ELIS Murcia intensifies personal educational attention to minimize learning gaps due to the loss of social interaction and face-to-face education, among other things.
The center provides 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 of paralysis of face-to-face classes for more than a quarter, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a significant change in the way work is approached in schools and institutions . . The situation persists despite the return to the classroom because of the many changes experienced both in the school environment and outside, to which children and young people are particularly sensitive because of their age and vital moment.
In this context, some educational centers have chosen to increase the attention already paid to the emotional well-being of their students, by intensifying the mechanisms and protocols to ensure their correct personal and intellectual development during a period characterized by instability and difference in education. use and use.
In the words of Stefania Pimblett, ELIS Murcia Learning Support Coordinator, “Supporting emotional well-being has always been one of our school’s priorities. We want to ensure that our students take advantage of the best educational opportunities and develop their confidence to their maximum potential. Therefore, in this course, in addition to their general care and protection, we have emphasized physical and emotional well-being ”.
During this pandemic, staying connected and in constant dialogue with students and their parents has proven very positive, and it has helped both of them feel supported by school. “Recognition of progress, flexibility, connectivity and support have been key elements that helped our team build strong bonds with the parent community, and we believe this dialogue is one of the strengths that have enabled us to engage our students. support during these difficult circumstances, ”he explains.
A task for everyone
To achieve this, ELIS Murcia has developed a plan that includes not only the Educational Inclusion Department, but also all the teaching and non-teaching departments of the school, as well as the parents themselves. In this way, the emphasis is placed on recognizing the importance of the well-being of parents / carers through information, guidance and support both through a newsletter for parents and through concrete actions: virtual workshops and personalized meetings.
In addition, continuous training is provided to teaching and non-teaching staff to better understand the emotional needs of children and young people in the current stage and provide them with strategies for dealing with complex situations. All this while continuing to incorporate social-emotional learning into the curriculum, with an emphasis on the development of emotional and physical well-being, both through the subject of PSHE (personal, social and health education), physical education, mentoring sessions and meetings, such as through school events such as Global Be Well Day, where the day is all about promoting physical and mental well-being and promoting care throughout the year.
The importance of relationships and technology
The rapid evolution of digital technologies presents challenges that previous generations of parents, carers and teachers have never faced. The shape and nature of these challenges seem to change almost every week, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused children to spend more time on 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 high-traffic area of the house where the children’s activities were easy to monitor. , since many Primary and most high school students go to bed at night with an Internet-connected device in their bedroom.
WhatsApp’s terms of service state that the minimum age for use is 16 years old. However, primary school students across the country use it as a means of communicating with their peers in the afternoons and weekends. All social media services have recommended ages for a reason, and using them before those ages should be discouraged. The risks on the Internet to children are many, varied and constantly evolving. The social media platforms that adults are most likely to be familiar with (especially Facebook and Twitter) are rapidly declining in use and popularity among children. Given the current circumstances, outside the school and family environment, young people are “condemned” to develop a large part of their social relationships through these and other new networks (Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok …), María explains. José explains. Garcia. “For this reason, we at ELIS Murcia feel it is very important to provide information and training in these aspects to our entire community, teachers, parents and students; and we pay special attention to this through newsletters, lectures and workshops to everyone to help keep our students safe on the Internet. “
Personalized educational attention to minimize learning gaps is another aspect of focus. In this regard, technology plays a key role as it enables all students to take advantage of the opportunity to continue with their curriculum, both at home and at school, regardless of their personal circumstances. In this context, ELIS Murcia has also initiated programs such as “One student, one device”, providing a large proportion of its students with laptops fully configured with the latest generation of educational software for use both at home and in public. to-face lessons.