Primary kids in Ireland - is your school providing online teaching?

[Anoisagusaris]

Just that really - is your primary school providing actual teaching via Zoom or video? Or are they just sending out lists of work to be completed in workbooks etc? Is Seesaw just like workbooks but online?

No online classes or videos for us. Mainly some activities on seesaw and their own school books which were all sent home with them when they got Christmas holidays. Loads of contact on seesaw alright. Don't think online classes would suit me as have 2 separate classes plus a toddler so would be awkward. Happy enough with it as it is.

My 12 year old in 6th class has 3 zoom calls a week and my 9 year old in 3rd class once a week. Might depend on the age of the children?

We have daily work set out on seesaw with videos to explain what has to be done and revise the concepts. Usually two pieces of work sent back to the teacher for comment/ provide feedback. They are doing 2x1 hours zoom sessions per week too for social engagement. It works for us but I know a few parents in the school are unhappy that they aren't getting 5 hours of zoom teaching virtual babysitting each day.

We have daily online school via google classroom / seesaw. Older kids (3rd/5th class) have live teaching for around 3.5 hours total with breaks in between to do exercises. Youngest (junior infants) has 2 x 30 mins zoom at start and end of day, with work to submit via seesaw in the interim.

No we just got set work to do and then there are certain tasks to be uploaded daily. It's gotten a bit ridiculous now with constant updates and additions to the app so quite honestly I decide what we are doing and that's that. DS has autism and while it's very well meant my head is fried with extra stuff been sent by his resource teacher and his SNA and then of course he has his normal class stuff. DD is a great little worker and a good reader so she flies through her school stuff and then I ask her to spend some time reading and I'm happy with that.

My 5th class son has a zoom meeting once a week with the class. Work is sent through an app with videos if needed, then parents upload the finished work and the teacher comments on it.

@Blogdog Have I read that right, that your children have live teaching for over 3 hours a day? I’ve not heard of other schools doing that in Ireland so far

Schools will need to get their act together because they will be closed until 12 April.

I have several kids at various stages of primary school. Like last time, we’ve just been sent a weekly timetable of tasks to do - majority of which are just to continue with their books and workbooks. Basically extended homework that takes an hour or so to complete. A couple of items per week have to be completed on or uploaded to Seesaw. There is no teaching involved, bar correcting or commenting ‘good work’ or similar on the Seesaw stuff.

@OkPedro Yes, that’s correct. I have to say the school has been amazing, with the teachers going above and beyond. They clearly had made a plan about what they’d do if another lockdown happened and have put it into action. It’s obviously early days but it’sworking really well so far.

@Blogdog I can’t understand schools who aren’t doing more. My daughters school have been brilliant, she’s 6th class.. she’s doing a full day of school.

@Anoisagusaris That sounds half arsed, like they just can’t be bothered. They are not on holiday. My youngest seems to think he is and his school have given 30 minutes of work a day! It’s just not good enough

@Taikoo how do you know they will be closed til April 12th?? Have I missed something?

[quote Pastasau]@Taikoo how do you know they will be closed til April 12th?? Have I missed something?[/quote]
My friend works in a school in Ireland.
The principal told the staff that schools will be closed til 12 April.
The principal has a relative who works in the Dept of Education.

Ah, my friend's, granny's, hair dresser's, second cousin said similar. So that makes it a pair of reliable sources

We're getting worksheets or a page of a book to do each day, for English, maths and Irish, for third and fourth class. I don't know how they're going to tackle new topics, which they really need to do, having missed so much of last year already.

It's hard from the teachers' point of view, though. A lot of them have their own kids to supervise, too, and correcting work is a pain on seesaw.

I think they should put Home School Hub on steroids and cover more material on that each day for each class. Centralised teaching like that could reduce the burden on teachers and give them the chance to fill in the detail with kids who need a bit extra.

We're getting work uploaded to Seesaw.

Glad it's not zoom as her little sister would be running around in the background.

@Anoisagusaris

Just that really - is your primary school providing actual teaching via Zoom or video? Or are they just sending out lists of work to be completed in workbooks etc? Is Seesaw just like workbooks but online?

Seesaw can be used to upload videos or worksheets.

@Barmbraic

Ah, my friend's, granny's, hair dresser's, second cousin said similar. So that makes it a pair of reliable sources

No actually, Barmbraic, I'm not as facetious as you appear to be.

My close friend is an SNA at a school in a town in Ireland.
I will not name the town.
The principal at that school told all staff in a meeting that there will be no school until 12th April.
That principal's sibling works in the Dept of Education.
Is that clear enough for you?

My other friend is a teacher at a school in Carlow.
The principal told all staff there that it is April 12 for school re-opening.
Is that good enough for you?

Batten down the hatches so, and crack on with da home schooling.

@Taikoo, while I don’t think it’s that unlikely that schools won’t be reopened until after the Easter holidays, no one, not even at the DofE, has made a decision on that yet.

It may make sense for Heads to behave as though this is definitely the case, and to encourage staff to think ahead as though they will be distance teaching till Easter, but they simply don’t know, because no one has made the decision yet.

My kids have a 40 mins session online each day, the rest is work that’s on seesaw or in their text books

We had one zoom session last week (spelling tests and tin whistle). Otherwise it's work set on Aladdin. The teacher also sent two videos for maths.

No online teaching here from school, just lists sent out of work to do, not expected to upload it. Just a zoom social chat once a week for a few minutes. So not much interaction from our school. I am healthcare worker and my partner is gone everyday as well, so on my days off try and catch up on school work with kids.

4th class, teacher does one 1hr zoom lesson each morning 9:30 - 10:30 and then lots of work set for each day (which is emailed to parents on Sunday and available for pupils on SeeSaw) Plenty to keep them occupied, really good variety of tasks and subjects and the teacher is brilliant at responding to work as it's been uploaded. I'm really impressed with how our school are dealing with it, and this teacher in particular. I don't think they could reasonably be expected to do more.

6th class pupil. Lots of work set on seesaw, plenty of feedback e.g. audio messages explaining corrections. Teacher is going ahead with new work not just revising. Two zoom classes a week at present. If schools stay off, they are working towards more online classes from 1st February. I'm very happy with the teacher. She really engages with DD, encourages independent work etc.