As we prepare for returning to school for this short time and in very different circumstances, we thought it would be a good idea to reflect on what can be achieved in this time. Each school is approaching Check-in, Catch-up and Prepare differently, dependant on the school environment, staffing and a whole-range of other challenges. We need to appreciate the tremendous work that has been done by staff and school leaders during this crisis in responding to this global pandemic. However, this is not the end of this crisis and we're merely embarking on the next stages in responding to it; and it's not without its continuing challenges.
It's been really encouraging to see many teachers sharing their excitement at seeing their learners again as well as confessing some anxiety about the whole situation. Apprehension is natural and the new working conditions are very different to the schools we left in March. We wish everyone the very best of everything as the doors open a little before the summer break for us to make the best of Check-in, Catch-up and Prepare.
Given the huge amount of concern, worries and issues surrounding the learning gap and remote learning, which many have written about recently, there's no surprise that the task we have in front of us is massive. The danger here is we may lose focus in trying to address all these issues without seizing the moment to get the best impact in the long-run. In reflecting with colleagues on what Check-in, Catch-up and Prepare can achieve, we have produced this graphic as a check-list to help us focus on the key elements and thought we would share these in case it's of use to others as we prepare for tomorrow.
Check-in
The main focus of this aspect is clearly well-being. We simply cannot know how this whole situation has affected our learners and what impact it's having on their mental health and emotions. We are likely to see a wide range of different stories and situations both positive and negative. It will be important to give our learners some space in which to talk about and reflect on this time away from school. Some will have been in touch with friends and others will not, so allowing space to chat and share their experiences will be key and should not be rushed. Human contact with people outside of their immediate family may be quite overwhelming for some. We need to be prepared to deal with possible bereavement. Family or close friends of the family may have seen deaths or serious illnesses during this time too. Being ready to respond to these situations is difficult yet is the real focus of any check-in.
Catch-up
There are lots of issues that could arise from addressing catch-up. A key aspect of this is for our schools to gather data on the many barriers our learners are facing with regard to completing and learning remotely. They've also been forced into a new way of working so listening carefully to their views, the barriers they face and personal struggles with the work is vital to understanding how we can improve our delivery of blended learning in the future. The scope of catch-up is huge and many learners will have a huge backlog of work which will be daunting and could have a massive negative impact if we don't address this with care. We need to be clear as to what the expectations are and be ready to respond in such a way that enables them to begin engaging and not be frightened off because of the sheer scale of the task. Small steps are better than no steps and trying to build effective habits is crucial if we have to continue with blended learning in future. The support element is crucial and offering practical examples of how to organise and develop realistic steps should be preferred to supplying endless lists of things for the learners to do better. Engaging more learners has to be the central aim of catch-up.
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