China Overseas Chinese Network, December 23 (Xinhua) According to the Singapore Lianhe Morning Post, from April 8 to May 4 this year, Singapore schools cooperated with the COVID-19 blocking measures to "suspend classes" and comprehensively implement home learning.

The experience of home learning has prompted the educational community to explore how to effectively carry out mixed learning and the advantages of online and offline learning on the assembly line, so as to further improve the level of education.

Next, home-based learning will become the "new normal". The school plans to regularly arrange home-based learning days for students, hoping to cultivate their ability to learn independently.

Three brothers and sisters study things that are not taught in textbooks together

At 7:00 am, they got up to prepare. When class time came, the three brothers and sisters of the Hong family "took their places". Hong Qiheng, the eldest brother, sits in front of the computer in the living room. Hong Yuxin, the younger sister, takes out her folding table and tablet computer and places them in the living room. Hong Yiheng, the second brother, uses a computer in his room. The dining table has become the parents' desk.

Hong Qiheng (15 years old, the third student of Huafei Weili Middle School) pointed out that at the beginning, everyone needs some time to get familiar with the schedule of home study. The teacher lists the instructions of each subject every day. Sometimes they will carry out online teaching, and sometimes they will assign homework for them to complete.

As long as he can hand in his homework on time, he can learn and complete the task at his own pace. As a result, he has more freedom to study at home. Sometimes he can take a break between classes, which is more relaxed than the restrictive environment in the classroom. On the other hand, there are many "temptations" at home, such as computers and mobile phones, so studying at home has also cultivated his self-discipline.

"When studying at home, my classmates and I also have group work to do. The teacher gives us time to discuss online in class, but unlike before, we can communicate face to face and remind each other. The team members have more self-discipline and do their own work well."

Hong Yiheng (14 years old, a second year student in Mathematics and Science Middle School of NUS) also believes that in the process of studying at home, he learned how to better plan his time so as to submit his homework within the deadline. However, online learning has always been difficult to replace some learning experiences, such as experimental classes and physical education classes.

Hong Yuxin (10 years old, a senior student in Huafei Weili Primary School) said that if teachers teach online, they will generally make students "mute", so they will not interfere with their brother in the living room. She has also adapted to some new forms of homework, such as submitting her recordings of reading aloud and talking with pictures to the Internet for teachers' comments.

Faster learning pace after the resumption of classes

The three brothers and sisters found that the pace of learning in this year was faster and the homework appeared more, especially after the resumption of classes. Teachers will try to review the content of home learning to ensure that they master what they have learned.

Five people in a family study and work at home, which requires mutual cooperation. His father Hong Junming (44, a financial planner) pointed out that when he and his wife needed to have a meeting, they would ask the children's schedule in advance to ensure that they would not interfere with their study. Similarly, children sometimes have to discuss online with classmates, and they will also be told not to "enter the camera".

Compared with the progress of schoolwork, Hong Junming pays more attention to how to arrange children's stay at home time meaningfully. He arranges board games and other parent-child activities, and often mobilizes his family to make pizza and bake cakes to enhance their relationship.

Hong Junming said: "It's a good arrangement to let students study at home regularly, which can give children more flexibility and let them cultivate their autonomy in learning."

Reflection on the inherent teaching concept

Yu Lin, the director of the mother tongue department of Shiqin Middle School who has taught for more than 20 years, said frankly that she was a novice in online teaching and was exploring various scientific and technological tools, which also made her rethink the way of education.

It has been nearly two months since the senior Chinese teacher began to study at home, which is a great challenge for her teaching career. Due to the lack of experience to refer to, Yu Lin (55 years old) cannot help worrying about the graduating class students she is about to take the exam.

Surprisingly, instead of face-to-face classes, she found that the students were more active, and their O-level examination in the middle of the year was better than expected. This also prompted her to reflect on what is "effective education".

During home study, she arranged for a small number of students who needed more supervision to return to school for classes, while other students would take classes online at home. She also designs different assignments according to students' abilities.

Yu Lin said, "I find that the more I can motivate students and give them timely feedback, the more I can drive their enthusiasm. I often share students' works in groups to create a healthy atmosphere of competition. Students are encouraged and learn more actively."

"This sudden challenge makes us reflect on the inherent teaching philosophy, homework design and feedback, student evaluation, etc., and reorganize the original teaching framework. I think that better education is not only about better development of skills, but also important to help students build a spiritual world and cultivate their perception of life."

She believes that online learning has unlimited space to play, and how to effectively combine online learning with classroom teaching is what educators need to think about and learn next. (Hu Jiemei)