The impact of Covid crisis on young people is well documented and there is real concern that the current generation of learners will be the ‘lost generation’. The Education Endowment Foundation commissioned research undertaken after the first lockdown, last year, involving 5900 year 2 pupils, providing the first evidence that there have been learning losses for many pupils. Additionally, it showed the disadvantaged gap is likely to have grown.
There have been a number of suggested remedies to reduce the learning loss with most likely to put additional pressure on schools and teachers – they have performed heroically during the crisis and concern has been expressed over retention of talented staff and their mental health if the school day is lengthened or a longer school year is instigated.
Our project will explore a different approach to extending learning by building on some areas where progress has been made and potential exists to exploit changes that are now in evidence. “…. we can also explore the many positives achieved during the pandemic. From pupils who have thrived with new routines, solutions that have been wrought by hectic heads and determined teachers, and the positive relationships that have been forged between schools and their communities.” (EEF)
We are keen to devise a scalable project that builds on the areas mentioned above, to extend learning beyond the school day in order to bridge learning gaps - to support the drive for ‘catch-up’. We will need a link to schools, so we have one foot in the important conventional curriculum but have the potential, as we scale up, to develop partnerships with commercial organisations, business, industry, as well as museums, cultural venues and galleries. Ensuring
The Confederation of School Trusts (CST) in its sector lead ‘White Paper’ The Future Shape of the Education System, proposes that “School Trusts are a new form of civic structure – we need to galvanise Trusts as good civic partners working with other civic actors as a public good in their communities”. It goes on to say that “civic leadership is about the promotion and protection of public values and addressing issues of place and public concern”. The educational impact of the Covid Pandemic on many children is clearly of significant public concern. This project seeks to ensure that schools are not the only civic actors taking responsibility for ‘catch-up’. As well as an action research project it will serve as a call to action to the wide range of civic actors, some listed in the previous paragraph, so that they share the burden with the school system and understand they have a place and a responsibility to reverse the negative educational impact of the pandemic. In scaling up the project there is the potential for it to transform from a small-scale project to a national campaign, drawing on the financial, intellectual, technical, organisational and creative resources of a wide range of civic actors who understand the moral imperative to make a contribution.
A pivotal element of the project will be to build on the capacity of pupils/students to ask questions, to be inquisitive and curious. The work of Professor David Hopkins provides a solid research base illustrating that curiosity can be pivotal in a drive to create powerful learning 1. By reacting to their questions, we will build elements of a fully scalable curriculum (whilst recognising the valuable aspects of the traditional curriculum that we currently use) that is more relevant to the needs of future generations.
We will be working with partners outside the conventional school system to build learning activities that fill a gap by blending learning and entertainment, encouraging families to learn together, by engaging in activities that are practical and creative. We can design project work around students’ own direct, relevant and current issues so that they have intrinsic motivation to experiment, develop hypothesis, concepts and experiment with solutions. Some practical activities will use a combination of online digital resources and low-cost equipment. These resources will be developed based on previous research projects carried out by Sciencescope in Singapore and the UAE. Other projects will draw on the resources available in galleries, museums and science centres such as ‘We the Curious’ (WTC)2. The potential exists, for example, to build edutainment activities around the resources contained in WTCs 3D planetarium. These can be shared with individuals and families using Zoom to develop a dynamic, interactive learning environment where questions can be posed, hypotheses developed, debated and solutions proposed – sometimes resulting in answers but often leading to further questions and enquiry.
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