Twitter: @QF
Planning for virtual learning during the present pandemic situation is a bit different than planning for classroom learning. When planning, the teacher has to consider students’ abilities and learning styles to ensure quality of learning. For students at Awsaj Academy of Qatar Foundation, a lot of visual and audio materials are needed to accomplish that.
Also, the teacher has to be flexible and adjust the teaching to meet the needs of the students and their families.
For example, a lot of games and fun activities are needed to ensure that the at home learning experience is attainable and successful. “Fun learning activities tend to bring about better student engagement,” Leyla M El Hassan of Elementary Bridge Class at Awsaj Academy, told The Peninsula.
Awsaj Academy is a K-12 specialised school that addresses the needs of students with mild to moderate learning challenges. “While we were using some online learning programs at Awsaj Academy, such as SeeSaw, IXL, and Kids a-z, they were used as supplementary assistive tools.
But the use of these programs as the main education delivery tool is new to everyone. It was, however, helpful that the students were familiar with these programs, as it made it easier for them to adjust to our new reality,” said El Hassan.
Highlighting the main elements of online learning for students at Awsaj Academy, El Hassan said that teachers strive to be flexible to meet needs of students. “We pride ourselves on being flexible and innovative during this unfamiliar time.
Our students are receiving education in the core curriculum of English reading and writing, Math, Arabic, Islamic, EP and science/social studies. They are also receiving special services targeted activities such as occupational therapy and speech therapy,” she said. “All lessons and activities are delivered through online programs.
Teachers hold online meetings with their students. We are aware of our students’ needs, and we strive to be flexible to meet those needs. For example, some of our meetings are whole group meetings while others are held as individualised meetings. We work closely with our parents to gauge and ensure student engagement and success,” she added. Although children are resilient, individual differences make it difficult to determine the degree to which children adjust to change.
“To that end, some of our students find it particularly hard to deal with change. While some students take really well to online learning, others struggle,” said El Hassan. Speaking about the challenges El Hassan said: “We teach more than academics at Awsaj. Social emotion and self-regulation are a big part of what we teach at Awsaj. Teaching these skills is difficult, as students need the social interaction with peers to learn and practice these skills. Also, most of our students struggle with focusing and maintaining attention on academic tasks.
They often require a clear set routine and structure. This has been particularly difficult, as each family has their own set of circumstances and struggles with working parents.” “We post our lessons and activities by 8am every morning and we give students until 8am the next day to submit their assigned work as our way of accommodating our families’ and students’ needs.
It is also challenging to accurately assess students in a virtual platform,” she added. Also there are definitely some success stories of children and parents bonding through completing online work and spending some quality time together. “Some students’ reading and math skills have improved. But the school setting is very important to most of our students, as they need the social interaction piece.
However, I think that moving forward online education programs will be incorporated more in teaching, both in class and at home,” said El Hassan. She also emphasised that a person never knows how much he or she is capable of until we are faced with challenges. “It has definitely been a challenging and learning experience for all concerned.
I am sure parents and teachers alike have drawn on their strength and patience a number of times to cope with this seemingly turned upside down new reality we live in. It has been amazing to see parents rising up to the challenge of taking on their children’s education,” she said.
“Personally, I struggled to learn the art of offering and making myself available without pushing and overwhelming my students and their parents. I am certainly grateful and proud of all the work and effort my students and their parents have put in to make this new educational experience a memorable one,” she added.
Awsaj Academy is the only school of its kind in Qatar and one of only a handful of schools dedicated to working with students who have demonstrated aptitude in certain areas while facing academic challenges in others. The school aim to unlock the learning potential of each student while serving as the first model special education demonstration school in the region.
The curriculum at Awsaj Academy is based on local and international standards. Awsaj Academy has curricula with a strong base in research, including programs that have proven to be effective in improving the academic skills of students, which is our number one priority as educators.
Students with learning challenges or who are ‘at risk’ must be able to achieve academically at an accelerated rate, or else they will remain significantly behind in achieving learning standards. At Awsaj Academy, the path to academic achievement is by maximising time spent learning, while minimising time needed to learn.
In order to do this, an efficient approach to instruction is necessary, one that will allow staff to make the most of allocated time spent learning while at the same time making it possible for students to need less time to learn.
Awsaj Academy has been awarded a dual accreditation by two internationally renowned accrediting agencies, the Council of International Schools (cis) (www.cois.org) and the Middle States Association (MSA) (www.middlestates.org), both of whom are recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
