The Perpetual Development of an Online Learning Programme

The learning programme at Shrewsbury has always been designed according to what we know about how young children learn best.

Ten weeks of school suspension have taught us about the necessity of routine and engagement. Learning online presents one insurmountable challenge however: in normal circumstances, during the course of a single lesson conducted on campus, a child will enjoy interaction, intervention, support, direction, guidance, coaching, affirmation or engagement (from teachers and peers) continually.

We are innately social beings and high quality feedback is an integral part of the learning process. Children do not learn independently at school - they cannot be expected to learn independently at home either. This has significant implications for parents, guardians, friends and relatives who are now required to provide this moment by moment support. For their incredible contribution, we are enormously grateful.

The three key strategies for delivery (live sessions, recorded content and downloadable documentation) are common to every school in Hong Kong and beyond. We have chosen to lean gently in favour of recorded content as we believe it to be more accessible and more effective, but review the balance of the programme perpetually. Our approach supports fluid intervention. Teachers respond to an average of over 200 requests for feedback each day - many are addressed within regular pastoral calls, which are often used to check in on progress, to guide or advise. We believe that the provision of accurate and individualised feedback is the most critical function of a teacher in the modern classroom - ours is an on-demand service.

Schools are all searching for the right balance. Together we look to satisfy the requirements of teenagers, primary schoolers and infants - the advanced learner, the child with a support plan and the third language speaker - the family of five (or six), the parents currently living overseas and the working couple who do not have additional home support.

We have come a long way, but continue to learn, refine and evolve. Beyond all else, lies a commitment to ongoing dialogue with families and a knowledge that adversity often unites.