FEATURE FOCUS: ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
Great online AP ensures students feel part of a community of learners all seeking to reconnect with learning and overcome personal barriers. Making this process straightforward takes thought and investment from an online provider but it pays dividends, especially when learners face challenges in moving online, perhaps with their motivation, understanding or simply coping with change. However, the relational aspect of a welcoming induction, moving into live lessons that are supported by recordings or the provision of 1-to-1 discussion with teachers in break out spaces are all examples of how we build that connection and trust that helps young people manage change.
Innovation in participation
have become apparent. Many of these will be familiar to readers having experienced online teaching in recent years during the Covid19 pandemic. But our experience stretches far beyond that and has afforded us insights into what really works. It’s not exhaustive but the list below goes some way to explaining why online AP works and why demand for it is growing.
Our teachers choose AP and they choose online
We know one of the biggest determinants of student success is the quality and efficacy of the teacher. So having teachers that are motivated to build relationships with students and skilled enough to ‘reach through the screen’ to inspire and challenge students is a mission for us. It is the reason we deliver live lessons, which we record, as opposed to a live stream of a pre-recorded lesson or other approach. There has to be space and opportunity for teachers to be responsive to a learner’s understanding and adapt their delivery to the dynamic of the whole group. It is also why we spend a great deal of time thinking about our training and making use of expertise within our school to support others in an ethos of continuous improvement. Just this month we have delivered sessions on ‘online classroom presence’ and teams have spent time in deliberate planning about how to take our assessment for learning to the next level. Equally, we’ve reviewed how to tease out misconceptions more readily from learners with a wide range of needs and reflected on what an optimum explanation looks like online. Teacher quality is serious business but worth the investment!
Flexibility
This comes up time and again from the students and school leaders using our provision – online works well if it can offer the flexibility for school and student that fits in with other priorities. Our size allows us to run lessons at different times in the day to fit in with a commissioning school’s timetable or to ensure lesson times account for the additional needs a learner might have. For example, if they feel less anxious at a particular point in the day or they need breaks at a particular point we can accommodate that.
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Linked to this is capacity – schools often need flexibility to use online AP at short notice. So having the scope to run many classes and enrol students carefully but quickly is a huge benefit to our partners and something that makes online AP effective.
Immediate connection
At its core, moving online provides learners with a shift in environment that can remove learners from situations in which they have struggled to cope. It provides a break from scenarios that cause anxiety, dysregulation or challenging behaviours and, crucially, room for other interventions to work and perspectives to shift, whist maintaining a quality education. When connected to a transition plan for the young person it can be very powerful.
Immediate connection is a top priority. This may be through live induction, celebrating ‘wins’ early on through our recognition system; ensuring classes are easy to access or just that the welcome in class fulsome and teachers have access to information on student need.
As you might expect we seek to work at the forefront of where technology meets student need, providing opportunities to integrate tools that elevate engagement, smooth access and aid assessment. The multiple means of participation possible in online AP is one such example. In our classrooms we see previously disengaged learners able to use polls, chat pods, teacher- student pods, break out spaces, quizzing tools and feedback tools that encourage dialogue. This gives learners options for interaction that can meet their needs and can evolve as they grow in confidence. On the school side, we make sure school leaders can track attendance online immediately or view marks and teacher judgements at a glance on a bespoke platform so they can monitor participation in the broadest sense. These safeguards and monitoring tools ensure online learning can be effective for learners. There is such strength in this approach, not just in accommodating need but also playing into the strengths that students have in the digital space.
It is important to note that as with any provision, there are challenges – moving to online AP is often a change for a young person that needs thought and support. The focus on core principles of connection, partnership and teacher presence are a powerful foundation from which to overcome barriers and bring the kind of success that instils confidence and self-belief for whatever comes next.
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