Learning in a Covid-19 World: Supporting Secondary School Engagement
Education Review Office, NZ
Link and Overview
This is a practical resource to support secondary schools in coping with the disruptions to learning Covid has caused. Based on research and offering practice strategies, it’s well worth the read - its message is relevant to all schools in my opinion.
TL/DR
The resource identifies six key themes that work together to maintain and promote student engagement, based on a synthesis of a range of evidence and research literature, and provides evidence-based strategies for each organised into three tiers (1 = for all students, 2 = for at-risk students, 3 =. for disengaging students). These are supplemented with examples of actions and innovations tried in schools.
The themes are
Prioritise wellbeing and connection
Understand the context and respond rapidly to identified concerns
Build and strengthen relationships for learning
Communicate effectively with students and whānau
Individualise learning and promote student agency
Reframe and adapt classroom approaches
The resource also identifies four themes that ‘exacerbate student disengagement or increase stress’.
Overemphasising rewards and punishment
Assigning ‘busy work’
Promoting overly ‘controlling environments’
Ignoring changing contexts
Finally, the resource has a lengthy list of links to additional resources to support schools adapt to a Covid world.
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