VIS REMOTE LEARNING UPDATE
During our fifth week of remote learning, the students of VIS had the pleasure of commemorating the 50th anniversary of World Earth Day.
This day is an opportunity for reflection and revelation of the wonder that is our home planet. And what a wonderful home it is. One only has to look out of one’s chalet window to glimpse just a fraction of what we have to be grateful for.
Here in Verbier, the impressive mountains and lush vegetation are constant reminders of how special of a place, we call home. The children took this opportunity, in their different classes, to rejoice in all that they have to be thankful for when considering planet Earth.
Some of our students were very excited about creating some endangered species using recycled materials for the ‘defi@home J’aime ma planête’ (link to PDF). How did your school organize World Earth Day Celebrations?
In this post, we shall share with you earth day celebration ideas you can try in your school. You can also try them at home and share the results in your remote learning activity class. We shall also discuss the world book day before updating ourselves on remote learning.
HOW TO CELEBRATE WORLD EARTH DAY AT SCHOOL
Earth Day has created a positive impact on a global scale and this can be replicated locally. There are various ways through which everyone can play a part in protecting and making the earth a secure place.
Students, for example, can participate in water recycling and conservation drives as well as learn different ways of saving energy. These are important practices when it comes to safeguarding the environment.
VIS students have always celebrated World Earth Day in school by engaging in these and other activities we shall see below. The situation this year was, however, different. This is because many schools are closed as the world struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Still, teachers kept the students engaged with fun activities through the VIS remote learning program. Some of the activities that VIS students were instructed to engage in include: turning off the water while brushing teeth and switching off the lights every time they leave the room.
Students were also encouraged to plant a tree at home in commemoration of World Earth day. Other activities that VIS students learned remotely include:
- Proper trash recycling and disposal practices
- How to sort out the garbage
- How to make art items
- Rainwater collection methods
- How to reuse items that would have otherwise been disposed of for crafts
HOW CAN STUDENTS OBSERVE EARTH DAY IN A CLASSROOM?
Celebrating Earth Day inside a classroom can be fun and exciting. Here are some of the ways students can do it.
- Creating Bulletin Boards
Teachers can work together with their students to come up with ‘No Waste’ bulletin boards. The students would need to create these boards using recycled items. This can be one way of teaching them how to recycle, and encouraging them to do so both at school and at home.
Students will then have to record their recycling practices on the bulletin board. Teachers, on the other hand, can reward students for their effort.
- Poster Projects
As students learn about recycling and conservation, they’ll be able to teach and encourage other students to do the same. They’ll also help their peers understand how to reduce waste production. This can be achieved by making warning posters and distributing them in different classes. Other poster related projects students can engage in include:
- Crafting a Green House
A greenhouse is also referred to as an environmentally friendly home. Creating it allows students to analyze different methods of ensuring their homes are more environmentally friendly.
- Summary of Vital Ideas
Students can collaborate in small groups to outline the main ideas from class lessons. Each group can then give a one minute overview of the class about the ideas they learned.
- Vocabulary Activities
Studies show that activities and spaced repetition can help students understand and retain what they learned. VIS teachers had designed World Earth Day activities and lessons for remote learning purposes for both young and older students. They structured the lessons and used them to help the children develop an interest in World Earth Day.
WHAT’S EARTH DAY ALL ABOUT?
There are more than 1 billion people who celebrate World Earth Day each year. By taking part in the celebrations, students become part of this group. Earth Day involves spreading awareness on the importance of conserving planet Earth.
The first Earth Day was introduced after Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson witnessed the effects of the oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He organized a national drive to teach and inspire people to conserve the environment.
Since the celebration of the first Earth Day, it has gained publicity for the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s also stimulated formation of environmental laws. These include: the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
- World Earth Day 2020
This year, the world Earth day was celebrated on April 22, 2020. Following the Covid-19 global pandemic and with people being encouraged to avoid crowds, Earth Day went digital for 24 hours. Within this time, coordinators had organized a global digital mobilization that pushes for actions whether big or small.
The plan gives different voices a stage to air their views and requires brave action for the planet and people. Over the 24 hours, the 50th Earth Day anniversary crowded the digital space with calls to action, global conversations, video teach-ins, and performances. Even as Earth Day assumed digital status, the objectives remained the same.
That is: to mobilize the world into taking significant actions to make a difference. You can make a difference regardless of where you are. The take-home from the 24-hour drive was: together we can save the Earth.
WHAT VIS DID TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR WORLD EARTH DAY 2020
World Book Day, on Thursday the 23rd, gave us yet another opportunity to celebrate the things we love. But this time it was the stories and authors that transport us on journeys of the imagination.
Children’s creativity and curiosity bring them on the most incredible of adventures. It is through the stories that they hear and read that their imaginations are nurtured and cultivated.
Though children may not be able to wander the world as freely as we would like, this has not stopped them from traveling through fantastical lands, puttering in a witch’s den or exploring the colorful worlds of space and the sea.
Of course our teachers and staff couldn’t resist the opportunity to dress up in their favorite story characters. We even had some special appearances by family and one of our four-legged friends.
Please enjoy some of our class C student’s fantastic books. They created these for World Book Day and we have to say they definitely make us want to read these stories.
Lessons and clubs have continued to be engaging and motivating. By using current affairs and days of celebration, children are able to relate to the subjects that they are learning about and to make impactful memories that will allow them to make new connections and further understand their new insights. Children are given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways to better support all types of learners.
UNDERSTANDING REMOTE LEARNING
With advanced technological advancements, schools should be able to transition in and out or remote learning whenever the need arises. Still, the ability to change to remote learning depends on various things. These include technology tools, preparedness, and general student support infrastructure.
Remote learning differs from virtual learning programs or even a virtual school. eLearning gains access to educational curriculum out of a conventional classroom through the use of electronic technologies.
Remote learning, on the other hand, gives teachers and students a chance to connect and engage with content from home. Remote learning opportunities are associated with emergencies that present a threat to student safety.
- Why should Schools Consider Remote Learning during emergencies?
Remote learning keeps students on track. This way, when they return to a physical school environment they don’t have to cover massive work to prepare for any planned assessments.
A big percentage of the requirements in a conventional classroom environment are applicable in remote learning environments. The objective is to comply with as many local and state requirements as possible.
- Remote Learning Structure
It’s worth mentioning that in remote learning setups the students and teachers are not used to distance. This can create challenges for learners and teachers. Challenges, however, can be solved through the use of various support structures.
Remote learning can be successful. However, schools need to adopt a well-designed framework capable of supporting a fully-fledged action plan.
The most important factors of remote learning include communication, time, lesson design, and technology. By defining these factors in advance, schools can eliminate any interruptions from learning.
WORLD BOOK DAY AT VIS
World Book Day is a certified charity that seeks to give every young person a book. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate illustrators, authors, books, and reading in general. This year, World Book Day was commemorated on 23rd Thursday 2020.
In previous years celebrations were physically held in school. This year, however, the day was commemorated when many schools are closed and countries are on lockdown. Teachers at VIS managed to pool students together for digital activities thanks to technology. Some of the activities that VIS students engaged in include:
- Reading books through an app
- Sharing books in soft copy format
- Creating multimedia books and stories using multifunctional gadgets
Some students even participated in blogging using child-friendly tools and shared the materials with their peers.
FINALLY
VIS students have managed to continue with their studies thanks to technology and the remote learning program at the school. As the world fights the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers, students, and parents are working together to ensure learning continues uninterrupted.
Find more information about our school today.
