I have now started to put together a document which identifies potential gaps in learning from lockdowns (1 and 2) for my current year group. I am really lucky that I was a Year 4 teacher during the first lockdown, as I know what we should have taught and what remote learning we provided. I also know what the uptake on the remote learning was for my class. I realise now that this is all quite late in the game, we should have done this in September - but who has been through this before? Who felt confident about going back to school? What needed to be done? And how? It's in hindsight, and a nudge from Ofsted, that we need to properly address gaps - not just be aware of the gaps.
In my meeting with Ofsted I kept repeating how much I knew about this cohort's missed learning because I had been in that year group - I know, I tell my Year 5 colleagues, we have a good picture. But, quite rightly, Ofsted asked how anyone else knew this about their year group. Especially those teachers moving year groups - of which there were quite a few in my school. As a teacher you need to know what has happened before. We are so good at transitioning children - who they are, what our concerns are, where we feel confident - but we are less good at feedback from one year group to the next about learning. I see now that it would be extremely useful to have a class/ year group feedback to the next year group on what went well and what didn't. This is more than just lockdown, but a new massive step in thinking about learning.
But aside from this, my current plan for science catch ups is an afternoon of dipping into the topic. I know that next year's Year 5s will have missed out on Forces when they were Year 3, and this has not been addressed in this year. It's complicated because the Year 4s are mixed with the Year 3s (another story) so both groups are receiving the Year 4 science curriculum this year. This seems fine at first, and a way of approaching teaching when one cohort has already experienced the Year 3 curriculum, but it means that you can't teach Year 3 now as the current Year 3s will get their Year 3 curriculum next year (when they are Year 4). Ofsted asked at the time - will the mix of Year 3/4 disadvantage either year group? - at the time, my year 3/4 colleagues were confident that they had provided enough differentiation so that either group of children would cope with the learning. But...after spending more time on getting to know the whole curriculum, I now know that topics in KS2 are taught in a two year cycle. What is taught in Year 3 is built on in Year 5, what is taught in Year 4 is built on in Year 6 - and some extra in year 6 (light from Year 3). If only they had done 'light' in Year 3 summer lockdown!
The catch up plan is a dip into potentially missed learning. We will never know how much learning happened during a lockdown - was everything posted on google classroom the child's own work? if nothing was posted, does that mean they didn't engage? if a parent didn't post on google classroom, does this mean the parent didn't download or use any school resources? I find the best way to approach it as an 'unknown'. You did well - but it's still unknown. You appeared to do nothing - but that's an unknown. What is the famous line about knowing the unknowns? - we know the unknowns but we don't know the knowns - something like that, which I made fun of, but I have more sympathy for the sentiment.
So, a dip in - what does that look like? For me this is active learning, no recording necessary, talk and experiencing, linking and thinking. It does mean memorable learning in the form of remembering what you were doing - even if there was no actual learning it is a memory of something that might help learning in the future. For w while I thought learning activities without understanding were terrible (Romeo and Juliet puppets/ a chocolate swiss roll cut up into fractions) but I really disagree now: for primary, for secondary, for adults. I learn from past experiences; I might not know what the learning is at the time, but when that is important again I am able to reflect back on the previous experience that I didn't get at the time and say - Oh! That's what that was about! That is metacognition - reviewing and thinking. It may be the case that not everyone gets that - like learning the first time - but creating a memorable learning event has potential for learning not only in the moment but later down the line. As some guy says - what we want children to learn is not what they do learn - but if we think it building learning, then cutting up a chocolate swiss roll might make sense 2 years later - it might be the key thing a learner hangs on to.
I know as a learner that I was corrected and didn't learn. I know as a learner I did learn when it meant something important to me. I know as an adult that everything I don't understand - and try to, I eventually will understand - and maybe more than just that one thing.
I know as a teacher you need many hooks. Repeated hooks, but different kinds of hooks. I know as a parent and teacher that there is so much learning from experiencing and talking. I love the slightly glazed look of children listening to each other - I noticed this today, they stare into the distance when they are thinking about the tangents we went on discussing stick insects.
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