NC@HOME: STUDENT AND TEACHER EXPERIENCES

After two years of COVID-19, our community has adapted well to our NC@Home program and the many changes we’ve made due to restrictions and lockdowns. We asked students and teachers to reflect on their experiences of learning and teaching from home.

Sam Aggs, Year 11

As a Nudgee College student, transitioning from physical to technical based learning was quite challenging. While the learning culture at Nudgee College can be scarcely matched in an online context, learning@home was meticulously thought out to replicate our learning environment. However, Nudgee College students are anything if not adaptable and soon learning@home became a norm that reflected what the students wanted and needed. This was assisted by the College’s already frequent use of technology in day to-day learning, such as timetables embedded in Google Calendar. The College, as always, proved itself effective in supporting the learning of Nudgee College boys through thick and thin.

Ms Bonnie Becker, Senior Literature Teacher

While it is true that everyone has a COVID-19 story to share, I think the one offered by teachers is exceptionally special. 2020 proved to be a challenging year as teachers (and students) had to navigate online teaching and learning from home. However, such a tumultuous year also provided some of the best personal and professional development for all. I discovered that if your students stay at the heart of all you do, then the modes of teaching don’t really matter. Although the pandemic took some wonderful Nudgee College experiences away, it brought with it an opportunity for us all to build resilience. As an expatriate – who has had to figure out how to live in a new country away from family and friends – I am a firm believer in the power of perseverance and I’m grateful that during this pandemic we found ways to do more than just survive.

Ms Chloe Arnold, English and Senior History Teacher

2020 and 2021 proved to be an equally challenging and rewarding experience as a staff member at Nudgee College. The impact of the pandemic saw a significant shift in the teaching and learning that had not been seen since the Industrial Revolution. What had once been a stable and consistent profession, quickly became one that required flexibility as we prepared for the unknown. Consequently, this instantaneous change from classrooms to NC@Home saw the need for innovative and creative resources to engage our students and continue to support their learning. I used ICT practices that had been unfamiliar to me only weeks before, created Google Sites and made countless videos. Additionally, the introduction of mandatory masks in 2021 presented a new challenge (and opportunity) to ensure consistent engagement and clear communication. The overwhelming positive in this somewhat negative experience is we now have access to new practices, ways of thinking, and recognise now more than ever the value of having students face-to-face in our classrooms once again.

Luke Doig, Year 11

The pandemic posed many difficulties for myself as a boarder from rural western Queensland. Luckily, these difficulties were met by a substantial amount of accommodating Nudgee Spirit and enactment. The learning@home process was a prime example of this accommodation. Despite being hours away from the school itself, I felt as if traces of the Nudgee College essence still echoed throughout my online schooling journey. All my teachers were extremely supportive throughout this time. I feel as if this entry should be a testament of my gratitude and appreciation towards those who worked tirelessly in order to maintain that integral role at the school. Nudgee College was truthfully able to overcome any sense of hardship that came from the COVID-19 outbreak and remould the negatives into a positive learning curve.