How remote learning has transformed schools for good
Remote learning has forced schools to rapidly adapt to a new education model. But what are the long-term ramifications?
IN RECENT months, Melbourne Grammar School headmaster Philip Grutzner has experienced his own unique education of sorts.
“I now know for certain that Zoom is not a type of car, but a great teleconferencing system,” Mr Grutzner said.
“The other week I ran an assembly with 470 students who all dialled in on Zoom, which was incredible.”
In late March, Melbourne Grammar School, alongside many other independent schools, moved to a remote-learning model due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In Melbourne Grammar’s case, all students from Prep to Year 12, and most staff, were asked to work and learn from home with the exception of about 30 students whose circumstances did not allow for remote learning.
“It has not been easy,” Mr Grutzner said. “But I think we achieved about five years of innovation and creativity jammed into two weeks.
“The commitment of teachers, not just at Melbourne Grammar, but across the nation has been heartwarming.”
As states begin to relax their remote-learning instructions, many schools are weighing up what they would like to retain, post pandemic, and what has caused problems or disadvantages.
Mr Grutzner said while the school’s IT system held up well, his real concern was the impact on those students who were already disadvantaged.
“I feel greatly for those students who don’t have good access to IT or a committed school staff,” he said.
“I think the sad thing is that the disadvantage gap will widen with remote learning.”
Gippsland Grammar principal Leisa Harper agreed. While thrilled at the concept of greater connectivity, especially on a global scale, Ms Harper is also concerned about who gets left behind when schools embrace remote learning.
“We have more than one billion children in the world who aren’t in school and aren’t in an online program at the moment, so philosophically I struggle with that gap widening,” she said.
“Education then becomes available only for those who have a laptop and remote connection.”
Nevertheless, some things – such as the ubiquitous Zoom platform – are likely to stay.
“I can see the days of travelling interstate for meetings substantially reduced after this pandemic,” Mr Grutzner said.
“People are now aware of the cost and the impact on the environment of travel, so I can see Zoom meetings replacing interstate movements, which is fantastic.”
A number of Melbourne Grammar School teachers have taped videos of lessons and practical classes to upload to YouTube for students from all schools, Mr Grutzner said.
“I’m very excited, too, by the online resources that staff have now developed that can be accessed for future use by students who are away from school for certain reasons,” Mr Grutzner said.
The Hamilton and Alexandra College moved students from Early Learning to Year 12 on to a remote-learning program once the pandemic hit. The school hosts students from the local Western District area of Victoria, as well as boarders from interstate and overseas.
Hamilton and Alexandra College deputy principal, teaching and learning, Susan Bradbeer, said the remote-learning program provided educators with a “rare opportunity to innovate, create and refine” their practice.
“It is exciting, as teachers, to see our students growing as independent learners,” Mrs Bradbeer said.
“It is clear that they are learning lifelong skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking and flourishing into global digital citizens.
“At the very least, educators have been offered an opportunity to reflect and review our curriculum and delivery model.
“Moving forward, we may rely more heavily on technology … and may also have more choice and opportunities for students, as they interact with not only a local learning community but a global one.”
Overall, feedback has been positive, with families emphasising that less is more – or quality over quantity – as well as the importance of teachers checking students’ comprehension.
One of the big challenges for rural schools is connectivity, with The Hamilton and Alexandra College working closely with country kids to find solutions to tech problems.
“Some students live in more rural and isolated areas on family farms, with less data allowances or sporadic internet coverage,” Mrs Bradbeer said.
“Many of these students are boarders, so they don’t usually have to rely on the home internet working for long periods of time.“
At Gippsland Grammar, the school’s boarders were also logging in to lessons from their home properties.
“It’s very challenging for parents, no matter what age the child is,” Ms Harper said. “Our boarders come from such a wide catchment and we could always do with more internet speed.”
Ms Harper took up the post of principal at the end of March, which has meant she hasn’t physically met the students, but feels like she knows them.
