It’s been one week back at school after lockdown and with each day it became easier to navigate. I want to share some of my first observations of the “New Normal” in a Grade 1 class.
It is widely agreed that social distancing is challenging for children. It was, therefore, necessary to put in place restrictions which will minimise the risk of contraction of COVID-19 virus by creating cohorts of students with their teachers.
A lot of time and energy had gone into scheduling, student placement and organisation preparation which was a huge task. Classrooms cleared of non-essential furniture and materials, one-way systems put in place and designated areas for cohort groups to have time outside. Parents and students had received both written and video communications outlining how things would look and what expectations would be. So on day one, the excitement from our students was palpable. They were happy to be back in school with their friends and they were well prepared for the new normal.
Anxiety from the adults was clear as students struggled to maintain social distancing and it was quickly understood that this would be a compromise from all of us. Working with 7-year-olds who are used to having physical contact with you on a daily basis was going to be a tricky habit to break. Whether they were standing beside you while you helped them read or if they were feeling stressed and just needed a hug. Reinforcement of virtual hugs and high fives was a daily pastime.
Establishing our new routines went really well. Due to the thoughtful preparation of students, they arrived with the knowledge that they would be spending their school day in a defined cohort group. There was a new schedule to follow which dictated when we would eat, go to the toilet and have time outside.
As the week progressed and our new classroom normal became established some remarkable positives could be observed.
The students seemed calmer on the whole and very happy but the major change is with our students who normally exhibit challenging behaviour. They are much more relaxed and they are working really hard which allows them to see their own growth in their learning. We are only at the end of the first week but I can already observe for one student who usually presents with anger issues that this ‘new normal’ has been a positive experience. He is visibly happy and relaxed, interactions with peers are less charged and so far conflicts have been resolved without high levels of anger. Another student who often exhibits demand avoidance with a withdrawn demeanour is also presenting as a happy and relaxed student.
In my opinion, the changes which have made the greatest positive impact on student behaviour are the number of transitions which are made during the day, the limitation on cohort size, no cafeteria and the mandate to remain with your cohort during all outdoor time in a designated area. All of this has greatly reduced the stress for all students. In a normal day, our students would have transitioned to specialist subjects twice, had two outdoor recess times with the entire school where they could go to many different areas for play and lunch in a busy cafeteria where the noise was a huge issue for some. This would give lots of opportunities for overstimulation and conflict resulting in challenging behaviours/stress.
Another positive impact comes from the lowering of academic expectations while maintaining clear guidelines for student work and engagement. Students who struggle academically have found the independence of working online challenging in the beginning but with the creation of a stable routine for work and expectations, they have flourished. It is almost like having a 1:1 with a teacher because the online learning consists of videos, recorded instructions and flexibility in when you work and for how long. The ability to playback instructions and have recorded messages from teachers has provided an opportunity to process the academic work at the student’s independent pace and level.
We have observed that students are calmer in the class, expectations are clear for them so that results in fewer interruptions. Students don’t ask to go to the bathroom anymore as they know they will be told when it is time.
All of these changes create calm in the classroom. I believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned from returning to school after lockdown. I will be highlighting this with my leadership team and I hope to impress upon them the value that these changes have made. It is obvious to me that we cannot maintain this new situation indefinitely but I hope that we can use these observations to provide calmer days for all students going forward.
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