With one day’s notice that the school was going to close, the teaching staff did not have much time to get organised to ensure teaching and learning continued smoothly.

Lessons are being done in a variety of ways.

Students still need:

• The content or skill delivered to them;
• To be able to read and listen to explanations;
• To be able to ask questions or contribute to a discussion; and
• To stay engaged/motivated to learn.

For me, a ‘traditional’-style lesson (i.e. teaching in front of a whiteboard) has been pretty easy as I have access to a (kind of) whiteboard and a phone to record videos. Videos can be then loaded onto Google Classroom  –  a platform students visit on a daily basis.

Click here for the first virtual lesson.

Having introduced the students to the topic, the class and I meet daily for a check-in and a chance to ask questions and discuss any challenges with each other.

is a great way for us to talk as a class.

It is in the group of ‘Google for Education apps’ and the whole class accesses it  together as one group.  We have an opt-in scheduled time each day to talk. We can also ‘chat’ if someone has a question. As the whole class has access they often answer each other’s questions rather than waiting for an answer from the teacher.

Students are accustomed to digital delivery, so the notes and content are accessible to students at any time in a familiar way.

The ‘chat’ feature on Google Hangouts.

The face-to-face feature of Google Hangouts.

I would like to applaud the students for the way they have continued their studies while being  thoughtful of the wellbeing of others.

Catherine MacKisack, Teacher in Charge Biology

“He waka eke noa. We are all in this together