INNOVATION IN EDUCATION
PIVOT, PROGRAMME, PIANOFORTE - HOW ST GEORGE’S HAS EVOLVED ITS APPROACH TO TEACHING IN A PANDEMIC St George’s is first and foremost a home of education. A place where opportunities unfold, discoveries are made, and passions ignited. In this environment, young women have been encouraged to enjoy and embrace learning, challenge themselves and strive to make positive change in whatever way they can. Education at St George’s has never been limited to academic studies, but neither was it ever limited by the more traditional approach to education for young women more common in the 19th Century when it was founded. A St George’s education has always been about striving for the best in everyone and finding something in their studies – be it academic, physical, artistic, dramatic, musical or practical – that they enjoyed and felt proud of. This sense of pride and accomplishment was always geared towards opportunities both while attending and beyond St George’s in whatever path was chosen. We have written in past editions about how education and teaching was interrupted when girls were evacuated to Hallrule House in 1940 during World War Two. That was clearly a terrifying time, but education and classes could still be run in a similar way, just in a different location, which managed to limit some disruption to the overall studies. COVID is not war time, and that is a comparison we cannot make, but the impact it has had on education and
12 | Spring 2021
the innovation it has required from teachers and educationalists the world over has been like no other in modern times. It has required a complete shift in mindset, a commitment to creativity and a willingness to harness technology and all it can (and can’t) offer. In this edition, we wanted to share a snapshot into ‘lockdown school life’ and see how the staff and pupils have been adapting and responding to e-learning. The variety of activity and commitment to keeping classes engaging and inclusive has been remarkable. The ability to keep going, supporting pupils, teachers and each other has demonstrated resilience and creativity which is always encouraged right across the school. We hope you get a sense of how this has been undertaken and the great way the whole community of pupils, teachers and parents have pulled together.
