Research School Network: Remote Learning – Set, Track, Support

Despite the Prime Minister’s recent announcement that schools should prepare for a phased return from June 1^st, it is clear that many students will not be returning to school for the foreseeable future. There are a range of reasons for why parents, and schools, are unsatisfied with the government’s intentions to re-open schools, and there are serious questions raised about the ability to provide a safe environment for students and staff. From those with underlying health conditions to those who are living with a vulnerable family member, it is becoming increasingly evident that our establishments of education will not return to normal for many months to come.

It is also becoming increasingly evident that undesirable gaps are widening. Not only between the advantaged and disadvantaged (to clarify, those with support, study space, resources, a sense of independence and aspiration, and those without), but also cross-curricular as many students will engage with their preferred subjects, whilst avoiding others.

This also raises a moral question: are teachers contributing to this gap further by providing quality online resources for those who are accessing it? It cannot be suggested that teachers should reduce the quality of remote learning, as we must strive to provide the best provision possible for the students who are accessing. However, the importance of engagement must be stressed, and leaders, teachers, and support staff all have the challenge of supporting students who are not accessing at all. If we do not, then we risk major damage to the education of our most vulnerable, and we face the prospect of the gaps being so wide that it is impossible to mitigate. It is a school’s duty to understand their context, and to ensure that guidance and support is given to those who need it the most.

Set
There are two main considerations that teachers might plan for before assigning work to students. The first, and more obvious, is the quality of the scheme’s content. Are lessons appropriately differentiated for each class? Are there relevant precursors built into the scheme before the main constructs are introduced? Are there appropriate reflection points for students to pause and reflect on a new concept? Are there enough opportunities for students to practise applying their newfound knowledge? Sparking curiosity and interest is the first step, but if lessons do not have the ​‘Goldilocks’ level of challenge, ​“just right”, then students will quickly lose interest in their studies.

It is unlikely that many, if any, students will master all of the skills and understand all of the knowledge that we impart remotely. However, providing students with the highest quality resources possible will develop their familiarity and background knowledge that will enable them to not only progress now, but also have all the required tools to achieve mastery when classroom teaching returns.

The second consideration is accessibility. Technology, for all its strengths, is not readily accessible for every student in our schools. The barriers are clear: computer literacy (difficulties logging on or being unable to navigate a platform effectively); expense (cost of devices and internet access); distractions (entertainment apps and programmes), and many others. A teacher may have designed the most thoughtful scheme of learning, equipped with the best intentions and activities, but if students will not (or cannot) access, then the quality of the lesson’s content is irrelevant. There are several strategies that teachers can employ to improve access, and subsequently, engagement for their students.

While most teachers will have considered the design of their online lessons, including large text fonts and clear diagrams, many will not have considered the primary device that most students will access from: the mobile phone. A ​“mobile-first design” allows students to view lessons clearly on a handheld device such as a phone or tablet. Teachers simply need to ask themselves: how easy is this lesson to follow from a mobile screen? The easier the lesson is to access and follow, the more likely that students will engage with the content.

An awareness of ​‘cognitive load theory’ is paramount at this time. The quality of lesson content, and the quality of accessibility are all interrelated to the working memory. If a student faces too much information for the working memory to process effectively, then they will experience ​“cognitive overload” and feelings of stress, failure and pressure. To manage this, teachers must consider the quantity of work (time per week); how they are presenting the lesson content (logical sequence), and how students are accessing the lessons (simple mobile-first design).

Track
Data tracking is a focal point in the on-going workload debate, and with good reason. Not only does submitting and analysing data take a large amount of time, but many teachers have previously reported that the data they are collecting is unhelpful and uninformative, especially if the tracker is perceived to be ​‘for OFSTED’. However, many schools have streamlined their collection of data, specifically the marking and feedback policies, and instead only collect data for carefully implemented initiatives. Collecting remote learning data on the engagement and progress of students should be one of these careful implementations.

As previously stated, quality lessons are irrelevant if students are not accessing them. Therefore, it is imperative that the ​“participation ratio” is the first and perhaps most important measurement. The participation ratio simply refers to ​“amount of work that students are doing” Naturally, its data set will force leaders and teachers to question the validity, as schools desperately try to monitor the combination of students who are ​“doing work or not doing work” by analysing the online submission rates.

