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LUMEN | COVID-19 PANDEMIC - TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE WORK , STUDY , PLAY AND LIVE
IB Programme Academy reinvents the way they teach
HBL was the perfect storm that challenged our educators to present a brand new way of adapting and reinventing their teaching and learning at the IP and IB levels . Although there were moments of anxiety , stress , fear and doubt , coupled with the urgent need to adjust to new ways of teaching and learning , everyone adapted to the latest measures quickly , ensuring minimal disruptions to their daily schedules .
There were hiccups at the start of HBL as both teachers and students had to adjust to new online platforms of Zoom and Google Meet for lessons . Teachers also had to modify their teaching and learning to 30-minutes of engagement time as compared to the usual hour . There were also security breaches that disrupted the online meeting platforms which compelled the teachers to go back to the drawing board to adjust their curriculum and innovate their pedagogical approaches to minimise the impact on learning . To further support their teaching and learning and to make lessons more engaging and interactive , some teachers video-recorded their lessons and concurrently conducted small-group consultations ; others used other platforms such as ACE Learning and InThinking to enhance the students ’ learning experiences . In many ways , HBL had inevitably ‘ forced ’ the teachers to innovate and reinvent their teaching practices and many saw this as a blessing in disguise .
The students were also appreciative of their teachers ’ effort during HBL . From checking on their well-being , to conducting interesting and well-paced lessons , the students saw how the teachers adapted their teaching styles to ensure effective learning . The students reciprocated and were mostly attentive and responsive during the online classes . Even though they were tired from prolonged screen time and some faced internet connectivity issues , the students have been selfdisciplined , engaged and eager to contribute to learning and sharing .
English teacher , Ms Daisy Chia , shared , “ HBL has been rather productive . Students are more forthcoming in their responses without having to prompt them too much . The more softspoken students are far more audible thanks to the technology .”
Ms Chia with her class : A befitting end to HBL Language and Literature lessons with our favorite book
Mr Kishor celebrates a student ’ s birthday together