As described in this Insight article, the impact of COVID-19 on education has been significant. The physical closure of schools has highlighted some challenges and prompted some big questions:
- Do we want to return to the status quo and business as usual when schools reopen?
- Might the lockdown period act as a catalyst for education reforms that many have been seeking?
- If so, what should we be looking to change?
To understand different perspectives on these questions, we are asking New Zealand’s teachers, students and their parents to complete a short survey reflecting on their home learning experiences. The reflections can be long or short, and do not need to be polished pieces of writing – we are simply interested to hear as many voices as possible.
The information we gather will be used to inform a written report and supporting material documenting this project and its findings. These findings will be published on The Education Hub website and will undoubtedly also inform our future resourcing priorities. Please note, raw data will not be shared, plus all data will be used anonymously in any materials or resources produced.
Please also encourage your students to share their experiences: ask them to write a reflection on their lockdown experience of school as a learning activity (see below).
We are offering $500 for the libraries of two New Zealand schools who participate in our short survey*
How to help your school win:
1. Complete the teacher survey yourself and share with other teachers in your school
2. Encourage students to complete the learning activity
3. Share this page with parents
Learning activity for students
Write a personal reflection or story describing your experience of learning at home during the lockdown. Some key questions students should explore are:
• How have you been engaging in learning during the lockdown period?
• What have you enjoyed about learning at home?
• What haven’t you enjoyed or found difficult about learning from home?
• What parts of being at school have you missed when learning at home?
• Are there aspects of learning at home that you would like to see continue when schools reopen?
• What are you looking forward to when schools reopen?
Students can submit their reflection via Survey Monkey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TQXKQMF.
Alternatively, student reflections can be submitted via email to nina@theeducationhub.org.nz, or post to: Nina Hood, The Education Hub; c/o Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland; Private Bag 92601; Symonds Street; Auckland 1150. Please remember to include your school name and year level.
Parent voices
We would also like to hear from parents; there is a survey specifically for them here
If you have any questions about this project, please contact me, Dr Nina Hood, Founder of The Education Hub
Terms and conditions of prize promotion
Entry into this promotion is deemed as acceptance of the following terms and conditions. Entry is open to New Zealand schools only.
2. For your response to count, you must submit the completed survey before 11.59pm on May 31 2020.
3. The Education Hub reserves the right to verify the validity of all entries and the right to disqualify any individual for tampering with the entry process, including but not limited to making multiple entries or submitting an entry that does not comply with these terms and conditions. The winners will be notified by email within 10 days of May 31 2020. If a winner cannot be contacted within a reasonable period, as determined by The Education Hub, at its sole discretion, that winner will forfeit the prize and another prize winner will be drawn.
4. The prize constitutes a gift to the school library of $500. The exact form of this gift will be determined by consultation with the school’s principal.
5. The Education Hub’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. It is a condition of entry that entrants consent to the following: all personal information collected will be stored by the The Education Hub in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993. The Education Hub will use the name of the entrants’ school for its own future promotional and marketing purposes. Entrants have the right to access and request correction of personal information held by The Education Hub. Survey data will not be linked to an individual. Raw survey data will not be shared beyond The Education Hub.
