Learning through digital media is nothing new at the Alice Smith School, just as in many modern schools, teachers and students regularly interact using email, collaborative documents and a host of educational apps forming a rich, varied, and innovative academic experience. However, moving to an entirely remote programme is a challenge if not carefully managed.

When the Movement Control Order (MCO) was introduced on March 18, the school campuses were forced to close and Alice Smith teachers found amazing ways to ensure the continuity of learning for each one of their students.

Regular use of Google Suite, Classroom, and Meet provide a comprehensive toolkit to allow learning to continue unhindered. These represent just a small selection of the ever-changing palette of online resources their teachers use every day.

The results were inspirational, as can be seen from the parent and student feedback. First, the parents:

“I would like to say how well the distance-learning is working for my children. Many of their lessons are ‘Google Meets’ so they are able to connect not only with their teachers but also their classmates which is having not only a positive impact on their learning but also their mental well-being. The current situation we find ourselves in globally is new, strange and at times scary but I fully believe that my children could not be educated or cared for any better anywhere else.” (Year 9 and 11 parent)

“My kids are having very focussed and meaningful face-to-face interactions and offline study. When I came back yesterday, my daughter said, ‘This has been such a productive day, I love it!’” (Year 10 and 12 parent)

“This online lesson thing is genius… kids loving it, I’m loving it! I thought [the MCO] was going to be a nightmare but it’s not; they’re just doing a normal school day – you’ve got it so right, I must say!” (Year 7 and 11 parent)

“I think it is fantastic. The school has done an amazing job at keeping these kids stimulated and providing structure for the day. My kids are also finding it quite fun – long may it last! I have heard nothing but good things from parents and it’s certainly a big step up from what anyone else is doing.” (Year 9 and 11 parent)

And from the students:

“The Google Meets have been really fun and have helped me with my learning.”

“In the lessons, we are given a task, then the teacher is on standby on the Google Meet. It’s very helpful and feels just like a normal lesson.”

“I feel like the Google Meet calls have been very enjoyable when the teacher interacts with us because it feels like a normal lesson with the same workload.”

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