Having worked with schools for over 5 years, I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenges faced by teachers and parents delivering learning from home. One thing I’ve particularly enjoyed during lockdown is how creative parents and teachers have been in approaching the challenge of distance learning. Moving forwards, will COVID-19 and the lockdown change how we continue to educate the next generation?
Blended learning which is a combination of traditional face to face teaching and online learning, is very popular in the US and international schools, but it has in the last few years become increasingly popular in the UK.
A great example of blended learning is a model called station rotation, which is where a teacher will group their class into several ability levels and offer students a tailored learning experience. These groups then rotate around the classroom spending a third of their time with their teacher, another third on a group project and finally independent learning on their iPads or devices.
With the government recommending that student work in ‘bubbles’ of fifteen, I can see that this blended learning model being adapted to support teachers in the new academic year.
Another way in which I could see learning changing is due to the lowered risk of COVID-19 outdoors. Personally, I am a great advocate of getting outdoors and how we can help students to connect to nature in our modern lifestyles. For many, the lockdown has been a wonderful opportunity to educate children by attracting wildlife into the garden, science projects outside or even just getting our children more active… thank you Joe Wicks.
Outdoor classrooms, when the weather allows, could be a ‘new norm’ for schools, which I really see as a great opportunity to change up our school curriculum to spend more time connecting with nature and understanding the biology of the planet. It is almost inevitable that the classroom will change and that the use of technology will only become greater in the years to come.
We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how you are planning next years curriculum with social distancing in mind – comment below and let us know!
