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 think it would be a great idea to show videos as well as traditional learning. My son's respected university has done this for several year, for anyone unable to attend. Anyone completely closed to the idea just doesn't want to do it.

Or, they've thought it through and rejected it based on using their critical thinking skills?

Also a poll allows me to see if my DC's school is broadly out of line and whether I would be reasonable / unreasonable to raise this with the school.
It's up to individual schools how they do their provision. It's not a case of online live lessons being great Vs online work to complete being poor.

As ever, if any parent has any concerns or questions about THEIR child's education and THEIR school then they need to speak to the relevant people at THEIR school.

Yet another thread basically asking "if my child's school crap because another school is using zoom for online lessons" is only going to go one way.

1.OP

1. People say go ask your school if you have concerns. If you've already decided you think your school is unreasonable then a mumsnet thread on the same topic that was done yesterday and the day before isn't going to help you.
2. Goady posters coming along to say "eeeh nobody is allowed to ever say anything negative about schools, like, ever. Teachers think they're gods. What are they doing anyway, my sister's husband's uncle's friend works in a school and they spend their days drinking gin in the garden and doing nothing, but the local independent has a full timetable online".
3. Teachers respond again on the millionth thread the same issues as the last dozen threads on the same thing.
4. Goady posters go "see look at teachers they just don't want to work".

Onlinelynda

Do you realise the gulf in difference in schools and universities? Not even comparable.

Plus teachers teach, lecturers lecture. Absolutely not the same thing.

Saoirse7
Quite.
There's a fairly obvious difference between a university with adult learners doing subjects they've opted to do for 3-4 years , recorded lectures and online small seminars for engaged adults, and trying to do online lessons for 32 pre teens in subjects they are at different levels at, with different home lives, different levels of technology at home and subjects they didn't choose when their whole world has just turned upside down.

@24balloons
Can you imagine how far behind some pupils will be compared to others when schools reopen?

No, pupils won't be 'behind' as you put it. Teachers will be starting off from where they left off. So if schools go back in September, they will have a crash course of the Summer term curriculum where necessary, e.g. In English and Maths. Any exams set going forward will take into account the missed learning and adjust accordingly. The vast majority of work being sent home is consolidation of learning rather than the teaching of new concepts.
If the standard of parental teaching that @Legoandloldolls may have been providing for her dc is anything to go by, judging from her terrible grammar in her post, then thank god that schools Will be sensible enough to not assume every student has had a brilliant education during lockdown from their parents.

Very well regarded state comp here, gets good results and has high expectations of pupils. No live teaching, occasional short videos about a topic. KS4 has work set according to usual timetable and they are expected to do it and send photos of it or hand it in during that day. Some feedback given, often just acknowledging receipt of work, sometimes a further comment.
KS3 have a looser structure - 2 weeks worth of lessons set that they can do as they want, suggestion is they follow the timetable, photos of some specific bits of work requested, acknowledgment of receipt given by teachers.

This seems to work well, both my Y10 and Y8 are starting to struggle a bit with motivation. They are both conscientious though. Have had email that a 15 mins weekly tutor time via zoom with begin from next week with a small selection of their tutor group each time.

I teach in a private school. School management wants the lessons to be based on zoom. Previously I have been doing the "passive" way of uploading stuff.

Let me explain that the "passive" way is anything but passive. I design lessons with videos and explanations embedded. I expect the work to be completed. I chase up students to make sure it is done and give feedback.

As management wants zoom to be the backbone of our lessons, I went with this over the past couple of days.

It is shit in comparison. It takes 10 minutes to start a lesson. Students' internet drops out, some are obviously doing anything other than listening to me or doing the work. It perfectly possible for a student to watch a netflix movie while their face is still seen. Only a couple bother to answer. There is no flow. I am busy talking at a handful of motivated students and can't chase up the non-compliers.

A zoom lesson in no way replicates a classroom lesson. It is helpful to target a few students who need closer direction, but even then I can achieve more with online chat or email.

For comparison: My DC is in year 10 at a well performing state school, in second set out of six for most things. No online zoom etc lessons here; tasks are mainly homework sheet type tests or links to Bite size etc in some topics - no new learning topics. Some have not set anything. No marking or feedback is given at all. Some subjects don't require submission of the work at all. A few parents have raised queries about this as other local (state) schools seem to be much more engaged with almost full timetables.

My kids favourite lessons are the one’s where they’re split into smaller groups, so they get a short live period which is really interactive and then work to do away from screens for the rest of the session, so they’re not in front of computer all day. DS was in a group of 6 (about ⅓ of the class) for 30 minutes of French just now, and now has an exercise to do from his text book.

The school’s latest email said the reason they are moving towards small live groups is because staff say they prefer it as they can focus on their pupils’ learning rather than their own teaching. Must be knackering for them though - and tough if they have children at home themselves.

My education authority does not allow us to use zoom.

We are not allowed Zoom for safeguarding reasons - not up for discussions

Can use Microsoft Teans which SLT will dip in and out of. Lessons are recorded

Forgot to say that some kids are knackered by have 8 full on online lessons a day plus potentially an extracurricular activity. In today’s school poll over 75% of parents said it is now too much whereas a week ago it was not enough. The difference is that the staff have geared up to be IT savvy and are not doing lesson work and homework - all bish bash bosh and students can not cope with all the on screen lesson time. It is full on even for sixth formers. The able are zooming ahead but the majority are wtf is happening now. I think the timetable needs to be reconsidered with maybe 5 lessons max a day - 8 is too much .

