VIRTUAL SCHOOL GUIDE 2021
INSPIRED VIRTUAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Overall Principle Guided remote learning will be provided for all students of all ages for as long as the school is temporarily closed. The school will provide every possible opportunity, through remote learning, for students to make progress as if the school were in normal operation.
Introduction In February 2020, in response to the global COVID pandemic and the closure of schools in Vietnam, Australian International School was faced with the challenge of developing a remote learning plan. Parents will understand that with all new systems and procedures there will be issues that arise. As always, we welcome parental feedback and suggestions to enable the School to continue to improve. Higher education is already moving rapidly into online and distant learning and therefore the skills learnt during this period will be useful for all students in the future. Within our design of the AIS Virtual School Environment we have retained two core elements that we believe make Australian International School an outstanding school. Firstly, the live student-teacher interaction which is fundamental to all students making progress and achieving their full potential. Students gain so much from the direct interaction with passionate and talented teachers. The second core element is the desire to maintain our personalised learning approach that treats every student as an individual and support them pastorally and academically at all times. Online learning within virtual classrooms will need students to be motivated and parents to support them in their studies. However, we believe that it will develop in all students the skills required for independent learning alongside the 21st Century skills to learn in a digital environment. Education is certainly changing and all staff at Australian International School are keen to change with it. Aims of the Australian International School Remote Learning Environment 1. To maintain the key principles of an outstanding education a. Personalised Learning b. Innovative pedagogy c. Developing independent learning 2.
To continue to develop the skills and systems within the school to enable learning through modern technology.
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To limit the impact of school closure on students, especially those preparing for external examinations.
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To maintain excellent communication with parents and support them during a period of school closure.
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To ensure that all students, parents and staff are healthy, safe and happy.
INSPIRED VIRTUAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Distance Learning Platforms at AIS The following Online Platforms support both remote learning and faculty/student/family collaboration to ensure a quality student learning experience when planning and delivering remotely: 1. AIS email ( sometimes with SMS notifications) are the communication tools used to contact and communicate with AIS families, Kindergarten – Year 13. 2. Seesaw and Zoom are the main online Distance Learning platforms used in the Primary School, Kindergarten – Year 6. Microsoft Teams may also be used by Years 5 & 6. 3. Office 365 tools (including Microsoft Teams) and Managebac are the main online learning platforms used in the Secondary School, Year 7- Year 13. In addition to the above resources, we encourage faculty, students, and parents to contact Helpdesk@AISVietnam.com for any tech related question and to expect a response within 24 hours. This email account is managed by our Online Tech Support Team.
RESPONSIBLE VIRTUAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT P U L I L E X P E C TAT I O N S
GUIDELINES Australian International School wants to ensure that both parents and pupils are aware of the expectations surrounding approaches to the remote learning environment. All students are expected to have read, understood and adhere to the Virtual School Expectations. This document, alongside all regular school policies, outlines the expected approach from students for the duration of the Virtual School Environment programme. Expectations of all Students •
Participate as fully as possible and contribute positively to the virtual classroom environment. Dedicate appropriate time to learning, comparable to a normal school day.
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Follow the normal timetable and attend lessons punctually as much as possible.
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Understand that your teacher will be available online during most timetabled lessons.
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Regularly check online platforms to see the instructions for each lesson.
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Engage with live teaching as it happens via the Teams or Zoom platform.
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Be appropriately dressed on live Teams or Zoom platforms.
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Endeavour to complete all work set and submit all assignments by due dates.
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Engage in all learning posted with academic honesty.
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Immediately ask teachers for clarification if they do not understand.
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Communicate with teachers if work cannot be completed.
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When using applications for remote learning within Australian International School, understand that this is seen as an extension of the classroom.
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Follow AIS expectations for behaviour and conduct at all times.
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Communicate with peers, teachers and others using technology in a responsible and respectful manner.
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Do not record or take photos of peers or teachers during remote learning.
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Do not deliberately browse, download, upload or forward material that could be considered offensive or illegal.
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Understand that your homeroom tutor is available if there are any concerns or worries.
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Use the video content from the PE department to keep fit and healthy.
