Scotland eyes outdoor learning as model for reopening of schools. Outdoor learning could offer a template for socially distanced schooling across Scotland, according to practitioners who believe the coronavirus pandemic could push parents and teachers to embrace the benefits of education in the outdoors.
‘Keep children in nursery longer’ to help with social distancing at UK schools. Leading nurseries are urging the government to let them help primary schools cope with social distancing rules by allowing children to stay in their pre-school classes for months longer than planned.
The Call to Unite on Livestream. Busting the Myth That Regulations Impede Innovation. Working in highly-regulated environments can put a damper on creative thinking.
However, regulatory change, especially in healthcare, is providing new opportunities for innovation. Revised reimbursement policies are enabling telemedicine to grow. The reduction of certain HIPAA guidelines temporarily offers some flexibility in care delivery. And permitting doctors to practice medicine beyond the state where they are licensed enables more care in disease hotspots. Does COVID provide a moment to re-evaluate our education system – to future (and virus) proof it? - Real Ideas Organisation. A Recovery Curriculum – Evidence for Learning. Italian lessons: what we've learned from two months of home schooling.
Most of us in Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy, remember the weekend of 22 February very clearly.
To begin with there were just rumours – phone calls and messages flying around between friends – but then it was confirmed: all schools in the region were going to close for a week. The decision was, in many ways, shocking. At that time, there had only been three deaths from Covid-19 in Italy, and only 152 reported infections. It seemed strange that education was the first social activity to be sacrificed. I guessed it was because it wasn’t perceived to be economically productive. Still, to our three kids – Benny (15), Emma (13) and Leo (9) – the idea of a week off seemed like bliss. Moodle. I am finally sitting down, after 3 weeks of shelter in place.
(sigh) I am just starting to calm down enough to think, and write, and reflect. Here are my reflections on the coronavirus, distance learning, and what the hell it means for our education system. Ok. Here’s the current reality. The coronavirus is spreading and we are averaging a thousand deaths per day, 13,000 deaths as of April 7th, 2020. Part 1 – And Just Like That We Closed Schools.
Innovative Education Network: Task Groups. Coronavirus (COVID-19): supporting pupils, parents and teachers - learning during term 4 - gov.scot. What matters April 2020.docx. Education was never the sole focus of schools. The coronavirus pandemic has proved it. Preparing for Uncertainty – Hidden Giants. During these strange times we believe individual stories can help the collective find new ways of working.
We invited Katy Anderson, a teacher in Blackburn Primary, to reflect on how she prepared her class to continue to learn and grow through periods of uncertainty. This is her and her pupils story . . . Coronavirus: How Will Exam Cancellations Affect Students? With the cancellation of all GCSE and A level summer exams amid the coronavirus pandemic, the system for awarding student grades been transformed beyond recognition.
The government has provided some clarity on how grades will be awarded but concerns remain as to how learners from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will be affected, writes teacher trainer Edita Memisi. In determining students’ grades, instead of exams, teachers will provide a guided assessment grade of their students’ attainment based on a combination of sources. These include classwork, coursework pieces and mock examination results, a process which will be moderated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations (Ofqual). The Department for Education has asked teachers to make judgments on individual students and the grade they would have most likely achieved if they had sat their exam.
While the decision to include a variety of sources of students’ work is a welcomed approach, there are still challenges to consider. I can't wait for the school holidays. I can finally stop doing my kids' homework. “It is important,” said an email from the headteacher of the secondary school my eldest attends, “to maintain the distinction of the holidays.”
I have never agreed more with any human being. Thanks to Easter, homeschooling is out for two weeks, which means living the same life, only with less guilt and fewer arguments at 10am over whether 9am is a good time to start. When the Covid-19 crisis finally ends, schools must never return to normal. From goodness knows where, in the last few weeks school and college leaders have pulled out all the stops.
Despite 10 years of real-term funding cuts and ongoing fears of redundancies, the education profession has risen to the Covid-19 challenge. From nursery schools to further education colleges, colleagues have entrenched themselves in their communities, caring for the children of key workers and those at risk of harm while becoming distributors of food and providers of essential social care services. Hundreds of thousands of teachers and support staff are busy at home trying to provide a support system for parents and a semblance of routine for children and young people.