Schools must now 'build back better' to free teachers and students from old regimes
Schools must
now 'build back better' to free teachers and students from old regimes
For this Victorian teacher, returning to school at
this time feels appropriate, considering all other jurisdictions have already
returned to face-to-face teaching.
A ‘build back better’ move would be to allow a
portion of students’ load to be delivered remotely, giving teachers and
students some space for variety in their schedule, and freedom from the
byzantine and industrial timetable of schools.
The luxury of having a staged return to school is
thoughtful and appropriate.
Having a pupil-free day to collect thoughts and
approaches is also a good decision. This will allow for some respite to
prepare, plan and reflect, as called for previously. The fingerprint of AEU
Victoria in pushing for these measures is clear and deeply appreciated.
Health
and safety concerns on site
Realistically, schools will only look slightly
different: teachers will sit farther apart than normal, cleaning will be ramped
up, parents will be less welcome on school grounds and their school drop-offs
will be more tightly controlled and monitored (which is especially important in
primary settings). Enforcing staggered break times are impossible in most
secondary schools.
Yet, we teachers cannot socially distance in public
schools, within staffrooms and common areas nor within the classrooms. The work
of teaching is not only an exchange of ideas, but also objects, novels, pens,
books and so on. Staffrooms are rabbit-warrens of human activity and interaction,
more akin to a Christmas dinner table, elbow-to-elbow, than any vision of a
well-lit open-plan office in private industry.
This inevitably exposes a hypocrisy, where teachers
are asked to model best practice social-distancing and hygiene everywhere besides
within the classroom - and then must return to their cramped staffrooms to
attempt a mere pretence of these measures.
The optics on this are important and we teachers
will do our best to pretend these things are possible, so that we can model
best practice to our students. The reality will not always be ideal.
Has
remote learning been a 'success'?
This form of online delivery has been as successful
as could be expected in the circumstances. None of this is ideal, and I can’t
imagine any other industry or workplace being asked the same question. Has any
human endeavour been able to achieve any form of ‘success’ in this situation? I
would suggest not.
Student disengagement has emerged as an issue that
needs addressing as the weeks have worn on, with schools doing the best that
they can with limited funding and time to support those with the greatest
needs. Time that is being sapped even more now due to online learning
requirements, which has always been a very time-intensive endeavour.
Teachers have made the best of what they have
access to, as always, in the spaces where they are. Rural and remote schools
will have vastly different experiences of this than inner city, urban
areas. Australia-wide internet penetration is near 88%, a long way from complete
coverage. Students who are disadvantaged have remained disadvantaged and remote
learning is not likely to be a salve for some of the issues that they carry
with them. Results will vary dramatically across the system, which is something
that PISA data consistently shows. A move to universal internet access, of an
appropriate standard, is something that needs to be considered going forward,
as well as a more consistent funding model for cushioning the impacts of
social disadvantage within schools.
Teacher workload has increased dramatically, with
many studies confirming that a transition to online learning is a dramatic
impasse on our time. These studies note this trend under normal circumstances,
let alone under the additional stress, anxiety, risk and concern of our current
plight.
However, teachers and students have both learnt
just how flexible and adaptable they are.
Lessons
from remote learning
Rebecca Winthrop, co-director at the Center for
Universal Education, notes that one of the core principles of education during
a crisis is to ‘build back better’. The staged return to school and pupil-free
days means some moments to breath, but at an organisational and system level,
will much thought be given to this?
As a result of this situation, teachers’ toolkits
have expanded exponentially. Ways of teaching not commonly attempted by most
teachers have now been trialled – and for an extended period of time. Are there
elements of this that could become mainstays of our education system? Let’s
consider a few options:
- More flexible teacher and student work,
including from portions from home
- Less testing and emphasis on standardised
tests, such as NAPLAN and PISA
- A reduction in class time, to allow for choice
and agency to continue to develop
There is potential for more flexible working
conditions for teachers, who currently work from 8am to 8pm most days, with
breaks for parenting, basic needs and little else.
A ‘build back better’ move would be to allow a
portion of students’ load to be delivered remotely, giving teachers and
students some space for variety in their schedule, and freedom from the
byzantine and industrial timetable of schools.
If students were free to work - via the best
technological means available - from their homes, teachers would be freed up to
attend essential appointments, care for their own children, get their car
serviced and all of those things that invariably pile up and get completed
during school holidays. Students would have the time and space to continue to
prove and develop their autonomy and independence.
The Australian education system is one warped by
inaccurate and poorly understood testing regimes that have shown nothing but a
consistent decline on these measures. When an intervention shows such a trend,
any industry besides teaching would consider disbanding it and trying a
different approach.
Now is that time for these conversations to be had
and for alternatives to be developed.
We seek to develop students who are lifelong
learners, but do not allow them any freedoms to do so, let alone time and space
in which to reflect upon this concept. Reducing class time is the only way to
achieve this, and would bring our system in line with those of countries around
the world who consistently outperform us.
The key takeaway from this experience is that the
vast majority of high school-aged students can be trusted to work independently
at home.
This statement stands, whilst also admitting that
students who are already disadvantaged need greater support, funding and
intervention. This is as clear now, as ever.
Student voice, choice and agency is spoken of
breathlessly in pious tones in secondary schools, but rarely are these ideas
pursued beyond window dressing. Remote and blended learning delivered flexibly
by our cadre of expert teachers proposes real possibilities for this to become
not only a ‘new normal’ but a ‘build back better’ move.
There is the risk that without sufficient time to
reflect and process on what we have learnt from the COVID-19 crisis, that many
of the revelations for teachers and students will be forgotten.
The deepest reflection teachers do undoubtedly
occurs during school holidays, so from a professional growth standpoint, having
all of Term 2 set aside for remote learning would have been ideal. Yet to
suggest this, shows a lack of awareness as the much larger and broader concerns
at play.
There is a risk that this period is viewed as a
fleeting, fever-like dream or as a conference that was interesting and
uplifting but ultimately forgotten amid the cascade of work during the weeks
following.
So, let’s build back better. Let’s empower teachers
and students as the lifelong learners they are. Let’s free up space within
timetables - initially through flexible use of digital teaching tools, but
later through reductions in face-to-face teaching.
A profession and system at breaking point, where
teachers are routinely lost to other careers, is not the one we want to see
persist out of this period.
Instead, let a more flexible and innovative
teaching profession emerge, where an increased emphasis is placed on
student autonomy, choice and voice.
Originally published: https://educationhq.com/news/schools-must-now-build-back-better-to-free-teachers-and-students-from-old-regimes-76988/
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