Teachers believe remote learning has led some students to disengage Extra supports will be needed next year to assist vulnerable students, survey finds
Tue, Apr 6, 2021, 01:00
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More than 90 per cent of secondary school teachers say some students have disengaged as a result of the move to remote teaching and learning, according to a new survey.
The findings are contained in a poll of more than 1,000 Teachers’ Union of Ireland members, which was carried out last month.
The survey indicates the vast majority of teachers (76 per cent) believe remote learning had a disproportionately negative effect on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, while a similar proportion believe additional supports are needed for 2021-2022 to assist those students who have lost out most.
Itâs a dark, miserable night. Youâve been teaching all day, you came home to mark your studentsâ work, help your own children with their homework, cook dinner, tidy up and get ready for the next day. And now thereâs a union meeting over an hourâs drive away where youâd be discussing standing orders and arguing about all the problems at work? Itâs understandable that many teachers will take a hard pass.
Since the Covid crisis began last year, however, those in-person meetings have all moved online â and all three unions say attendance and engagement is up significantly, with some branches have reported a fivefold increase in the numbers showing up.
At the opening of the INTO congress, union president Mary Magner called on the Government to reverse last weekâs decision.
âWe had a promise from the Government we took in good faith. However, the rug has been pulled out from under us,â she said.
âWe will spend time later in congress on this important matter and I implore the Minister to announce a U-turn in her address later.â
Expert guidance
A spokesman for Minister for Education Norma Foley â who is due to address the INTO on Tuesday afternoon â said it remained her position that the vaccination programme should be guided by public health experts.
Delegate Mary Quaid told the conference she lost her son on a June Bank Holiday, but if the tragedy had occurred during the school year, she wouldn t have been able to return to work.
Bill Kavanagh, a lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology, said he proposed this motion after a colleague, whose wife was terminally ill, asked HR about time off.
He was told he would only get five days off after she passed away. You have to look at how it affects people. I would like to support this motion and redouble our efforts to get something done on it, Mr Kavanagh said.
Teacher unions to debate industrial action over members place on vaccine rollout timetable Move will not affect the planned reopening of schools on April 12th, according to unions
Mon, Apr 5, 2021, 14:34 Updated: Mon, Apr 5, 2021, 14:53
Some sources say any potential industrial action might be deferred until the new academic year, which begins in late August. File photograph: The Irish Times
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All three teachers’ unions look set to debate emergency motions calling for industrial action this week unless their members are moved up the vaccination schedule.