New directives for finishing the school year online
Online learning will be the new normal for the rest of the school year for students in the Greater Montreal region, but what exactly does that mean?
Starting Monday, teachers will have to submit a set of goals for each week so students can build a schedule to accomplish them. To that end, teachers will have to be in “frequent or daily” contact with students and must make themselves widely available for questions, according to a spokesperson for Education Minister Jean-françois Roberge.
There will be a third report card handed out to students that tracks their progress since schools were shut down on March 13 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The specifics of that document are still being discussed but it will be a factor in determining whether a student passed or failed their year.
When schools shut down, Roberge said students should think of it as a vacation. But that message shifted as the weeks rolled on. In April, the minister reminded students that the school year wasn’t over and they were expected to study.
Thursday, Premier François Legault announced school would not resume before the end of August, so that leaves five weeks in the regular school year to fill. An abundance of learning resources are available online, but many parents and students in the public school network have complained about the tools initially provided, which included TV programming and online learning links that were deemed optional.
In other provinces, the directives have been more clear and included more teacher-directed learning.
For the next five weeks, daily learning schedules will be followed.
Marie-josé Mastromonaco, a former commissioner for the Commission
scolaire de Montréal, said that no matter how perfect the learning program is, students can’t keep up with the work if they don’t have the technology at hand to do so.
“It is the responsibility of the government to make sure every student has the technology needed,” she said.
Roberge spokesperson Francis Bouchard said all the tablets sitting unused in closed schools should be distributed by early next week. Students with special needs will have more regular access to the educators who work with them as well, he added.
Mastromonaco said being in possession of a tablet won’t mean anything if the home doesn’t have access to the internet and that the government should take a close look at the reality at Montreal schools.
Lester B. Pearson School Board assistant director general Tom Rhymes said that since the shutdown in March, remote learning had moved through stages, beginning with the first two weeks when teachers were told not to apply any pressure on students — not even contact them — followed by contact with vulnerable students and then engagement with students with the help of learning kits (but with no evaluation attached).
In the weeks to come, Rhymes said he envisioned teachers and students taking a fresh look at material covered before the shutdown, then shifting the focus to learning critical concepts which must be covered before a student moves on to the next grade.
Here’s a sampling of what’s happening in other parts of the country:
Alberta: Students in kindergarten through Grade 12 are expected to follow the curriculum, either online or with the help of course packages, with the focus placed on core courses. Kindergarten through Grade 6 have five hours of school work per week, Grade 7 through 9 have 10 hours and high school students have 12 hours a week — three hours each for language arts, mathematics, sciences and social studies. Teachers work with parents to ensure the school work is completed. Teachers assess the work and report cards will be issued.
Ontario: The minimum hours for studying, per grade grouping, are the same as Alberta’s, with the focus on core subjects — math, literacy, science and social studies. Teachers give assignments. The regular exam period has been cancelled to allow teachers extra days to cover core-course study material. A summer instruction program will be available for students who want to upgrade course content and for struggling students who want to catch up.
British Columbia: The province is slowly phasing in a return to school. The majority of students are still learning online, but children of essential service workers and students with physical or learning challenges are attending class in person. Individual schools have designed learning programs that suit the needs of the student community. Teachers have access to curated, provincial curriculum. Learning material can be accessed online, in a delivered course package or via email. Learning resources are also available on the education ministry website. Students will receive report cards in June. Saskatchewan: Teachers are not required to teach government curriculum. Students will end the year with the marks they achieved before the March shutdown. Students who want to improve their marks can complete supplemental learning assignments and submit them for a grade. Supplemental learning is encouraged for all grades. Teachers are required to stay in regular touch with students to offer support and encouragement.