To wonder why schools are saying they’re not allowed to do live lessons

[Plinkplonkplank]

Because they’ve just started doing them at my ds’s state secondary. We had to fill in an online permission form. So it is possible after all.

PleasancePark How do you propose to grade these children? The children who weren’t taught how to read but are super at making beds and putting on a load of washing?

pontypridd
When you say no feedback do you mean that you have sent work to teachers asking for feedback and they’ve either said no or ignored you?

Swiftsseason

Unfortunately, teachers can be shit, schools can be crap. They need to be held accountable and be responsible

I agree that someone should be held responsible, but without there being any guidance in place there are no levels to be held to.

The government and DfE suspended the curriculum and said that no new work should be taught by schools.

I don't have an answer other than push for more work and more contact.

If that isn't going to happen then links have been posted about where to get more work.

As a teacher I don’t wish to be recorded. Before anyone starts bashing that is not what I signed up for. I do not want videos of me on the internet. For parents to criticise.

sitting how about don’t grade them? Imagine that children can learn and grow without it being graded?
Those dc who couldn’t read before Covid are either young enough to catch up or have SEN and wouldn’t have learnt in the last 10weeks anyway.

Nat6999 I was using the Royal we as in "we the country voted for Boris and Brexit" I certainly didn't vote for that cockwomble or the ludicrous idea of taking back control. If people have an issue with the guidence that has been given write to your MP, if you want more work from your school ask for it rather than moan about it on here. If you are unhappy with your school do something about it but the majority of schools in this country are simply doing their best with what they have. A normal school in normal times generally disappoints a percentage of parents because we can't please everyone.

PleasancePark, lovely Pity that Gove fucked up the idea of learning for pleasure.

Grade them? Surely that's the whole point. Far too much pressure in the past, too many grades. We're talking disadvantage and equality here...surely grades make for inequality.

Learning is for life, learning isn't finite, learning is everything the school curriculum isn't.

Haha..grades....

how about don’t grade them? Imagine that children can learn and grow without it being graded?

And university? And jobs? And competition from kids whose teachers could be bothered to actually teach so they are knowledgeable? So they can plan a career? Or should the kids whose teachers were content to put up a few Twinkl worksheets, resign themselves to working in factories and doing manual work because after all they appreciate hearing the birds sing. Get a grip!

PleasancePark

we have been told not to grade/level but give feedback.

@Newgirls

Training has been taking place in school to help teachers with the new tech. This has been happening since March so not sure why some don’t know what to do now. I think that is far less an issue than we might think.

Has it? We've had precisely zero (primary.) A significant proportion of teachers had very, very little experience with regards to online teaching/virtual learning environments (such as Google Classroom) at all prior to this. We have gone from 0 to what we are doing now with no training and very little time. Other schools have put in the time, money and training to make video lessons the next logical step.

Very dependent on schools, budgets, resources and having tech savvy staff confident enough to do live/recorded stuff and train up others, which up til now would have had to have been done remotely.

And it's not as simple as "stick up a worksheet"... not what we are doing anyway, obviously can't speak for all. We still plan carefully for continuity and progression, differentiating according to the needs of our pupils exactly as in class. Any worksheets are carefully chosen, usually adapted to be a better fit, and then uploaded with suggestions for offline activities to support that particular learning objective. We can't simply put up a PowerPoint because Google Classroom then screws with its formatting, so instead we either do it all from scratch or import into Google Slides and then redo all format issues. Hugely time consuming.

We are now doing this around also being on school full time and keeping children safe, keeping them hand washing and now also taking on role of cleaner during and after every lesson.

Davincitoad and as a doctor I really didn’t want to be recorded either Nor did I sign up for it - patients can be vindictive. Imagine telling an addicted patient they can’t have their controlled meds - it’s not fun and malicious recordings will probably be made, however I want to continue to be employed and my patients (even the vindictive ones) have a right to healthcare so I’m cracking on with it, although having a patient comment on my curtain fabric choices was something I never expected to happen

Nonotthatdr

How are you making provision for patients with no access to tech?

Looking at the teachers around me there seems to be a huge variance between schools. Some provide full days of lessons while some worksheets on Monday morning for the whole week.

Since this pandemic is all over the world, would be interesting to see how all countries has handled and coped with home education.

Am not fussed on live classes - as others have said multiple kids trying to do school work on one laptop will be an issue for many. But recorded lessons would be a huge benefit. Audio only if the worry is teachers image being online.

