Read on Twitter
Listen up, twittersphere. Anyone who& #39;s talking about how Coronavirus is going to herald a new world of online education is talking bollocks. Here& #39;s what Coronavirus has really taught us about what schools provide, beyond education 
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(1) Schools provide essential childcare.
Increasingly, with two parents working either full-time or part-time, schools fulfil an important role as cheap or free childcare.
Increasingly, with two parents working either full-time or part-time, schools fulfil an important role as cheap or free childcare.
(2) Children need to interact with a variety of adults
Listening in on online lessons, it& #39;s clear that our kids love to tell their teachers about... well, anything and everything. The teacher-child relationship is important!
Listening in on online lessons, it& #39;s clear that our kids love to tell their teachers about... well, anything and everything. The teacher-child relationship is important!
(3) Children need chance to develop their independence
We try not to be helicopter parents, at least not all the time. But in school, our kids get time apart from us to be themselves and do it themselves as well.
We try not to be helicopter parents, at least not all the time. But in school, our kids get time apart from us to be themselves and do it themselves as well.
(4) Exercise doesn& #39;t feel like exercise when it& #39;s play
We can& #39;t get our kids to follow Joe Wicks (sorry Joe) but they& #39;ll spend hours running around a playground with their friends. Playtimes and playgrounds are essential for physical fitness.
We can& #39;t get our kids to follow Joe Wicks (sorry Joe) but they& #39;ll spend hours running around a playground with their friends. Playtimes and playgrounds are essential for physical fitness.
(5) Schools are a safety net for many children
The silent social work that many teachers and schools provide has been thrown into spotlight, finally.
The silent social work that many teachers and schools provide has been thrown into spotlight, finally.
(6) Online learning doesn& #39;t scale.
A half-decent teacher can manage 20-30 6-year-olds in a room. Online, they& #39;re down to maximum 8 at a time and most of those have parents hovering as well.
A half-decent teacher can manage 20-30 6-year-olds in a room. Online, they& #39;re down to maximum 8 at a time and most of those have parents hovering as well.
That& #39;s not to say that remote learning has been a complete disaster! Here& #39;s some things I hope that schools will continue with...
1. Working with apps and online programmes as an aid/supplement to in-person teaching
2. Flexibility and variety with pacing & environment
1. Working with apps and online programmes as an aid/supplement to in-person teaching
2. Flexibility and variety with pacing & environment
3. A great focus on the kids& #39; emotional needs, and how learning and structure can support that.
4. Collaboration between school and parents to support children
(I know a lot of schools are already doing all these things)
4. Collaboration between school and parents to support children
(I know a lot of schools are already doing all these things)
And there are some gaps that have really been highlighted by this whole experience:
(1) Schools and teachers struggle with kids on a variety of devices - government-issued tablets for all children, please!
(1) Schools and teachers struggle with kids on a variety of devices - government-issued tablets for all children, please!
(2) Many teachers are not very tech-savvy - but like everyone, they adapt quickly if they& #39;re given the right support! They& #39;ve been forced to get online quickly, but there& #39;s not enough support for the safety and legal elements of online teaching
(3) Child online ID is a pain. It would be super helpful if there was an online identity platform for children which can allow syndicated ID to apps and administration by both parents and teachers (if anyone thinks this sounds interesting, HMU - I& #39;m thinking of building a thing)
(4) A "walled garden" type environment for primary aged children to safety explore limited parts (allow-listed rather than deny-listed) of the internet would be very helpful, please and thank you.
(5) Video conferencing software is not well suited to the kinds of interactions that teachers need with their pupils. If remote learning is going to be needed for much longer, then it would be great if the tooling could adapt quickly
