COVID-19: Students to have home-based learning once a week from April

[bsswan]

My boy just came home from secondary for the day is less about "learning" and more about "homework" so, at least from our side, is next to useless. I will wait till Thursday but I doubt there is any teacher interaction and schooling as we hoped they trial for future use.

Opportunity lost.

[Sosaria]

6 hours ago, Adrianli said:

None of them mention letting their kids have a break or do other enrichment non-study activities.

Can't do much enrichment unless it's self-generated ... all the providers have to close till end of April too.

It's always target-driven unfortunately. Now everyone panic because of covid. But mark my words, when the virus subsides, all the higher-ups are going to be demanding what happen to schools' results etc. 

As you can see, even our universities are careful to solve the problem of "deteriorated grades" and the complaints, by just removing it for the current semester.

[Sosaria]

16 minutes ago, bsswan said:

My boy just came home from secondary for the day is less about "learning" and more about "homework" so, at least from our side, is next to useless. I will wait till Thursday but I doubt there is any teacher interaction and schooling as we hoped they trial for future use.

Opportunity lost.

Actually there are plenty of video conferencing software out there can be used for teaching.

Classes still conduct as per usual time, except teacher talks to an empty room. Meanwhile, the "live" teaching is being streamed into students' computers at home.

This way is better, because it's as normal routine as possible. Students still have to park themselves in their studies during schooling hours, lessening the chances of them playing truant and running around everywhere and spoiling the intent of having the break (which is to lessen chances of infection).

[bsswan]

Home Based Learning.......not Home Based Teaching. I've also re-read the massage through Parents Gateway and, yes, there is nothing about online classes.

So, my boy just confirming learning such as homeworks and/or specific papers but not necessarily online.

This doesn't prepare for anything.

[Darryn]

23 hours ago, Adrianli said:

Just wondering, in NZ, school closed, students still got homework, onliine lessons and test or exam to do?

Here in SG, pretty much kiasu mentality, if school closed, schools MUST pile the kids with homework, projects, assignments, online lesson, online tution, online test and exam.

All my friends with school going kids discussing what to do if school closed. How to keep the kid busy to keep up with their studies. None of them mention letting their kids have a break or do other enrichment non-study activities.

They pulled school holidays forwards by a few weeks so now is school holiday time. 
We are in lock down for at least a week after holidays end

YES - there is assigned work to do, tests and assessments will continue 

There is a combination of online learning and work for parents to do with Primary school children. 

One thing to remember - our system here is much more focused on HOW to learn than on WHAT to learn

[Showster]

Well, we are fighting unknowns with hypotheses of what may work, trying out the various loopholes, getting the frontline ready and equipped for the long war. There is no need to go all out and later there is a second cycle, people will be fatigued.

First off, some science to back up.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3077402/new-chinese-research-may-point-possible-role-children

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/children-less-sick-covid-19-but-still-spread-the-coronavirus-12537834

Stats do agree that few children are badly affected by Covid-19.

Now, supposing that the virus is circulating in relatively harmless state in children, should we keep them in school or at home? This is a very tough question.

1. At home, they will have long hours of close contact with a few people: namely siblings, parents, domestic helper, and grandparents. The risk to this group of peers and adults is very, very high.

2. In school, they will have prolonged but somewhat near (but not close) contact with their peers and moderate distance (with teachers). The risk to their peers is tiny (since assuming relatively harmless), but the risk to their teachers is moderate (more distance to teachers and shorter periods of interaction).

I think MOE is still watching the stats closely. We really have to play by ear and not throw every grenade and fire every bazooka there is in our arsenal.

[Tianmo]

17 hours ago, bsswan said:

Home Based Learning.......not Home Based Teaching. I've also re-read the massage through Parents Gateway and, yes, there is nothing about online classes.

So, my boy just confirming learning such as homeworks and/or specific papers but not necessarily online.

This doesn't prepare for anything.

which school? 

I believe it depends on individual school, and how well prepared that school is, not all schools work the same way. What happens to your son's school may or may not be what is happening to others. 

My son's school has always been ready for home base leaning/teaching, since more than 50% of their work is done via their mac book, which they call it their Leaning Device (LD). 

