JS News: 1 Sep 2021
Hopeful news in the midst of remote learning
By Emily Begbie, Assistant Head of Junior School Teaching and Learning
Over the past 18 months there has been a great deal of reporting on the effects of remote learning on children, particularly in the areas of academic achievement and mental health and wellbeing. Recent data has provided some reassurance in the first of these areas, and gives us permission to focus more intentionally on the second.
The impact of remote learning on student achievement – positive news
In March this year, the Teachers and Teaching Research Centre at the University of Newcastle conducted a study into the effects of COVID-19 on student learning. It looked at the impact of the eight-week lockdown in NSW last year and compared the reading and maths performance of more than 3,000 students in nearly 100 schools. The research team found that school closures in that state had, on average, no substantial effect on learning[1]
Last week, the preliminary NAPLAN results for 2021 were released. NAPLAN was not undertaken in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this is the first NAPLAN testing since 2019. The results suggest that on average, the pandemic has had no significant impact on students’ literacy and numeracy achievement at the national or state/territory level.[2]
The long-term trend data reveals a steady improvement in most literacy and numeracy outcomes. Since 2008, students have gained the equivalent of about three months of learning in Years 3 and 5 reading and spelling, and in Years 5, 7 and 9 numeracy. There has also been a steady improvement in writing, which had been going backwards for 10 years.
Fuller analysis of the results will follow, however these initial indicators are encouraging, and a clear testament to the hard work of students, parents, teachers and school leaders in supporting students’ learning under such challenging circumstances.
The vital importance of social, emotional and physical wellbeing
As the pandemic unfolded last year, the impacts of COVID-19 on children and their families were reported in the Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll[3]. The findings revealed both negative and positive impacts. On one hand, trends included many Australian children spending more time on screens for entertainment, doing less exercise, and eating more unhealthy food during the pandemic. Almost half of parents reported that the pandemic had had a negative impact on their own mental health and a third said it had negatively affected the mental health of their child.
On the other hand, the majority of parents reported that their families had become closer, and almost half said that they were more connected to their child since the pandemic.
In a recent Guardian article, Dr Nicole Brunker, Lecturer in Education at the University of Sydney, suggests that the most important thing for parents to consider right now is not ‘learning loss’ but mental health and wellbeing.
‘We’ve got to accept that not everything will get done,’ says Brunker. ‘We’ve got to accept there will be distractions and ebbs and flows in motivation. We’ve got to accept they need time off, and some kids are going to need to say “You know what? I’m not looking at schooling today.” And that’s OK.’ [4]
In the same article, Pasi Sahlberg, Deputy Director of UNSW’s Gonski Institute for Education, points out ‘One of the things that parents and adults can do – and this includes all aged kids, teenagers and everyone – is to go and play with them.’ He goes on to list five key areas of wellbeing, for adults as well as children:
- Play
- Getting outside
- Exercising
- Socialising
- Monitoring engagement for news (i.e. not having news on as a background).
So what can we take from these insights? Three simple conclusions can be drawn:
- Students, parents and educators can take heart from the data – despite school closures, our children are continuing to learn and grow.
- Families can give themselves permission to stress less about remote learning and to not feel pressured to complete every task, every day.
- We all need to continue to make mental health and wellbeing our number one priority.
[1] Gore, J., Fray, L., Miller, A. et al. The impact of COVID-19 on student learning in New South Wales primary schools: an empirical study. Aust. Educ. Res. 48, 605–637 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00436-w
[2] NAP news, 25 August 2021. https://www.nap.edu.au/news-details
[3] The Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: Effects on the lives of Australian children and families. Poll Number 18. The royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria. https://www.rchpoll.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/nchp-poll18-report-covid.pdf
[4] Pasi Sahlberg, quoted in “Memo to parents and carers on home schooling: ‘Don’t panic, and don’t feel guilty’”, The Guardian, 21 August 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/aug/21/memo-to-parents-and-carers-on-home-schooling-dont-panic-and-dont-feel-guilty
