Since the Spring Festival of 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread throughout China and across the world. People ready to celebrate the new year never knew that the 2020s would start in this way. We are thrilled to hear that China has reported no new confirmed infections now, but it is also unfortunate that the epidemic has become serious in other countries. Hopefully, we will overcome this crisis.
The good news: SIFC’s faculty and students have recorded ZERO suspected and confirmed cases so far.
The spreading of the epidemic prevents SIFC students from returning to school. The school promptly adopted an online classroom plan and uses ClassIn’s online teaching system allowing teachers to turn into “streamers” to counter the effects of the disease. In the fourth week of online teaching, we sampled 20% of the students using a survey to allow them to evaluate and comment on the effectiveness of online courses during this time. The survey data shows that most students feel positive about online teaching with a good level of interaction similar to that of offline courses. Students’ average learning performance can reach about 70% compared with offline. We are pleased with this result.
Using the powerful ClassIn system
SIFC uses ClassIn’s online teaching system.
ClassIn is the world’s first online classroom and is leading the rapid development of technology in online education. Its users cover nearly 30 countries around the world. It has a variety of teaching tools that make it the most sophisticated online teaching system on the market today. The system features multi-person audio and video streaming, interactive electronic blackboards, multiple-choice tools, Q&A competition clickers, timers, as well as modules for assignments, rewards, quizzes, quick answers, scoring, etc. It also supports multiple formats of interactive courseware files, including PPT, video, Word, PDF, etc., made specifically for online teaching.When classes are delivered online, the school can monitor from the performance and attendance of each teacher and student from the system. Our principal, senior teachers, and staff can log in and observe a classroom at any time. The school has also made rules for learning online to urge students to take their classes seriously and ensure academic success.
A special first lesson of a new semester
Online classrooms are an effective means of education and spreading knowledge and they also allows students to actively interact and engage in conversations. The faculty combines online learning resources and platform capabilities to carry out the pedagogy. We strive to arrange students’ learning goals according to the usual curriculum while also taking this opportunity to assist them in practicing time management and self-discipline. From 8:30 to 16:30 on Monday through Friday, teachers help students with their studies online. The recent week has shown preliminary success in online teaching. The students have been developing momentum in learning and the school has met its expectations of online teaching.
Laurie Edmonstone / Art Teacher
“It’s been difficult to adjust to the many platforms and figuring out the best way to get the students’ work organized, but overall it has allowed me to be better as a teacher. I am trying new things and also working alongside my students. They are getting the same lessons they normally would in class which is a relief! The biggest struggle is students not having many art supplies at home. Some do not even have colored pencils! They are limited, but it is not impossible. I have told them to do what they can with what they have wherever they are. This experience is teaching all of us problem-solving and resiliency!”
Krishna Giri / Math Teacher
“Online math classes are quite interactive and engaging. I was a little nervous with tech support when we began the online classes but now I find it is as good as teaching face to face. My only concern is how serious our kids are at the other end. If our students take this seriously, it will work as well as face to face teaching.
Lilian Li / Physics Teacher
I am very satisfied with the current online teaching software. It meets all the needs of our class, namely showing students the blackboards, PowerPoints, videos, etc. More interesting is that it also has a lot of original features, such as setting a small alarm clock that pushes everyone to compete to solve a quiz in a few minutes, organizing debates where the teacher selects a few students to be “on stage” where students who perform well can get “Likes” from their peers, Q&A competition clicker that allows everyone to compete to answer quick questions, canvas sharing that allows students to share their ideas on the screen, etc. There are also many interesting features that I hope to use in the future when interacting with the children.
Stella Zhao / Physical Education Teacher
Our PE class uses short videos as demos to make activities simple to follow. We set the target of rounds of training and allow parents to shoot videos of the students training as assignments that in turn teachers comment on through voice or text. This helps improve the students’ imitation and observation. It is also a parent-child activity class. Thanks to the trust of the school, the active participation of the students, and the support and cooperation of the parents.
Angel Li / Chinese Literature Teacher
This is a Chinese class for poetry writing on the topic of the disease. Maybe, I cannot hug you to warm your tired body. Maybe, I cannot give you a cup of hot tea to get rid of your inner fear. You are on the front lines, and we cannot stand side by side. But in Chinese class, I give you my heart and shoulder. I give you my heartfelt thanks as you’re heroes in harm’s way. At this moment, in the poetry writing class, on fighting against coronavirus, I take my pen, calming myself, and write down my gratitude and thanks to you!
The fourth week as “streamers”
After trials over a period of time, teachers of various subjects have now become “streamers” and developed approaches fit for their subjects, and have gradually managed with ease.
Andrey Dubinsky / Economics and Psychology Teacher
Andrey believes that as the global economy relies more and more on working from home (approximately 30% of U.S. employees work from home, at least for some period of time), online teaching in the epidemic tests students’ independent working capabilities and drives them to adapt to the future economy.
In online classes, Andrey ensures that students stay busy and feel responsible. They will discuss the homework from the previous session with their students before going into the new one. This part tells students that if they do not do their homework, they will feel embarrassed in the classroom. It prompts students to rethink what they have already learned. After that, Andrey will combine lectures with videos as well as combining exercises with discussions. Diversified approaches will help students focus. They will arrange some group assignments after class so that students can talk to each other after class.
Andrey believes that online learning is an important practice for developing students’ mindsets. They are experiencing self-control, learning to take responsibility for their learning, and keeping motivated, an important step before ready for higher education.
Brian Li / Science Teacher
When it comes to science, we can easily think of experiments, but how do we conduct experiments in online teaching?
Brian said, “By previewing the experiment manual, you can understand the purpose of the experiment. Then, you have a picture of the experimental device, follow the experimental steps, and watch the lab demonstration video. By following this protocol, students can do experiments at home.”
In a session of the preparatory class for the 9th grade, Brian discussed with his students the sublimation of dry ice, played a demonstration video and guided students to use materials available at home as experimental devices. After class, students shared how well their experiments went and what they learned.
Chris Bai / Chinese Teacher
In Chris’s Chinese class, the teacher and students all become streamers. Their class involves interesting activities such as recitations, discussions, card games, and spelling bees that improve children’s concentration.
Chris appreciates the rich features of the ClassIn platform that ensure seamless interaction in teaching. For the top students, they will reward through the trophy function of ClassIn.
The picture above shows the session of “Let us edit an essay together”. Chris shares their screen canvas to engage students in editing an essay together. Everyone is active and sharp in correcting punctuation, wording, and sentence structure mistakes.
When teaching online, Chris still sets out high requirements for students. The picture above shows their monthly reading plan for students. Chris said that the world is constantly changing. The disease is unpredictable. Through this experience of using online classes, I think both teachers and classmates understand that it is impossible to not adapt to changes. Our online classes give students not only knowledge but also the mentality and methods to deal with an emergency. I hope that the students can see teachers’ efforts and that they can keep doing their best and study hard during a hard time.
For students, this is also a different learning experience. In the beginning, some students were shy to show themselves in front of the camera, but with the encouragement of the teachers, they gradually adapted to this approach and actively “raised their hands” in the classroom to engage in activities. While the end of the epidemic is unclear, devoting all of our efforts to high-quality teaching is our best means of fighting the disease. The school will keep exploring how to make up for the disadvantages of online teaching, maintain real-time communications with parents, work together to better supervise and manage children’s learning at home, and truly achieve “one will feel safe when having something up their sleeve”.
Here, ClassIn also said that it will sincerely serve every “teacher/streamer” and every student online, continue optimizing products, support online education, and fight the epidemic together.
