Distance Learning: Tips minutes for post-programming remodel verification. Two examples of questionnaires.

A multiplicity of functional commitments for teaching and, among these, for those schools that wish, in addition to the commitments for the adoption or reconfirmation of textbooks, also a meeting of the collegiate bodies to evaluate, after careful monitoring, Teachings to distance. Excellent, in this sense, seems to be the choice of ICS Renato Guttuso de Carini (Pa), led by the director of the school, professor Valeria La Paglia, who has provided special class advice, intersection between classes to evaluate: the report of achievements based on the remodeling of the programming of the disciplinary or pedagogical team; remote monitoring of the effectiveness of teaching and strategies adopted for students at risk of “digital dispersion”; the detection of effective methodologies and teaching strategies for students with BES; the criteria of the formative evaluation form (see PTOF), for primary and secondary school.

Equally worthy of attention, due to the exceptional nature of the choice made, the questionnaires, that of the students and that of the teachers, prepared, administered and printed prepared by the State Institute of Higher Education “Michelangelo Buonarroti” of Monfalcone (GO) guided by the head of the school, Professor Vincenzo Caico. On the premise of the questionnaire (attached), the purpose of the questionnaire “our high school has activated structured forms of distance learning, to enable students to continue their learning journey. This questionnaire will help us collect useful information to improve the service we offer ”.

The interview with the principal of the school, Vincenzo Caico.

Then, before discussing what to write in a report that is intended to represent DaD monitoring, we wanted to hear from one of the managers who took steps, from the outset, to monitor distance learning.

Professor Vincenzo Caico is the director of the school of the State Institute of Higher Education “Michelangelo Buonarroti” in Monfalcone (GO); an institute that houses the Scientific High School, the Applied Science High School, the Sports High School and the Language High School. The answers to both questions are sufficiently indicative of how tomorrow’s school will be better.

Principal, how important can monitoring the DDA be to rethink the choices made and plan new ones, in the meantime for this last month of lessons, and then for the upcoming school year?

“Monitoring of distance learning was immediately necessary because we were traveling in an area that we did not know about. Simply put, we didn’t know if we were okay. And, in fact, very important suggestions emerged from the questionnaire, especially from the students. We immediately realized, for example, that following online educational activities for students is more exhausting than following face-to-face activities, and that remotely there is no point in trying to replicate the same dynamic of lessons in presence. It was time to correct the course, to make this strange new way of making the school more sustainable for everyone. The further away from the established patterns we were trying to replicate, the more effective we would be. The key to a new educational organization of the school, in fact, had to necessarily pass from an almost zero rethinking of our schooling, based on the resources and knowledge that we had available “.

Two months after the start of this test, what do you think should be changed?

In retrospect, I would say that instead of leaving the task of self-regulation to the teachers, it would have been more productive to immediately give them more precise indications about the number of hours and the type of activities that will be carried out online. It may seem trivial, but if we had immediately set up a weekly schedule for video lessons, perhaps we would have been a little more efficient, even if the distance learning experience in my high school was considered largely positive, despite being a didactic of the ’emergency.

The DaD Assessment Report: What to Write and What to Look For

What to write in the DaD evaluation report and reports? What privilege? We have also prepared, based on the proposal made by ICS Renato Guttuso de Carini, operational notes for the class, between classes or intersection councils. Of course, the data entered is indicative and requires the necessary and indispensable adjustments appropriate to the conditions of the schools and communities in which we operate.

1. Report on the objectives achieved on the basis of remodulations.

Based on the provisions of the ministerial note prot. 388 of March 17, 2020, the individual councils were summoned to carry out a control, review, remodulation of the didactic planning of each of the classes based on the needs related to the covid-19 emergency and the relative activation of the distance learning method. Therefore, the Board has proceeded to a new reformulation of the didactic project plans foreseen by the curricular planning at the beginning of the school year and of the Learning Units defined for the curricular disciplines and education. In fact, it proceeded to simplify the learning objectives, the micro-skills and the content, indicating those essential for the promotion of the learning processes in distance learning, while, of course, the objectives for the development of the planned competences they remained stable. Specifically, the objective was to: adapt the tools and communication channels used; adaptation of training verification methods; Adaptation of planning customization for DSA students and those with non-certified educational needs for which they have provided to replicate the proposed or used compensatory and dispensing instruments. During this step, teachers verified the progress of the DAD by noting feedback from students and families and monitoring the level of participation.

2. Distance monitoring and digital teaching effectiveness “for students who drop out of school

A fundamental prerequisite for distance and digital education was to keep the classroom community active and to strengthen the sense of belonging; commit to avoid the risk of loneliness of the students and, jointly, also of the families; keep alive the communicative and relational interchangeability between teachers and students, even in the knowledge of the implicit and inevitable limits in distance education; Do not interrupt (would have been serious) the learning process. And this in a more appropriate and consistent way for students with different abilities for whom the interruption of the didactic-educational-formative activity should be avoided. Teachers have worked, to the extent possible, to strengthen and strengthen the process of inclusion and collaboration (even at a distance) between the support teacher and the assigned student, between the student and the classroom teachers, and between the student and classmates also in compliance with the well-known Miur prot. n. 388 of March 17, 2020. Following these premises, teachers monitored the effectiveness of distance and digital teaching. The note of March 17, 2020 prot. 388 asked the teachers to take into account, in the design of the DaD, what the tools were, since they were rethought, adapted, modified, and subsequently tested. The note said “direct and indirect connection, immediate or deferred, through videoconferences, video lessons, group chats, the reasoned transmission of teaching materials, uploading them to digital platforms and using class records in all their communication and support functions. teaching, with subsequent reworking and discussion carried out directly or indirectly with the teacher, interaction in interactive digital educational systems and applications: this is all distance learning. ”In light of this, it was decided to use the following tools for the creation of a suitable DAD for the reformulated training bet: electronic record (to keep the traceability of the teacher’s work evident); requests for lessons (included in the freedom of teaching) to track teaching activities in mode synchronous; application, always chosen by the teacher, for teaching to activities in asynchronous mode; Group chat application (eg WhatsApp) with which to keep immediate and efficient feedback alive and fast for educational activities in asynchronous mode with parents but also with students.

