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What lessons about education have we learnt from COVID? COVID-19 TAUGHT THE EDUCATION SECTOR SEVERAL KEY LESSONS AND HIGHLIGHTED MANY OF THE CHALLENGES STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FACE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESSING TECHNOLOGY. IT ALSO CONFIRMED THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOLS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES, AS ANDREW PIERPOINT EXPLAINS.
Andrew Pierpoint is the President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association – the peak body for School Leaders across Australia. He previously was President of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association for four years. He has had extensive experience, over 37 years, in High Schools as a science teacher, Head of Department (Science), Deputy Principal and Principal as well as having several system positions in the support of Principals. Throughout his career, Andrew has worked in complex rural and remote communities through to large regional and metropolitan schools. He has led communities and reference groups at district, regional, state and national levels. Andrew’s special interests are the provision of high-quality professional learning for school leaders, school leader wellbeing and is personally highly active in school sport.
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For a brief moment in 2021 there was a feeling that maybe we had seen off COVID. Lockdowns and restrictions had played havoc with education for two years, and students and staff were looking forward to an undisrupted school year in 2022. Delta and then Omicron put paid to that, and we now face a third year of uncertainty. With students back at school it is timely to ask what we have learnt from the past two years? STUDENTS EXPERIENCING DISADVANTAGE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED COVID has affected students in different ways. Some students achieved well during remote learning. Some simply marked time. But many, particularly those students already experiencing disadvantage, slipped back as a result of lost learning. I’ve heard from a number of principals that some of these students have ‘disappeared’ – they’ve lost touch with their learning or community activities. This could be for a number of reasons: they may have moved school because a parent changed job or they had to move house due to the rising cost of rent. Or they may have just disengaged through lack of contact or support. We know that when families are struggling, it can have a significant impact on their child’s education – but the evidence also shows that
education matters secondary
with the right support, children can overcome the obstacles they face and get back on track with their learning. It has been heartening to see the results of The Smith Family’s Catch-Up Learning pilot program, which showed remarkable progress for many students who received one-on-one online tutoring at home. A number of state governments are also implementing tutoring programs to help students make up for lost learning.
Remote learning revealed the extent of the digital divide in Australia.
