Why so little actual teaching in lockdown (state secondary)?

[CatOnMyLap]

My DS (year 8, London state secondary) is getting almost no live teaching during lockdown. Lots of powerpoints, YouTube videos, worksheets set by teachers, but the kids are expected to work unsupervised at home, including tackling complex new topics. Also very little feedback/homework marking. Friends with children at other state secondary schools have the same experience. Yet I am told that private school teachers are doing daily live teaching via Zoom/Google hangouts etc.

I understand that it's unfamiliar, that some teachers may be ill or have small children at home, and that not all kids have sole access to a device. But after 10 weeks it is so clear that the kids need some actual teaching/discussion/group work, and this is doubly true for children whose families can't support with learning. I would love to know why teachers cannot be live say once a week per class per subject for half an hour minimum to explain a new topic or lead a discussion. Are there any teachers who can explain why this is?

I think some teachers are better than others. My DD attends an extremely large secondary school and in some subjects she has two or three teachers. I am sure some teachers will have very young children but many others wont have. Surely the teachers could say if X does say one video lesson a week, Y could do marking, Z could do whatever. So the kids that want to have at least some contact time.

[quote NeverTwerkNaked]@Chloe that those who want and would benefit from live lessons can participate in the live lessons[/quote]
That flies a little in the face of the supporters of live teaching who say to guard against safeguarding, mute everyone.

@NeverTwerkNaked

I'd love to see what my boss said if I said I "wasn't trained for" live online public meetings /wouldn't do them because I had a child in the house.

Depends on your job doesn’t it?

Live meetings with colleagues is fine BUT for a teacher live teaching with their children present is more akin to a doctor seeing a patient / social worker doing a call etc. Teachers follow a professional code of conduct and there has to be a professional relationship maintained at all time between teachers and students. I’m not willing to show my toddler to the children I teach.

My year 7 daughter has had no online teaching..just sheets of work to do. Totally disinterested....

I'm not in England - was last week not a holiday? And Easter two weeks? Just wondering if it has really been ten/eleven weeks of lockdown learning.

It’s interesting isn’t it
Im a medic
I have to do video consults with all manner of people from the computer on my kitchen table and am regularly interrupted by a child or two. Nobody has ever mentioned the ‘safeguarding’ concern at all.

@Useruseruserusee it is live public meetings and I am regulated by a professional body with very high standards but they are totally sensible about the fact we have children around now!

And I have had video meetings with doctors and social workers for work - also in their homes and I know they are seeing patients /clients and have their children in the house and are juggling like the rest of us.

[quote NeverTwerkNaked]@Useruseruserusee it is live public meetings and I am regulated by a professional body with very high standards but they are totally sensible about the fact we have children around now![/quote]
Does your live public meeting include teenagers?

@Useruseruserusee

[quote NeverTwerkNaked]
@Useruseruserusee it is live public meetings and I am regulated by a professional body with very high standards but they are totally sensible about the fact we have children around now!

Does your live public meeting include teenagers?[/quote]
Absolutely

Great analogy re the duck gliding.

I'm technically off on mat leave. However that's pretty much gone as I've spent hours grading/ranking students that I know better than the teacher who took over. I've prepared online resources for a group who would otherwise get involved nothing (complicated story). I've claimed 2 KIT days (5.5 hours) whereas I've easily done 30 hours.

Most teachers I know are working longer hours than ever.

My children's nursery is shut, grandparents can't do childcare anymore and husband is trying to WFH as well. It's a shit show so adding live teaching into the mix would be too much.

My 5 year old would be fine - I could just set him up with some colouring or TV and he would be no bother to live teaching.

But my toddler would cry for attention / want a snack / climb all over me / take his pants off as he is potty training etc. iPad time could buy me 20 mins at most.

I am DSL trained and work with social workers very regularly. None in our borough are live calling with their children present. But these are all from children’s services, it may be different in adult services.

I wouldn't want my child on screen to a load of teenagers. I don't mind if they pop in while I'm meeting a colleague on zoom as I trust my colleagues. I don't trust teenagers to not manipulate the video.

I want to know where all these students are who are doing all the work.

I’ve set detailed stuff for my y10. Same 3 out of 24 send me their work, every week. The rest seem to do nothing.

I’m sick of hounding them. And this is in an outstanding school....

But anyway, the point is that this is not something my school are directing me to do. We surveyed our parents and the vast majority wanted pre recorded videos with teacher availability. We use TEAMs so can catch in with pupils on a one to one basis if necessary.

Most parents said that they either didn’t have enough devices to allow their children to access live lessons or they wanted the flexibility to be able to direct the home schooling to fit in with work commitments.

@Useruseruserusee they definitely are in our borough

I organise my time and my children so they aren't on screen, as do the other professionals I come across.

Live teaching is not the same as a meeting with other adults, it just isn't.

Half my kids today kept unmuting themselves. One kept putting his video back on.

There's one if you and 20+ kids who at the younger end, still can't attach documents to Teams if emails very well.

Yr12 were fantastic. Thorou8 enjoyed teaching them today.

Yr9 were great, well those that turned up. About half the class bothered.

I'm making the effort. Non live lessons often include voiceovered PowerPoints now. Am still only getting 60% of the work back.

🤷‍♀️

[quote NeverTwerkNaked]@Useruseruserusee they definitely are in our borough

I organise my time and my children so they aren't on screen, as do the other professionals I come across.[/quote]
Perhaps you can come and organise my two year old for the duration of a teaching day.

Would be fine for children 4+ I would say.

@Mistressiggi I realise that it must be difficult and time-consuming to manage the fallout from this and I am very sympathetic to those doing this work. At the same time, I also think there is an enormous value in children receiving instruction/explanation from their teachers, and teachers being able to respond to children's questions/lead them in discussions via some kind of live teaching, and I think this element of teaching should be prioritised. But you seem to be vehemently opposed to that point of view and I do not understand that.

My year 9s at state grammar do not have live lessons. There is, however, lots of work set, but they are missing their actual lessons and teachers, and this is a reminder of the value we need to place on the profession of teaching.

@Catonmylap I agree with you

@Helspopje I would not be ok with my doctor’s children popping in to a consultation!

I don’t mind children appearing in non-confidential meetings with adults. Having them involved in meetings where private matters are concerned or where there are safeguarding concerns is not on.

@W00t

Maybe you need to ask his actual school, because my children are having full days of lessons every day

So are my state secondary DCs.

Also l teach in one of the top ten secondaries in England.

Our parents aren’t keen on too much screen time.

It is banned (live teaching) in my region so it's not an issue for me.
Currently I give explanations (audio on PowerPoints, and I've rewritten everything for the "home market" rather than just using the ones I'd use in a classroom) and students can post questions on Teams and also email me. I then give some personal feedback on every piece of work that's submitted to me.
But it's never going to be enough unless it's my face on a screen at 9.30 on a Tuesday. Live meetings seem more about childcare than anything else, and no concern for the ones who can't access them on their mobile with limited WiFi.