CURRICULUM // REFLECTING ON LOCKDOWN
REFLECTING ON
LOCKDOWN LEARNING !
Director of Curriculum Laura Powell reflects on what we have learned during lockdown learning over the last six months , and on the incredible response from pupils , parents and staff .
As many of us enjoy some well-earned rest and relaxation over the summer break , it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on what we have learned over the last six months , and on the incredible response from pupils , parents and staff to the challenges and opportunities offered by our ‘ virtual ’ educational provision throughout the summer term .
Looking back to March – a memory which is both crystal clear yet strangely distant – it is apparent that resilience and adaptability have been the keys to successfully embracing our new circumstances this term , both on the part of staff and pupils . Inevitably , there has been a lot to learn along the way , but teachers have been positive and enthusiastic , quick to adapt and develop , and have continuously broadened their repertoire of skills and knowledge about the possibilities of online learning . We have all surprised ourselves with our capacity to embrace and embed the unfamiliar at a much faster pace than we could ever have anticipated !
Pupils , too , have shown incredible resilience in getting to grips with managing their time with greater independence , navigating different learning resources and – crucially – supporting one another in their learning . Collaboration and problemsolving , key skills that we nurture in our classrooms , have naturally evolved during our online provision this term and we are determined to ensure that our pupils maintain these capabilities as they return to classroom learning .
The format of our online provision was designed with the intention of maintaining a sense of familiarity and structured routine in the way that our pupils learned . Preserving our timetable format , with periods divided between online lessons and directed tasks , ensured that pupils maintained a good level of face-to-face contact with their teachers and one another , but also provided enhanced flexibility , allowing pupils to structure some of their work around other aspects of their home lives .
For our older pupils , online learning has enabled them to maintain pace with exam syllabi whilst our younger pupils have been able to continue their skills and knowledge development across the full range of curriculum subjects . The implementation of regular video teaching has been tremendously popular . For some pupils , it was the key to ensuring their learning continued in a familiar format :
‘ I think I ’ m doing everything I can in lessons , so I don ’ t believe there would be a need for change ,’ ( 2nd year ) allowing them to further develop key skills through ‘ really good use of Zoom [ in French ] to reflect on old work , upcoming work and something engaging for the lesson . The use of breakout rooms has been very effective in picking up my confidence when speaking .’ ( 4th year )
For other pupils , video lessons provided the opportunity to try new things and get creative outside the usual classroom parameters :
‘ recorded lessons in Maths are really useful ’ ( 3rd year )
‘ I really liked the MFL Pock Lockdown challenges because you get to do really creative things ’ ( 1st year )
‘ I have enjoyed science because the teacher is encouraging us to do our work outside e . g . we had to measure how fast our pets could run ’ ( 1st year )
One of the vital aspects to ensuring the success of our online provision was the capacity to maintain and develop the quality of the relationships between teachers and pupils – something which we value extremely highly at Pocklington .
Here too , video lessons were
successful ‘ where we have open talk and discussion ,’ ( Lower Sixth ) and allowed for collaborative work to continue : ‘ I like it when we get the opportunity to work in pairs and to work on something with a friend , even if it is over video .’ ( 1st year )
Other methods of communication between pupils and teachers , such as Microsoft Teams , helped to ensure that any queries could be swiftly resolved :
‘ Teams has worked really well and I like it a lot being able to quickly message your teacher .’ ( 4th year )
52 THE POCKLINGTONIAN