High school students will be checking in with their teachers a lot more during the second semester.
Superintendent for Anglophone East School District Gregg Ingersoll says not all teachers were doing this in the first semester, “All students will be connecting with their teacher for about ten minutes at the beginning of every class. Schools will be communicating with parents on how that is going to happen. Just to take attendance, check in, make sure they know what they’re doing that period and away they go.”
The Department of Education introduced a combination of blended learning and synchronous learning for students in September. One is students learning one day at school, and the other day at home. The other is students learning together, either at school or virtually.
Ingersoll says if students aren’t connecting virtually with their teachers on the days they’re at home, parents will be notified so they are aware.
“Some students are now having a connection with their teachers during the days that they are home. So maybe they were given assignments by their teacher, but the teachers don’t really see them on the days that they’re not in class,” Ingersoll says.
Second semester begin on Friday for many students within the district, but Ingersoll admits, not all teachers will begin virtual check-ins immediately.
“If teachers weren’t doing that before, during the first semester, it may take a few days for the schools to get to work on this and communicate with the parents and students to let them know exactly how that is going to work.”
Meantime, President for the New Brunswick Teachers Association Rick Cuming says some teachers have raised concerns.
“They were monitoring learning on their own, and had found their own way to connect with their students in the first semester. Our classrooms aren’t all the same, they’re all different and they vary for a number of reasons. Teachers don’t feel their professional autonomy is being respected,” Cuming says.
He adds having this cookie cutter approach and mandating how the first ten minutes of the class must be done, “It certainly doesn’t respect the fact that there were some very innovative things and excellent things being done the first semester.”
He adds this new system may actually add some barriers to learning, ” It may affect how some teachers were connecting who had some good things going with their students. Teachers that know their learners best, they need to be able to use their professional judgement to help them. They also need to be provided the support, time and training needed for them to adapt and make changes.”
