While most students should have experienced home-based learning (HBL) before, they have not had to do it continuously for four weeks, until now.
From April 8 to May 4, all primary, secondary and pre-university students as well as those from institutes of higher learning are switching to full HBL as part of enhanced safe distancing measures to curb the coronavirus spread.
HBL is not an ideal substitute for classroom learning, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has said.
It is a new experience that will require parents, students and teachers to adjust to new routines and teach and learn in different ways.
"Everyone has been working hard, overcoming teething issues, adapting and finding a new rhythm in these exceptional circumstances," MOE's deputy director-general of education (curriculum) Sng Chern Wei told The Straits Times.
Some parents have voiced concerns about how teachers will keep track of students' progress. Others working from home in this period have called for the June holidays to be moved forward so they have time to adjust to new routines now, before settling in to help their children catch up on schoolwork in June.
Q How will teachers monitor students' HBL progress?
A Teachers will keep track of students' progress through their participation in home-based learning and assignments completed.
Some students may be used to receiving immediate face-to-face answers in class. But MOE has said this is "now not readily possible nor the objective of home-based learning".
Alternatively, teachers can use the automated marking features on the Singapore Student Learning Space online platform to give immediate feedback on students' learning progress, or give them individual or group feedback through e-mail or teleconferencing.
Teachers can also provide comments and suggestions for improvements based on students' responses through these platforms.
Q Different schools give different amounts of work. My child seems to have many tasks to complete. Will everything be marked?
A Most teachers will not leave HBL assignments unmarked. Online assignments can be marked digitally, while hard copy ones can be scanned and uploaded, which teachers can then retrieve and mark.
Q What guidelines have schools been given regarding assignments during HBL?
A In general, students should see less homework and reduced intensity as HBL hours are less than the usual school hours. A big part of HBL is about self-directed learning and discovery of curiosity, which MOE wants to try to inculcate.
There are about four, five and six hours of HBL a day for primary, secondary and junior college students, respectively. Homework and assignments will be scoped and paced in alignment with these hours.
Q Why not move the June holidays to April so parents have time to adjust?
A MOE has considered turning this month into a school holiday. But it said the situation is fluid and uncertain and, as far as possible, it hopes to keep to the school calendar and minimise disruption.
No one knows how long the outbreak will last and the restrictions people will need to live with in the months ahead.
So Singaporeans will have to be more adaptive and flexible, to be more resilient in the fight against Covid-19, it added.
MOE said while it will not be easy, "it is not a bad idea to take this opportunity to learn how to juggle our responsibilities, practise home-based learning, encourage children to be more independent in their learning".
