Split days, shorter hours, blended learning among options on the table for new normal
Dubai: A return to classrooms could take various forms if UAE schools re-open in September, including split days and blended learning, principals said.
They are currently preparing scenarios for welcoming back students after the shutdown in March because of the coronavirus outbreak.
A decision regarding when and how schools will welcome back students after the summer break is still under review.
The ideal scenario will be to have all or most students in class while following health and safety measures, said Iain Colledge, executive principal of Raha International School in Abu Dhabi.
Distance learning and blended learning (a mix between online and offline classes) carry their own set of issues, he added.
Distance learning has seen many parents under lockdown caught between helping their children with online classes and fulfilling their own work-from-home duties.
Also, there are “practical challenges” with blended learning, split days, and shorter days – some of the possible scenarios for September.
“The blended approach is very challenging for teachers because how can they teach all day with children in front of them [in school] and then do e-learning? [Meanwhile] split days are achievable but not ideal.”
Split days would see different groups of students come in on different days.
Schools should be given some room to manoeuvre according to their situation in these disruptive times, Colledge said.
“I think schools need to be given the opportunity to work within their parameters to get as many children into school as they can – as long as it’s within the parameters the government sets to ensure the highest standards of health and safety,” he added.
Some of those standards could include “zoning areas”, said Brendon Fulton, Executive Principal, Dubai British School.
Some schools plan to partially retain distance learning even if the “old normal” returns.
Jodh Singh Dhesi, Deputy Chief Education Officer, GEMS Education, also said the school group is considering “a more blended approach” in the new normal.
Whatever the case, schools will ensure students continue to learn adequately, said educators.
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