Writings on Education during the COVID Years
During the difficult years of the COVID pandemic, we published several articles on the topic. Two are written by NZAI President Professor Jenny Poskitt and others by school leaders who tell the stories of doing the best for their students under extreme circumstances.
Articles by Professor Jenny Poskitt, NZAI President
COVID’s impact on adolescent learning and assessment.
Our March ’22 webinar, presented by NZAI president Jenny Poskitt, addressed the impact of COVID-19 on high stakes assessment in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her article on the topic was published in Volume 22 (No. 1) of the Australian Journal of Middle Schooling.
You can find the article here.
Be kind and create space for learning, not testing
This article was written as schools came out of lockdown, May 2020
As schools came back to face-to-face learning, Professor Poskitt wrote that they should focus on the main purpose of schooling – learning. It was not the time for the testing and other formal assessments normally done at that time of the year in preparation for reporting to parents and whānau, because this time things had changed.
At that time, she said, the focus was on students and whānau sharing learning information with schools, essential learning gained in the time of the COVID-19 lockdown and schooling at home.
School articles written during lockdown
Finding the Goldilocks Zone – One school’s approach to distance learning
Chris Bradbeer, Associate Principal of Stonefields School in Auckland, explains how his school aimed to keep teaching and learning at a high level, based on a sound balance between targeted learning, social connections, and enjoyable challenges.
Click here for Chris’s article.
School Life under Lockdown – Looking after our community through distance learning
Angela Thorogood of Prospect School in West Auckland explains how leaders and teachers based their distance learning procedures around the school values of whanaungatanga, rangatiratanga, ako and kaitiakitanga.
School reflections after lockdown
Lessons from Lockdown – Reflections on the COVID-19 rāhui
Kaye Brunton, Principal of Ngati Toa School in Porirua, reflects on her school’s experiences of distance learning during lockdown. “What we do think is that we are part of our children’s quality worlds, and that there are bigger things than just achievement that school provides.”
Click here for Kaye’s article.
Assessment for learning and home learning
Vivienne Mallabar, Leader of Learning at Ormiston Junior College, explores the successes and challenges of distance learning, and how teachers included the fundamental assessment for learning practices. The school is now interested in exploring a blended online/offsite form of learning,
