Over the last three weeks we have connected with parents from all the EY and Primary ages, to change thoughts, views, concerns, suggestions and receive feedback on how the learning is proceeding for their children. After these seven sessions, consuming many cups of coffee, there are a couple of things that stand out for me. But first I would like to thank all the parents who have joined us for these sessions. It is very important to us to stay connected with our families so we can move along as one community and achieve the best outcomes for the children.
The comments we received during these evenings were very encouraging and supportive. It is lovely for us to hear parents voicing their appreciation. There were lots of positive comments from EY parents about the way the teachers have been able to keep the learning safe and exciting for the young children physically in school. Teaching under strict SOPs can be challenging and complicated but our team has managed really well to make it happen.
The Primary school parents spoke about how the teachers managed to run effective and engaging sessions for the children who are learning online. Learning online can only be a substitute for what happens in schools. We all prefer to be learning in school but the way the teachers have managed to continue the children’s learning progress and engagement is truly commendable. We have also heard many parents commenting on how their children have become more independent, following the timetable themselves and making sure that they are on time and in the right Zoom session.
When it comes to learning online, there are different viewpoints on just how much Zoom-video contact time there should be. Some parents feel it should be limited as the children can only concentrate for a limited amount of time. On the other hand, some parents feel that children should be online full-time to mirror the amount of contact time the children receive when they are physically in school. It is our point of view that full-time video contact time would not be effective or appropriate. Providing instruction and checking for understanding can be done online effectively. The time taken for this differs per age group and can also differ depending on the types of activities. Variety in the activities is very important, min-breaks can also help greatly. When children are working independently, monitoring their progress, concentration and effort is something which is far more difficult online. In other words; keeping children on task is not always possible or desirable online. This is often replaced by feedback on the task given or through specific support sessions where required. For now, we would like to stress that every child is different and has different needs. Please do contact the school if you have any concerns about your child's learning online, we are here to help.
All of us here at TIS Puchong wish all our Chinese Malaysian families enjoyable and safe CNY celebrations and everybody else some great holiday days before school commences again on Tuesday the 16th.
