While many teachers around the country are grappling with the suddenness of being thrown into the world of distance education, it’s business as usual for Dr William Newman.
Dr Newman has been teaching for over 40 years, and 20 of those have been spent as a distance education teacher at Alice Springs School of the Air.
“Alice Spring School of the Air, it’s a government school and we’re responsible for providing education to students who are in remote and isolated areas,” Dr Newman explains.
“So these are students who are typically hundreds of kilometres from a major centre, our catchment area if you like is 1.3 million square kilometres.”
He understands the challenges many teachers, and parents, are now facing as classes move online. In light of this, he shares his tips on how teachers can keep kids engaged during class, and how parents can best facilitate that learning.
Relationships
“At the end of the day, as amazing and wonderful as all the technology is, it really comes down to relationships,” Dr Newman explains.
“It’s really important to build a strong relationship with the student, it’s about developing that trust and getting them to see that learning is something that is important to them and it’s for them.”
Pictured in 1954 is a young Christine Benz (nee Gehling) participating in School of the Air lessons at the age of 11. Source: School of the Air
Dr Newman acknowledges that this can be particularly difficult in the teenage years, but explains that students, like those who attend School of the Air, need to understand that this is how things work.
“Even though they aren’t physically coming out of their house, they’re not physically jumping on a bus or riding their bike but it’s their school and it’s where they belong so we put a lot of work and time into sort of developing that type of culture if you like in the school that then makes it easier for us to work with the kids to use the diff technologies to help them stay connected with each other and connected through the class as well.”
Dr Newman explains that it’s also crucial, now more than ever, to have strong relationships with parents. Without being in the same room as a student, it can be hard for teachers to understand what else may be going on with a student.
“We’re very much dependent on the parents and the relationship we have with them just to keep us informed about what is happening with the kids. Are they having a good day? Are they having a bad day?”
“That is really, really important, and it’s the regularity of that contact as well. You know the standard group email once a week as a teacher doesn’t really cut it in the distance education environment.
“You need to be constantly building those relationships, talking to parents, talking to the kids and that’s what I think enables you to be able to get the best out of the kids.”
Conducting a class online
“One of the really important things that we talk to our teachers about is eye contact, so making sure they’re looking at the camera so the kids feel that you’re connecting with them so little things like that are really, really important,” Dr Newman explains.
Dr Newman also encourages as much discussion as possible so the class feels more interactive and less like a lecture.
Variation in a class is also critical to keeping the kids interested in what they are learning, he says.
“...particularly when you get up into the teenage years that‘s very difficult, we have, for example, 14 year old boys who are at home, on their own, with their PlayStation right next to them so it really is important to try and get that variation in your lessons so you keep them engaged.”
Dr Newman says sticking to structure and routine, like teachers would do in the physical classroom, will also help keep kids engaged.
“Regardless of how much work your school has decided your kids are doing every day, give your students a routine … so that they know what the expectations are regardless of how much work they’ve got, that’s really important.”
The relationships you build with parents is vital, according to Dr Newman. Source: AAP
For parents
“Don’t stress,” he says.
“I guess it is easier said than done but it’s also quite important to establish I guess, and this is where the routines become important, while your student is doing school work you’re the eyes and ears of the teacher you’re no longer mum, your no longer dad, as soon as that’s done you’re back to being mum and dad.”
Dr Newman also encourages parents to reach out to the teacher if they themselves don’t understand a concept their child is trying to learn.
“It should be an enjoyable process for everybody.”
The takeaway
While these COVID-19 times are no doubt putting a strain on many families, there can be a range of benefits that come from distance education according to Dr Newman.
“I think part of that certainly is the relationship between the school and the family as opposed to just the teacher and the student, so I think the relationship building is really powerful in this sort of mode.”
“For the students themselves there’s a whole range of, if you like independent learning skills that they will start to acquire and so they’re not to be underestimated, they’re extremely valuable not only at school but in the workplace so there’s some really good things there.
“And again coming back to parents not stressing it’s a really good time for parents and students to connect in terms of what they’re doing, and for it to be a really special time in sharing that learning.”
