Classroom Lessons via Zoom

[jjx111]

AIBU to expect the teachers at my daughter’s rs primary school to offer at least some lessons via Zoom? The feedback I have been given is that that they aren’t offering it due to a) safeguarding issues, and b) it would add to the teachers workload. Well, surely if we parents consent for our child to sign in for these lessons then no safeguarding issue. Plus, at present, we parents are doing at least 60% of the teachers work for them via homeschooling. (I appreciate that they are setting work for the children, but this is part of the planning they would do anyway).

Twinset that was just for secondary I believe.

Private and in the US so I'm sure it's completely different rules. TBH, they could access their classes on a phone, any device with a camera would work.

Just saying that online classes can be effective. I know it was a steep learning curve for the teachers but eight weeks in, it's going smoothly. The schools have been open that the children aren't covering as much material as they would in a normal classroom, their goal is to cover the basic concepts and complete the school year as best they can. We've already been told that schools aren't going back until September.

Do other parents who send work back to school get it marked and feedback for improvement? All my child gets, and we send in his work every couple of days is 'good work x'. School phones home every third week and teacher grumbles to me that most children are not doing work, or at least not sending in back to school. Well done x for doing work. I have asked for feedback for improvement only to be told, 'Oh we have only been told to set work, we don't have time to mark it'. This after just telling me she has very few children sending work in and school closed even to key workers and vulnerable children. I am considering home schooling in the future as fed up of teacher deliberately trying to hold back my child in Maths by repeatedly sending home worksheets he did last year.

how about a moderated forum for kids to ask questions?

Or a short tailored one way video talking about some creative stuff the teacher received from reception kids - to encourage.

BUT this is for IT depts and govt to support. How many workers research and implement IT platforms in addition to their regular work? Yes - teachers should raise it with their heads to have a better solution, but I suspect they do not have capacity to do more. If the govt want, they can build a hospital in a week, so I’m sure they could come up with a secure learning method if they wanted.

If the govt did good centralized resources, then maybe teachers could focus on answering specific questions and helping those v far behind.

@penguinsbegin 100% getting a basic meal would be great but that isn't even happening in many schools. There are many ways to provide work not using zoom do I do think schools should be finding ways to do so. This is not the teachers fault but the management/LEA need to have done something. We've all had to adapt.

Even now in schools there is lots of homework online so there must be alternatives provided for those who can't access it. Most households have a device of some sort so even a pre recorded video etc would help. If a household has no devices then presumably schools are providing printed packs? This is no different to normal regarding the differences between households not during lockdown though surely?

Don’t want to go back to work, don’t want to wfh due to childcare commitments- if that was our employee we’d put them on unpaid leave or furlough them...they can’t do their job, we’d need to find someone who could and that someone would have to be a solutions based thinker - the can’t/won’t do attitude just wouldn’t work in a commercial environment- you can see the private schools just don’t tolerate it.

I’m going to repeat what I said earlier -

50% of students at my school have no device to work from.

Of the 50% who do, not all of these students access the work.

If I deliver the home learning by Zoom not only can half the children not access it, this then has massive implications for the curriculum when we return. I have to reteach content because the uptake is so patchy.

So. We deliver work by email to students with answers and model responses sent out later in the day. Hard packs of work with solutions are delivered (by teachers, the work shy bastards) to the houses of children who cannot access online.

If my lessons were on zoom, I wouldn’t have anything for those other students.

Can the people yelling at teachers explain how they would solve the combination of no IT/non engagement please?

@SmileEachDay We live in a very wealthy area - all the kids have computers - the ones who didn’t were provided for by a local charity - we still don’t get online teaching - no zoom and only one teacher is willing to do pre recorded lessons - this is supposedly an outstanding school - I am struggling to understand how the teacher get away with so much intransigence - it’s shocking!

Smile - non engagement is not your fault, this is no different to normal though (maybe to a lesser extent). I don't see what you can do about that. My DCs school is a private one and some teachers have said some kids are still not attending lessons (zoom 1 or 2 times a day at most plus lessons set each period) and not handing in work, most in senior school will have devices available. Non engagement will happen across the board and parents will have to take some responsibility for that, I don't see how teachers can take the blame here.

It sounds like your school is providing a variety of work and surely that is all that can be asked of you. You are providing online for those who can and an alternative for those who can't. Yes Zoom works for some schools/areas it not for all which is fine but providing next to nothing just because some people don't have devices is not the answer which unfortunately is what is happening in some schools.

There is a massive inequality across families anyway so this is just highlighting things more. I am not sure of the answer but before lockdown things werent equal either so what were schools doing then?

Sultan

I give up.

I’m doing my best and have a “can do” attitude. I’m working really hard and I think my school is doing a great job supporting our community.

I try and explain the issues and the first response is someone complaining about THEIR school.

