Non Co-operation by Unions during Covid-19 Emergency Period

Summary

The requester sought evidence of union non-cooperation and remote learning guidance during the COVID-19 emergency, but the Information Commissioner's Office determined the complaint was not upheld. The response included 181 pages of documents detailing pedagogical strategies for remote learning, such as chunking lessons and using digital platforms, rather than specific evidence of union disputes.

Key Facts

• The FOI complaint regarding union non-cooperation was not upheld by the Information Commissioner's Office on 2020-08-26.
• The Department of Education, Sport and Culture released 181 pages across 17 documents in response to the request.
• The disclosed material focuses on 'Delivering Remote Learning' and 'Shared Professional Development' principles.
• Guidance emphasizes preventing cognitive overload by presenting material in small steps with student practice.
• The response references the use of platforms like Itslearning and Google Forms for remote assessment and feedback.

Data Disclosed

• 2020-06-17
• 2020-08-26
• 181
• 17
• Autumn 2019

Original Request

I seek all information held substantiating the allegations of non-co-operation and limited engagement by Unions and teachers. E.g. re the comments 'The issue we've had is that in asking schools to do things on a number of occasions they've said they're not prepared to do that because it's part of the ongoing industrial dispute' or 'we have been pushing out a lot of information to headteachers - some of them have picked that up and utilised it in very innovative ways, some not so much.' This may include but not be limited to, requests made to schools, responses from them, correspondence between the Dept. and Unions, internal e-mails relating to the quality of provision at various schools etc. I also seek copies of the learning support guidance sent out to schools ( (e.g. Mr Moorcroft's e-mails referred to by the CEO, school responses to these and correspondence received by the DESC from Unions (with DESC responses) regarding the PAC hearing.

Data Tables (50)

Full Response Text

Delivering Remote Learning Shared Professional Development Remoteness Most learning is designed on the assumption that a teacher will be with pupils physically, available to instruct, guide, question and feedback as learning happens. Without a teacher actually being there, there can be a tendency to overload pupils with lots of information and instructions, assuming they will be able to get on with large, multi faceted chunks of work, presented back to teachers as lengthy expositions.

JPD - Autumn 2019 Last year we introduced subject leaders to some principles aimed at not overloading pupils’ sensory and working memory, so that new and existing learning was consolidated more easily.
Here, we use those same principles to ensure remote learning can find its way into working and long term memory.

5 4 3 2 1 We might often seek to start a lesson “Do you remember that last lesson we…?”
Beginning a lesson with a quick recap is second nature to us. We recognise the need to link what pupils are about to learn to what they already know.
We also realise that having the time to recall things from memory should make them more memorable in the future.
Starting a remote lesson with a review of previous learning should be simple enough. Ask pupils to look back through their notes, show them an image linked to the previous lesson, and ask them to write down what they can remember about it, ask them to write a summary from memory, or ask them to teach their parent/sibling about it. 1. Present material in small steps with student practice after each step 2. Require and monitor independent practice

We use these two principles, in part, to prevent overloading a student’s working memory. They can’t hold on to that much new information and still do something with it.
In the classroom, we get around this by carefully chunking a lesson and delivering a small amount at each time. There is a temptation with remote learning to give students a lot of information on a topic, or ask them to find a lot of information themselves on a topic, and then to do something with it (create a poster, write a report, answer an essay question).
This principle reminds us that we need to keep the same sort of structure for our lessons that we set remotely. They need a small amount of input and then a chance to do something with it before moving on.
We will need them to upload work back on to Itslearning or Google so we can look over it and plan what to do next. We don’t necessarily need to mark it, but we do need to use what we see to inform future learning
Small step learning material
1. Ask and provoke questions/enquiry 2. Check for student understanding
We ask and provoke a large number of questions and dialogue to ensure pupils are making progress with knowledge and skills. Without actually being there with pupils in a classroom, this can only be achieved by asking sets of questions bit by bit. Looking for some or all pupils to respond, and move on from there. We can use Itslearning assignments, polls, tests and quizzes, or use Google forms in order to elicit responses and begin the process of giving feedback and knowing how to scaffold scaffolding further learning.
The guides below will help you to make use of these platforms

