There’s a great deal of discussion taking place within schools and the media about how institutions are responding to the latest outbreak of Covid-19. We’ve already seen disruption to normal schooling across NSW, and many students will need to access learning materials and support from home, possibly for extended periods of time.
The biggest concern for teachers and parents alike is in maintaining the learning momentum for all students. However, many schools and school systems are facing challenges inherent in remotely serving the needs of their students.
Understanding the challenges of at-home education
Some of the key issues created by remote learning are access to technology and the skills to deploy it effectively, especially in disadvantaged and remote areas, as well as the challenge of adapting what works in the classroom to an online environment. These point to a potential problem of learning inequity that has not been fully anticipated or provided for.
Among the concerns raised by educators are the difficulties of providing direct instructional content to their students (i.e. face-to-face lessons which actually engage students).
Things like videos are hugely time-consuming and require experience, skill and the right tools. What’s more, these are not necessarily effective (how many students are still watching at the end?).
Young people need to have more organic and ongoing interaction with their teachers and their peers. As for written content…well, death by worksheet is a thing and most teachers limit these to one-pagers for a reason.
At the same time, school closures have instantly forced parents into the role of homeschool teacher. After months of taking this responsibility on last year, we all know how hard it can be to teach our own children (this goes for teachers, too).
How Cluey can help
Our education team and expert tutors have developed learning programs and quality content based on the New Zealand National Curriculum. Since our inception in 2018, we’ve delivered over 300,000 online learning sessions via our interactive platform, and also supported homeschool parents across the country through the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak last year and beyond.
We’re here to take the pressure off if you feel you need extra educational support at home. You can visit our website to find out more and book your first session or call us on 0800 005 370.
