How can we make sure those students who need extra help get it through online classes?

As a parent, you want your child to excel in class and so do we as educators. It is always a challenge for teachers to provide the extra attention needed for students who are below expected attainment levels or at risk of falling behind while continuing to meet the needs of the rest of the students in that class.

This challenge becomes even greater while teaching online. There are some innovative methodologies through which we ensure that each child with special educational need gets the personal attention and opportunity to experience success. When a struggling student does not get the support needed, he/she can lose the motivation and fall further behind, leaving them in a difficult position when schools do reopen. And we do not want that to happen.

Vineet Gill, Head of Primary Years Programme from Oakridge International School, Mohali, discussed with us some of the methodologies which have been successfully applied for primary students at our schools.

1.Small group learning provides bigger opportunities:Forming small groups of two or four students ensures that they receive personalized time with the Special Educator. For example, one of our students in Grade 5, who was living with his grandmother while his parents were overseas, was unable to attend the Virtual School Experience for the first two months of the academic year. He now has a daily session with the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Teacher, who takes him through the sessions that he had missed. The SEN Teacher connects with the boy’s parents on WhatsApp once a fortnight to discuss his progress. The teachers also provide tips to the parents on how they can support their son to expedite his learning through the Virtual School Experience.

2.A personalized learning approach:Students who need additional support to keep up with the curriculum through online classes get personalized lesson plans to ensure that they are receiving the necessary instructions and resources. Based on the learning level of a student, we provide extra online classes as needed. We regularly assess the progress made by the student through these extra classes and customize the number of support lessons.

For example, a student in Grade 4 who initially struggled to keep up in class due to the language barrier, began with two support lessons in a week. Based on the teacher’s observation and parent’s request, the number of lessons were then increased to five in a week, one extra lesson per day. These extra support lessons are not chargeable. They are a part of our commitment to ensure that all children receive the teaching needed to help them reach their full potential.

3.The partnership of teachers and parents for enhanced learning:We conduct monthly online meetings with parents of each and every child to reflect on the progress made by the students. Based on the need, we also conduct weekly meetings with students and their parents and discuss how to improve the learning experience. These meetings are usually done via WhatsApp or through Class Dojo, or the SEN teacher shares the progress of the child through an email. Our teachers and the parents agree that communication between them is as strong as ever through our Virtual School Experience.

4.Differentiated content:Depending on the learning ability of the students in different subjects, we provide extra learning support in the form of worksheets, task sheets, reading material, etc. It ensures to support their learning in a precise way so that every student makes progress and enjoys the motivating feeling of success. Similarly, for Early Years, our Home Room Teacher takes one on one sessions to support better outcomes for students. When there is a need, parents join these sessions too so together they understand how best they can work with the school to support their child.

5.Diversified learning materials:Each student has a different learning response, which is why our teachers use a broad range of learning materials including videos, PowerPoint presentations, role-play, reading, interviews, real-life connections and homemade manipulators.

6.A holistic learning approach:We strive for the all-round development of our students and therefore teach beyond the academic curriculum. For example, a student in Grade 3 was always afraid to speak in front of an audience. We supported the child through personal coaching and helped him practice speaking to his teachers without an audience. Teachers also helped with boosting the confidence of the student by encouraging him to speak in the virtual morning assembly, as a result of which he has now started to speak during the live morning assembly!

7.Innovative teaching solutions:Our teachers are driven to work on individual learning challenges which students may have and produce innovative solutions to enhance the learning experience. For example, a student in Grade 3 struggled to work independently. After observation and interaction, teachers learned that the child needs repetitive instructions to understand the task. The SEN Teacher and the Home Room Teacher made deliberate efforts to check and improve the responsiveness of the student by intermittently asking questions. Within two months, the child has gradually become more independent and is now asking questions rather than only answering the teacher’s questions.

There are many reasons why a child may fall behind. We explore and understand each reason and provide positive strategies to support their learning for better outcomes, including while we teach and learn in our Virtual School Environment.