Home learning teaches everyone a thing or two

By Keshav Gupta & Eunie Jeong

Recently, due to the current coronavirus environment, students have been forced to work under very different conditions. Despite many surveys from school that have been sent out, and the various types of tips and adjustments the teachers have made to accommodate all subjects, the success is rather dubious. Across Year 8 there have been bountiful complaints in regard to the heavy workload and the tight deadlines.

Partly, it seems, the trouble is due to the homework given, rather than how it is dealt with or organised. Yuki Luo from 8.4 says, “Our schedule is jammed by homework, and usually we all work until night.” Claire Watson, (also 8.4) agrees.  “I feel the teachers are giving us too much work. It's way harder on some subjects now since we're at home.” 

Well, perhaps we are getting more homework than usual, but possibly could this mean we are  learning more? This is a very important equation (that is not universally agreed on): i.e. more homework = better learning.

Some students actually do prefer home learning. Annabelle King of 8.4 said that home learning was “at times pretty easy”’ compared to traditional learning. However, is that really a positive perspective of home learning? After all, learning is supposed to be regulated in order to help students. Watson explains: “I find it … harder to focus.”

Yet, some of the difficulty lies in the organisation of the students, for without the fresh eagerness of just entering into secondary or the ambition of last years at RCHK, some Year 8 students have been bewildered by the due dates and new assignments. 

As teachers are also getting used to the new situation, we can understand that the mode of teaching is still very challenging for them too.

Despite the numerous complaints, most of the students claim that they are ‘fine’ with home learning. However, many improvements are suggested.

Several students suggest that teachers should send them an invite for a meeting at least twenty four hours before. Students complain that a few teachers notify students about lessons just twenty minutes before the class starts. This gives students reduced time to prepare for lessons.

Additionally, there were some comments saying too many applications were being used. But does this really matter in regard to workload in this home learning stage? Perhaps students are being too picky. 

There are also the deadlines. Many groan at this, and common words expressed include “overwhelmed”, “late”, and even “fear”. Deadlines have also been an aspect of apprehension for students, and though at school teachers can move the deadlines according to progress, it is rather harder to do this in home learning. 

However, some students say the teaching quality has been improved in the past few weeks to a huge extent. The homework levels seem to have reduced, and the new schedule that took place of alternating lessons per week was a relief for many. 

Hugo Tse says, “It's getting better because there is a bit less stress for me.” Others claim that they can now submit most of the homework in time. 

So has the workload actually been so intense? Or does it just depend on the student? 

The big issue can be said to be support. Without the help that is crucial from school and teachers, who would be there on the spot to answer considerations, it is much harder to contact and communicate your problem, and for teachers to gauge what stage of learning you are at. 

Rachel Nason from 8.6 thinks, “Any homework is 20% harder without the extra help that we get from teachers in class.” 

Maybe the well-known proverb that “when you constantly get favours, you take it for granted” is true. Not many would think of teacher’s support other than giving homework, but during this online learning the need is getting bigger, with new situations to adapt too.

Despite these struggles, which have simultaneously to do with workload, student organisation and schedule coordination, home learning has greatly adapted to student’s needs. The new applications used, methods of teaching, and adjustments of schedule and homework have been essential to going through this hard phase. But with home learning drawing to a close, these challenges will eventually become memories of the past, perhaps, to be repeated.

To conclude, the general atmosphere regarding home work may be summed up in the following poem, composed spontaneously on one of these stressful days (apologies to the great Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bai).

學思

桌前明燈光，

疑似用千筆。

舉頭看時間，

低頭就嘆氣。

-鄭允怡