Feedback from Remote Learning

Dear Parents and Carers, 

At SKiPPS we value the thoughts and ideas of the student body and look to involve them in the decisions we make about teaching and learning as often as we can.

Over the past 18 months we have run a number of focus groups made up of students from Foundation through to Year 6. In 2019, these groups contributed to the development of our whole school Language of Learning. Students throughout the school also shared ideas which helped to determine the final design of the school playground. 

More recently, the students within the focus groups used their student voice to help us better understand their experience of Remote Learning whilst also having a direct impact on the way the teaching and learning was to be delivered in the following weeks.

Knowing that they were representing the students within their year level, the participants took their job very seriously and contributed openly and honestly.

Here is a summary of the points made:

Foundation

There was an overwhelming sense of excitement when it came to Specialist activities. 

They enjoyed face to face Google Meet sessions with the teacher (one-to-one and small groups). They found writing challenging as the teacher wasn’t there to support them. Students were really aware of how they were receiving feedback – from both parents and teachers. 

On SeeSaw, they looked for the ‘like’ symbol and enjoyed hearing voice recordings from their teacher. Although they missed their friends they enjoyed spending time with their families at home. They suggested including more art and creativity in future tasks.

Year 1/2

Students loved being able to spend time with their families, taking breaks when they wanted and seeing their friends on Google Meet. 

They found it hard to cope with distractions and sometimes felt overwhelmed with the tasks. Feedback from family members was valued and they read and appreciated their teachers’ comments/likes. 

Suggestions included – making things more creative, allowing more time for tasks, more face to face connections and more help from their parents. They loved Specialist Day!

Year 3/4

Students reported that although they enjoyed more time with family, they often felt lonely and, at times, found it difficult to stay on task. The tried to stay optimistic and discussed setting goals for themselves.

Students were very positive about the live Google Meet sessions and the videos made by teachers to help them with their learning. They felt live lessons would be the next step.

As far as feedback was concerned they understood that specific feedback was the most effective and appreciated it when teachers provided this and when teachers made videos showing how they could improve.

They shared what they had learnt about themselves such as then need to take regular breaks and understood that this new found knowledge could help them in the future.

Year 5/6

These students stated that although sometimes they felt stressed or worried about getting work done or people getting sick they predominantly felt safe and happy. They felt supported at home and optimistic that they had strategies to help them. 

Students felt they were still learning at home – sometimes better (with help from parents) and other times they missed learning from others within the classroom. They enjoyed the opportunity to follow their own interests outside of school.

Yr 5/6s also loved Specialist Day but had suggestions for combining Wellness Wednesday ideas within the same day. Google Meet and all face-to-face sessions were a highlight and helped to keep them motivated. Suggestions included greater access to teachers and more games for Maths and further opportunities to collaborate with their peers.

All of them had learnt things about themselves as learners which they could see would help them in the future.

Looking Forward

We aim to ensure that throughout a school year, every student will be given an opportunity to use their ‘voice’ to impact the decisions we make here at SKiPPS. 

The vehicle for student voice may range from whole class discussions to small focus groups and even individual contributions. This will enable students to help drive change within our school community.