We can also use the results of these low stakes tests to plan our future lessons and the next steps, exactly as we might in the classroom.
In the classroom, we are forever modelling. We’ll use examples, show methods, use technology such as visualisers to quickly demonstrate the skills required to make progress. We also provide scaffolds for pupils as and when they need them. We might use mini whiteboards and give them a few key words, a sentence starter or diagram. All of this can be done in a responsive way and without much advance planning.
Doing this remotely presents a new challenge, as we won’t be able to provide these things as the pupils are working. We’ll need to make models and scaffolds are there on any resources we give them. We can produce model paragraphs in advance and include scaffolding on the same slide/page containing the task instructions to be used if required.
Once again, our learning platforms help us to do this through being able to present power points, documents, google forms and slides as we would wish the pupils to see them, in the right order, and appropriately scaffolded in small steps for those who need it. Sometimes, we feel we have to rush to get through the curriculum. We don’t always take the time to pause and look back with pupils at what they have learned so far.
Doing so allows us to help them make connections between different parts of the topic and to identify personal goals for improvement and give advice on how to achieve it. What better time than at present? Things are going to be very different over the next few weeks and months. You might not be able to cover the curriculum in the normal way. You may as well ensure that what students are learning is learned really well rather than risking a lot of things being learned less well.
So planning in regular review and reflect lessons is really useful, using some of the metacognitive tools we are due to cover in our next round of JPD networks (whenever that might be).
We’ve included some metacognitive approaches on the next slide, which you could pose either through Itslearning/Googe, or through some sort of Blog/Vlog. 3-2-1 Summary

• What are three ideas that have captured your attention from today's remote learning? • What are two questions that you are still thinking about related to these topics? • What is one thing that you will remember long after this topic is over? Four Questions

• What are you trying to achieve? • What strategies are you using? • Are the strategies working? • What else could you do? Learning Journals

• This week, I was learning: • Next week, I am going to focus on: • I would Iike help with: • This is what I still do not know: • This is what I’m confused about: Planning thinking for writing

• Who: Who is my audience? • Why: Why am I writing this? • What: What is the purpose for this? • How: How can I organise my ideas? Individual evaluation

• Give an example of something you have learned • Give a suggestion of a change you could make so that others might learn from you Focused three

• What is the most useful or interesting thing you learned during this remote session? • What questions do you have about today's session that you would like answered before we move on? • What feedback would you like about your learning this week?

DESC Guidance

Providing education remotely in the event of school closures during term time

Unexpected school closures during term time, whether due to the weather or other circumstances, can have a significant impact on the learning of children. This is especially true of children preparing for examinations. Across the world, schools are initiating plans to have e- learning days in place so that children can continue their development and learning at home.

In this guide we offer advice on planning and implementing e-learning days in your school. With our partnership with itsLearning we are well placed to continue learning even if a school is unexpectedly closed. Although we cannot guarantee the access of all pupils to an online learning environment when at home, we can ensure that a great majority of children can continue to access the curriculum.

If you have any further questions, there are additional materials and support available from the EIS Advisory team and itsLearning.

What is e-learning? Many areas of the world use e-Learning as an alternative to school cancellations or for children who are unable to attend school for whatever reason. Instead of losing entire days of classroom activities and input from teachers, all lessons and course work are conducted virtually with online tools and apps. Teachers are expected to provide pupils with assignments related to the curriculum and pupils are expected to complete tasks as assigned.

By providing online instruction when schools are interrupted by closure, the workflow of teaching and learning can be maintained.

Steps to help with e-learning success If e-learning is going to be a success, it is vital to have a clear, actionable vision that takes potential barriers into consideration. Every one of our schools is different and will have their own context around making e-learning a success. That’s why to make sure that e-learning days support our children to develop as learners, meticulous planning is in place.

Challenges that schools from around the world have faced when getting started with e-learning days include:

• Unclear expectations of pupils and parents. • Lack of accommodation for pupils without access.
• Disparate digital tools causing confusion.

We advise avoiding the common pitfalls of e-learning implementation by starting with some simple easy steps to follow. These should help with building a well-defined and clearly communicated format for schools to disseminate to all stakeholders.

