Sharing Good Practice
POST PANDEMIC EDUCATION WHAT SHOULD THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE ?
BY : DEE SARAN
Having now been entangled in over a year of disruption , there is no real surprise that many of us are yearning for a sense of normalcy . Be it the smell of opening up a fresh set of exercise books or being able to see all of our students in their entirety , face to face or without their masks , there is no doubt that some aspects of what used to be , were better , or perhaps just more familiar .
Whilst we may be exhausted from grappling with simultaneously living in multiple times , one day this will subside and in some ways the pandemic may have set us on a new path . Looking back at past pandemics and Christakis ’ recent analysis , he reminds us of the longevity of what lies ahead . He labels the stages as ‘ the immediate pandemic period ’, ‘ the intermediate pandemic period ’ and ‘ the post-pandemic period ’ – a time span covering 2020 to 2024 . In practical terms , humans will grapple with chaos , survival , innovative breakthroughs , destructive elements , and more . In preparation of the unknown , the best stance we can take is to know that
almost everything will be different . In short , this prolonged ambiguity creates a tangible opportunity to make some positive changes ...
Develop Pedagogies of Social Knowledge and Collaborative Intelligence
There has been so much pedagogical imagination deployed during the pandemic , it has been truly inspiring . The knowledge and experience gained by engaging in various modalities of remote and blended learning are assets that could be deepened and deployed in the future . The focus should be on using these to create a more personalised learning experience for students that are not bound by time or physicality . Technology has really helped to enhance personalisation and accelerate learning when adapted in a flipped context . Learning needs to be a more open and flexible process allowing each student to grow and find their own niche in life .
By the same token it is important that leaders take stock from the lessons learned from this period to ensure that they are systematically collected and evaluated . Whilst the integration of breakout rooms and turning to your immediate ( but socially distanced ) partner have plugged the pedagogical gap , it has been abundantly clear from our pulse surveys that what students miss most is the opportunities to collaborate and engage in meaningful dialogue .
The focus on dialogic learning will not only help in the race to recover the loss of learning that some schools face , but it will help students to articulate their feelings about learning which will be an essential component in helping students to stay resilient and reassured by their teachers on both a pastoral and academic front .
There is no doubt that learning whilst online places greater demands on autonomy , capacity for independent learning , executive functioning , selfmonitoring , and the motivation to learn
18 Term 3 Apr - Jun 2021
Class Time