EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
S
chool’s been out for many at least since February, if not before. With second waves of the coronavirus pandemic already hitting, and more local lockdowns likely while restrictions elsewhere are lifting, planning for the
next few months is going to be hard for international schools, parents and students; especially those preparing for new school starts, GCSEs, IB and A Levels, entrance examinations and 11+ assessments into the autumn and winter terms. Coupled with the advice of economists like Professor Andrew
Scott of London Business School – businesses and employers need to prepare for post-lockdown bounce-back and the sharp, if patchy, recovery of demand and increased workload this will bring – employers and parents are looking to find solutions to support globally mobile parents’ productivity, relocation plans and family wellbeing.
ONLINE LEARNING According to UNESCO, coronavirus has disrupted the learning lives of 1.7 billion children and young people across the globe. Online distance-learning has been crucial to continuing education for many through online portals and platforms like Blackboard and Schoology, or with more mainstream tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout or Zoom. The Global Education Practice of management consultants,
LEK Consultants, recently published research and guidance for education providers looking to enhance or benchmark their practices. As well as offering useful insight for employers and parents, it will no doubt be useful for educators to assess their approaches to-date over the summer. LEK’s report identifies four key functions of virtual education
operations:
• academic services • non-academic activities • psychological support • communication with parents and students.
Handily for international families stranded in their host or home
country, LEK’s Primer on Designing Virtual Operations identifies two popular approaches to content delivery. Synchronous learning happens in real-time like a virtual classroom. Asynchronous, potentially useful where the student is away from their school and in another time-zone, is more self-directed with pre-recorded lessons. Both have their merits, including direct interaction with teaching staff in streamed, real-time lessons, or, for learners – and their supervising parents and carers – having the choice to go at their own pace. According to LEK, “the Shanghai American School in China
and the Yokohama International School in Japan have adopted asynchronous learning models, while the New Oriental Academy in China is conducting live webcast lectures in the morning followed by independent learning in the afternoon.”
CATCHING UP AFTER COVID-19 As well as the practicalities of learning methods, another key concern for parents and students is catching up on any missed curriculum and enrichment activities. While every day is a school day and a lot of learning happens outside the classroom –
particularly for families on international assignments – Covid-19 is putting paid to learning as usual, despite the positive developments in virtual learning. Beatrice McKechnie-Rowe, managing director of Enjoy
Education, winners of Relocate’s Excellence in Education Consultancy/Support, is concerned about how the pandemic will mean some students are going to fall behind. “We are very concerned about the rapidly widening gap in learning for students due to school closures,” says Beatrice. “We know this will impact students from disadvantaged backgrounds most and we’re liaising with the national government tuition programme to understand how we can help most. “Many schools have done an excellent job of transitioning
learning online quickly. However, lessons have understandably been pitched at the mid-level student in the class,” she continues. “We were aware from the outset that it would be those students with SEN, who need more support, or the gifted and talented students that would likely be disadvantaged. We have heard from many parents with children who would benefit from a more tailored approach than provided.” The cancellation of the UK’s summer examination schedule
is also causing parents and educators concern. “In the UK, we anticipate many students choosing to resit GCSEs and A-levels in the autumn following grades this summer. Having a good learning strategy is key here so that students don’t feel overwhelmed and can focus on key subjects and content,” says Beatrice. “Supporting students with their curriculum-content learning will ensure they maintain the necessary time for revision and exam practice later on in the year, which we know are integral to exam success. “Families are coming to us for an academic assessment so they
can understand their child’s current level and identify if there is a gap and working with tutors over the summer to ensure their children can start school in September feeling confident and on the front foot.”
EIFA International School
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