My son been telling me, " we are more then ready for home base studies, MOE can shut down our school anytime."

Information from the school yesterday, coming Thursday all their students to login to their LD and start classes as usual timing in school uniform (top only), headphone with mic is required as they will be answering questions like in class. 

Lessons will be conducted following the usual time table, breaks as per time table for recess.  HBL ends at 4.20pm as per last lesson of the day. 

Btw, parents gateway only tell you the general concept, it also stated that detail information wait for school to relate to you..

[bsswan]

2 hours ago, Tianmo said:

 

Information from the school yesterday, coming Thursday all their students to login to their LD and start classes as usual timing in school uniform (top only), headphone with mic is required as they will be answering questions like in class. 

Lessons will be conducted following the usual time table, breaks as per time table for recess.  HBL ends at 4.20pm as per last lesson of the day. 

Btw, parents gateway only tell you the general concept, it also stated that detail information wait for school to relate to you..

Our school has no LD, just online portal for doing assignment and at the moment we've not been told anything from the school formally about Thursday.

I'm currently going on 2nd information from a 13yrs old, notoriously unreliable. Google Hangouts came up in conversation yesterday, which would be a step up from online assignment, but at this stage the school appears unprepared for shutdown.

I would much prefer what you've stated above.

[Mkl22]

2 hours ago, Tianmo said:

which school? 

I believe it depends on individual school, and how well prepared that school is, not all schools work the same way. What happens to your son's school may or may not be what is happening to others. 

My son's school has always been ready for home base leaning/teaching, since more than 50% of their work is done via their mac book, which they call it their Leaning Device (LD). 

My son been telling me, " we are more then ready for home base studies, MOE can shut down our school anytime."

Information from the school yesterday, coming Thursday all their students to login to their LD and start classes as usual timing in school uniform (top only), headphone with mic is required as they will be answering questions like in class. 

Lessons will be conducted following the usual time table, breaks as per time table for recess.  HBL ends at 4.20pm as per last lesson of the day. 

Btw, parents gateway only tell you the general concept, it also stated that detail information wait for school to relate to you..

your kid in atas school. some kids, no laptop no tablet. how to learn from home.

[Adrianli]

3 hours ago, Tianmo said:

which school? 

I believe it depends on individual school, and how well prepared that school is, not all schools work the same way. What happens to your son's school may or may not be what is happening to others. 

My son's school has always been ready for home base leaning/teaching, since more than 50% of their work is done via their mac book, which they call it their Leaning Device (LD). 

My son been telling me, " we are more then ready for home base studies, MOE can shut down our school anytime."

Information from the school yesterday, coming Thursday all their students to login to their LD and start classes as usual timing in school uniform (top only), headphone with mic is required as they will be answering questions like in class. 

Lessons will be conducted following the usual time table, breaks as per time table for recess.  HBL ends at 4.20pm as per last lesson of the day. 

Btw, parents gateway only tell you the general concept, it also stated that detail information wait for school to relate to you..

Very similar to my Uni. Lessons continue as per timetable and log into the various lesson. Some lecturers have QR code at end of the lesson to mark attendance.

[Adrianli]

14 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

your kid in atas school. some kids, no laptop no tablet. how to learn from home.

I believe the school will have some form of help for students without laptops. Like some discounts or loan laptops. Or even allow these students to use the school’s computer lab.

My Uni has loan laptops for students.

[Tianmo]

2 hours ago, bsswan said:

Our school has no LD, just online portal for doing assignment and at the moment we've not been told anything from the school formally about Thursday.

I'm currently going on 2nd information from a 13yrs old, notoriously unreliable. Google Hangouts came up in conversation yesterday, which would be a step up from online assignment, but at this stage the school appears unprepared for shutdown.

I would much prefer what you've stated above.

Yes, most schools dont practice the use of LD for learning yet, only a handful of schools are doing it for now. But I am sure your son has gone though that few days of e-learning in primary school, usually from P4 to P6. The concept is no different in most secondary schools.

13 yrs old, means sec one this year? There really is not much worry for both you and him now since he is only in sec one. I have gone through enough e-learning, both at Primary and secondary school level, to conclude it useless. 

