ELIS Murcia intensifies personalized educational attention to minimize learning gaps resulting, among other things, from the loss of social interaction and face-to-face teaching.
The center offers guidance and training to parents, teaching and non-teaching staff to better understand the needs of children and young people.
Since its inception in mid-March last year, with the decree halting face-to-face classes for more than a quarter, the Covid-19 pandemic has marked a major shift in the way we approach work in schools and institutes. The situation is prolonged despite the return to the classrooms due to the multiple changes experienced both in and out of the school environment, to which children and young people are especially sensitive due to their ages and time of life.
In this context, some schools have opted to increase the attention that was already paid to the emotional well-being of their students, intensifying the mechanisms and protocols to ensure their proper personal and intellectual development during an era marked by instability and difference in uses and customs.
In the words of Stefania Pimblett, Learning Support Coordinator at ELIS Murcia, “supporting emotional well-being has always been one of our school’s priorities. We want to make sure our students benefit from the best opportunities educational and develop their confidence to reach their full potential. That is why, in addition to their general care and protection, this course we have focused on physical and emotional well-being. “
During this pandemic, staying connected and in constant dialogue with students and their parents has proven to be very positive, and has encouraged both of them to feel supported from school. “Recognition of progress, flexibility, connectivity and the provision of support have been key elements that helped our team build a strong bond with the parent community, and we believe this dialogue is one of the strengths we have. it has allowed us to work to support our students during these difficult circumstances, ”he explains.
A task for everyone
To achieve this, ELIS Murcia has developed a plan that includes not only the Department of Educational Inclusion, but all teaching and non-teaching departments of the school, as well as the parents themselves. In this way, the emphasis is on recognizing the importance of the well-being of parents / carers by providing information, guidance and support both through a parent newsletter and with specific actions: virtual workshops and personalized meetings.
In addition, continuing education is provided to teaching and non-teaching staff to better understand the emotional needs of children and young people in the face of the stage we are experiencing, providing them with strategies for managing complicated situations. All this while continuing to incorporate socio-emotional learning into the curriculum, focusing on the development of emotional and physical well-being, both through the subject of PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education), Physical Education, tutoring sessions and assemblies, such as through school events such as Global Be Well Day, where the whole day focuses on fostering physical and mental well-being and promoting their care throughout the year.
The importance of relationships and technology
The rapid evolution of digital technologies poses challenges that previous generations of parents, caregivers and teachers have never faced. The form and nature of these challenges seem to change almost every week and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused children to pass. more time connected to the internet.
According to Maria José García, educational psychologist at ELIS Murcia, “until recently, it was enough to advise parents to keep the family computer in a busy part of the house, where children’s activities could be easily monitored. .This advice is now obsolete, as many Elementary students and most High School students go to bed at night with a device with Internet access in their bedroom.
WhatsApp terms of service state that the minimum age of use is 16 years. However, primary school students across the country are using it as a tool to communicate with their peers during the afternoons and weekends. All social networking services have recommended ages for a reason, and their use should be discouraged before those ages. The risks on the Internet for children are many, varied and constantly evolving. Social media platforms that adults are most likely to be familiar with (particularly Facebook and Twitter) are rapidly declining in use and popularity among children. Given the current circumstances, outside the school and family environment of young people are “doomed” to develop much of their social relationships through these and other new networks (Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok …), as María José García explains. “For this reason, from ELIS Murcia we consider it very important to offer information and training in these aspects to our entire community, teachers, parents and students, and we take special care in this through newsletters, talks and workshops in order to they all help keep our students safe on the Internet. “
Personalized educational attention to minimize learning gaps is another aspect in which the focus is placed. In this regard, technology plays a key role, as it enables all students to benefit from being able to continue advancing their curriculum both at home and at school, whatever their personal circumstances. In this context ELIS Murcia has also taken the initiative with programs such as “One student, one device”, delivering to many of its students laptops fully configured with state-of-the-art educational software that they use both at home and in face-to-face classes.