St Norbert’s College community has this week spoken about the impact of remote learning programs and digital technology in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to The Record, Principal Simon Harvey reflected on the remote learning situation the College and its students experienced.
“I think the greatest challenge was not having students here daily,” Mr Harvey said.
“It is wonderful to have face-to-face contact with students again – being in the same classroom or schoolyard and giving them complete access to the College’s learning resources and facilities.
“When they were remotely learning from home, although they had face-to-face contact through the computer, it was not the same as having students around [them] and having that positive energy and the noise that they generate here at School.
“Probably the most important lesson was it reminded us of how important it is to continue the development of that student-teacher relationship, both on the individual and group levels,” he explained.
Mr Harvey believes that while remote and online learning is a useful addition to the traditional delivery, it must be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching in the physical environment of the school.
Engagement between students and teachers was crucial to have successful remote learning sessions, Mr Harvey expressed.
“I think the students learn better when they interact with other people and are able to see the faces of their peers and teachers, as well as hearing their voices through the online mechanism,” Mr Harvey said.
“I believe one of the most important things for teachers is to maintain positive relationships with the students in their care, and that works best when they are in each other’s company.”
Some of the College students also shared their reflection on the “unusual chapter” of their education and learning experience.
Courtney McCrostie, Year 12 student who is studying a Certificate III in Music Industry and Drama, mentioned that remote learning was at first very daunting, but with the right support and guidance, her learning transition had been smooth-sailing.
“The online platform, Microsoft Teams, was easy to use and I liked that we could voice-call with our teachers as we would in a normal class setting,” Courtney said.
“When technical difficulties arise, they were addressed relatively quickly. It has been great to be able to give input and suggestions to our teachers about things that can benefit us and make the transition easier.
“[I feel] we [often] took for granted the ability to be in a physical schooling environment,” she continued.
Another Year 12 student, Theresa Titus – who was aware that the pandemic would lead to many Year 12 students missing out on some of the rites of passage, said teenagers in other parts of the world would trade places in an instant.
“It was more difficult for Year 12 students to enjoy the school with everything being cancelled. “However, the situation taught me that seeing friends, classmates and teachers, talking about things, as well as enjoying the normal recess and lunch we have always had, was an advantage in itself – something that I know other teenagers around the world would trade for,” she said.
“Although we were connected with remote learning, seeing everyone face-to-face again, even with separated tables at school, has been refreshing after an unexpected break,” Theresa said.