🤯🤯🤯🤯

There is a massive inequality across families anyway so this is just highlighting things more. I am not sure of the answer but before lockdown things werent equal either so what were schools doing then?

Addressing that gap is a massive focus for schools - unfortunately what happens at home has four times the effect (Sutton Trust) of anything a school can do. When we don’t have the children in front of us, school can have even less impact.

@SmileEachDay you are doing the best you can - you have a can do attitude but we are experiencing what feels like the very opposite, there are no resourcing issues, most kids are engaged, parents are supportive but the school is not willing. We’d all love teachers like you!

Key workers cant be furloughed. I am sure there are lots of teachers who do set appropriate new work and mark pupils work with feedback for improvement but of all the work my son sends back to school the only marking and feedback he gets from any of his teachers is an occasional 'gòod work x'. It is disappointing for son who is doing his best and working for 5 hours each day. When he finishes the work sent from school we use bitesize or I show him how to do something else. I very much doubt his teachers are working for more than 1 hour a day. What is worse is that he has said he is learning more at home than when he was at school. I am wondering what will happen next year if only a few children in his class are doing work at home. He says in Maths at school he and a few others often do last years worksheets again because his teacher is trying to catch rest of class up. No idea why they would have fallen behind but I am photocopying all the repeat work he is being set to present to Headteacher and Govenors when school returns. I have his book from last year that was sent home at end of last year to prove it is identical worksheet and teacher is deliberately holding him back, don't know why as he got it correct last year. Next week I shall ask for scheme of work he is supposed to be doing in Maths this year and if we are given it we will just work through it with him ourselves.

Don’t want to go back to work, don’t want to wfh due to childcare commitments- if that was our employee we’d put them on unpaid leave or furlough them...they can’t do their job, we’d need to find someone who could and that someone would have to be a solutions based thinker - the can’t/won’t do attitude just wouldn’t work in a commercial environment- you can see the private schools just don’t tolerate it.

This seems to be harsh but true about lots of teachers. Worth saying though that lots of teachers are getting on with work, setting detailed assignments and giving clear feedback.

This seems to be harsh but true about lots of teachers. Worth saying though that lots of teachers are getting on with work, setting detailed assignments and giving clear feedback. I know it's not true about them all, clearly none of the MN teachers are like this - but it feels like a sizable majority elsewhere. The respect for teachers - however little it apparently was is certainly falling.
All I can say to my kids is that they are developing well needed self study skills and thankfully they are hard workers so the impact will hopefully be lower.

I know it's not true about them all, clearly none of the MN teachers are like this

I see. The implication being what? That we’re all lying?

Those being sent year group appropriate worksheets, even if they aren’t challenging your child, and are able to send them back for comment should count themselves lucky.

My child’s school is providing no teaching at all. We get a sheet once a week sheet of A4 with some activities to be completed by the whole key stage. For example, watch this video/ look at this website and then draw a picture about it.

It is a time filling activity sheet. It is not teaching or learning (except maybe in a very basic sense).

It is nothing to do with some children not being able to access the Internet as the activities they set (on their website) requires the Internet to do. So anyone disadvantaged wouldn’t be able to access it. Although we are in a very affluent area and the amount of parents who can’t access the Internet at all must be vanishingly small.

I have huge respect for the teachers. They are brilliant at school- my son learnt so much when he was there. And I have been in helping and seen lessons first hand and been blown away.

BUT

Since lockdown, the school has been rubbish. I blame them rather than the wonderful individual teachers.

No matter how wonderful the teachers are at school, we have been very very let down in the last 8 weeks.

My SIL teaches English at an international school in Germany. All her lessons during lockdown were via Zoom and she zoomed students individually to discuss and mark their work. She teaches baccalaureate level and her working week was just as full as it was normally. The school is open again but there aren’t many students back in class so her lessons are still on Zoom for those that aren’t in school.

I see. The implication being what? That we’re all lying? No the implication is that teachers on here always say they are the best - just like it seems everyone on here is on a six figure salary - I don't know what's true. All the teachers on here say they are doing a great job but it doesn't meet with the reality of what many of us are experiencing in real life. So maybe all MN teachers are telling the truth, maybe they aren't - I only know that for all the reasons you gave for not being able to work as you'd like - those reasons do not exist in our school, yet there must be more excuses - because we still don't have adequate teaching.

I only know that for all the reasons you gave for not being able to work as you'd like - those reasons do not exist in our school, yet there must be more excuses - because we still don't have adequate teaching

Have you asked them what their rational is? I mean maybe they are a bit shit, or maybe they have a reason for doing it the way they are doing it?

@Namenic That's more what I'm doing. We set work on our online platforms and I make myself available to explain specific questions. If anyone is struggling, I call them on the phone, they explain the question to me and I talk them through it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/15/teacher-shaming-britain-reopening-schools-classrooms-coronavirus?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1589620341