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.

So is the union guidance accepted guidance because schools aren't issuing their own?

Like I say, there's a variety of active teaching happening in the examples on this thread.

And I have heard similar from friends in international schools where teachers have switched to teaching online.

No I'm sorry you can't change your mind like that Op, you said that a teacher recording a video would be "pretty active" and I'm asking what about someone using a pre recorded video from a reputable source - it's becoming clear all you are interested in is whether or not the teacher jumped through enough hoops for your liking!!

Union guidance is there to protect staff and pupils alike. Not all independent schools will recognise the unions but staff need to stick together and stand up for their own professional safety.

There have already been incidents of pupils screen grabbing images of teachers and altering them and teenage boys thinking it's hilarious to strip naked whilst in an online class. It leaves teachers and other school staff at huge risk of allegations against them.

There is no need to be 'live from your living room' there's a multitude of ways to communicate with students about work that's been set. Eg school websites with a blog function, twitter accounts, google classroom 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.

Most places are sending some kind of video. I haven't personally made more than 2 myself because there are plenty of videos out there which explain well enough and don't involve me spending 3 hours for 6 minutes of video. Why reinvent the wheel?

Schools are issuing their own. In most state schools the guidance is no real time lessons. My school has added no staff faces on pre recorded videos.

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?

This requires

• all students to be online at the same time (tricky with shared devices in households. I'm using my laptop to work, my kids have to fit around me) (usually in private/international schools the socio economic groups are higher and students have their own device)
• students to have an Internet connection (more common private schools)
• trust that the students won't take the video and manipulate it (fewer students in private schools reduces this risk, alongside strong parental support)
• if students have a device, it's good enough to view work on and have zoom open (most Ss at our school are accessing teams via their phone)

If our kids were just able to use all the available online videos from bbc bite size, Khan academy and able to learn and pass whatever required exams, then is there a case now for just home schooling? Why do our kids need to go to schools?

They could join clubs for extra curricular and socialising skills.

My child is at an independent senior and they have full active timetable. At their desks as per usual and they can see the teacher plus all classmates.

It's working really well and so far spirits remain high. Work is being marked and returned promptly. Music lessons continue.

I can't thank his teachers enough.

Had a message from the Head of Science today to say they have risk assessed new home practical experiments and will be issuing list of what is required to carry them out starting next week.

This I do have some reservations about.

I just checked with DD - her math teacher is sending no videos (not even links), just work and if you don't understand, you email and he / she emails through a worked example.

It feels very much at this time, you get what you pay for.

Pay for private education, get a vastly different offering.

Don't pay, get something different.

If our kids were just able to use all the available online videos from bbc bite size, Khan academy and able to learn and pass whatever required exams, then is there a case now for just home schooling? Why do our kids need to go to schools?

This is total goady fuckery.

You've already said your kid isn't learning well at home. As teachers we know this. That's why know videos aren't a substitute. "Live" teaching via video link is still a crap substitute and just limits when students can access work.

So one maths teacher hasn't sent any videos because this is all new to them as well. And you instantly lose your mind on MN.

Pay for private education, get a vastly different offering.

No shit.

My dc have full live teaching from the usual timetable, including some PE. It’s an independent school and it’s working very well so far.

Schools are all just doing what they can to navigate this. Just anecdotally I know of schools who to all intents and purposes are closed therefore not providing any learning to pupils and I also know of schools that are delivering a full curriculum online.

Neither is right or wrong, they're just trying to do best by their own pupils. I can think of schools whereby over 50% of kids wouldn't have the tech available to access digital lessons so to do so would put them at a huge disadvantage compared to those who have sufficient laptops and pcs in their home for all adults to wfh and all kids to access their lessons.

Likewise, for primary children anyway, those who's parents don't remind and encourage them to get their learning done would be far more disadvantaged than those with a parent who does.

A further issue is many people in lower paid/minimum wage (supermarkets, delivery drivers etc) are still working each day so unable to home school their children whereas many middle income people are furloughed or wfh so will have more time to do a bit of learning, thus further widening the attainment gap between poorer and middle income kids.

Each head will be looking at their cohort and working out the best course of action that doesn't leave some children lagging even further behind than they were to begin with.

This isn't meant to be goody.

My son went to a private prep and from a very young age, along with the majority of his cohort, learnt discipline and the value of learning.

The ethos is second to none. Low level disruption just not an issue.

He is a thirteen year old boy but he nor any of his cohort would dream of behaving in some of the ways given above.

I recognise many kids have this ethos. But to make it work the vast majority of the cohort have to buy in.

Maybe that is why he and his school can successfully work from home live into the classroom?

They ALL recognise the opportunity, the value of what they are collectively trying to achieve and just want to crack on.

