Remote Learning has been a key element of the educational landscape in recent times.
It has provided us with an opportunity to re-design our teaching and learning program while holding true to our unique educational philosophy. It has been a challenge, however it has also been one of our greatest accomplishments.
Our Remote Learning program was co-designed in collaboration with our families. Using our design process, our team moved through a three day design sprint to create our Remote Learning v1.0 program. We then implemented our program, and invited families to provide us with feedback each afternoon across a week. The team used this feedback to make changes each day.
We're so proud of what we have created together! Here’s some of our Remote Learning program highlights.
Morning Huddle
We understand the need to stay connected during periods of lockdown. So we have purposefully designed our Remote Learning program to include community connectedness. We start the day with a community zoom gathering called 'Morning Huddle' where we share a character challenge, celebrate and move our bodies together.
Full Day of
Face-to-Face
Being face-to-face with our children for such a large portion of each day means that we can stay connected, keep engagement levels high, and continue offering a high standard of education despite being apart! This has also allowed us to continue teaching small-group workshops, which are the powerhouse of program.
Opt in Workshops
Providing our children with choices in their day is important. So each afternoon, our children are given the opportunity to opt into a variety of workshops. Through these opt-in workshops, our children continue to build new skills and socialise with friends from different year levels.
Movement Breaks
Sitting at a computer for hours each day isn't easy for young (or old) bodies! So we factor in frequent movement breaks throughout each day.
We even set community challenges to get everybody moving at home. We are currently seeing how far we can get around Australia by adding together the kilometres we move each day.
Go team Newmark!
Connecting with Experts
Being restricted to our homes doesn't mean we should be isolated from the people around us. Our children continue to learn from experts in the community, seeing first-hand how their contribution makes a difference. We frequently invite external experts onto our screens to support and enrich our program.
Projects
We have worked hard to ensure our children continue to solve problems in the real world. This has included having resources organised and delivered to homes, running design workshops, organising zoom meetings with experts, and actioning projects to community groups.
Online and Offline options
We recognise that each child is unique. We all have different needs and preferred learning styles. With this in mind, we offer quality online and offline learning options. We do our best to ensure our children have what they need to continue to grow.
Tools Down Days
We love the fun and community connection that comes from our Tools Down Days! On these special days we put aside our regular routine and replace it with an action packed day of hands-on activities. Each of these days has a theme, we even packed our suitcases and travelled the world on a recent Tools Down Day!