Teaching through COVID: Going online in a hurry

A week before Full Home-Based Learning (HBL) kicked in, and the English teachers in Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) had gathered to discuss how to get themselves ready to bring their classrooms online.

“Thankfully, our ICT team has given us much training on how to use Student Learning Space (SLS) previously and now, we get to put all that we have learnt into practice so that we can conduct remote lessons effectively,” says Ms Cheryl Ng, the Head of Department (HOD) for English Language.

Full HBL was uncharted territory, and it was vital that everyone supported one another, she says.

Ms Ng and the English department’s Level Head, Ms Priscilla Lee Shi Ya worked together to come up with a plan for the department to prepare for HBL.

“One of the key principles that guided our decisions was that we will ‘leave no person behind’. All teachers in the department need to be able to teach online and create activities on the SLS,” says Ms Lee.

Another important consideration was to ensure that this process should be enjoyable and easy to navigate – not only for the students, but also for the teachers.

“We did not want to further stress our teachers with new platforms as there was limited time. Hence, we decided that the best way is to show our teachers how they could create videos of their teaching using PowerPoint — a software everyone was familiar with,” says Ms Ng.

During the training session, all teachers learnt how to record their own voice on a PowerPoint slide, and then convert it to a video that they upload to the SLS for their students to view. They were also taught to use video conferencing tools like Google Meet.

Enhancing students’ learning journeys

“These tools have not only helped us to better communicate and work with students, but have also enhanced the way we teach,” says Ms Ng.

For example, the teachers discovered they could open more opportunities for students to conduct self-directed learning. During English oracy exercises, students practiced self-evaluation by recording and listening back to their own voices before uploading the file to the SLS. They were also able to conduct peer evaluation by commenting on their classmates’ voice recordings, and by doing so improve on areas such as their vocal inflection, or their pace of speaking.

The teachers also met once a week for about an hour to discuss ways they can make HBL more engaging as well as work around its obstacles. In addition, the teachers of each level worked closely to share their lessons and resources with one another.

The English department meet weekly to discuss ways to make HBL more engaging.

“One of the concerns we had was whether the learning experiences would be compromised since we could not see the students face-to-face.,” says Ms Ng.

For example, the Primary 2 students had to re-create a bedtime experience based on the story called “Bad Dreams”, then write about it during Class Writing. The idea is that by letting the students immerse themselves in that imaginary scenario, they will be able to describe the scene in more vivid detail, thus helping them to get more creative with their write-ups.

“The Primary 2 teachers adapted by holding a virtual ‘pyjama party’ instead. The students showed up at the video conference in their pyjamas, with their soft toys in hand. They even brought along cookies and milk! We used this exercise to practise their speaking and listening skills. They really enjoyed the experience!” says Senior Teacher Mdm Kok Li Lian, one of the teachers who conducted the class.

The P2 students held a virtual pyjamas party, where they brought along their soft toys.

This experience has shown the teachers that even experiential learning can be adapted for an online framework, and it has given them food for thought on how to apply these e-pedagogy skills to the physical classroom when they return to school.

“HBL taught me to be more adaptable. It is pushing my boundaries to think creatively while creating lessons. It gave me time to think about what I want to teach and how I’ll teach it. When it’s time to go back to school and things start getting busy, I’ll remember how HBL allows me to go back to my craft and just focus on teaching and learning,” says Ms Lee.

Back in school, teachers now regularly discuss how to use online learning materials to help students prepare for classroom lessons. Ms Ng says, “Even as we ease back into normal school life again, we will need to redefine for ourselves as teachers on what ‘normal’ might look like. Learning in the classroom should be complemented with the opportunity to do self-directed learning and collaborative learning online!”