TEACHING REMOTELY, LEARNING TOGETHER
David Bott

Whilst schools in Australia and beyond continue to be faced
with uncertainty, difficulty, and loss, we are also witnessing so much of the
human spirit at its best. One of the most fascinating aspects of the global
situation is the way schools have so rapidly risen to the challenge of remote
schooling. And although we all have unique communities to serve, there is so
much we can learn from each other.
Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Matt Seddon,
Deputy Head of Senior School at Kellett School in Hong Kong. This conversation
was the first episode in a special new series, Teaching Remotely, Learning
Together, that brings in leading educators from around the world to share
key lessons learned from their school’s experience of delivering high-quality
education during the pandemic.
Throughout the interview Matt reflects on Kellett’s first 12
weeks of remote learning, and shares practical tips, strategies, resources and
stories about student and colleague wellbeing.
You can watch the interview here.
Here are six key takeaways we’ve been discussing:
1. Students have adapted faster than
expected and faster than teachers and parents.
Remote learning has necessitated a
transition in responsibility from teachers to students. Students have responded
well to increased independence and technological requirements.
2. 30 minutes of prioritised pastoral time
each day has helped students to maintain a sense of connectedness.
Schooling is much more than a series of
learning opportunities. Great schools are based on a foundation of community,
safety, and connection. And this remains true for online schooling. This time also provides the opportunity to
actively listen to and be informed by the ‘voice’ of students.
3. Preparing and teaching content remotely
takes much, much longer.
Transforming lesson materials and pedagogy
approaches is not straightforward. It takes a lot of time, patience, strategy, and
support.
4. Empathy requires time and energy. And
empathy enables compassion.
Every student, colleague and family
situation is unique right now. It’s crucial to do everything possible to
understand each person, each family’s situation so that genuinely compassionate
support is possible.
5. Schools are about people. More than
anything, people need to feel seen and that they belong.
There is enhanced importance on seeking
opportunities for playfulness and connection. These can be formal strategies
such as ‘secret’ gratitude letters to teachers or less formal strategies such
as online ‘colleague karaoke’.
6. Schools will return to ‘normal’ but we
are being forced to think in different ways.
Traditional ‘status-quo’ practice will be
seriously challenged by the experiences that have been provided by the current
situation. Parent interaction, student feedback, professional learning, the purpose
of exams…there are some exciting conversations ahead.
More than ever, there is an emphasis on schools viewing
themselves as ‘learning organisations’ that need to adapt resiliently and
evolve constantly. One of the most exciting silver linings of our global
situation is the generosity and openness with which schools are willing to
learn together.
Episode 2 of Teaching Remotely, Learning Together
features Steve McLuckie (Executive Principal) and Victoria McLuckie (Director
of Learning and Wellbeing) from the Australian International School in Sharjah,
UAE. This dynamic Australian couple have been leading the school’s remote
learning response over the last five weeks and will share more practical
strategies, stories, and lessons learned.
David Bott
David Bott is the Associate Director of the Institute of Positive Education. David has been involved in training thousands of teachers from hundreds of schools around the world in designing, implementing and sustaining individual and whole-school approaches to wellbeing.