NIS Online

The United Nations Rights of the Child enshrines for children the right to both an education and to safety. From time to time circumstances may arise in which, to honor both these rights, NIS needs to close its campus-based learning and shift to an online learning environment. The spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 is such an occurrence.

• Learning will ensure that students have the opportunity to make adequate progress such that they are not unduly disadvantaged by the closure of the school campus
• Well-being of students will still remain a priority, with the support of student services, counselors, homeroom teachers and other adults able to help and guide learners through a time of stress

The framework below illustrates for parents the way in which NIS Online School will be designed and implemented. This document will be supplemented by communication from the Associate Principals and Whole School Principals describing how this policy will become operational in your child’s division. Teachers may also communicate directly with parents with directions as to how parents might support their children in online learning.

Online learning follows the same basic framework as face to face learners.

Teachers will be explicit about:

• What is expected from students in their learning (the content, the learning targets)
• What is expected from students as a result of their learning (what should students produce as a result of the lesson)
• How students are expected to learn (resources, materials, collaborative work, individual work, etc)

Courses will include a balance of:

• Assigned tasks and activities to be completed
• Teacher taught lessons (either live lessons, or pre-recorded lessons)
• Collaborative group discussion and interaction (through video conferencing)

Students will be supported by:

• Continued access to student services staff – e.g. special needs, EAL, etc.
• Continued access to team leaders and administrators in support of your child and her/his learning

NIS will continue to also focus on student well-being. This is even more important as students are separated from friends and teachers during what may be a stressful time. To support well-being, teachers will engage in regular video conferencing meetings with students in their homeroom to check in with students and ensure they are OK. Additionally, student services staff – including the special education team, the EAL team and the counselors – will remain available to support students as normal.

Student clubs in the Secondary School may still be able to arrange to meet – virtually – and students are encouraged to do so and alert their staff supervisor for support. Principals will also look to arrange recorded assemblies or other ways of connecting students beyond their academic online environment. There are many creative ways in which students and staff can work together to assure the well-being of students.

Finally, administrators will remain accessible to students by email and, as needed, video conferencing.

A key feature of a successful online learning program is a partnership with parents. This is particularly crucial with younger children for whom parent assistance and support in accessing the learning planned by the teachers will be essential. However, it is also needed in the Secondary School where students will need help from parents to create a structured routine to their workday.

We understand that parents may be trying to conduct their own work while children are engaged in online learning, or perhaps a single parent will have multiple children to support at any one time. Teachers will do their very best to teach at a level where students can be as independent as possible, however, clearly the younger the child, the more support from parents will be needed in order to make the learning successful. Parents are asked to reach out to their child’s teacher(s) to discuss concerns or difficulties presented in supporting their child with their learning and, likewise, teachers may reach out to parents with requests for help or other guidelines designed to support their child.

NIS is working on the assumption that this is a short-term closure in which school is provided by staff to students still living in Nagoya. Consequently, the current model is a Schedule-Based, Timezone-Based online learning model.

This means that lessons will follow a daily schedule with set times for lessons and other learning activities:

• In the Secondary School, students will have four classes per day, a period for homeroom, morning/afternoon breaks and a lunch break.
• In the Primary School there may be some variance based on grade level and parents will have greater flexibility in the schedule to help better support their child.

Students who are not in the Japan time zone may have difficulty engaging fully in online learning. Please understand that it will not be possible for teachers to recreate live sessions in multiple time zones. Of course, students will still have access to those materials that are recorded/static and will be expected to engage with these as much as possible.

Please note that should online learning be extended, NIS will review the model of online learning to reflect the needs of the community at the time. If the model changes, parents will be notified and this handbook will be updated. No changes will be made prior to Spring Break, 2020.

Teachers will be tracking student attendance through engagement. This may be done in a variety of ways depending on the class. Submitting work, attending a live session, signing in on a google doc or engaging in a collaborative task are all ways in which students might demonstrate ‘attendance at school.’

Students who are unable to attend NIS Online school should alert the school in the normal way by contacting office@nis.ac.jp prior to the start of class each day. A reminder that should your child have a temperature of 37.5 for longer than 4 days, exhibit extreme lethargy/illness, or be diagnosed with or exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, please alert the health office immediately.

As with campus based learning, child protection in the online environment is still an essential part of our school. We will still ask our teachers to follow our child protection policies and staff code of conduct which asks staff to engage with students in line with our four guideposts of role, boundaries, power and accountability.  More details can be found on Haiku Home HERE. Specifically, in the online environment we ask that students do not request or accept 1:1 video calls with a staff member unless parents are also in the room/present at the call. Additionally, we request students to engage in all correspondence with school via their official school email address (Gr3 and up) or through a parent for ELC-Gr.2

As much as possible online learning is following the curriculum that was already planned, from ELC through Grade 12, with only minor modifications when needed to ensure success in the online context. However, please be assured that any modifications will not impact the long-term progression of learning for any student. 

If you have any questions regarding the curriculum, please consult with your student’s teacher or the various curriculum coordinators and department leaders that are listed in the Plan for Online Learning, available in English, Japanese, and Portuguese.
 

Online Learning will occur through the following platforms:

ELC (Early Childhood)

• Gsuite for video lessons and interactive conversations activities.
• Storypark for lesson resources and materials.

Elementary

• Gsuite for video lessons and interactive conversations (Google Meet) and activities.
• Haiku as a place to find lesson activities, resources and instructions.

