Research School Network: Asking the right question: how do we teach remotely? Tom and Liv, from Shotton Hall Research School, sat down to discuss how we can ask better questions about remote learning.

Tom and Liv, from Shotton Hall Research School, sat down to discuss how we can ask better questions about remote learning. This is a lightly edited version of their conversation.

Tom. ​‘Yes Minister’, and the character Sir Humphrey, is my favourite comedy.

Liv. Thanks for the recommendation, Tom – why are you telling me that!?

Tom. Well, in one memorable scene Sir Humphrey’s boss, Sir Arnold, is toying with promoting Sir Humphrey to lead the Civil Service. But Sir Arnold wants something in return. Sir Arnold reflects that asking the right question is key often key… For Sir Humphrey, the right question is what his boss wants to do when he retires so Sir Humphrey can give it to him.

But what is the right question to ask about remote learning? I fear that some approaches can become solutions in search of problems. The EEF say this is common with digital technology.

To work out what the right question to ask is, I think it’s worth going back to basics with one of my favourite reports, The Great Teaching Toolkit. It looks at the existing evidence to identify 17 elements split into four areas that make up great teaching

Liv. Okay, so you think it’s worth working through the different bits and asking how different they look face-to-face and with remote teaching?

Tom. Exactly, I think by doing that we might start to ask better questions.

1. Understanding the content

Liv. Well, the first four elements seem like they’re similar if you’re teaching face-to-face or remotely.

Tom. Yeah, I think you’re right – although I think the second element about curriculum sequencing and dependencies is tricker remotely. In science, we’ve had to rejig topics where practical work ordinarily plays a key part. This has a few knock-on effects that teachers need to think about. I imagine this challenge might look quite different across subject areas.

Liv. Perhaps a positive about this section is element number three? I’ve found that there are new opportunities when it comes to explaining things and using visual representations remotely. Plus, the chance for pupils to relisten to explanations – or even pause them – seems useful.

2. Creating a supportive environment

Liv. I really like this bit of the report. These are things that, as teachers, we know are fundamental, but it’s hard to replicate them when teaching remotely. Overall, I think there are challenges and opportunities here. Something that’s important for this section is explicitly teaching and modelling the kinds of interactions we expect of pupils as they’re a bit different compared to the physical classroom.

Tom. Yes, on the one hand, it’s much harder for pupils to have negative interactions with each other, but I’m also finding it much harder to convey warmth… I’ve seen some ideas about this, but I’d like to know what else people are doing to make this work.

Liv. I’ll say it – the mute button is pretty helpful here.

Tom. Ha – yes – it may be a shock to the system when we go back to the classroom!

Liv. More seriously, a big challenge for this section is how you create the same high expectations. It feels like everything is slower… There’s also a vast array of new excuses that a minority of pupils are no doubt exploiting.

Tom. I’d love to know more about what is working well for people on this one… I read ​‘An Ethic of Excellence’ last year which is a beautiful book linked to element eight in the Toolkit. There are definitely some positives here in terms of showcasing great work, but it’s also much harder to monitor and challenge pupils. For instance, I’ve noticed pupils are often happy to meet the core expectations and then give themselves a little break – in the classroom, they would be much more willing to push themselves with extension activities and the like.

3. Maximising opportunity to learn

Liv. Clearly, there are new routines that pupils need to become familiar with for remote learning.

Tom. I’m no longer worrying about gluing in sheets or handing out books quickly. But your earlier comment about how things are slower is right. Particularly around interactions – it’s really not possible to have interactive discussions at the same pace you can in the classroom.

Liv. Another issue is that we don’t know what’s happening on the other side of the screen. In the classroom, it’s easier to monitor pupils’ engagement. It’s maybe more obvious when we are losing learning time in the classroom than when learning remotely.

Tom. Yes, how do we ​‘signal awareness’ of what is happening in the classroom?

In part two, Tom and Liv will look at the final section of the report: ​‘activating hard thinking’. Read more about the Great Teaching Toolkit.