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Do NOT share recorded lessons publicly.
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Do NOT share Zoom lesson codes with anyone else.
RESPONSIBLE VIRTUAL SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT PA R E N T G U I D E L I N E S
Expectations of Parents In order to support the Virtual School Environment, we request that parents facilitate the following, wherever possible: •
Monitor school email updates.
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Provide a comfortable and quiet workspace that is free from distraction, preferably not a bedroom.
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Ensure your home wifi network meets technical requirements.
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Encourage and support your child with their work, checking that set work is completed by the end of each day and ensuring that as much as possible the normal school timetable for the day is followed.
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If you have any concerns, contact the subject teacher for subject specific queries. For more general concerns, contact your child’s Homeroom teacher.
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Ensure that your child attends ‘Live Teaching’ every day where possible.
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Minimise parental involvement during sessions. The interactions in sessions should be between the teacher and the students.
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Encourage your child to work independently as much as possible.
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Discuss the learning outcomes that have been achieved each day.
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Monitor your child’s deadlines on their calendar and support them in submitting work and assignments by the deadline dates.
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Inform the school if you are experiencing concerns about the progress your child is making.
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Inform the school if your child is unwell and unable to complete set tasks
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Encourage your child to complete all tasks to the best of their ability.
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Encourage a balanced lifestyle that involves daily exercise. It is recognised that a remote learning environment provides unique challenges to both students and staff.
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Prioritise your child’s wellness and happiness over completion of work.
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Remain patient and flexible as children and teachers adjust to this new way of working.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Communication • Learning activities, resources and assignments will be posted on Seesaw on the day of a lesson. •
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A weekly overview with learning outcomes will be posted at the start of the week.
Attendance • All teachers will record attendance to the ‘Live’ lessons as well as through the turning in of assignments set for students. •
Curriculum • The link to live video streaming will be posted on Seesaw if appropriate.
To be marked ‘present’, students should access the live lessons and be sure to submit their assignments via Seesaw,
Independent Study • The majority of each lesson will be designed to be completed through independent study. •
Pre-recorded videos, and instructions embedded into Seesaw activities and also some live sessions will help students complete tasks independently.
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Homework will be embedded into the independent study activities set by each teacher. It will not be set separately.
Students who have not engaged in the Virtual School will be followed up.
Timetable & Structure of the School Day • Student school day will run from 08:00 until 14:40 •
Students will be expected to attend school during the day when they would normally have lessons.
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Staff will schedule a mixture of live whole class, or small group sessions and prerecorded videos to support learning activities. Independent activities may also be set through Seesaw or TEAMS (Yr 5 & 6).
Specialist subjects (PE, Art, Music, VLC and Chinese) will offer a live streamed lesson introduction if appropriate.
Teacher support during the Lessons • Students will be “remotely monitored” by the teacher, responding to student questions via Seesaw, Teams or Zoom sessions and encouraging peer on peer communication where possible. •
All teachers will be actively supporting all students and encourage questions as per a normal lesson.
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Teachers and support teachers will provide feedback and feedforward (goals) where appropriate.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Lesson structure and online live teaching •
Teachers will use Zoom to conduct online live video teaching.
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Students should already be familiar with Seesaw and Teams ( Years 5 & 6 only).
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Teachers will communicate when live sessions will take place and send links in a timely manner.
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A summary of the live introduction will be posted on Seesaw or Teams. This will allow students to refer back to these instructions if needed.
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Before each lesson: Teaching staff will upload activities and related resources to Seesaw by 07:30 on the day of a lesson. Students will be asked to submit their work at the end of each lesson to monitor progress and engagement with the online platform.
• During each core subject lesson, teachers will: Use Zoom to: - Connect with all students at the beginning of most core lessons for 5-10 minutes. - Discuss the activities planned for the lesson and clear up any misunderstandings - Set clear expectations of engagement and participation. - Answer any questions students may have. - Monitor emails, Seesaw and Teams and support students if and when necessary - encouraging peer on peer discussion if possible. • After each day, teachers will: Provide timely and sufficiently detailed feedback to enable learners to progress via Seesaw and/or Teams. Set stretch and challenge activities or opportunities for independent learning and development of personal skills.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL
Communication • • •
Student daily notices will be published by 8 am each morning on Managebac. Lesson activities, resources and assignments for all subjects will be posted on Teams by the start of each timetabled lesson. Students will be expected to access Teams and evaluate the lesson content for the day.
