Principal Report

As we come to the end of a very memorable term, it seems appropriate that I express my profound gratitude to the staff, students and parents of Edenhope College for the enormous effort over this term in working to provide continuity of learning in all of our classes. 

 

Students have had to cope with the longest absence from onsite learning that any of them have experienced, and certainly, few of us adults had to cope with that during our own education. Likewise, parents, especially those who also had to carry on their day jobs from home, were put under enormous pressure, and faced a workload that was, again, unprecedented. Lastly, our teachers and support staff, many of whom in Term 1 lacked the skills to effectively teach remotely or online, very quickly raised their game exponentially, and were able to work together to create positive learning experiences for our students in an online environment. 

 

To all parties, I thank you for your work, effort and patience over the past term.

 

However, while few of us would like this situation to happen again, it is worth pointing out the positives of the experience.

 

For a start, there were many students who thrived in the experience. It is important to note that flexible learning practices can actually benefit certain learners, and many families have reported to me that their children found the experience to be almost liberating. Some students found time to delve deeper into subjects and learning opportunities to an extent that they are not usually able in the context of a normal classroom routine. They could spend more time on topics of interest, while still maintaining the required level of effort in the subjects that they were less fond of. Further, students were able to structure learning time to suit their own home life commitments, again something that is challenging for our kids in normal times. For these students, the return to the regular routine and bell-times of onsite learning has, perhaps, been more challenging and confronting than we might have previously thought. 

Parents, too, while under enormous pressure, got to see a different side of their children, and many have told me that, despite the challenges, they enjoyed being able to watch their children work, learn with them, and learn how they worked best. Others have told me of the improved communication with teachers that has happened as a result of working online, and that they have a hope that this will continue. Others have even claimed that they have enjoyed seeing what their children are learning, and how they motivate themselves. Some parents simply enjoyed having their children at home, and being able to spend more time with them. 

 

Finally, our staff have noted many positives of the experience. In the past few weeks we have taken stock of the lessons learnt over the period of Remote and Flexible Learning, and have also, dare I say it, felt some pride that we were able to achieve so much. The staff at Edenhope College took to the challenge of creating an online model of learning very quickly at the end of Term 1. At a time when nothing was certain, and confusion reigned, our staff worked together to quickly get work packs set up for students, adapted and supported each other in posting curriculum materials online, upskilled themselves and other in many new areas of online lesson delivery, held impromptu information sessions for parents, and a host of other activities, when we weren’t even sure what shape or for Term 2 would take. And then, just before Easter, with the official DET announcement, we had a Remote and Online Learning Arrangements guide ready to go out to students and parents. Online learning and lessons at Edenhope College started on day one of this term. 

 

This is something of which our entire College community should be proud.

 

Looking to the future, what have we learnt? 

Well, the process of refection has only just begun, but staff have already considered the following:

  • Continuing weekly (or at least fortnightly) contact with families. While this was a feature that might not always be necessary, many families appreciated the contact, and we felt that it was a good way to keep connections open with families. We are now considering having staff members become liaisons between school and home, a way to ensure that families have a person who can pass on information for them, or to them.
  • That online delivery can clearly support student who are unwell, especially when absent for an extended period of time. We now have the capacity to post learning materials in Google Classrooms, to potentially post introductory videos on our new YouTube Channel, or simply ensure that when a staff member is absent, work of a meaningful and accessible nature is still available for students.
  • Lastly, and perhaps more broadly, we have learnt a lot more about how we can deliver content and learning to our students. We can use these technologies to tailor learning for individual students, to enable extension material to be available for high achieving students. The possibilities in this area have only just begun to be discovered.

Once again, I’d like to thank you all for your hard work over the term. I would all staff and students to give themselves a genuine break (even if only for part of the holidays) from school work. It has been a long term, and a challenging one. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Neall

Principal 

19.06.2020