The Ups and Downs of this academic year – managers’ perspectives

The year started OK; student numbers were lower than usual but the appropriate adjustments were made in staffing and delivery (online, hybrid or socially-distanced classes) and it felt like the students who had stayed through March to June were happy to carry on. There was a general feeling of relief.

Of course, there were problems as everyone got used to new ways of working and an underlying tension in the air but on we went and most people felt relatively stable. Then Christmas came and with it a new wave of infections, confinement and fear and, of course, fewer students and yet more adjustments. 

This Meet Up came just before a lot of Spring Breaks in the northern hemisphere and the general feeling was that we had again recovered a sense of balance and everyone was looking forward to the holidays for some time off and some much needed rest. The idea of being in charge of only ourselves (and our families) over the holidays was so appealing as we spend so much time thinking and worrying about everyone else: our admin teams, teachers and of course, students. 

There is an awareness that burnout is real for all of us: for students, teachers and managers alike! Some mentioned that 14-year-olds seem to be in a particularly bad spot.

Exams cause mixed feelings

It appears that interest is mostly the same as ever in official exams although there’s a big question as to whether students are as well prepared as usual.

One manager shared her positive experience of including exam fees for younger learners in the overall package. It had created, she reported, a much more positive culture and a sense of direction for students and their families and teachers enjoyed having specific targets to work towards.

Others have mixed feelings about exams for younger learners with misgivings over exam structure and even how appropriate it is to test young learners in this way, even if they are “friendly” exams. Many choose to offer the exams but not to promote them too much instead leaving it to parents to decide with the school’s guidance.

One concern shared by many was that mock exam results appeared to be significantly worse than in previous years. This generated a questioning about the effectiveness of online and hybrid teaching compared to the traditional face-to-face approach. One thought was that online and hybrid teaching is ok when necessary but really only for fire-fighting. Are we all just too tired and burnt out? Maybe we should just take this year as a “year out”. Students and their families are still keen to see progress. 

Some schools didn’t do any exams at the end of last year but this year many of those schools are going to try. There are concerns about the validity of online results when students do their exams at home, how far can we trust the data? Face-to-face results are much more reliable. Some schools are organising special exam days and mock exams on Fridays and Saturdays.

We talked about the range of exams that are available; Language Cert seems to be gaining popularity for those who struggle with the other “more technical parts, especially the Use of English parts” in other exams. Lingua Skills was mentioned too as an alternative to Cambridge main suite.

What’s going to happen in September?

Of course, we can’t say with any confidence where we’ll be in September but we need to be prepared for all sorts of possibilities!

One manager talked about a customer survey they had done in their centre. The overwhelming conclusion was that students (and their families) much preferred face-to-face classes with the possibilities of online attendance if and when necessary. 

The idea of “Zoom windows” was raised for when students can’t come to class because they are “confined” or ill or for whatever reason. The idea is that students don’t miss out on their classes but also limits expectations that they will get the same experience and keeps the primacy of the face-to-face option. The system is open to abuse and needs to be properly controlled and access limited.

Flipped and blended teaching were talked about too, and while they can definitely work, there is a problem with both understanding what these terms actually mean and how they can work in practice. How far should we engage with these alternative ways of working? Is it a bit dinosaur-like to essentially ignore the online changes and go back to business as usual (if we can) in September?

And what do we expect for September? Speaking to schools and other stake-holders in mainstream education (not language schools), nobody knows what’s going to happen. It feels prudent to make plans to continue with our current arrangements at least until December, to acknowledge the possibilities of class-size restrictions going up and down. So whether we’re in hybrid, 100% online or socially-distanced classes, we should be ready to go again next year.

And how can things progress? Should we move away from the “light touch”?

We acknowledged that teaching online (in its various forms) is new to us all and we’re all getting better at it all the time and we need to keep evolving and learning.

There was a strong feeling in the group that people who come to language schools do so wanting face-to-face classes. They enjoy the human interaction and the playful, enjoyable environment, especially the younger learners. The picture is more mixed with teenagers; some report that teens feel as though they learn as much online as in class, but this is anecdotal rather than based in evidence.

We’ve had to make adjustments and have generally gone for a “light touch” approach, taking into account the seismic shock of the initial phases of the pandemic for everyone. Should we become more demanding? What can we do better? How can we help our students and teachers do more and better?  

One idea is to improve the academic and technical introductions to the course (sometimes called “on-boarding”). We can make expectations and ways of working clearer and more defined. We can show people how to use the applications and other software we use.

Another idea was to be better at following individuals’ progress. While it’s time-consuming, it feels for many that that is where we can really make the difference in helping our students and at the same time differentiate ourselves from other offerings. Is this a necessary investment? Should we, as managers, be teaching more or being that bridge between the teacher and the students and their families? There is a massive challenge in helping students see the bigger picture and perhaps that’s a key role for us to play. Should we see ourselves as coaches for individual students who need to clarify their objectives?

We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we’ve all learnt a huge amount over the last 12 months and that hopefully we can move to enjoy the summer, or at least a couple of weeks of holidays! 

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