Pao School's online teaching program that began several months ago is coming to an end soon. At this special time, to ensure that the online learning environment offered the best possible learning experience (approximating the physical classroom) to students, Pao School teachers made use of various information technology resources and independently developed interactive teaching models. Pao School teachers worked tirelessly to optimize online instruction, supervision and evaluation methods. During this period, the Mentors played a paramount role in online teaching as well, serving as a wellspring of support and guidance for teachers during the pandemic.
Shirley Jin, Head of Middle School Chinese, noted that Pao School teachers are very much aware of the steady ascent of online education in line with educational reforms and development trends. To stay abreast of these trends, they have regularly worked to familiarize themselves with various educational softwares. However, prior to the pandemic, information technology (IT) played at most a supporting role in education, because teachers focused their efforts on physical classroom instruction. Thus, IT's ability to truly serve teaching objectives was limited.
There was a sea change in education as we know it when the pandemic suddenly forced teachers to halt regular classroom instruction. Literally overnight, online learning went from playing a secondary role in the education process to becoming the primary medium of instruction. It was a huge challenge for teachers, who were not fully prepared for the complex transition. Everything went online, from instruction and monitoring to paperwork and evaluation.
In the process of online teaching, the teachers came to understand that "stopping attending classes on campus but not stopping learning,” means more than just imparting knowledge in students. It also means that educators must cultivate indispensable learning habits, facilitate positive interaction between teachers and students, and instil discipline in students. Indeed, this is a responsibility of the education process that cannot be overlooked. With that in mind, teachers at Pao School's Hongqiao campus have continued to innovate and explore new pedagogies, building on the core online learning methods they developed last year. While this classroom is virtual, the technology it employs is able to approximate the learning experience in the physical classroom.
The Chinese teaching team thus sought to use various online learning technologies to develop an ideal form of interactive instruction, taking into consideration teaching feedback, monitoring, sharing, and cooperative learning.
Sharing reading reflections
"_____" and "____": Fill-in-the-blank introduction activity
In Chinese learning, teachers will design a "data study" learning activity. In this exercise, the teacher uploads the study materials, requires students to pass the self-study, and then uses Padlet to generate visual results in real time. The teacher encourage students to review their classmates' independent reading results and evaluate one another's work, creating a peer-centered instead of teacher-centered learning environment. In addition, Poll Everywhere's rapid word collection function displayed in real time the emotions and feedback of everyone in the class. With this technology at their disposal, teachers were able to accurately assess the learning process and performance of each student.
Using Padlet to collaboratively analyse text and characters
Using Poll Everywhere for remote real-time interaction
In the Mathematics classroom, the flexible use of exercises in the textbooks has greatly improved students' understanding and application of theoretical knowledge. The introduction of Whiteboard helps teachers to assess students' learning situation in real time and understand students' learning status in time and adjust the teaching pace accordingly.
In addition, Ms. Li has set up various practice exercises for students of varying difficulty, ranging from simple to complex. Nearpod software is used for group discussion that requires students to comprehensively apply the knowledge they have learned in class. This software enhances teacher-student interaction, including Q&A, drawing, discussion and quiz. In this manner, online teaching helps to ensure all class members are engaged during class time, work collaboratively, and express their own ideas. This learning process is highly beneficial for enhancing students' ability to master subject knowledge and strengthen teamwork skills.
Let's be a weather reporter! Using remote learning to research and learn more about the weather
Geography teaching example:
In the course "Population Migration and Settlement," the Geography Teaching and Research Group designed extension content to help students understand the meaning behind the geography concepts taught in the course. During remote learning, it is especially important for teachers to preserve students' enthusiasm and encourage them to be active learners. This is the best way to accomplish the targeted teaching objectives.
One of the difficulties of online teaching is to ensure that all students can
think deeply and have the opportunity to participate in the discussion.
——Richard Forbes,
Middle School Humanities Teacher
At the beginning of the course, students shared and presented their views in PowerSchool Learning's shared documents drive, based in the cloud. The class then watched a video showing the growth of Shanghai. The purpose of the video was to put evidence and clues in front of the students that would lead them to discover patterns of settlement growth on their own. The teacher also highlighted their key reasons so they would have a correct understanding when it comes to settlement growth in Shanghai.
This kind of classroom design, on the one hand, "visualizes" thinking through online teaching platforms and shared document editing, but also allows teachers to understand students' learning of the subject matter in a timely manner. At the same time, it truly allows students to become masters of their own learning, as they are engaged in a comprehensive inquiry process encompassing thinking, expression and collaboration.
After class, students uploaded their homework through PowerSchool Learning. The teacher asks students to use online videos to showcase their work and share it with their classmates. Students are encouraged to share creative sources, design ideas, the production process and more. For students who did a presentation in front of the class, it was a chance for them to review the creative process, while for classmates observing the presentation, it was a time to reflect and summarize.
Homework is an important part of the curriculum. When we design the homework,
we hope that is about more than recitation and repetition. With homework assignments,
we strive to inspire students to take charge of their learning. Homework can be a vehicle
for improving students' independent learning skills.
——Kevin Zhu,
Middle School Humanities Teacher
In the initial stage of remote learning, teachers benefited from the school's technological
acumen. The school made available XY Link broadcast software, which integrated
with our teaching intranet, facilitated a successful online learning environment. As
the online learning program progressed, more teaching moved to the cloud, making
use of technology that allowed for more real-time interaction between teachers
and students, and a learning experience closer to the physical classroom. Online
learning during the pandemic has allowed Pao School to experiment with different
technology-enabled teaching methods. It has been a valuable experience, allowing
for both exploration and innovation. In the future, technology will continue to play
an important role in the learning process, helping to drive innovation and diversify
teaching methods.
——Shirley Jin,
Head of Middle School Chinese
*The following teachers provided content used in this article: Shirley Jin, Head of Middle School Chinese, Sue Li, Head of Middle School Mathematics, Kevin Zhu and Richard Forbes of the Middle School Humanities Department (online teaching case from extension unit)
Reference materials:
"Explore, Enterprising, Grow, and Develop"- Shirley Jin, Head of Middle School Chinese, YK Pao School
"The Practice of Online Mathematics Teaching in Middle Schools During the Pandemic"- Sue Li, Head of Middle School Mathematics, YK Pao School
"The Practice of Geography Teaching at YK Pao Middle School During the Pandemic" - Kevin Zhu, Humanities teacher, YK Pao Middle School
"Pao School Humanities Course Expansion Unit "Online Teaching Case"- Richard Forbes, Humanities teacher, YK Pao Middle School
