We are in the very early stages of students learning from home across Australia, and across the world, with (in our case) the Distance Learning Program beginning on Thursday 26 March. At Hills Grammar, we have chosen the term ‘Distance Learning’ rather than ‘online learning’ because we see the potential pitfalls of a system that is overly reliant on online tools that may lead to passive learning and student burnout. In a recent Sydney Morning Herald article, one principal said that the novelty of online learning ‘is dissolving for some students, and will for other students over time’ (The online learning novelty is already wearing off, warn principals). It is interesting to see that some of the schools quick off the blocks in their use of more extensive video conferencing tools, are also the first to move to an early holiday period for their students.
Our Distance Learning approach is evolving, as can be seen in the communications on the topic over the last three weeks. We will seek and respond to feedback from students, parents and teachers to review, and re-tweak. For example, we are exploring ways to extend our use of Video Conferencing through Microsoft Teams from Years 11-12 to other year groups – as a tool rather than as the basis of the program. What will remain constant are certain beliefs about learning that align to Deeper Water, Deeper Learning, and in the present context, we might call a ‘Learning Design Approach’. This approach aims to balance what the theorists are calling ‘synchronous’ work (learning done at the same time, in real time) and ‘asynchronous’ work (learning done separately at different times).
There are advantages to both approaches. For example, synchronous learning may assist in responding promptly to student questions and facilitating (virtual) class discussion. Asynchronous learning allows students to work at their own pace, review material (for example, pre-recorded instructional videos) and extend their learning into new areas. It is more flexible for students and families. This is where a Learning Design Approach comes in: the teacher prepares material accessible through a platform (for example, OneNote) that guides the students through learning activities and opens up choices of revision or extension. A well-placed video or audio conference then brings the learners together to inform the next learning moves for the class or individual student. A formative or formal assessment task shows what the students can do independently with the skills or knowledge taught, and deepens student learning.
The curriculum (what is taught) and the pedagogy (how the teacher influences the learning) can come together through the careful interaction of planned learning activities and teacher-student interactions. The Distance Learning approach at Hills Grammar will continue to evolve ways of blending the synchronous and asynchronous approaches to make the best of a challenging situation: the physical separation of students from their peers and teachers.
Geoff Gates | Director of Learning and Teaching Pre K-12
Facebook
YouTube