Attendance • • •
All teachers will record attendance to the ‘Live’ lessons as well as through the turning in of assignments set for students. To be marked ‘present’, students should access the live lessons and be sure to submit their assignments via Teams. Students who have not engaged in the Virtual School for 48hrs will be contacted to support them at home.
Timetable & Structure of the School Day • • • •
There will be no change to school hours. The school day will follow the normal timetable from 08:00 until 14:40 (end of period 8 ) Work for all subjects will be posted on Teams by the start of each timetabled lesson. Students will be expected to attend school at all times during the day when they would normally have lessons. Staff will be available during working hours and also online via Teams during each lesson, to introduce the set material, answer student questions and ask questions to test prior knowledge.
Student Requirements Students will require: • Exercise books • Laptop/computer & internet access • Headphones • Access to Teams and Managebac classes • Access to school email account • Access to Office 365 Curriculum •
Students should go to their Teams classes at the start of each scheduled lesson and participate in any live teaching or student interaction and complete any work set by the teacher.
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Physical Education, Art, Design Technology, Music, Drama, and ICT may not offer a live streamed lesson introduction if it is not appropriate. Instead these subjects will set tasks and assignments for students to complete, as well as some suggested activities of a practical nature where possible.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL
Independent study •
The majority of each lesson will be designed to be completed through independent study.
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Teachers will encourage students who have questions to firstly utilise sources of information, then engage with their peers, before asking the teacher. This is a well-publicised strategy to develop independent learning skills.
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Homework will be embedded into the independent study activities set by each teacher. It will not be set as separate work.
Teacher support during the lessons •
All independent study will be “remotely monitored” by the teacher, responding to student questions via Teams, encouraging peer on peer communication where possible.
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All teachers will be actively supporting all students and encourage questions as per a normal lesson.
Assessment •
Teachers will use a variety of assessment tasks to inform instruction , improve learning, and report on student achievement.
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Teachers monitor student progress with regular feedback.
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Teachers will determine when summative assessments are administered based on data collected from formative assessments.
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Teachers will design assessment instruments and create environments that assist students in making good choices related to issues of integrity. This could include: using an assessment monitoring system like Exam.Net or Turnitin.com establishing clear expectations and guidelines for the use of sources and collaboration, and including them as part of the assessment task. student reflection or teacher-student dialogue to authenticate student work.
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Graded summative tasks will include a rubric and/or other forms of scoring criteria as part of the task overview.
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Clear instructions will be provided to students on where and how to submit assessed work.
Examination classes •
Special consideration will be given to examination classes to ensure adequate preparation for forthcoming Cambridge or IB examinations.
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Past papers and exam-style questions will also form a major part of the work undertaken by Year 11 to 13 pupils. Although these papers will be sat at home and a degree of trust is required to ensure pupils follow examination procedure, they should be completed and sent to the teacher for feedback.
VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL
Lesson structure and online live teaching •
Teachers will engage in real-time lessons with students as per the normal school timetable.
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Students should already be familiar with Teams and Managebac.
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Teachers will conduct online live video teaching, communicate student learning expectations, provide resources, collect assigned work and provide feedback using the Teams application.
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The opening 10 minutes of most core lessons will usually be a live introduction and Q&A on Teams led by the timetabled class teacher.
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Teachers may decide to conduct these sessions 10-15 minutes into a lesson if a starter activity has been designed to be completed before the introduction of the main assignment.
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Introductory material will also be saved and posted on Teams. This will allow students to refer back to these instructions if needed. It will also allow the school to monitor attendance and behaviour.
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During most core lessons, teachers will: Use Teams to: - Connect with all pupils at the beginning of each lesson for 5-10 minutes. - Discuss the activities planned for the lesson and clear up any misunderstandings - Set clear expectations of engagement and participation. - Answer any questions pupils may have. Check and log which students have accessed the live Teams lessons. Monitor emails and Teams, and support students if and when necessary encouraging peer on peer discussion if possible.
