Carry on Learning:

We chat to schools and parents for tips and advice on how to cope with the recent disruptions

In lieu of our usual news roundup of what’s happening in Hong Kong’s international schools, here we check how those schools are helping students (and parents!) manage home learning in this tricky period.

We’re hosting live lessons through Zoom. This allows the students to see each other and the teacher while sharing their thoughts and ideas. We’re providing daily live lessons for all core subjects, including our Chinese programme. As a one-to-one school, our students are comfortable using their iPads (Kindergarten to Grade 3) and MacBooks (Grades 4 and up) to expand their knowledge, build skills, create new connections, and share their understandings.

– Joanne Mallary, School Principal,

American School Hong Kong

We’re using Google Classroom to host each day’s activities. Our teachers conduct live online sessions using Google Hangouts. They create videos each day where they talk, sing songs and demonstrate activities. Parents are sent activity sheets related to the day’s learning for the children to draw, cut, colour and glue.

– Tess Baguio, Principal of Small World Christian

Kindergarten

In the Upper School, teachers are using Zoom and Google Hangouts to offer live, interactive sessions for students in line with the normal schedule. Instructional elements are also recorded and can be accessed by students unable to participate in real time. Instruction assessment and feedback are all continuing, albeit in different forms. CDNIS teachers have also started using screencast creation apps to record presentations, lab demonstrations and more, allowing students to revisit these lessons in their own time.

– Dr Tim Kaiser, Upper School Principal, Canadian International School of Hong Kong

We’ve taken a blended approach to teaching while school is closed: this means we have no single solution to this complex task. We’ve engaged students in a wide range of approaches for each age group – everything from podcasts to indoor PE lessons with balloons! One new platform we’re excited about is Century Tech, which uses Artificial Intelligence to personalise each child’s learning; real-time data tells us what they’ve learnt and how we can continue to push their learning forward at this tricky time.

– Naima Charlier, Director of Teaching and Learning for NAISHK

Technology allows us all sorts of ways to keep in touch and ensure regular contact. For our Primary students, every day starts with a Google Meet where students check in with their teacher, ask questions and share their learning. Each day then finishes with the same, with students reporting back on what they’ve achieved and setting up for the next day. For Secondary students, we’ve generally been able to maintain our regular timetable. Our parents have been key to the way our approach has worked.

– James Smith, Principal of ESF Discovery College

At YCIS, we’re using Zoom to deliver online lessons following the normal school timetable. Teachers have daily face-to-face contact and this is supplemented by Senior Leaders making regular contact with students and parents. We used Zoom during the school closure in October so we were well prepared. An additional technical helpline has been provided for parents, and virtual coffee mornings have been implemented.

– Martin Scott, Education Director and Executive Principal, Yew Chung International School of

Hong Kong

Our staff have risen to the challenge and enabled learning to continue by making technology their friend. Just like before, work is posted for every lesson on Google Classroom, but this is now accompanied by a range of creative and imaginative approaches including live video conferencing, podcasts, screencasts, narrated presentations, Flipgrid, and much more. Due to the nature of the closure, we’ve also put the wellbeing of our students and community front and centre.

– Joe Alsop, Head of Senior School, Kellett School,

The British International School in Hong Kong

Our school is using a variety of different methods from recorded lessons to real-time live lessons, allowing the children to learn from wherever they are. Some of Mount Kelly’s students who might have missed some classes due to the time-zone difference can go to Google Classroom and still access the lessons. We’re also hosting live community events including weekly assemblies and live whole-class spelling tests.

– Rain Jones, Head of Schools and Governor of Mount Kelly

School Hong Kong