Rathfarnham Remote Learning
Our Changing Global Landscape CATHERINE MAIMONE CROWHURST DIRECTOR OF RATHFARNHAM & ELC
People around the world have had to evoke 21st century competencies like mental agility, adaptability, critical and innovative thinking in order to respond to the rapid and impeding demands of a changing global landscape. We are acutely aware that our school community; parents, staff and students, are also dealing with, and feeling the impact of, these changes in their daily lives. As a school, our response to the COVID-19 situation meant that we had to change the way in which we deliver learning, as well as additional clubs and programs, to our students. Given the parameters of online learning, the age of our Rathfarnham students and our desire to continue providing our girls with rich and meaningful learning opportunities; we gained much knowledge during this time. We listened to the feedback from parents and students, recognising that the learning environment is very different at home. Parents and caregivers were not only trying to look after children, but also juggling working from home themselves. Add to this the usual dynamics and machinations of family life, and you had a very complex learning environment. From the commencement of Term 2, all P-6 classes, like 7-12, were delivering learning through Microsoft Teams. This digital platform allows learning to be delivered in ‘real time’ through live video conferencing, recorded video instruction and written posts. Not only did this change require those within our school community to acquire a new set of digital skills, but it also
22
challenged educators to review, rethink and reconstruct how they deliver curriculum to children who range in age from 5 years old to 12 years old. Teachers worked collaboratively and drew on the expertise of educators globally, to use platforms and techniques to best meet the needs of learners whilst educating remotely. We all acknowledge the struggles and challenges of societal isolation, but the staff have been both professional and dynamic in the way they responded to these challenges. Working with dedication and commitment, they reframed the delivery of curriculum, whilst continuing to provide pastoral support for the students with whom they work. They reimagined not only how curriculum was delivered, but also how special events and cocurricular programs could continue during this time.
