Ontario students commence online learning today, over three weeks after COVID-19 locked down schools. As such, the effort will be led by school teachers through live and pre-recorded lessons.
According to the Ministry of Education, e-learning cannot wholly substitute the in-class experience, by implication, the aim is to help students carry on with their education during the lockdown caused by the pandemic.
The Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce is requesting that parents help the youngest of pupils via the transition, considering the fact that many of them are working from home.
However, the President of Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, Cathy Abraham, has disclosed that school boards have been getting feedback from parents in recently that they need help in teaching their children at home.
Cathy Abraham revealed that each board in the province has been developing a local plan to meet the needs of pupils with limited access to tablets, computers or internet or whose parents may not be available to oversee their schooling.
Cathy said: “This is uncharted territory for everyone. We’re just asking parents to have a little bit of patience with their school boards while they try to figure it out. It’s not going to be the same for everybody.”
The ministry’s recommendation is that elementary students should spend between five and 10 hours on learning every week, depending on their age while high school students should spend three hours on every course per week if their schedule is split into semesters or one hour thirty minutes if their schedule is not split into semesters.
Also, Lecce has revealed that students on course to graduate will not experience delay due to the pandemic. but schools will still be closed to students til at least May 4, 2020. Initially, schools were shuttered for just two weeks but the persistent spread of the novel coronavirus led to an extension.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario in a letter to parents demanded for patience as everybody tries to adapt to this temporal reality.
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario said: “Keep in mind that we are learning about how to do this right along with you. We know that parents and caregivers are stressed and doing their best.”
