With the sudden alert level 4 announcement, schools had to react quickly to shift learning from the classroom to an online environment. Dame Patsy paid a visit to Government House’s neighbour, Wellington College, to see how the staff and students managed with the drastic changes to their learning environment and how it felt being back in the classroom.
Some of the issues raised were making sure students had access to the devices they would need to learn online from home, making sure students adopted good time management skills and coming to terms with cancelled events they had been working hard towards.
Dame Patsy heard how the teachers and students had embraced online learning through creative techniques like YouTube videos, Zoom catch ups and the kids keeping in contact with each other through the school Instagram account.
During the lockdown, an emphasis was placed on flexible learning, noting that not all kids are in the same situation and their education needed to fit around their home and in some cases work life situations.
