A few weeks ago, online learning began in one form or another at just about every school across China. While it’s nice to get back to some sort of normalcy, and get your kids on some sort of routine, questions still loom regarding the wider implications of Covid-19’s affect on the semester.
Namely, given the inherent limitations of e-learning, how will schools make up for lost class time when students return to campus?
Although each school in the international community follows one or more of a myriad curriculums, they’re all required to meet certain unit goals before their students can officially move to the next grade.
To date, no school has gone on the record as having committed to a plan, however there are a number of tentative measures they are considering. Likewise, from all accounts, schools are considering these measures in an effort to keep the semester from dragging on into summer.
Some have made this information public, such as British School of Beijing, Sanlitun (BSB Sanlitun) and Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB), while others are a product of scuttlebutt making the rounds in WeChat groups.
Having said that though, most of the measures, no matter where they’re coming from, look relatively similar, and it’s safe to assume that the plans schools settle on, which may vary depending on institution, will include some version of the following.
- Extending the school day by one hour, on one or more days a week
- Adjusting the time allotted to different subjects
- Holding classes on intermittent Saturdays
- Shortening longer holidays such as Tomb Sweeping and May Day
- Canceling field trips and other extracurricular events
It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list, and only represents a few of the ideas being tossed around.
As schools continue working with their communities to find the most agreeable solution for everyone involved, we will continue to post the news on our School Updates blog.
For the time being, tell us in the comments section which measures you’d support and why!
Photos: Pixabay
