Charlie T | Year 12 Prefect

Being at home, away from my classmates in Off-Campus Learning has come with challenges. I have found it harder to be collaborative than when I am at School surrounded by my teachers and peers. Working and sharing ideas with other people is an important part of learning so we have needed to work out the best strategies to maintain this part of school whilst at home.

I have found that using break-out rooms in Zoom when my teacher has opened them is a good way of doing this, as people feel a lot more comfortable speaking in smaller groups. There are also fewer distractions than if you are in class trying to work in smaller groups so break-out rooms has really worked well for me.

Having a strong support network at School and at home is so important for me in Year 12 to get through studying off-campus. Imitation helps a lot, as learning how other people are coping and what study techniques they are using can be very beneficial. 

 Elsa W | Year 12 Prefect

Persevering to adapt to different learning environments.  Reciprocity has been a very important disposition to focus on during this very difficult time. Not only has it been necessary for us to understand how we learn best independently, but also collaboratively, whether it be through Zoom or collaborative tasks.

My top tips for Off-Campus Learning collaboration would be to have group chats on Social Media for your subjects. If you or your friends miss a Zoom call due to wifi or technological difficulties, you can ask on the group chat what you missed and what work there is to do. It also allows you to keep in contact with everyone and brings back the ability to ask questions and talk about the class content, like we were able to do when we were in School.

Don’t forget to check in with your friends and I hope you're all coping with this tricky time!!

Ryan I | Year 12 Prefect

There is no doubt Off-Campus Learning has been a challenge for everyone but it’s important to focus on the positives, as difficult as they may sometimes be to see. For Year 12, the general consensus seems to be that our lives simply consist of eating, Zooming, studying and sleeping and no doubt lockdown has made that more relatable for everyone across the School. I think it’s extremely important for us students to find creative ways to employ reciprocity in our learning and study.

One thing a lot of Year 12 students have been doing during lockdown is Discord or Zoom study sessions with a few friends after School. I know a lot of people get flashbacks and duck for cover as soon as they hear the word Zoom, however, using it with friends in this way is really beneficial. It brings back the social aspect to learning, allowing us to communicate, collaborate and connect with friends whilst still being productive. I truly recommend everyone gives it a shot at least once, especially if you need a little extra motivation.

Harriet L | Year 12 Prefect

Reciprocity is an important disposition to remember during online learning while we are all isolated. As reciprocity is the exchange of things with others for mutual benefit, we lose some ability to carry this on while we are at home. It is important to remember that this skill allows us to collaborate with our peers to benefit our work and also to stay in touch with each other.

The main way I have used reciprocity during Off-Campus Learning is utilising it in my studies to collaborate with others. This is by swapping and comparing answers to questions, and collaborating when stuck on a question or do not know the answer.