The roll out of Ontario’s on-line learning for students due to COVID-19 is overall impressing the superintendent of Thunder Bay’s Catholic school board.
Allison Sargent adds she’s pleased with how teachers are reaching out to students and what is being posted on-line for students.
“Seeing a lot of activities that are forcing students to really think, to be creative, to access their prior knowledge of what they learned from when they were in school,” recalls the superintendent.
She adds most students spend a few hours a day on-line learning, as this is not meant to be full-time. As for any concerns, Sargent admits she was concerned teachers would simply hand out work sheets with addition and subtraction, but that’s not happening.
“We’re seeing some assignments that are asking kids to get outside, using their math and literacy and science skills all in one activity. It’s not necessarily traditional work that’s being posted,” adds Sargent.
However, the school board superintendent adds nothing beats being in the classroom with a teacher. Being on-line also causes privacy concerns cross her mind.
“A lot of our staff have been meeting on Google meet, and Google hangouts. But we do have concerns with opening that up to all of our students, and having that on-line forum accessible to everyone. I mean, we always have to be concerned about the privacy of our staff,” says the Catholic school official.
She also says while teachers are working on-line with students, they’re also balancing whatever is happening at home.
If a comparison were to be made with the current on-line learning and what the province and teachers’ unions have been battling over during contract discussions, she repeats nothing compares to in-class learning.