If the school is not prepare for HBL/HBT yet, so be it now, because the whole school is it the same shit, your son is not alone, and the school take care of things later. No school wants a high failing rate for sure. Think of those fellows taking O levels at the end of the year, I think the school is more concern about those ppl now. 

Anyway, if you are really interested in what is happening, you can always pick up the phone and call the school, or write an email directly to the P, email addresses of school HODs are usually in their website.

rather than sitting ard worrying and complaining, we can always take the proactive approach ourselves. 

I always do that...

 

[Tianmo]

2 hours ago, Mkl22 said:

your kid in atas school. some kids, no laptop no tablet. how to learn from home.

my children have all gone through neighborhood schools in Primary schools, and my girls finished their O levels in Neighborhood schools too. 

All schools have arrangement with CC to let their students use the CC computers during e-learning days. Students can also make arrangement to share with those who have laptops at home.

Those who for some reason really cannot have access to computers, can always go back to school to use the device in the computer lab.

I have gone through enough e-learning from Primary to secondary school levels to say it is useless. Its not about atas school or not, its about how much the individual school is putting effort into e-learning.

But sadly, many do it because MOE say so, not because they see a real need in it. 

 

[bsswan]

7 minutes ago, Tianmo said:

Yes, most schools dont practice the use of LD for learning yet, only a handful of schools are doing it for now. But I am sure your son has gone though that few days of e-learning in primary school, usually from P4 to P6. The concept is no different in most secondary schools.

13 yrs old, means sec one this year? There really is not much worry for both you and him now since he is only in sec one. I have gone through enough e-learning, both at Primary and secondary school level, to conclude it useless. 

If the school is not prepare for HBL/HBT yet, so be it now, because the whole school is it the same shit, your son is not alone, and the school take care of things later. No school wants a high failing rate for sure. Think of those fellows taking O levels at the end of the year, I think the school is more concern about those ppl now. 

Anyway, if you are really interested in what is happening, you can always pick up the phone and call the school, or write an email directly to the P, email addresses of school HODs are usually in their website.

rather than sitting ard worrying and complaining, we can always take the proactive approach ourselves. 

I always do that...

 

I'm not worried, he's S2 and not actually a "worker" so I see how things go over the next couple of weeks only - my life half done, up to him to fix the world once we leave it for dead. It only appears to me that if/when the call comes to suspend school, they are not ready like my colleague's kid's school in Shanghai was, instantly.

We've done e-Learning, of course, but it works only for 20-30min (an hour at most), not a shutdown of weeks where e-Teaching is a must instead.

[Tianmo]

2 hours ago, Adrianli said:

Very similar to my Uni. Lessons continue as per timetable and log into the various lesson. Some lecturers have QR code at end of the lesson to mark attendance.

yup, even polytechnics are starting to move towards more such teaching formats. I think all poly students now work with laptops already.

My daughter's chemistry teacher actually composed a chemistry song and post on youtube for them to learn, and then they sing that song in class to get them to memorized ..

yet so many standard schools are still living in the old era....

[Tianmo]

4 minutes ago, bsswan said:

I'm not worried, he's S2 and not actually a "worker" so I see how things go over the next couple of weeks only - my life half done, up to him to fix the world once we leave it for dead. It only appears to me that if/when the call comes to suspend school, they are not ready like my colleague's kid's school in Shanghai was, instantly.

We've done e-Learning, of course, but it works only for 20-30min (an hour at most), not a shutdown of weeks where e-Teaching is a must instead.

S2, then he will be subject selecting end of the year. Do take note that it will be base on merit. 

Anyway, this is just the beginning, If schools really get suspended, and if the school is really not ready, they may just swap the June and Sept holidays over, and continue with classes in June and Sept. There are 9 weeks of holidays there, 17 if we have to use Nov and Dec holidays as well. 

Anyway, the schools set their own papers, so they will be able to work ard how and what to set base on how much was taught. 

You are not alone, every student in SG is in this shit together, and thats easily a few hundred thousands. 

[Raubern]

Primary 2 boy in Palm View tio covid19.  one big slap to ong's face

[Yamapi]

20 minutes ago, Raubern said:

Primary 2 boy in Palm View tio covid19.  one big slap to ong's face

Embargoed information? What a joke. Did they seriously trust parents will not forward this letter around?