But essentially teachers need to find a way to deliver quality lessons. Am in Scotland so what's being said is when the schools go back in August it will be "blended" learning. The online stuff has to significantly improve in quality otherwise it's pointless. There is no "lessons" as such, quizzes and worksheets that's it really with minimal help from the teacher, and it's worse at primary for my youngest. My children are being failed and if that's the quality of lessons we can expect in August, I will worry about their education.

we have been told not to grade/level but give feedback

We are talking two different things...I'm talking about no grades at all, but an intrinsic value given to learning.

tigger1001

I think with blended learning it will be more straightforward- teachers can deliver content and explain when the children are in front of them then give specific tasks that practice/extend to be completed by the next in school session. Resources to support home sessions can be online or give to students on paper if necessary.

As a teacher I don’t wish to be recorded. Before anyone starts bashing that is not what I signed up for.

We’re all working in ways we didn’t sign up for. However, for the rest of us, if we don’t get on with it, we’re out of a job.

@ChocolateCard

Those complaining about home set up, why not go into your classrooms?

A whole empty classroom to yourself?

Surely as a governor you know the answer to this?

More year groups back but in smaller class sizes = double the rooms (and staff) needed.

Again, this is dependent on individual schools. A school with multiple classes of the same year group where they are not back at school (eg 4 x Year 4 classes etc) may be able to do this - but given advice is work from home where able to do so, should the Y4 teachers have to do this if Google Classroom type stuff is working for them and their children?

But a small school in an old Victorian building with one class for Reception/whole of KS1 and another for KS2 does not have that as an option.

Very true, Laurie

@PleasancePark great ,I guess we don't need primary teachers any more then. We can just get the TA s to watch while children play all day.

We are using a platform that has been made free to the nhs for the duration. It’s pretty decent. Staff are having to fund their own technology- most of us have smart phones and were using them either in the surgery or from our homes. I’ve got an interesting diy arrangement to hold the phone up in a better position. I’m using my own laptop (well dhs laptop) and have had to purchase a smart card reader myself. For those that don’t have tech the surgery has lent some laptops and people have pooled what resources we have - eg given their old smart phone to another member of staff etc. All staff are wfh a few days a week to ensure we are distanced properly at work as we don’t have enough masks to wear all the time.

Patient access wise, the link to the video call is texted to the patient and it’s an easy download by clicking On the link. If patients don’t have a smart phone they get a standard phone call. If we need to “see” them we can have them email in images if they can take stills but not video, or they come in (or into the car park) and we look. If their sheilded we visit at home but only after long discussion to check they want us to come - patients are a bit unkeen to have a doctor visit understandably. We only have one patient we know of without a landline so they get a home visit.

If we need a blood pressure or sats Or urine dame or something some of our Med student Volunteers deliver the equipment and wipes and gloves to the patient door and then clean it and return with no face to face contact. Stuff like blood tests and vaccinations are given in the patients car in the car park so patients only have to expose their arm to us.

Our feeling is we are a much bigger risk to our patients then they are to us so most efforts are to minimise patient exposure to staff but if we have tried all the above and we can’t make it work they have an old fashioned face to face appointment in the surgery but we give them a time so they don’t wait in a crowded room

It’s worked better than we expected so far but we have had a very low covid load and the real issues in the healthcare system are the delays in assessing secondary care services and mental health that’s what makes me loose sleep

I don’t teach children but my job involves ‘teaching’. I very quickly, within a couple of days of lockdown had to get my head around Zoom and teaching online. Because if I didn’t I wouldn’t have a job. It’s definitely not what I signed up for or what most of us have at the moment. It was stressful and I hated it at first .
But I’m used to it now.

@Nonotthatdr I have a child with high medical needs and I have been beyond impressed with the innovation in how they have still made sure we get the care and support he needs remotely. It has been exemplary.

Similarly I am beyond proud of my Dr mum who at 65 is still catching the train to work every day and has taught herself to use video technology for patients who can stay at home and is still cheerily seeing patients who need to come in. This is someone who could barely send an email before lockdown and hates having her photo taken , but she knew her patients needed her.

And if I do see a patient in the surgery I scrub the room myself after (or the nurses would kill me) which again wasn’t what I signed up for (not saying cleaning is beneath me but I didn’t expect to be mopping floors at work)

That’s really interesting, thanks dr