Learning in Lockdown

Bev Cullen is a self-employed music teacher at two SEND primary schools. In the last of a series of articles she shares her journey towards providing suitable online music teaching and resources for her pupils.

I returned to a ‘normal’ timetable in September 2020 with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Visiting two different SEND schools, teaching each class within the schools, and a number of one-to-one pupils. Only 4 weeks into the autumn term, one school had to shut again due to a sudden rise in positive Covid cases amongst the staff. This meant, as I had been in contact with positive cases, that I too had to isolate and could not teach at the other school, and even after my isolation ended I realised that working across three school sites with medically vulnerable children was a risky thing to do. I asked my schools if I could continue to teach online and they agreed. This provided me with a new challenge.

How to teach an effective lesson for SEND pupils remotely over the internet?

The first couple of weeks of remote teaching provided a steep learning curve for myself and the staff across the two schools. Sound was an issue for us all. I was having difficulty in sharing the sound I needed from songs on Charanga. Sometimes they could hear me, but not the music. Sometimes they could hear the music, but not hear me. Eventually, the best solution was for me to use a small microphone (the type that is attached to mobile phone headphones), whilst at the same time sharing audio. I also needed to make sure that the staff in school were aware of all the instrumental resources needed to participate in the lesson, as I usually get the instruments ready myself when I’m in school.

In one school we quickly found that we could not have the microphone on in class as this created feedback when I was playing music to them. Also, as there was such a time delay between what I was hearing from my computer and them playing along, it created a great cacophonous sound. Instead the staff would just ‘unmute’ if they needed to speak to me. These sessions worked really well as I was able to see the pupils, could use their names and give immediate feedback to them. The pupils responded really well. There were some, who don’t usually engage in the music sessions, taking a great interest because I was on screen!

In the other school, it was decided that they could not have the camera on in class (due to safeguarding policy). The staff would type in the chat box to let me know pupils’ responses and reactions. I would then be able to give feedback and praise the pupils. This was difficult, as I was not able to use the pupils’ names, and could only refer to their class group. Also, there was often a time delay with the chat box and we had moved on to another activity, making it impossible to give immediate feedback.

As the term progressed, we needed to find a way to provide a range of resources and lessons for those pupils working at home.

In one school, I was given a range of topics to create video assemblies: Children’s Mental Health; Chinese New Year; Shrove Tuesday; Mother’s Day; and Easter. I had previously recorded one for Remembrance and they liked this format to share with parents. They also shared videos of songs that I had previously filmed, and links to my YouTube Channel.

I also created a selection of worksheets activities that parents could do athome with their children, which didn’t need access to the internet. These worksheets could be accessed online if required.

The other school decided to continue with the idea of ‘live’ lessons, but with two classes at a time (same department/similar pupils) to enable me to have a screen break between sessions. As before, I was delivering without being able to see or hear the pupils, with feedback being given in the chat box. These lessons improved in quality throughout the term, as I and the staff got used to the format. These lessons were recorded and shared with pupils working from home using a private link on my YouTube Channel. This school also shared song videos and worksheet activities on their school website.

As I look back over the last two years, I am amazed at what I’ve learned and achieved. I’ve gone from being a real technophobe to being able to create live and recorded online lessons and resources and share these with educators right across the world. If you’d told me two years ago that I’d be able to do all this, I wouldn’t have believed you! If my articles have taught me one thing its that you’re never too old to challenge yourself and learn something new!