Ensuring that students continue to receive a high-quality education at home, and maintain their motivation despite the IGCSE exam cancellations, was the priority at GEMS Winchester School during this period. We understood that students and parents might be feeling isolated and anxious about learning from home and the impact on their IGCSE results, and so providing ongoing support and reassurance for KS4 would be particularly important. Furthermore, equipping students to make the transition into the next stage of their education is also a key consideration as the academic year draws to a close.

With this in mind, we sought to create a blended learning strategy which would integrate digital resources and conventional teaching methods, for an engaging and interactive student experience. The outcomes from students over the past months have illustrated the benefits of integrating online resources, from improving their ability to learn independently and self-review, to allowing for more personalised instruction which reflects the needs of individual learners. 

As we made the transition to home learning, it was clear that we would need to deliver engaging and interactive lessons despite not being face-to-face with our students. Like other schools we have been utilising edtech to make home learning as easy and engaging as possible for students during this period. However, distance learning is not about simply telling students to watch a video or read a handout. We understood that students could become disinterested if the lessons were always the same and if they lacked interaction with their teachers, especially now during Ramadan when lessons are reduced to 25 minutes. Because lessons are so much shorter than normal, every second counts, so we had to think creatively in order to  keep them engaged and actively learning and replicate the normal classroom lesson using a combination of virtual independent learning and teacher-led direction.

Distance learning presents certain challenges, however it also provides a unique opportunity for students to review and consolidate their learning and get a head-start on their studies for next year. We now have a generation of digital-native students learning from home. We also have the edtech tools at our disposal to take the classroom experience online and deliver the same high standard of teacher support and curriculum-aligned content which students would expect in the classroom.

Blended learning is more attuned to the way today’s young students consume and engage with content. Audio-visual revision has the entertainment appeal but also the flexibility, enabling students to pause, watch and re-watch as needed to reinforce their topic understanding. Combining this independent work with teacher-led sessions then creates a more engaging and dynamic student experience. Furthermore, blended learning enables students to take ownership of their study and develop key independent thinking skills which are beneficial for their education careers and beyond.

Blended learning is an opportunity to enrich the personalised learning experience for Year 10s and Year 11s. Each student is different and will learn best in different ways and at different speeds. Using an online learning tool which provides instant feedback on students’ work is valuable as it allows teachers to identify any knowledge gaps in real-time and ensure this is addressed in the next lesson. Like other international schools in the UAE, we have a high proportion of learners with English as an additional language (EAL). Students therefore enjoy using audio-visual resources with subtitles, which allow them to slow down or re-watch sections as needed. Once schools reopen, digital resources can continue to offer a customised learning experience for KS4 at a time when they need it most.

Remote learning has given schools everywhere the opportunity to explore new edtech resources and see how they might benefit the curriculum going forward. To maximise the benefits of edtech, teachers must receive thorough training so that they understand how the resource covers the curriculum. This enables teachers to map out effective lesson plans, set homework and modify tasks for students depending on their abilities. Curriculum-aligned tasks are especially important for KS4 to make sure they are not missing out any IGCSE topics.  

For example, many of our year 11 students were anxious about making sure they had covered all of their exam content. I knew that the Pods in GCSEPod cover all 21 units of the ICT IGCSE, so I was able to create comprehensive playlists of videos and then set multiple-choice assignments for each ICT unit, with a deadline to complete them by the end of May.