Teachers offering active online teaching?

[Porseb]

Just doing a poll.

By online, I mean posting a video lesson, delivering a class via Google Classroom or Zoom or similar.

Versus passive teaching ie uploading work on a website or by email.

I'm trying to workout where my DC's school stands in this. Very traditional grammar and so far, teaching online has been passive. I know friends with children in independent schools or international schools abroad where teachers are actively delivering lessons online.

I'm struggling when they want DS2 to be available for live lessons (state grammar), as DH and I are both already on Zoom quite a lot for work during the day, DS1 has University tutorials to fit in sometimes too and sometimes the broadband just can't cope. I can't imagine how hard it must be in houses where there are not enough laptops to go round. The difference with private schools is that you assume that those who can afford the fees can also afford enough tech - but in some families there the broadband is an issue too, especially for those who live rurally.

My teenagers are at 3 different independent schools. All getting live lessons, after contracts agreed and signed that there will be no recording of teachers.
The amount of live lessons vary depending on the schools' approaches, but they all get minimum of one live event per day, for which I'm glad as it's their favourite part of the day.
I'm not sure that they learn more in those live sessions than in the pre-recorded videos, powerpoints etc, but in terms of contact with the world beyond their family it's proving invaluable.
Saying that, the schools are trying to justify their fees (even with discounts this term), and I can see that it must make life more complex for the teaching staff, who spent their Easter holidays learning and planning for this. I'm very grateful to them.

This thread is a perfect example of why live learning isn't idea.

Haha totally @RuudG!

Our dc use backgrounds as suggested by school, which is an added safety plus and removes the risk of such pillocks.

You can get Studio Ghibli backgrounds now for Zoom meetings! Lovely!

DS is in year 3 at an independent primary.
His teachers are setting work via class dojo, most activities have a video of the teacher explaining what to do. It has been a mixture of worksheets and other activities.
He has a zoom lesson of Maths and English every week and a zoom form time for pastoral every day. I have to say I am impressed with what they are offering in the circumstances but they are still charging full fees so it had to be good really!

Unions have advised against live teaching.

See the plethora of other threads detailing why.

Don't assume live teaching is any better than what you are being provided with.

Teachers aren't lecturers. We don't stand and dictate at the front of the room. Lessons are fluid and progress depending on understanding of class based on discussion and questioning.

Imho zoom, pre recorded vides etc etc are not practical or suitable for teaching

Also, adding to that. I am using my own laptop and iPad to upload to an online classroom. This is a very commonly missed issue when discussing what teachers 'should' be doing. Not all teachers have access to technology to work from home.

As I posted in a other thread, there is no official guidance for schools to be providing education in any particular way so there is no right or wrong way of doing this. Some parents will want it to be a specific way but it is the government that sets the (very very minimal) guidelines and then school leaders who interpret in the way they think will be best for their pupils and staff.

Zoom should not be used at any time - it is not secure enough.

Some schools do not have money in the budget to provide devices for all their staff, let alone the pupils who don't have one at home.

Many schools do not have a platform like Google classroom or Microsoft Teams already in place. Apart from the cost of buying them in, staff and pupils and parents would all need remote training in how to use them.

Schools know best what technology their families are likely to have access to. Some families might only have a mobile phone between all of them. Some might be sharing a laptop between kids and parents trying to work from home so won't want everything to be online.

Some parents don't have devices that can open PowerPoints and Word documents.

Some parents want only paper work, some want only online activities. Some want ideas for practical activities as they don't have much online access or a printer. Some parents don't want anything. Fewer than half of my class have even logged on to the existing digital platform we have had for years that they all know how to use. Some will be busy working from home a d not have time to support their children's learning.

It is impossible to please everybody. As schools we are going to have to assume that when we go back we'll have to start from where we left off as there will be a number of children who've done no home learning at all.

The NEU have issued specific guidance and advice.

I don't want live lessons. Too restrictive in terms of time. We are sharing 2 devices between three. Plus I think my children are actually developing a bit of independence around schoolwork.

Today I have taught every lesson online using teams, Including discussion, q&a, activities, the whole bang shooting match as much like normal school day as possible. Private girls secondary school.

At my son’s school, every single pupil has an iPad. The head announced before school’s even closed that there would be no teaching during the pandemic. My son hasn’t had a single lesson as, apparently, it’s “too hard” to teach new content remotely. He’s doing A Levels and although he has been sent work to do, he’s not done any of it as he’s completely demotivated. All the work sent is based on prior learning with no new content.
In contrast my friends dc at a similar school was told, Defoe schools closed that each pupil would need to register online every day and they have been taught throughout the period.
Friend with dc in private schools are also being taught every day.
Can you imagine how far behind some pupils will be compared to others when schools reopen?

My daughter in year 12 gets passive teaching which she is happy with and able to get on with at home. The contact, marking and support she has been given by her teachers has been superb (many of whom have young families at home).

Dd seems to be getting on well with the work set even if it's not live. Both mine have progressed very well at their comp (eldest year 11) so i have confidence that this will continue with the work and resources that have been provided, plus any extra resources they use. If dd2 gets stuck she asks dd1

I wouldn't expect a state school to be able to offer the online teaching that a private school can. But online lessons aren't just teachers talking at pupils, my dc have breakout discussion rooms for small group work, tests, worksheets, create their own presentations etc. as far as I can see they do everything they would do at school.

DS has three live lessons, live registration, two pre-recorded lessons, and a live plenary at the end of the day. All on teams.
We're paying 75% of fees for this term, which is still £££thousands.
DD has learning through her school's online learning environment, but it's self-directed not live sessions. There have been some live response sessions for languages. (SSGS).
My school have a significant core of pupils with no devices or internet access. All learning is self-directed plus my maths, maths watch, Seneca, etc. (Outstanding comprehensive academy).

But I should say that DS is absolutely exhausted with this schedule; it's far more intense on a screen than live in a classroom, and he is finding it hard going. Not the content (he is at the top end of his class) but the intensity. He had a bit of a meltdown at supper last night because he was so tired. All he could manage after door was bath and story/bed. He's Y6, and well used to long busy days in prep school.

food not door

Thank-you for your responses . Seems to be a range of active teaching styles and more passive ones.

When I say active, I don't necessarily mean live. Recording a voiceover video with a PowerPoint / slide is pretty active if it's sent through and then followed up with quizzes etc

I do wonder how math concepts can be taught if lessons are just put online and kids expected to read through, understand and start working on them.

I'm lucky that my DD is very self directed. She gets on with the work she gets but I'm just disappointed that all of her teachers just upload lessons onto the school platform and expect them to get on with it.

If it had been my DS, this would have been a nightmare as he just wasn't as self-directed.

I'm wondering what the difference is between a maths lesson involving a bbc video about (say) quadratic equations and a sheet to answer differs from a video made by the class teacher about the same topic, with a sheet to answer.
Because I am guessing that the first one is still not quite good enough?

Live lessons go completely against union advice for a multitude of reasons. You can read the advice here...

Could the teacher use the BBC video in a shared screen situation with kids on a zoom or google classroom and then talk the kids through it after with a sheet?