Remote/Online Learning

[hosnav]

Can anyone fill me in on how schools in Scotland are approaching online learning?

My kids are currently at an International School in Thailand and we are moving to Edinburgh next academic year, so just interested to know how the approaches compare.
My two are in S3 and S4 and all their lessons are live on Google Meets. So basically almost exactly as they would be in school (minus the social interaction and hands on/group activities, of course!). The teacher takes a register at the beginning of each lesson, teaches, sets work and the kids then have to submit what they've done there and then. They even have to register for things like PE and are then expected to do an activity (which admittedly mine don't always do).

In the Primary end of their school they have live teaching every day for English and Maths from P4 to P7 and also group and 1:1 sessions every week with their class teacher. For Nursery to P3 they have one live morning session and then two 1:1 sessions in the week.
This is of course a private school but interested to know how it compares to both state and private in Scotland.
Thanks!

Can only speak for state secondary where I work and the one my DD attends both in the same Local Authority.

I am not doing video lessons and it is strongly advised against in Scottish secondary schools at present due to possible safeguarding issues for the pupils and teachers.

I am a teacher of a core subject (English) and the routine that has emerged which is resulting in the most engagement from BGE pupils is this - I assign a range of tasks on a Monday that I would expect pupils to complete in the time they would have in class ( 4 x 50mins) which the can submit at any point. Setting work daily was being ignored. I post regular encouragement to check in with me just to say how they are finding tasks - ignored. I post little discussion questions to try an instigate some interactions between them ignored. But this is all fine as it's new, weird and I have no idea what their circumstances are.

Senior Phase I have been posted resources to support them beginning the N5 and Higher courses. Clips to watch, extracts to read and tasks to accompany them.

There is no registration process. I inform Pupil Support of anyone not engaging with learning and they act accordingly.

I give feedback quickly on all submissions.

My DD completes online registration on a Monday and has been allocated Google Classrooms for her 20/21 session.

When you say S3 and S4 is that now or after summer? S4 - could you look at them signing up to virtual classroom now so are accessing the same learning as the would be in Scotland? You may have seen the other thread about schools starting next year's work now?

Our school not doing very much at all which is a real shame

User have you contacted them? The remote learning platforms are new to pupils, parents and teachers alike. My colleague's DC was adamant he had no work, nothing whatsoever from any teacher. Just before she pressed send on a firmly worded email she thought she'd have a quick look. As a teacher she had some knowledge of the platform his school was using. Turned out her DC didn't know he had to click on the class to open it up and see the work in the stream.

I know that,as a teacher, I had used the application my school has chosen in basic ways such as sharing revision resources to seniors or class work to absentees. But not to any great extent and I was picking it up as I went along (1 hour training) and gradually discovering what I could use it for.

The result is teachers sharing work in different ways, pupils submitting work in different ways. Giving feedback in different ways and places to ensure the pupil sees it. Not anyone's fault.

But let them know if you're DC isn't getting anything. If you have and nothing has happened you can still escalate it.

There is revision stuff but no actual teaching

What do you mean by teaching though?

I am posting texts with tasks to complete and making a huge effort to source material and create activities that are engaging, relevant, allow for differentiation and give learners the chance to make progress. I give detailed feedback on each submission. But, I can't stand in front of them and teach in the way I am used to.

A genuine question from someone who really wants quality learning for her pupils- what would remote teaching look like to you? Keeping in mind I am not allowed to have video lessons .

@Lidlfix do you agree with the safeguarding point? My kids' teachers record their live lessons for safeguarding purposes. The live lessons are really key to successful teaching and learning as far as I can see, in the schools that allow it. For Primary too it is apparent how much of the teacher's role is encouragement and motivation and if they are just set tasks then many of them find it virtually impossible to complete them. When the tecaher is there live, they can keep them moving through their tasks, just like they would in school. I appreciate through that all kids would need access to devices and Internet which not all would, so that's a big issue. My children's school has a bring your own device policy so all children need to have a tablet or laptop, even in regular school time. Would be interested to know if private schools are doing live lessons. I have heard through friends with kids at private schools in England that they are doing every lesson live.

