Last updated Sunday, 10 January 2021
Distance Learning requires teachers to offer a variety of teaching structures that ensure students are receiving the maximum amount of teaching while not spending too much time on their devices. This period in education has introduced us to two new terms, synchronous and asynchronous teaching.
Synchronous: This is a normal lesson in which all students are online throughout the entire scheduled period of time. While we will not have fully synchronous classes, we will have fully synchronous sessions such as morning meetings.
Asynchronous: Students do not come online but rather continue with learning tasks as previously assigned. Teachers will still be accessible either through email or a Zoom reachout if the students need any assistance.
Quite often our students will be involved in a lesson that uses a combination of the two, where they check in with teachers at the beginning of the lesson, then work away from their devices for a set time period before returning online to share their learning with their teacher and peers.
MYIS value;
Community:
We want students to feel connected with their teachers
If we are online, we are still working. We need an element of teaching and interaction and so there has to be some personal video interaction from teachers included in daily distance learning. Face to face contact with a teacher maintains the quality of the learning experience so daily short video and/or voice recordings from teachers are encouraged
Support, guidance and empathy is offered for, and by, students, parents and faculty.
Communication:
Parents will be provided with regular updates through the Seesaw, email and MYIS website
Teaching and Learning:
Learning should be engaging and productive
There should be a balance of types of activities eg using technology and not using technology
Learning engagements will be set in a way that allows creativity and differentiation by the students
distance learning should contribute efficiently and effectively to learning in the short term
distance learning will be different for various age groups and subject areas throughout the School. We know It will look different from T&C - GR4/5
Students should understand the work is important and replaces regular school attendance
Primary Years teaching teams will be collating a resource kit each week for parents to collect. These resource kits can be organised and stored at home in the students "Book Bins" that will be sent home on Monday January 11th. The purpose of providing these resources is to allow your students to have all the tools they need to be successful in each lesson for the week.
Resources included may include:
writing notebooks
math manipulatives (for example dice)
math games
books
stationary
New resources will be ready to collect from MYIS every Friday between 1pm and 4pm.
Early Years is an important and pivotal time in the PYP and it places a strong emphasis on the role it plays in preparing students for future success. In particular it states that:
"The learning community values the early years as a time in which play is the primary driver for inquiry.
Play involves choice, promotes agency and provides opportunities to inquire into important concepts and personal interests.
The following features are central to learning in the early years: play, relationships, learning spaces, symbolic exploration and expression." (IBO, 2019)
Teaching teams will be collating a new collection of resources each week to create a refreshed play-based inquiry "kit" for all students in Trust & Caring, Joy & Confidence, Peace & Unity, Creativity & Service and Excellence. These kits contain materials and information that will allow families to undertake the different lessons planned for the week ahead. They will be different for each class as they will be purposefully created according to developmental needs and unit of inquiry connection.
New resources will be ready to collect from MYIS every Friday between 1pm and 4pm.
Term 2 in Excellence is an exciting time as the students begin to make the move from being "Early Years" to "Primary". In class the teaching team work together to create opportunities that make the transition for students easier and this is also a focus for Distance Learning. Students schedules reflect a combination of structured learning (such as writers workshop) and play based learning.