MARCH 2020MARCH 2020

ABU DHABI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE

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ADEK SCHOOL GUIDE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

يTABLE OF CONTENTS

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONTINUITY OF LEARNING

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOOL PLANNING

ONLINE SAFETY

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND PARENTS

PRINCIPAL

TEACHING STAFF

STUDENTS

LOOKING FORWARD

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SCHOOL GUIDE FOR LEARNING CONTINUITY THROUGH EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONTINUITY OF LEARNINGContinuity of learning refers to the ways schools will maintain teaching and learning during the temporary school closure. The school’s leadership team are responsible to e�ectively plan for continuity of learning and ensure delivery of the plan. Schools are best placed to know their communities; and how best to provide support for their students and their parents. Individual schools have knowledge of the age of their students, the length of time needed to engage students, technology and other tools available for teachers, all of which are factors that play a key role in planning for continuity of learning.

These guidelines are for all private schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi who are delivering distance-learning solutions to ensure students do not lose valuable learning time during the temporary school closure.

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In order to meet the needs of all students and families, schools should prepare learning activities that can be provided through online access, in hard copy, digital or a combination. There are many ways a school can provide instructional learning activities for students through distance learning. These include the use of the school website or other existing school-wide communication systems to inform students and parents about their learning.

Additionally, schools should provide clear and detailed plans of learning activities that parents can complete with their children. Schools should ensure these plans are delivered to parents through the most appropriate means. Under the current circumstances, a number of providers are o�ering free web conferencing tools for schools to use, and we encourage schools to use the tools that best suit their needs.

Furthermore, to support private schools, ADEK, with the support of a number of partners, is providing access to a range of teaching resources, student materials, devices as well as internet connectivity to support distance learning and maintain continuity of learning. However, it is also expected that schools will provide su�cient resources to ensure e�ective delivery of distance learning as well.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGSchool Planning

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It is imperative that schools have appropriate measures in place to protect students online. The school’s existing ICT and online safety policies will continue to apply. We expect schools to help parents understand how to implement these polices at home and provide helpful resources where possible. Schools are also expected to teach students about how to stay safe online and protect their privacy. Additionally, we advise that a teacher or a sta� member monitor lessons that require online discussions and interactions to safeguard learners from inappropriate online materials and activity. Schools are also required to appoint a member of the sta� as a contact point for students and parents to report inappropriate online behaviour.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGOnline Safety

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During distance learning, communication between administrators, sta�, parents and students is more important than during any other time. Schools should ensure su�cient steps are taken so that students and parents know and clearly understand how they can contact teachers for learning support, when and how often communication between students or parents will take place, and how they can access and receive technological support from the school. Frequent, clear and purposeful communication with parents and students is required to ensure everyone feels connected, supported, and confident. Schools should develop a communication protocol to provide a standard structure for all communication between the school, parents, students and the community. This would allow for consistency and professionalism in communication.

Schools should ensure that parents and students clearly understand their school’s mode of delivering distance education (i.e. online access, in hard copy, digital or a combination). It is also helpful to share the learning schedules of students with parents, including information on key submission and test dates, and study topics in advance. This will allow parents to structure their time to best support their children during distance learning.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGCommunication between School and Parents

Finally, we recommend that schools use a systematic approach to answer prevalent questions of parents and/or students regarding the school’s distance learning program and operations. This could be done through developing and regularly updating FAQs. Below are some key questions to answer:

How and when can students contact their teachers for support?

What is the pick-up and drop-o� schedule of printed assignments (for schools using printed materials)?

How will the school monitor student participation and engagement?

How will the school communicate important updates with parents?

How will the school support working parents who can only provide support to students after the typical school hours?

Where can students find daily assignments?

How can students, and parents if required, log in to learning platforms?

How can students and parents get help if they face technical issues?

What are the contact details of the school’s IT helpdesk and parents’ hotline/distance-learning coordinator?

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Principals are expected to ensure all teachers have access to the necessary resources to provide quality distance learning for students. Principals must ensure they have procedures or systems in place to monitor and track teacher engagement with students through an e�ective approved school-home communication platform or program. Principals, with the support of their leadership teams, must have processes in place to monitor the submission of student work, teacher feedback to students, and have in place intervention strategies when students are not completing assigned work. At the very minimum, principals must ensure the processes of monitoring the continuity of learning occurs in all core subjects for students.

To ensure e�ective implementation of the digital learning platform, principals should ensure that technical support is provided to all teachers. Additionally, principals should develop procedures to ensure all students are engaging with distance learning materials to support the continuity of learning.

It is at the discretion of the school principal to adjust the regular working times of teachers to provide support to working parents after the regular school hours.

Finally, principals should adhere to all ADEK policies at all times, including the health and safety guidelines, to ensure all individuals are safe on school premises.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGPrincipal

Teachers should adjust their academic teaching and learning plan for use in a distance-learning context. Depending on the curriculum requirements, clear learning outcomes should be defined and measured. ADEK encourages teachers to focus on core subjects of Arabic, Math, Science and English during the distance-learning period. To conduct live broadcasts or lessons, teachers can use web conferencing tools such as Zoom and should provide time for one to one sessions if needed. Assessment strategies should be modified to support learning progress and ensure students do not regress during this period. Schools should create appropriate procedures to address inquiries from students and parents to support this distance learning initiative. Teachers are expected to provide meaningful and constructive feedback to all students’ questions/work and/or parent feedback in a timely manner and within reasonable time.

Teachers must also ensure they monitor students’ participation and support engagement in distance learning. It is recommended that teachers implement intervention strategies in situations where students are disengaged or not completing their distance learning assignments. In situations where students do not have access to digital resources or where di�erentiated support is required, teachers should make necessary adjustments (e.g. making print resources available to students).

Teachers who are planning to use the video option to communicate with their classes and students must be extra sensitive to the culturally diverse backgrounds of students and parents. At all times, teachers should maintain the same professional standards that they would use when teaching face-to-face with students. Adherence to the code of conduct and maintaining professionalism is key.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGTeaching Sta�

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Students should follow the school’s proposed sample daily schedule with time allocations. It is important that students attend all scheduled virtual classes and complete and submit all learning assignments that teachers have prepared for distance learning. Students should be aware of the processes for seeking help from teachers or requesting feedback using the school’s o�cial communication platform. The feedback provided to students from teachers is an important learning opportunity and must be ongoing. All students have a responsibility to meet all deadlines for the submission of their work and remain updated on developments and changes to their distance-learning program.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DELIVERY OF DISTANCE LEARNINGStudents

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LOOKING FORWARDPlease be aware that the above are guidelines and are not exhaustive. Schools themselves are in the best position to identify and support their students’ needs and achievements in learning.

In addition to these guidelines, ADEK publishes schools’ FAQs, which are regularly updated and o�er answers to prevalent questions raised by schools. Schools can access the latest schools FAQs from ADEK’s website and through links in ADEK’s o�cial Instagram and Twitter accounts. Communication and preparation are key to the success of individual schools’ distance learning program. Please feel free to contact ADEK for further queries. Please also follow ADEK’s o�cial social media accounts for updates on the temporary closure.

adek_instaADEK Schools Hotline+971 56 377 1994(everyday from 8 am to 8 pm except Fridays)

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