Totally I have no desire to be photo shopped into a porno or ridiculed in a Tiktok. Teens, tech time on their hands. What could possibly go wrong ... My DDs have shown me some. And that was the ones they would let me see

Me recording a lesson gives no protection to what is done with my image and voice.

I think this is much less of a risk in primary. It would be equity not safeguarding that would be my concern. My Dsis and Dbil are a decidedly average family. Both WFH and sharing a laptop. 3 school age DC being sent lessons, She'd be trying to get them to attempt work at 2200 .

Teachers in England and in independent schools are describing parents critiquing teachers' homes, the input of other children (and their homes) and head teachers having to intervene as parents become inspectors.

@Lidlfix very interesting points about your image that never would have occurred to me. Such a shame that behaviour like that has to be considered! Totally agree about equity - that is a real concern, and I suppose could be used to argue that an assumption should be made that no school curriculum should be taught during closure. Certainly going to be hard for teachers to pick up the pieces when schools open again.

I don't really understand the issues,because everyone else is using Zoom etc ,to do their job,have had 4 zoom calls already this morning

I can't say I always enjoy them ,but no choice ,just need to get on with it,only way to do my job

Universities seem to be doing them,and colleges,some GP practices

But if teachers won't then I suppose that's that. I just thought they would be doing on line teaching.

User Scottish Swimming Zoom virtual training was hacked with horrific porn . We are using tech that has not been tested for this type and volume of usage .

I'd prefer it wasn't trialled on children.

Is a teacher talking with to a class/group of children the only way we envisage teaching? I sound like a seminar in a teacher training course.

Am arranging some private tutoring

East Dunbartonshire - primary - are doing pretty much fuck all. A few twinkl worksheets, activity ideas which involve massive parental input and links to other online resources.

Teachers have been told not to do anything ‘new’ so it’s all basically revision. Which we’re doing (or trying to) because by the time they go back (if?!) in August they’ll have been off for nearly half a year.

I don’t blame the teachers, they’re great, it’s the council/government’s inability to think of ways round the issues.

Hosnav - as an expat with 2 kids just completing their first year of Primary 6 and S2, I can tell you that the online offerings are NO WHERE near as involved as the International schools they have just come from (and we are in probably the best council for schools in Scotland).

My kids are at a high-performing secondary (state sector) and the provision has been DIRE. No online lessons at all, under an edict from the local Authority. Each department has a scheduled online time through Glow and MS Teams, but it's very much "here's the worksheet and email me if you get stuck".

No account taken whatsoever about kids who can't access tech or who are sharing a single tablet between a family of 6. Little to no feedback on work. One teacher in one department is according to DD being "brilliant" and really engaging with the situation and communicating on an individual basis with the kids. The others aren't.

It's a very poor state of affairs, especially as I have one sitting Nat 5s this time next year.

Agree it's a total shambles and down to the government/local authorities. Their guidance has been very much "do what you can" and "if you can't do very much there's no consequences for that".

Totally I have no desire to be photo shopped into a porno or ridiculed in a Tiktok. Teens, tech time on their hands. What could possibly go wrong ... My DDs have shown me some. And that was the ones they would let me seeblush
Omg I must be so naive. I had no idea this is one of the reasons why video teaching has been outlawed. Even for college all the videos are turned off, dd can't even see her classmates! The lecturer has one of those fancy backgrounds, so not just the normal room he is in!

My DDs secondary school are doing less and less as the week's go by. Really disappointed to be honest and DD doesn't want to do anything that isn't set by the school so encouraging her to do other things is not working.

We are in a low league table school, in a not very good local authority and I suspect the higher league table schools, in better areas such as east renfrewshire and stirling, are doing better with online learning.

I think many of the teachers are unfamiliar with online learning and possibly even technology.

