Reports have shown that for many students, teachers and parents, the shift to remote and flexible learning has been chaotic and exhausting, but during this time of great change, many schools have demonstrated impressive innovation.
Recognising this, the NSW Government is now seeking to collect innovations in education made by schools and teachers while students were learning from home to retain any improvements.
Teachers and their colleagues from both private and public schools are encouraged to submit their Innovative practice by 15 July 2020.
Examples of innovation being sought include new teaching practices which significantly improved learning outcomes for students; student-led initiatives which had great learning outcomes; and initiatives to support equitable access to high-quality education throughout COVID-19.
Teachers are also being asked to showcase students who thrived in the different learning environments, and how that has been maintained with the return to face to face learning
Another area of interest is partnerships between families and schools that supported improved learning outcomes for students.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she requested the review to capture advances and examples of school innovation to help change education for the better.
"The shift to learning from home was a challenge the entire system met successfully," Mitchell said.
"Everyone from department staff, teachers, principals, parents and students had to adapt. All sorts of solutions to a range of challenges had to be found. I want to make sure that these innovations are recorded and, if appropriate, expanded”.
Mitchell said great ideas around teaching practices, technology use and partnerships between families and schools “blossomed” during this time.
“It would be a loss not to collect them,” she said.
Teachers across the state from both government and non-government schools are encouraged to share their innovative practices developed during COVID-19 to help foster improvement in our schools.
The collection of case studies will be published during Term 3, with the most effective approaches examined in a wider review that will look at key findings for education during the pandemic.
"This is an opportunity for our outstanding teachers who met the challenges of COVID-19 head-on to have their innovative work showcased to benefit students across NSW," Mitchell said.
The original version of this article was published on the NSW Department of Education website.