1 Gain support from All Stakeholders

Before mapping out your strategy for e-learning days, make sure stakeholders are informed of the intention to have learning at home and ensure that they know what format that will take. This includes discussions around curriculum, technology and instructional staff.

Make sure that you have the enthusiasm and sign-off from staff making sure that they are aware of the role that they would play and what would be expected of them.

Discuss with pupils and parents what access to digital technology there is at home and create a list of those with none. Ensure that all children and staff have and know their log in details, and where to find their materials.
2 Identify Oversights and Challenges

Digital equity is a common obstacle when it comes to carrying out e-learning. Some pupils might not have laptops or internet access at home. Here are a few ways you could make sure all pupils can take part in e-learning:

• ItsLearning is available on all mobile devices so that even if they do not have a phone, they might have access to a smart phone or tablet.

• Include a make-up clause in your e-learning plan. If you assign a deadline to a task or homework, give the pupils with no access some extra time to make up the work.

• Address digital equity early by providing pupils who lack access with hotspot devices for internet or loaner laptops/tablets if you can.

The most effective way to identify complications could be to have a practice day in advance and make sure that the children are familiar with the platform.

3 Develop an e-Learning lesson format

It is best to have a format to your e-learning that is like any other school day. Determine a start and stop time, break time, office hours for teachers, specific course times, study breaks, and maybe even a breaktime.

Try and engage the children as you would in any other lesson. Consider using:

• Polls and Surveys
• Discussion boards • Video recordings from teachers giving advice and instructions.
• Video conferencing so teachers can have face to face time with one or more pupils.
• Educational games • Engaging content embedded in the courses.
4 Ensure Accountability

Learning from home could be a valuable experience for pupils entering a 21st century workforce. Self-management is an essential life skill, but in the home environment pupils would have to manage a wide range of distractions. Too keep pupils focused, you might consider: • Giving the pupils one central hub where they can find all the materials they need and all the tasks they need to complete

• Assign real time tasks that requires a visible online activity, like a discussion or video conference, or require that assignments be in at a specific time.

• Check in with pupils using an interactive conference tool or instant messaging (where appropriate)

• Give voice and choice to ensure their engagement. Let them choose how they show what they know rather than everything being a written assignment. It could be a drawing, video, song or other evidence of learning.

ItsLearning ‘Be Prepared’ section for teachers https://itslearning.com/global/be-prepared-teachers/

ItsLearning ‘Be Prepared’ section for School Leaders and Administrators https://itslearning.com/global/be-prepared/

Video Tutorials on getting the most from ItsLearning https://www.youtube.com/user/itslearning

ItsLearning Help Section https://support.itslearning.com/en/support/solutions/7000000470

Video on how to set up google assignments to work offline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48NnlPf-rog

Google Classroom - The Basics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6L-nZGIUTE Online Support / Resources

A Simple “How to” Guide to using Google Classroom. Classwork Allows you to set an assignment for your class. On here you can set a due date, give it a title, instructions, upload helpful materials and give them a score they can achieve with the assignment. You can also decide to post it for some or all of your class. Allows you to create a quiz for your class. Again with the due date function. You can also add a rubric so that the students get instant feedback. You will need to create the quiz using google forms. Either through this page or separately on your drive and then upload to the classroom. This allows you to set a question for the students to answer. This is a single question and the students can interact with each other in their responses. Could be useful for P4C enquiries and SOLE questions. Allows you to upload materials that you want the students to look through. This allows you to use posts and materials from other classrooms you have created. So, if you have something from one maths class you want to include in this one, you can simply go through this function. This allows you to group assignments and materials by the topic you are covering. When the students access their classwork screen they will see it grouped into these topics. It might be as simple as Week 1. Students will receive emails through their online.sch.im - gmail account when an announcement is made or an assignment is set,

A Simple “How to” Guide for Using Google Docs Contents 1.Logging on / Signing in. 2.Changing your password 3.Checking inbox 4.Creating email 5.Creating Documents 8.Sharing Documents 9.Additional Support GOOGLE DOCS

A Simple “How to” Guide for Using Google Suite Contents 1.Logging on / Signing in. 2.Changing your password 3.Checking inbox 4.Creating email 5.Creating Documents 8.Sharing Document

[Response truncated — full text is 253,050 characters]