Maths is pretty much sumdog.
Home Ec is looking at dessert pictures and identifying the dessert (primary school work IMO),
PE is go for a walk?,
social subjects has been some crime games it seems,
English has been almost non existent,
Science has been constant chemistry and none of the other sciences
Music has been practice her instrument so that's gone well
Art has been almost non existent
Computing and business subjects has been almost non existent
French has been pretty regular and good

Really worried about DD's long term exam results if she's going to be a few months behind overall with her learning

DD has just shared S3 and her school use Google classroom. Each subject sets work on a Monday to be in for friday, some subjects are doing also offering optional tasks like cyber security or watching films and reviewing them.

DD has got stuck in and is sat in front of her school supplied Chromebook every day for about 5 hours and she has not complained about it yetm . All her work is marked and returned by the teachers.

It did help that she had the Chromebook and is used to doing work set via Google classroom as I can imagine it might be a big change for some

ds hasn't had much since Easter as he is on study leave for his, now cancelled, NAT5 exams. His English teacher has been setting them a close reading and critical essay task most weeks, Physics and French have been setting them a past paper each week, which they then mark themselves. Nothing for Maths or Chemistry which he is also taking to Higher so he has been following the example of Physics and French and doing a past paper each week himself.

School has been preparing to start Higher work (along with everything else they have been doing!), they have sent them their Higher timetables this week and Higher work will start as of Monday next week.

We have received an email to say the timetables are for when they go back, they are not expected to be "in class" at those times so I am not expecting any "live" teaching. Need to wait and see what they get and how it goes next week.

Yes zoom isn't safe. My friend is a health imrovement officer and horrific child porn was shown during a hacked zoom NHS meeting with 30 people on it They've been offered counselling. Not worth the risk.

My dc are 9 (P5) and 5 (p1), large state primary school.

Teachers upload work to a Google drive folder, mostly twinkle worksheets and other tasks. We print it out, photograph completes work and send it back via an app for (limited) feedback. They also have access to a number of online platforms but up to them if they use them and use isn't tracked by teachers that I know of (Nessy, purple mash, accelerated reader and many more, too many actually I can't keep up!).

There's a few issues, many homes don't have printers to print the worksheets and many only have one device for multiple children and parents who are working from home.

No live teaching at all, my p5 the work is set each week for each subject and very clear what they need to do. My p1 gets very little and I'm finding my own resources for them.

Zoom has made a number of changes to stop the 'zoom bombing' its recommended you use a waiting room and password for your meeting to prevent this from happening.

I'd disagree that schools higher up the league tables are doing better. Our east Dunbartonshire secondary is top 5 or 6 in Scotland and is dreadful.

Wow, very interesting to read but doesn't sound very positive. Still keen to know if private are any different to all of the above or not.
As for worksheets, my kids school also prints any worksheets they will need over the course of the week (if parents request them to) all labelled with the day they will use them, and parents can either drive by the school and have them handed into their car window or have them sent by a courier. They also have daily 1:1 support for children with learning support or EAL.

@cantmovewont how are you kids finding the transition from International School to Scottish state school in general?

They are finding it tricky to make friends - especially the P6 - their life experiences are very very different.

Academically the youngest is on target (he went to an IB school) and the S2 is way ahead, but she went to an extremely academic school...

I was just bemoaning the lack of interactive teaching via Zoom, so this thread has been an eye-opener. Have 1 DC in S4 and 1 in p7. S4 child has finally been set some work, but there is a lot of emphasis on 'do what you can'. This is fine for my S4 who is quite motivated and who fortunately has access to tech, but I would imagine some kids are doing v little. I have engaged a private tutor for French and might consider doing more of this depending on how things pan out.

DC in p7 - I am fairly happy with what's happening. They have a grid of work set every week and upload tasks on to Teams for feedback. Teacher is really responsive on Teams, so it's sort of working, but it's still hard to keep this DC focused, they are really missing the interaction.