She can imagine many of the changes continuing post pandemic.
“My school is spread across three campuses, two are close by, but one is an hour away so I can see how much more available I can be to staff if I am available remotely,” she said.
In terms of the impact on education, Ms Harper anticipated technology will play a larger role. “Our teachers are already thinking about which parts of their curriculum they can offer via Zoom to free up time in-person for different learning,” she said.
Nevertheless, online learning is unlikely to fully replace in-person education any time soon.
“We are all social creatures and that personal connection at school is so important,” Mr Grutzner said. “So when school returns I think we will value so much more about that social engagement, connection and support that perhaps some may have taken for granted in the past.”
SUPPORT FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS
LIFE during the COVID-19 pandemic has been hectic for the Nagorcka family of western Victoria. Mandy is a nurse at the Western District Health Service in Hamilton, while Paul is a farmer.
Their three boys, Tom in Year 5, Freddie in Year 2 and Jack in the Early Learning Centre, attend The Hamilton and Alexandra College.
Just as Victoria’s restrictions were ramping up, Paul was sowing crops, spraying and feeding sheep. Mandy works part-time at the local hospital, so to ensure the crops could be sown before shearing started, the kids attended school on the days Mandy worked at the hospital.
“Sending the boys to school has meant that Paul could sow the crops in time, and I can continue to work at the hospital,” Mandy said. “We were hoping to keep the boys at home for remote learning but unfortunately we lost a farmhand and with shearing just around the corner, it became difficult to manage.
“As well as working and supporting the kids with their schooling on my home days, I am also completing intensive care upskilling. So, the last two months have certainly been a juggle.
“We are incredibly grateful to The Hamilton and Alexandra College for their support and understanding of the dynamics of working parents and the kids love their days at school.
“Thankfully we have not had an outbreak of COVID-19 in Hamilton but being a frontline health worker has meant we have a family plan of action if it does. Our plan is to keep the boys home from school, and I will stay away from the family to minimise the risk of infection.”
The Hamilton and Alexandra College boarding house has been empty in term 2, while boarders were learning remotely from home, so the school provided access to Western District Health Service workers during the unprecedented time.
CREATIVE OUTLET
YEAR 11 student Annabel Hetherington is a boarder at The Hamilton and Alexandra College.
For the past two months, she has been living and learning on her family farm in South Australia, while coronavirus restrictions made it impossible for her to live at school.
Annabel said she missed her friends and the social aspects of boarding, but there were two major upsides to remote learning.
She is rearing a potty calf named Daisy, training her to be a show cow. She has also tapped into her creativity in her Studio Arts subject.
“Each morning, I get up around 6am to allow time for the calving run and to feed Daisy,” Annabel said. “I always take my phone with me in case I get caught up helping any cows and I need to dial into the 8.30am mentor meeting from the paddock.
“This is the first time I have been allowed to rear a potty cow because I’m usually at the boarding house. I am already training her on the lead and building up trust so that I can eventually saddle her.
“Both my parents work in essential service roles, so I am home alone three days a week. It can be hard to stay motivated when the house is so quiet, so I have used my Studio Arts subject as an opportunity to get outside and be creative.
“I tied rope over the forks on the farm tractor to create a trapeze and had fun making paint canvases. I have also used some steel and spray paint from the machinery shed to design stencils of Daisy’s head. It is amazing what you can find when you think outside the box.”
Annabel said the skills she had learnt as a boarder helped her manage her time and complete her schoolwork.
Annabel said she also really enjoyed the remote-learning PE classes; one session was an online boxercise lesson and another allowed her to ride her horse.
Although Annabel said she would miss Daisy and her parents, she was eager to get back to school.
She will take The Hamilton and Alexandra College bus home on the weekends to keep training Daisy.
The college’s remote learning program strived to give students opportunities to be creative and inventive. Teachers said they enjoyed the varied interests and projects that students shared in their class meetings.
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