Learning curve

Lessons BY STACIE GAETZ

Learned

Education during a pandemic

The way our children learn has looked very different since the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools in the middle of March.

Desks were traded for kitchen tables, classrooms for Zoom meetings, teachers for parents, field trips for exploration and recess for riding bikes.

“We were all thrown into this whirlwind and we have really been focusing on connections and relationships,” says superintendent of Rocky View Schools (RVS) Greg Luterbach.

“The method of teaching we have has been in existence, with only a few modifications, for 150 years and teachers have had to pivot to home delivery in only two-and-a-half weeks. It has had bumps and it is not perfect, but teachers have worked hard to engage students and parents have rolled up their sleeves to support learners.”

From April 29 to May 8, RVS looked to its parent community to help identify both the challenges and successes of its learning continuity plan through an online survey.

The survey, which garnered 2,881 responses, gave parents the opportunity to provide feedback on the clarity of the RVS at-home learning plan and their confidence with supporting their child.

Results showed that 75 per cent of respondents felt the amount of work being provided to students was within the government guidelines, 90 per cent agreed that student learning expectations were clear and more than 82 per cent were moderately to extremely confident with supporting their child’s learning from home.

“We are looking after each other and our health while moving the children forward in the skills and subjects they need to know,” says Luterbach.

He adds that RVS values flexibility through the at-home delivery model because all household situations are different and balancing work, schooling and other commitments can be a challenge.

Luterbach says teachers will be reassessing children in the coming school year to make sure they have a handle on the core lessons and adjusting to meet the kids at the level they are currently at.

“We were all thrown into this whirlwind and we have really been focusing on connections and relationships”

A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Telisa Bennett has two children in Herons Crossing School, and she agrees that the at-home learning model has been manageable.

“When I first realized that I would be homeschooling my kids, I panicked a bit,” she says.

“I’m not a teacher and your children’s education is a big deal.”

She adds that the workload of her children in grades four and six has been reasonable.

Bennett says the aspect of at-home learning that she likes the best is the fact that the children have more freedom in deciding when and how they learn.

“I like the casual approach and the fact that it is in the comfort of their home,” she says.

She adds that the family regularly does “field trips” where they will drive out to a field and set off a rocket, explore a certain area of the city to learn about the environment or plant a seed to learn about agriculture.

“It is teaching them real-world lessons,” she says.

Bennett adds that the most challenging part of teaching her children at home is trying to balance being both a parent and a teacher.

“Every kid has a different relationship with a teacher than they do with their parents,” she says.

“There are things you would never say to a teacher that you would to your mom.”

She adds that she appreciates all of the hard work teachers have put into making at-home learning fun and effective for her children.

“It has got to be just a ton of work,” Bennett says.

“I can appreciate they are creating the curriculum, dealing with the technology, setting up Zoom meetings, marking and fielding parent questions. They are doing a great job.”

ALTERNATIVE LEARNING

Chris Yates is an Airdrie dad of three boys who decided to take his children’s education into his own hands in a unique way – by regularly teaching the real-life skills they will use for years to come.

“In March, I began making lists of all the chores and projects I could finally attend to, then I had an idea: Do online school work in the morning, then get the boys to help me with the projects in the afternoon, and I would call it shop class,” Yates says.

“Some of my projects are vehicle-related, some are home/property maintenance and I thought it might be a good idea to get the boys to help me with them and I could show them how to do these things.”

One of the first projects that Brice, 14, Logan, 12 and Hayden, 10, took part in was rebuilding the engine of a truck.

“I am a tradesman (welder). I have some experience working on vehicles over the years and have worked on engines before,” says Yates.

Other projects that the father/sons team have worked on include plumbing, welding, building a chicken coop, oil changes and tire rotations.

Yates says the boys are engaged in shop class and are often asking “What (are) we going to do today?”

“It gives me confidence to be able to fix my own things,” says Hayden.

“It’s important to learn these skills for when I’m a father and my family needs things fixed,” adds Brice.

Yates says it is fulfilling to watch his sons gain skills and confidence to take on tasks they didn’t think they could do.

“They are now often going out to the shop without me to work on things of their own or when they break things, they will try to fix them,” he adds.

“I imagine learning these things will be valuable to them in their future for many reasons, but most of all, I am grateful to have the opportunity to spend this time with them in a meaningful way.” life