So, I started to consider what schools would look like if a) this was indeed It for the next year or two and b) we determined that yes, kids do spread virus. This is a "what if we scrap everything and start again" scheme. It's also based on having money to throw at it which I appreciate is unlikely to happen.
We've been using Outschool while schools have been out (honestly it's been amazing for us, but expensive). It's small (usually 4-8 kids) zoom classes, you pick the class and the time and the teacher designs the class. Kiddo has done everything from a multi-week Life Science course based around pokemon to a one-off class in correct use of the apostrophe and the design of it means we've been able to wiggle it around us. Mum has to work long days Tuesdays? Guess you have 6 classes then. But Mum has Mondays off and so do you. Or Mum needs you occupied while she makes dinner so let's find a class at around 5PM.
This model could actually work on a wider country basis. The only problem I can see is that balancing the curriculum is a pain in the neck and while I know my kid well enough to identify issues he might need a one off class about not everyone would. So, add a counsellor into the model - a bit like a form tutor . Their first job is to look over teacher reports from classes and see when they're reporting "kid clearly has no clue here, switch to a class really going over the basics" or alternatively "kid is way ahead for this class, switch up a few levels". Their second job is to ensure the curriculum is balanced - make sure kid doesn't race ahead in history but forget to learn fractions. And their third job is to collect behavioural reports. If a child is consistently not showing up to lessons, if they are constantly misbehaving and distracting others or alternatively if there's stuff going on in the background which is causing the individual teachers cause for concern then they can collate this.
The good part of this system is the things you can do given economies of scale. A teacher given a kid who is struggling with a subject still has to move on after time but this would give the ability for a properly personalised education, trying different things and teachers until something stuck. You could to some extent throw away the usual "kids must learn with their age" motif - a kid could do english with kids 2 years younger and maths with kids 2 years older if that was where their abilities lay. And if you started with a basic timetable but parents/children had the ability to rejiggle this to a certain extent that opens the door to all kinds of things - yes, you can go on holiday in a random week if you ensure there are extra lessons in other weeks to make up for it. Kid is horrible in the morning? Schedule lessons later in the day.
It takes a lot of manpower buuuut if you're talking individual classes rather than a full work day, you've actually got people in this country we could use for that. There's a whole lot of teachers who quit because the school day was incompatible with work:life balance who might be tempted back if they were asked to just sign up for however many hours they could do per week at times convenient to them. And for some stuff you could use tutors rather than registered teachers. This also helps actually employ people in our coming massive employment crisis.
THIS IS NOT GOING TO SUIT ALL CHILDREN.
The younger the child, the less likely it is to suit - my wiggle-bottomed 4 year old has tried a few zoom lessons but with a lot less success than with the 6 year old. And some kids are going to have SEN issues or unstable home environments or other reasons they can't do this. And this does nothing at all to tackle the massive childcare issue. But it does provide an alternative - an alternative which actually adds value and isn't just "have a rather worse online education than you would have in a building" - for SOME children. And the more children you can get out of the actual buildings the less likely the kids are left inside to be massive disease vectors.
It's pie in the sky "please give the education system money" thinking I know, but I still think it could work it we stopped singing EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE very loudly and started looking at alternative solutions. Maybe as a private school? Anyone want to throw money at me for a free school? :D
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Covid
Ideas for alternative education system in corona times
31 replies
swg1 · 02/08/2020 11:42
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