VIEWS & OPINION


Supporting distance


learning Comment by GARETH ANDREWS, Head of Marketing, Renaissance Learning


In extraordinary times like these, it is imperative that both schools and suppliers endeavour to adapt quickly to continue to provide students and parents with support for the essentials, such as reading. It is equally important, especially during prolonged periods of


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unexpected school closure, that the technology involved in providing distance learning doesn’t itself become a distraction to teaching and learning – nor a short-lived ‘novelty’ for students – and remains equitable for all. However, such challenges also provide opportunities and engender creative solutions, which is something we have seen from some of the thousands of schools we work with at Renaissance. We have always encouraged parental involvement in a student’s


However, such challenges also t


academic success, which is why we created the Home Connect feature for schools. This online allows parents/guardians to follow their child’s progress in reading and maths in real time – but in recent weeks some schools have also been using it as a vehicle to share and mark assignments. For over 30 years globally and 20 in the UK, we have sought to


This online allows parents/guardians to follow


MyTutor launches free online school for GCSE students


T


he closure of schools as a result of


preventative measures following the outbreak of coronavirus has affected thousands of children across the UK, and many students and parents have been worried about the uncertainty this will bring to pupils’ education. Ofqual – the exams regulator – has now released details of the standardised assessment process which will take their place. Schools and colleges will be asked to provide both a centre grade in each subject for each student and a rank order of pupils within each grade. If pupils are not happy with the result predicted for them, they can of course sit the exam in the autumn or next summer. Therefore, the necessity for vigilant education still remains. MyTutor – the UK’s leading online tutoring service – in a bid to support


those working diligently on their studies at home, has launched a new, free Online School which is packed with help for GCSE students. The platform offers daily live group tutorials on key GCSE topics and new resources are added every day.


0203 773 6024 www.mytutor.co.uk


April 2020 E-learning Supplement


leverage technology to help improve teaching and learning, which is why we have long hosted our solutions in the ‘cloud’. The versatility this offers meant that when school closures were first announced in Ireland, we were able to move quickly to allow students uninterrupted access to Accelerated Reader quizzes from home, for example. Whilst this has helped offer a sense of normality and continuation for the students, it has also been important to support teachers in maintaining as high-quality fidelity of implementation as possible. Just because the students are not in the classroom doesn’t mean that standards shouldn’t be met wherever possible, so making support and training available is very important at times like these. An interesting side-effect has been the increased demand we have seen for webinars, remote and online training, which is no doubt true for many education providers. To further support parents as much as schools themselves, and


true to our mission of ‘Accelerating learning for all’, we not only revised our guidance on using our solutions from home for our customers, but wanted to help all students across the UK and Ireland. To that end, we have made over 7,000 enhanced digital books from myON freely available for anyone to read for the duration of school closures due to COVID-19 – and the response has been fantastic. Again, testament to the ingenuity of teachers, has been the


speed at which they have used existing solutions in innovative ways to adapt to the current situation and facilitate distance learning. Particularly notable for us has been the response from Headteacher Richard Slade and his team at Plumcroft Primary School, who have placed myON Projects at the heart of their support for students during closure. In their approach, the school has made a Distance Learning Portal


accessible from the home page of their website, offering parents guidance on how to access the school’s solutions along with tasks and activities for their children to complete. Ultimately, only time will tell how successfully distance learning


will work for both schools and students, but right now the willingness to experiment and adapt to change is commendable – and something we certainly support. You can learn more about the support we are offering schools in the UK and Ireland at www.renlearn.co.uk.


www.education-today.co.uk 5


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