Teachers prepare for transition to online instruction
School districts say they are preparing to ‘radically redesign’ how they teach
Parents and students will have to be patient while their schools and teachers figure out how to deliver lessons while classroom instruction is suspended, school administrators say.
While spring break ends Monday, students should not go to their schools until they are specifically instructed to do so.
Most schools will be open, however, so administrators and some other staff can be on-site.
Surrey and Vancouver school districts have asked staff to work from home for now, while other districts may bring teachers into schools under strict rules of physical distancing.
“Your children will be at home, and our teachers will be working remotely as we all take seriously the direction of our provincial health officer and as we all work to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Surrey school district Supt. Jordan Tinney.
Surrey teachers will gather online Monday to discuss the tools available for home-based learning and how to support learning in the absence of face-to-face contact. Starting on Tuesday, teachers will reach out to parents to confirm their contact information, which could take until Friday.
Because teachers will be required to “radically redesign how they teach students,” specific learning plans will come later.
A handful of staff will be in Vancouver schools on Monday, but most teachers are not to come in until they hear from their principals, and then it will be scheduled and in small groups.
Districts and many individual schools have begun sending messages to parents explaining the timeline to resume some form of instruction, which seems likely to take at least one to two weeks.
Vancouver is planning to use both online instruction and paper-and-pen solutions, especially for younger students who will get workbook packages and kits to use at home and then return to the school, said Vancouver School District Supt. Suzanne Hoffman.
“On Monday, principals will reach out to teachers to find out how they are doing, whether they are self-isolating and whether they are able to work,” she said. “On Tuesday and Wednesday, teachers will connect with families to see how they are doing and what kind of support they might need, such as access to technology.”
Teachers will pay particular attention to the needs and well-being of their most vulnerable students and their families, she said.
Only then will teachers turn their attention to designing programs for “continuity of learning.”
Schools have been asked to prioritize the needs of students with disabilities, especially those who were receiving in-school and oneto-one support, and to assist parents with care options, according to a bulletin from the Ministry of Education.
Individual school administrators will work out schedules for students to enter the school to retrieve personal items, books and other materials for their studies from desks and lockers.
“That may take time, depending on how many children are in the class or the school, because we want to do this with safe social distancing, so it will be in small groups,” said Hoffman.
Surrey is asking staff to stay away from schools while they organize a rotation that would see all teachers and support workers come in and gather materials and resources.
“For one simple example, if teachers need technology and photocopying, we need to know when they will be in the building, who will use the copier, and how we have a cleaning protocol for the copier after each use and for any classroom they have visited,” Tinney said.
Schools will not be entirely shut down despite the suspension of inclass and face-to-face learning.
“It has become clear the school system is part of a bigger solution during this COVID -19 pandemic,” said North Vancouver School District Supt. Mark Pearmain. “The B.C. government is calling on us to do our part, to provide educational and child-care services so essential services workers can continue to do their jobs: preserving life, health and public safety.”
It has become clear the school system is part of a bigger solution during this COVID-19 pandemic. The B.C. government is calling on us to do our part.