However, if a student has barriers for accessing technology, then it might be that they are ​“doing work, but not submitting”, a very different scenario compared to another student who is ​“not doing work, and therefore not submitting”. Tracking systems must differentiate between these types of students, so that support and resources can be allocated efficiently and effectively. A closing consideration for monitoring engagement is the impact of schools re-opening for Y10. Might there be a reduction in online engagement because they are expecting to be back in school soon?

The subsequent second data collection focuses on progress and attainment. If teachers are to mitigate the academic damage caused by lockdown disengagement, including the newly widened attainment gaps between the advantaged and the disadvantaged, then they must be aware of the extent of their students’ knowledge and skills. What are their strengths? How can I take this understanding further? What are their weaknesses? How can I address the misconceptions and knowledge gaps effectively?
Without data, the answers to these questions are unknown.

To collect meaningful data, teachers might assign a specific task that they want to provide feedback on. While self-assessment, and even peer/​parent assessment might help some students to become more evaluative, the majority need specific feedback at regular intervals. Perhaps the assignment is a knowledge application task or even a quiz with questions on the core concepts. Teachers can then use this data as they normally would, to provide personalised feedback based on the success criteria, and to evaluate the performance of the students as a whole. This data set will allow teachers to acquire a greater understanding of their students’ progress, from an individual to a subject cohort.

Overall, there are two main data sets to consider: engagement and progress. Within a school’s context, leaders might focus on centralised initiatives to raise engagement (participation ratio) while teachers might focus on progress initiatives to gradually improve the ​“think ratio” and secure the background knowledge and skills that are essential for success in the future.

Support
During this period of remote learning, the continuous flow of academic support between students and teachers has inevitably diminished somewhat. There were many opportunities in the classroom to provide meaningful and purposeful feedback for students. These interactions, both verbal and written, may have sometimes appeared frivolous and unimportant, but for many, the culmination of corrections, praise and guidance amass to a greater understanding and confidence levels. Without classrooms, students are unable to receive continuous, even subtle, improvement feedback from teachers, and teachers are unable to receive continuous competency feedback from students. We hope optimistically (perhaps naively) that students will become more independent and reflective with their studies, but how can we ensure that a flow of feedback is available for all?

In addition to raising engagement, teachers also need to consider how they are providing academic feedback for those who are submitting work. Teachers should continue to use a feedback policy that reflects their school policy, as this will ensure student familiarity and reduce cognitive overload. It might be the continued use of ​“WWW/EBI” or ​“2 stars and 1 wish” that provides students with meaningful feedback on their efforts. It may also be an appropriate time to embed technology into the feedback process, as many teachers are providing further instructional videos and even recorded verbal feedback for their students. The correlation between feedback and progress has always been well-established in education, but teachers might also consider how their lessons and feedback encourage students to be gradually more reflective and increasingly independent as they progress through the online schemes.

Finally, even though schools have transformed into community hubs that are providing essential services, there is still a plethora of pastoral work to be done. Many students are endeavouring to work without the support, space and resources that they need to maximise their potential. Many students are experiencing bereavement or domestic abuse. Many students are struggling with their mental health and the uncertainty in all aspects of their life.

Therefore, while it is important to raise engagement and achievement, it is more important to consider the well-being and resilience of our students. Focus on the positive and praise as often as possible. Phone calls and post-cards are as effective as ever, and they can really show students that their efforts have not gone unnoticed. If students feel as though they are being encouraged, rather than chastised, then they are more likely to engage and progress.

To summarise, set resources that have both quality content and simple accessibility; track the engagement of all students and look for opportunities to increase the participation ratio; track the academic progress of students who are submitting and use it to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your cohort; provide personalised feedback for students who are submitting and focus on securing background knowledge for the future core constructs; provide emotional support for all students, in particular our most vulnerable, and ensure that every child feels protected.

The remote learning experience will never be perfect, and is unlikely to ever replace the traditional classroom experience, but we must endeavour to make the best of the dire situation caused by the pandemic.

Lewis Meadows
Meols Cop High School