It's not ideal and they wouldn't be able to do it forever. But for now it is working.

@HealingCalmingSoothing

That is precisely why private schools can do online lessons. Sadly state schools aren't filled with students like you describe.

There’s a fallacy that live video teaching is in some way the gold standard and that everything else will be inferior. There’s absolutely zero evidence for this - like so many things in teaching, it feels as though it’s better (coincidentally these are always also the things which require the largest amount of teacher input and the smallest amount of student effort) but we can’t prove that at all.

I know as a student I would have learned perfectly well with a textbook sent home and would probably have got the same GCSE grades as i did going to school. That’s not an argument for that being a good model of education, but there are plenty of students who hate video lessons and having to log in at certain times. For every type of activity we do it will suit some and no others. If I want to learn something online I always skip the videos and try to find a written version instead. The video is not the king of teaching.

At the moment we have limited ways of assessing which is which so why do we automatically jump at the one that needs teachers to give their own time and effort on a much greater scale? I can only assume it’s because teachers need to be seen to be earning their salary.

@hercwasonaroll - please read my responses again.

I said I was lucky because my DD IS self directed and capable of learning on her own.

I haven't lost my head.

My DS is no longer in school but if he was, this situation would have been a nightmare as he wouldn't have been as self directed as my DD.

None of DD's teachers are sending videos, all uploading work on school platform.

This is a top rated grammar school, so I am somewhat disappointed. I know that despite all this, my DD will do well but I can still be disappointed in the school offering (and teachers don't have to take it as a personal attack).

Are they really not sending links to any videos at all? I can see that might be frustrating although there is absolutely no evidence a video is better than written explanations.

Remember students have only missed 17 days of school so far. The teachers are learning too.

Perhaps contact the school if you are really concerned.

Of course live teaching has huge advantage. Instant feedback, working in teams, learning from q&a sessions.

It's as near to the school experience as you can get.

Also the social element, the pastors care. Ability to hold live assemblies to the whole school, whole year groups.

Tutorial groups, music lessons (my son is working on a piece with three others currently).

They are continuing lunch time clubs and after school clubs.

The ONLY concern I have is the amount of time in front of a screen, and that is why it is not healthy for a longer period.

Prep school: mainly power points and teacher recorded videos with a variety of work including science experiments. Zoom assembly and just started some zoom lessons in groups of 4 or 5. I really think 20 x 10 year olds on a zoom lesson might be a tough call. Charing 90% fees and seem to be getting value for money

Year 9 state: combination of pre set work, live lessons and prepared power Point lessons. Not a full day but seems pretty efficient

Year 12 state - full A level curriculum with about 80% zoom lessons. I think it’s much easier at A level as there is so much independent study and classes are so much smaller

State secondary Y7, lots of work (though tailing off a little now), passive, but teachers responsive on email.

State primary, Y5 a few suggested links & weekly newsletter from their class teacher.

I'm not too worried about either of them. I spent most of my primary years dicking about, and I've got qualifications coming out of my ears now

The ethos is second to none. Low level disruption just not an issue.

Really? Even in the zoom lesson I listened in to today for my 10 year old, small group of 5, the teacher told a couple of them to stop being silly several times. There’s no terrible behaviour at all, no genuIne behaviour problems but 9/10 year old boys arse about and think they’re funny and show off regardless of the school

I wouldn't say there wasn't any low level disruption in my dc's zoom classes, although as the weeks go by and the novelty wears off I think it is dying down a bit.
In the first week I think the teachers must have seen every household pet that each dc possessed.
But no one was taking any kit off to be fair.

My kids are at a state school.
My eldest at college. No live or recorded lessons, work is set via lots of online quizzes. Absolutely no teaching at all, more keeping head busy BUT her form tutor rings once a week to check in on how she's doing.& that is OK.
My 2 youngest at middle school work is set ( lots of bbc bitesize or power point)
Again no teaching at all...no check in from teachers no work commented on.
I genuinely don't see what the teachest from that school are supposed to be doing.

It's also really difficult as I'm a key worker so out of the house most of the day. So not easy to supervise or help them.
They don't want to attend the school facility as none of their friends are there. It's a lot of pupils from much younger years. I feel like any form of education for them is nil for the next few months & I'm hoping they will catch up in Sept

As @LaureBerthaud said round here it's:
Local private school - live lessons
Local grammar school - recorded audio lessons by teachers
Local comp - claim they can't do either of the above
I think it is reasonable to ask why the disparity given that clearly one group of students is being badly let down. And frankly when I see some teachers setting the dump the same work for 4 year groups for two weeks I think they are taking the piss.

@coronabeer23 I guess it's a function of how engaged they are? Maybe also how much regular exercise they are getting, how much sugar they are consuming and maybe what their diet looks like?