Statistical monitoring

In order to carry out the monitoring, the indicators of the Ministry of Education and those, absolutely effective, tested by the State Institute of Higher Education “Michelangelo Buonarroti” of Monfalcone, were used in part. Based on these indicators, it was possible to verify that: all the teachers reached 100% of the students with the use, at least initially, of WhatsApp, which allowed a timely first evaluation of the family’s ability to use the DaD . Once this was done and stable and profitable relationships were established, the digital tools were activated as a whole. After this, 75% followed the video streaming lessons, on the Google Classroom platform and on WeSchool, 9% had to make deliveries and return them, lower percentages of students studied in brochures and other material provided by teachers or have watched videos or documentaries online. 70% have studied in textbooks, while 45% have seen recorded videos. Few have carried out more complex project activities or listened to audio lessons and podcasts. Video lessons were done by 100% of teachers, while 90% gave assignments to complete and deliver, 70% provided brochures. 50% of teachers requested the integration of learning methods with the study of textbooks. Almost 70% of students use Google Classroom as a platform to manage online activities. 95% also use electronic registration, 70% have used YouTube, while 100% have received instructions via WhatsApp from teachers. The electronic registry, in fact, is used by 100% of teachers as a tool for online teaching, while 60% of teachers also use Classroom. The high percentages (80%) of teachers also use Google Meet and Gmail. Almost all students use the smartphone, which also uses computers and tablets, while the most used tool by teachers is the laptop. In fact, only one child has never touched the PC in the entire period. Therefore, regarding those who have borrowed it, a special report was made to the DS. The opinion of the students about the dialogue established with the teachers is very positive, and the evaluation is reciprocal by the teachers, although with more moderation: the teachers are still generally satisfied with the commitment of the students.

Photograph of the current situation.

To take the photograph of the current class, the indicators of the Ministry of Education and those, absolutely effective, experienced by the State Institute of Higher Education “Michelangelo Buonarroti” of Monfalcone, have been used, partially adapted. The level bands seem to have been established on the last useful occasion to photograph the class or the first trimester assessment. Since then, nothing has changed, the opposite could have happened considering the turbulent period prior to the suspension of teaching activities. Regarding the perception of remote activity, it is represented that:

– Regarding the relationship with online teaching, most of the students (38%) believe that they are learning less, but in exchange they are developing other skills. 30% say they have difficulties and 20% that they learn less, but they have to adapt.

– Teachers, for their part, have accepted the challenge of online teaching: many positively face the difficulties they face, others, in the same percentage, are adapting to this new need. Only 9.4% had already experimented with this modality before the emergency.

– 60% of students think that distance learning can only be useful for particular needs or situations, while the percentage of those who consider it only a setback exceeds that of those who want to integrate it regularly into daily teaching.

– The organization that the school has established to deal with this emergency period is judged very positively by the students. The difficulties encountered by the students mainly refer to the slowness or lack of Internet connection (35.5%) and to those who organize their own study (40).

The mood of these days of emergency and concern weighs heavily on students. Finally, the percentage of students who use the Internet for other purposes, in addition to studying, is particularly high these days, especially to communicate on social networks.

3. Measurements of methodologies and teaching strategies for students with BES;

In light of the current legislation regarding the appearance of a new coronavirus, also in this case the didactic planning foreseen in both the Individualized Education Plans and the Personalized Education Plans has been remodeled. In this specific case, measures were taken on disciplinary content objectives. The disciplinary and educational redesign, already adapted to the different needs of the students and calibrated on them, has been reconsidered both in content and in the various areas of function. Only measures were taken on those objectives that can also be followed in DaD mode and with the contribution and participation of families. Finally, the teacher worked to stimulate the student and get a prompt response to their requests. Students with special educational needs have used each of the applications offered by the school, through which they can take lessons asynchronously or synchronously for groups or individuals with families. Surveys showed that: collaboration was positive; adequate relationship with adults; proper relationship with peers; the frequency of constancy; compliance with the rules in satisfactory DaD mode; motivation for inorganic school work; good personal organization; awareness of their own difficulties appropriate to educational and training expectations. Furthermore, the methodological and didactic strategies used were appropriate; planned and implemented activities (first quarter) were implemented during the second quarter; The dispensing measures adopted and the compensatory tools were adequate for the changing teaching and methodological needs of the school in DaD mode.

Four. Evaluation board criteria

The board establishes that, pending the ministerial ordinance that should be published in a few days, it will continue to be considered as training and, instead of the program actually carried out, the following prescriptions, foreseen by the ANP, will be taken into account, which can be summarized by stating that the evaluation:

• it must take into account both the training process and the learning outcomes;
• it has educational and training purposes;
• contributes to the improvement of learning and educational success of pupils / students;
• must document the development of personal identity;
• it should promote the self-evaluation of each one in relation to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences.

It is reiterated that beyond grades and judgments, even if asked to issue certification certificates and report cards at the end of each cycle and each school year, the school will have to change the perception that have about it. outside. It is no longer a place for punishments and rewards, but rather as a learning environment designed to empower the responsible and mature man and citizen of tomorrow.

Questionnaire on distance education for students

Questionnaire for teachers on distance education.