said her two very differently motivated daughters did not feel disadvantaged by the home learning environment.
“I cannot speak highly enough of my experience with St Rita’s over the past 10 weeks and in particular this last week,” Mrs Conn said.
“It has been extremely challenging and could have easily derailed, however there is obviously a deep positive culture of learning that permeates throughout the school that enabled this learning to continue almost seamlessly to those on the outside.”
Father of a Year 7 student, Damian Vassallo, has taken to communicating with his daughter from his home office upstairs.
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“Given that we have upstairs and downstairs, I don’t want to be distracted, so I communicate via Whats App desktop web,” Mr Vassallo said.
“The benefit here is that I can treat her like a team member working with me; only that her content is different.
“I’m enjoying the experience of having her home. I’ve been able to see the quality of her work and have a lot better understanding of the approach she takes.”
Mrs Morrow said the lack of social contact during school days and over the coming months would be a challenge for all schools.
“Already our pastoral program, for which the College is renowned, is permeating the Learning At Home program,” she said.
“The positive confirmation that each student is supported and valued both at home and through the school connection is vital to success. We thank the staff and girls for their amazing response to this new paradigm.
“I am proud of the professionalism of the staff and the commitment and diligence of the girls. As we navigate our way into this new world we do so with confidence and co-operation.”
The Learning At Home program is supported by the College’s online learning platform and OneNote, along with a dedicated Study Skills program.
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