Effective practices during emergency school lockdowns: shared experiences of four Australian schools

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Online Learning Strategies
• School Administration

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid transitions to emergency remote teaching in 2020.
• Schools faced unprecedented challenges in maintaining learning, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Diverse school contexts required adaptable support strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate common practices supporting learning, inclusion, and wellbeing during the initial school lockdown.
• To identify effective strategies for emergency remote teaching in varied school settings.
• To derive principles for future remote education practices.

Main Methods:

• Collective case study of four Australian schools with reputations for impactful support.
• Data collection through interviews and focus groups with school leaders, teachers, and students.
• Analysis of practices across schools with differing contexts, technology access, and student needs.

Main Results:

• Despite varied contexts, common effective practices for remote teaching emerged.
• Key strategies focused on supporting student learning, fostering inclusion, and promoting wellbeing.
• Successful approaches provided valuable insights applicable to diverse educational environments.

Conclusions:

• Common principles of effective practice can guide schools in emergency remote teaching.
• These insights help mitigate risks associated with remote learning and enhance educational continuity.
• The findings offer a framework for improving remote education practices in various school contexts.