Reflections on Online Learning 

To the staff and parents/carers at St Andrew’s, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome this term. My name is Olivia Tan, and I am a prac teacher from the University of Notre Dame, currently undertaking the final practicum of my degree. It has been a blessing to be able to continue with my professional experience amidst these difficult and uncertain times, and I’d like to express my gratitude for the support of the entire school community.

I had never envisioned that I would be teaching in the current circumstances that we are in, and I extend my thoughts and prayers to all families in the community who are struggling in this pandemic. As a university student myself, who has had to acclimatise to online learning for almost half of my degree, I wholeheartedly understand the challenges that our students are facing - lack of motivation, yearning to interact and work collaboratively with peers and teachers, the fatigue that comes with prolonged screen time - it is not an ideal environment that is conducive to learning. However, with great challenges comes even greater opportunities to adapt to new circumstances, build resilience and to grow as individuals. I am finding that there are so many different ways to utilise technology to engage students online, and the importance of regulating time, facilitating discussions and mimicking the interactions of a face-to-face classroom is so crucial to student learning. I’ve been given great opportunities to grow as I refine and adjust my teaching strategies, and to learn how to reframe my approaches in order to create virtual learning experiences that are meaningful and productive. I hope that our students are also learning to reframe their thinking as well - to see this as an opportunity to strive to be active participants who can take responsibility for their own learning too. Online learning is difficult - but it certainly is not impossible!

Tips for Parents

As a Religious Education teacher, I would also like to share some practical tips for creating a prayer space at home for families. During such a difficult time, prayer is so vital to our spiritual well being, and is a great source of strength during times of adversity. I encourage all parents in our school community to invite your children to take a break from their devices, and spend some much needed time with God. 

A Prayer Space can consist of:

• Icons/images of Christ and holy figures (a crucifix, image of the Virgin Mary, Saints etc)
• Rosary
• Bible (I like to use God’s Word: Daily Reflections for 2021 as it contains the daily Gospel readings for the year in chronological order)
• Candle 
• Display of your favourite quote 

Family Prayer Time: You can set up your prayer space in a part of your home where your family can gather for communal prayer time. This is a great way to come together and prioritise quality time as a family.

Desktop prayer space: Encourage your children to create their own prayer space on their desk, next to their device and school essentials. As they complete their online learning throughout the day, it is a great reminder to spend some time with God, and to establish a prayer routine that best fits in with their learning schedule. Parents can also create one for their office desk too if you are working from home!

I’d also like to share a simple prayer that I wrote during my own personal prayer time, as I reflected and meditated on the realities of this pandemic. I encourage the whole school community to use this in your own prayer times as well.

 A Prayer of Surrender

Jesus,

The road ahead is too murky for me to see with clarity. Yet, I thank you for this grace - for the opportunity and invitation to trust you more despite the future being so unclear. I entrust myself to your loving embrace, and I feel peace knowing that I can surrender myself to You. 

St Andrew,

Pray for us. 

Amen.

Thank you for this opportunity to share with the parents/carers of the St Andrew’s school community. Take care and God Bless!

Yours in Christ,

Olivia Tan