Secondary

• Gsuite  for video lessons and interactive conversations (Google Meet) and activities.
• Haiku as a place to find lesson activities, resources and instructions.
• Managebac for grading, feedback and assignments.

Students and Parents should already have access to Storypark (ELC), Haiku (Elementary-Secondary) and Managebac. These will be the main hub where lessons are posted and it will be essential that parents and students can access these.

If there are any difficulties, please contact the Technology Coordinator as soon as possible.

Students will need a device in order to access online learning. A laptop is ideal, although, particularly with younger students, an iPad or tablet will suffice. A camera and microphone is essential.

Students in the Secondary School need one device of their own. In the Primary School it may be possible for two children to share a device in most cases, although one device for each student is ideal.

The school has additional devices to loan to families if needed. Please contact  the Technology Coordinator if your child does not have a device and the school can lend one to you. You are welcome to come to school to collect the device.

How is Online Learning different, and what are pitfalls to avoid?

Online learning is exciting. There are many opportunities for collaboration and engagement and learning can be rich, deep, contextual and engaging in this format. However, online learning is different…and there are some pitfalls to look out for. Working together, teachers, parents and students can help us avoid these:

• Too much work for students:  Since students may have a different balance of tasks to that which they are used to, it is possible they may feel overloaded. In that case it is very important that parents and students alert the teacher so that workload can be adjusted, since it will be hard for the teacher to be aware of this in an online environment.
• Too much work for teachers:  Equally, online learning tends to result in more ‘tasks’ that need assessment and feedback. Teachers will still provide this for students, but it may look different, since teachers won’t have the time available to provide detailed written feedback on every piece of work submitted and may need to provide feedback in other ways. Parents and students are asked to be understanding as teachers adjust to this new way of teaching.
• Technical difficulties:  By focusing on a narrow range of platforms and tech tools we hope to eliminate the potential for technical problems. However, this is always a possibility. Parents can help by ensuring children have a functioning device and a fast internet connection. The school tech department is available to support families. Email the Technology Coordinator if technology is proving to be a barrier in your child’s learning or if you need advice about how your child can safely and effectively utilize technology.
• Caring for students:  During a “face-to-face” school day, teachers (and classmates) can notice when a child is having a bad day. However, in online schooling it is less easy to notice. For that reason, students and parents need to keep a close eye on the well-being of their classmates and children and alert the school if there are problems with which we can help.
• Too much screen time:  While NIS uses a lot of technology in on-campus learning, of course screen-time at school is only a minor part of a typical student day. In online learning, it is possible that both students and staff will spend much more time in front of a screen. Students and parents should moderate screen time and ensure a range of other healthy activities (going outside, cycling, reading, musical instrument practice, board games, etc.) and teachers – particularly in the lower grades – will strive to give learning activities which do not always rely on a device. Parents who are concerned about the amount of screen-time their child is experiencing during online learning should alert their child’s associate principal to discuss the situation.
• Parent and Teacher Shared Responsibility:  Online learning requires parents and teachers to share responsibility for the tasks and engagements for each learner. Teachers will be setting tasks and activities which are as stimulating and engaging as possible. However, parents should manage their child and be the final decision maker in terms of what they would or would not like their child to undertake. For example, teachers may wish to restrict time and encourage children to undertake activities in the home or neighborhood. Families should ensure they know what is being asked of their child and be comfortable that these are safe and appropriate given their child and their home circumstances.

Teachers will:

• Deliver learning that is relevant and engaging and which supports students in making progress through a balance of assignments, activities, interactive conversations and direct teaching
• Be clear to students about what they are learning, how they are learning, and how they are asked to demonstrate their learning
• Track student attendance
• Be available to students during the school day, in accordance with the guidelines set within each division, to provide support in both learning and well-being
• Care for student’s well-being and observe the highest standard in child protection
• Respect students’ family time and not request student engagement outside of the regular school hours

Students will:

• Organize a healthy work routine for each online school day
• Engage in all aspects of their courses and classes, to the best of their ability, following the same expectations for attendance and participation as for on-campus school
• Submit assessment tasks and activities on time and as instructed by the teacher
• Respect teachers’ time and communicate during school hours (teachers should not be expected to engage with students before 08:00 or after 17:00)
• Take care of themselves and one another and alert their parents and teachers in the case that they or their classmates are in need of help or support
• Respect that any videos or screencasts or other materials created by staff for lessons are for NIS online learning only and should NOT be shared beyond our school community

Parents will:

• Ensure their child has all that they need for online learning – a device, a space to study, internet connectivity, etc.
• Support their child in establishing a healthy daily routine for online learning, in accordance with the schedule of classes
• Alert teachers, administrators and other staff should their child be in difficulty or need of support
• Respect teachers’ work hours and expect communications only during regular school hours (teachers should not be expected to engage with parents before 08:00 or after 17:00)
• Contact the office in the normal way if their child will be absent from online school
• Contact techcoordinator@nagoyais.net if their child needs support accessing the online learning

Additionally, parents are asked to respect the fact that this online learning is at the request of the Japanese government in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, activities in which students gather together (sleepover parties, etc) are strongly discouraged.

Just as with campus schooling, there are a range of staff available to support students and parents in online school. Contact information for parents and students can be found HERE.

Questions about the School Response to COVID-19:

General questions regarding any aspect of the school’s response to COVID-19 can be directed to the Head of School.