A Live Webinar by LittleLives Malaysia

How often does a global event vitally change the way we run schools? As hard as big changes are, we are in a unique position of power right now – to point school operations in a smarter direction, and to question our current ways. We thought we’d ask some of these hard questions during a virtual sit-down with some experts: Pn. Rozita Kamil (Professional Learning Facilitator and Director of Murni & Care Education), Ms. Rachel Chiel (Co-Founder of Kiddy123 Early Childhood Directory), and Ms. Thevamalar (Licensed Counsellor and Lecturer at SEGi College).

What’s new for the education industry?

Schools are adapting to new standard operating procedures and rules issued by governments and health ministries, all in the interest of keeping our children safe and healthy. Some schools are going above and beyond by adhering to global guidelines and protocols, staying up to date with the evolving education section as a whole.

The industry isn’t the only one that’s facing new changes. Children are mentally adapting to new routines, social distancing and hygiene rules, bigger spaces, and limited interaction with their friends.

In addition, mental health has also been getting more attention lately. Every nation needs to have an open and honest discussion about mental health while communities are working to embrace “the new normal”. This is an opportunity for parents, school leaders, owners, and organizations to incorporate mental health frameworks into their future plans.

What’s the right mindset for operating a virtual school?

Having an open mind, and being prepared to pick up new skills is crucial for school leaders as we move forward into an era of virtual schooling. In order to make virtual schooling effective, it’s important that we learn to optimize children’s screentime. Minimal distractions and controlled screen allowances are some of the methods discussed in the webinar. Optimization also means that the mindset of openness and positivity needs to extend past the school gates and into the home, where parents are spending the most time with children.

Online learning is the present and future of education, so we need to start advancing ourselves in order to keep up.

Tools, resources, and tips are plentiful – what should we focus on?

Mental health

Acknowledging stress is the first step to helping our community identify the pain points and address them. Educators have stressful jobs and ignoring the stressors only serves to create a harmful environment that will inadvertently affect the children’s learning environment as well. Mental health resources and avenues for seeking help need to be made available anytime.

Online teaching

It’s worth taking the time to explore technological options that can make this easier on us – virtual classrooms, video conferencing, learning management systems, school operations software, and more.

Tools for parents

Resources for parents to help their children continue learning at home are out there, including DIY lesson plans and webinars. Time is scarce but it’s well worth the effort for parents to step into a bigger role in their child’s education hereon.

Tech support

Software and gadgets need to be accessible widely and readily, now that it has become crucial to maintaining our lives. For those who cannot afford laptops, there may be donation drives set up in your area by the government or local charities, so keep a lookout.

“Instead of dismissing [big changes] or denying that they’re happening, let’s embrace them and see where they can take us.” — Michael D. Smith

Starting a conversation is just the first step. Let’s keep working towards bigger and better things for the future of education.

Watch the full webinar here:

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