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Students may be expected to participate in discussion posts.
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After each lesson, as appropriate, teachers may: Provide timely and sufficiently detailed feedback to enable learners to progress via Teams. Set stretch and challenge activities or opportunities for independent learning and development of personal skills. Monitor progress towards targets and manage pupil attainment in the normal manner by keeping pupils, parents and key staff informed of concerns or highlights. Continue to encourage pupil engagement through the award of positive comments for high-quality work and those participating enthusiastically.
C O N TA C T D E TA I L S
Australian International School Contacts If you or your child have any questions, suggestions or concerns, then please contact your homeroom teacher / class teacher in the first instance. Email format for staff is Firstname.Surname@aisvietnam.com
Main reception: Reception@aisvietnam.com Admissions (for new enrolments): Enrolments@aisvietnam.com
Accounts (for fee enquiries): Lan.Nguyen@aisvietnam.com ICT Support (for technical difficulties of any kind): Helpdesk@aisvietnam.com Senior Leadership: Davina.Mccarthy@aisvietnam.com (Executive Principal) Mark.Vella@aisvietnam.com (Head of Secondary) Julian.Carroll@aisvietnam.com (Head of Primary)
R E D U C I N G T H E I M PA C T O F S C R E E N T I M E
Reducing the impact of screen time during remote learning It is especially important during remote learning for screen time to be managed carefully to ensure that students remain healthy and able to continue to work effectively. Reducing the impact of screen time can be managed through three aspects. Screen time solutions 1.
Ensure all children have at least one physical activity every day: play sport, walk, dance to their favourite song …
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Remove Television sets, iPads and other devices from bedrooms.
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Reduce time spent watching television or playing on games consoles.
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Ensure that all children get at an appropriate amount of sleep and stick to a regular sleep pattern. No devices should be used in the last hour before sleeping.
Learning environment-based solutions
1. Balance your screen brightness with your workplace a. Do not work in a dimly lit room, with a bright screen. b. Try to be in a mid-lit room, with the computer screen away from a window. c. Use a desk lamp to aid lighting within a room. d. Change your display brightness within your computer’s system settings.
2. Posture is key a. Working at a computer for any period of time should be planned. b. Sit comfortably c. The user should not strain their neck. d. Ensure that you look straight at the computer, so make sure the monitor is at eye level. e. Do not sit too close to the computer screen.
3. Focus on other things within a room every 20 minutes a. Do not stare at a computer screen too long. b. Ensure that you regularly focus on something else in the room at a greater distance. c. This will ensure your eyes do not get strained.
4. Take frequent breaks a. As an absolute minimum you should stand up and move around. b. Stretch your body c. Preferably get some fresh air and walk around outside.
R E D U C I N G T H E I M PA C T O F S C R E E N T I M E
Device based solutions 1. Adjust your monitor refresh rate a.
Some monitors have a low refresh rate which makes them flicker, although not always noticeably.
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A low refresh rate can cause eye strain
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Set the refresh rate as high as possible in your Display properties
2. Don’t read font that is too small a.
Squinting can cause eye strain and produce headaches
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Enlarge text using the zoom function to ensure that you can read it easily
3. Use a screen filter a.
Either apply a physical screen filter or use the device’s settings to reduce the blue light from the screen.
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Software called Flux is a free download for Windows
4. Keep your screen clean a.
Ensure that you clean your screen and make sure it is not covered in dust
H E A LT H A D V I C E
Australian International School Health Advice Please read the following updated health advice carefully. • Students need to be reminded about the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. Washing hands regularly with soap and water is very important for at least 20 seconds every time. • Sanitizing gel is advised, but not instead of washing hands. • Students should keep well rested so that they have a strong immune system. • Students should keep hydrated and drink water regularly. Students should avoid having a dry throat and mouth. • All students, staff and parents should practise good cough etiquette: Maintain distance Cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or coughing into elbow Wash hands • Should a student have any cold or flu-like symptoms, parents are asked to inform the school and keep the student at home under observation.
