‘Exciting’ online learning tool for pupils and teachers is launching
AN “exciting” website designed to help remote learning is now available to teachers and pupils across Scotland.
Created by teachers following feedback from young people, West OS will help support pupils with high-quality lessons available to be used at times that suit families.
New content is continually being uploaded to the site for multiple curriculum subjects and for all ages, helping support pupils’ learning.
Maureen McKenna, executive director of education for Glasgow City Council, said: “Although our schools will once again remain open for vulnerable children and keyworker families throughout lockdown, for the majority of pupils learning has moved from the classroom to home just as many of our parents also find themselves working from home.
“I know that this is not easy and we don’t expect parents to turn their home into a classroom and understand the pressures for everyone to be online at once.
“That is why we are excited that young people will now have access to a user-friendly, safe and secure platform in West OS to support their learning at a time that suits the needs of them and their family.
“Learning doesn’t have to be during the normal school hours and we also have to think about the legacy benefits of West OS as a great study tool when faceto-face teaching resumes.”
West OS, which was initially set up by the West Partnership Regional Improvement Collaborative, a group of local authorities including Glasgow City Council, is being made available to all local authorities in Scotland as part of the National e-Learning Offer.
Content is now being provided from all Regional Improvement Collaboratives across the country.
Tony McDaid, executive director of education resources in South Lanarkshire, who is also regional lead officer for the West Partnership, said: “Our teachers now have access to high-quality recorded lessons which they can share with pupils.
“This should not only save them time in creating lesson content but allow them to focus on a range of interactions with their pupils, including providing feedback on pupil work.”
Each West OS video provides input from an experienced teacher and is designed to support learners to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in key subjects.
St Margaret Mary’s Secondary
School in Castlemilk started using some of the resources prior to the current lockdown.
Teacher Angela Deighan said: “Some of my own pupils have used the resources while they have been in isolation and found them a really useful way to keep in touch with classwork and just add a bit more than they would normally have from their class notes.”
Bosses said the new resource is a positive development that has come from the challenges of schooling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gerry Lyons, head of education services for Glasgow City Council and strategic lead for West OS, said: “West OS is a truly collaborative, teacher-led response to feedback from children, young people, their families and practitioners about what would work best for them during periods of remote learning.
“It is one of the most exciting innovations to emerge from the current challenges we face in providing high-quality learning to all our children and young people.”
Pupils can currently find support in lessons from literacy, numeracy, digital literacy, computing science, and health and wellbeing; to full N5 and Higher Maths Courses; and a full N5 Biology course.
There are also units in Higher Physics, Higher Modern Studies, Advanced Higher English, Higher English, N5 History, N5 and Higher Geography, N5 Drama, Higher and N5 HFT.
Material is also available in Higher Admin & IT, Higher RMPS, N4, N5 and Higher Art & Design with practical experiments in N5 and Higher Chemistry, and Advanced Higher Biology.