Plus kids are still gaming and watching Netflix etc - god knows what damage this is causing. One year 10 told me today that he will be a lot fatter when I see him next because of all the cakes and biscuits at home

My dc are really tired by their zoom lessons, they say it is much more tiring than being in school.
I am grateful the school is making such an effort but it is exhausting for everyone including teachers I suspect.

Private secondary.

Full active schedule including form time on Google meet.

Assembly on YouTube

Assume they have to show what they are doing for the money paid!

Full teaching timetable here. Google Meet lessons. I run a weekly Google Meet assembly. Other assemblies on You Tube. Awards ceremonies on Youtube including outside speaker. Extra curricular clubs running. Meetings with students for support/pastoral/SEN teaching all the same. It all takes longer though so whereas at school if student A hasn't done work for teacher Y, I'd just drop by teacher Y's desk, two mins chat, know what they are doing. Now it's an email string and time inbetween because Teacher Y has young kids and answers emails in the evening. So workload has increased. Also virtual marking takes ages and is really annoying.

Dd school went from all life-online teaching to a mixture of active and passive. Usually the timetable has 3 subjects a day, plus zoom based registration, assembly and tutor period. The 3 subjects are then divided into 3 x 60min project off-line lessons, where kids do fact finding and write an essay or complete a worksheet about an unknown new topic of learning. This is then further explored and consolidated with 3x 40min life zoom based teaching sessions. I think this works really well and encourages independent learning - this is only year 3. Timetable finishes at 3pm followed by individual music lessons. No homework apart from reading, as kids are exhausted. There is still the threat of exclusions and detentions to keep kids behaviour up and kids have to wear full uniform while being on zoom. If they don't hand in their work via the app or are late for registration or chat during lesson, there are the usual consequences from 'staying behind in detention on zoom' to having to speak to the head on zoom.

We are at a private school , my eldest 2 are pretty much at school (year5&6) still learning remotely , they have lessons set and they can speak to there teachers and have online zoom class rooms twice a day on there laptops .. They have break times and lunch times etc and homework , my youngest starts in reception and I'm not sure what they will do if we are in lock down then as I know they are doing things differently for reception -year 3 .. We have brought a laptop for.him just in case as I have an iPad and my husband needs his for work ...they are also doing wonderful pastoral care and having 15min/30min 1on1 support once a week for there emotional well being to discuss what they've been doing how they are feeling etc (and more for students who are struggling)x x

Private school both primary and secondary, two different schools.

Full timetable, mix of zoom, teams, worksheets, prerecorded teacher and other source videos. Children are coping very well with it, the youngest one has needed support, the others aot less.

They are definitely still learning, which is more they would do left to their own devices. It gives them structure.

I am fairly happy with what they are receiving.

Y7 boys prep, six interactive lessons daily plus form time, all via Google Classroom. Piano and singing lessons, art and pottery, sporting challenges set etc. Quiz night yesterday. Most assignments are sent in online, but handwritten work, art, practicals etc photographed and sent back to school via the app. The lessons are short- 30 minutes each with a 15 minute break after each because this method is really intense and tiring. The teachers must have spent their Easter holidays preparing this- they have been amazing. They even prepared an opening assembly with each staff member singing the hymn in their own home spliced together. They tested/proved the communications during the holiday and it ran smoothly from day 1. And somehow they are also accommodating multiple time zones. We have a 20% discount for this term and I honestly don't see how they could do more. I'm full of admiration for the school's leadership and entire common room.

I find the union advice posted quite amazing
Imagine if the union looking after nhs workers had posted that!
We’re all phoning and videocalling patients from all sorts of places if we can’t get in and all content is expected be delivered if you’re shielded/self isolating.

I work in a state primary. All work uploaded and/or sent via email at the insistence of the HT due to concerns over both safeguarding, and a lack of IT equipment/broadband in the children's homes. Any family with limited online access has hard copies sent home and has been provided with paper and pens.

My own DC are at state secondary. The school surveyed every family in the week prior to lockdown and provided laptops and dongles to anyone who did not have good access at home. Work provided daily via Google Classrooms.

Both systems seem to be working well.

The school surveyed every family in the week prior to lockdown and provided laptops and dongles to anyone who did not have good access at home.

How did they manage to arrange that in just a few days and how did they manage to pay for it? It's exemplary that they did so but I'm astounded that they could pull it off.

Dd is at an international school and on week 11 of online learning.
Some teachers record the whole lesson.
Most teachers contact her once per week to review work and set new targets.
All work is posted online and links are sent to articles etc to read.
She is on a different time zone so cannot access lessons in real time, but other students do.

In our case on the first day of lockdown the school distributed an ipad to each child from Y1-Y5 from the carpark. The Y6 and secondary already "own" school issued macbooks. The loaned devices were already in every class. No chargers were issued but could be requested. I suspect IT worked all night to load on google classroom and all the apps.