ELC Online Learning Plan

 

ELC Online Learning Plan (PDF)

 

Planning for Learning

Through Storypark, teachers will provide daily learning activities for children to work through, and most will require some parent support. Learning will be presented through pre-recorded videos and sometimes additional written information for parents. There will be six activities planned for each day. Three will be activities that are repeated daily,  (e.g. a weather journal, play journal), and three will be different each day. Daily, live small- group sessions will allow children to talk with their teachers/assistants and interact with each other.

Communicating with Learners

All ELC online learning will be posted on Storypark. One story post will be sent each week with videos introducing and demonstrating each activity. Additionally, one read-aloud storytime video will be posted as a community post each day. Teachers will also use Google Meet for daily, live small-group sessions with 4-5 children.

Each activity will have a clearly stated learning aim.

Each activity will have a video to introduce the activity and explain what to do. The videos will include examples of what to do and show the teachers and assistants doing the activity.  They will be translated into Japanese either in writing or on video, depending on the activity.
The videos will include clear information about what to do in the activity and how to respond via Storypark.
All ELC parents already have access to Storypark. All posts by parents responding to learning activities must be posted as individual child stories, NOT as community posts. This will allow teachers to respond to each post and keep track of children’s engagement and learning.

Expectations of Children

• Children should participate in daily, live small-group sessions every day with their teachers.
• Children should complete (and where appropriate, parents should respond to) the six activities planned for each day.

Expectations of Parents

• Parents will help their child engage with the online learning by showing them the pre-recorded videos and carrying out the activities with them.
• Parents will help their child engage with the live small-group sessions by ensuring they are online at the correct time and, if possible, participating with their child.
• To respond to the activities, parents should take photos and videos with their child and post these on Storypark. All posts by parents responding to learning activities must be posted as individual child stories, not as community posts. This will allow teachers to respond to each post and keep track of children’s engagement and learning.
• Parents can email questions to their child’s teachers and/or the ELC coordinator. Teachers will respond within 24 hours during working days.
• If your child is unwell and unable to participate in online learning, please contact office@nis.ac.jp, and please CC your class teacher.
• If your child is unable to engage due to any other reason, please advise your class teacher and the ELC Coordinator.
   

Commitment of Teachers

• Teachers and assistants will conduct live small-group sessions with two designated groups of children each day.
• Teachers and assistants will respond daily on Storypark to posts uploaded by parents. Each day, teachers will respond to those children whom they will be working within the live small-group sessions that day.
• Teachers will prepare in advance the recorded video lessons and post on designated days.
• One story post containing the week’s activities for ELC Preschool and one for ELC Kindergarten
• Daily storytime videos will be posted as Community Posts.
• Teachers will track children’s engagement by their attendance at live group meets and by posts about other activities.
• Teachers will inform ELC Coordinator if children are not engaging.

Communications

Parents can email their child’s class teachers and/or the ELC Coordinator on jmossman@nagoyais.net to ask questions. The daily live video calls should focus on children’s engagement, but teachers and assistants will also check with parents if they have any questions that need following up after the group session.  Storypark will have a FAQ section that will be updated on a regular basis. Please check the FAQ section first if you have questions for teachers. Rather than answer each individual email, teachers will use this FAQ space to answer as many as possible.

Getting Started

To get started and access the online learning links and materials, please go to Storypark (www.storypark.com) and look for a post titled “Online Learning.” If you have forgotten your login details for Storypark, please contact the ELC Coordinator.