Overcoming the Distance in Distance Learning

George School’s prompt action and creative solutions to teaching students around the globe during the COVID crisis were recognized recently by the Bucks County Courier Times. In the article “George School Students Stay Connected across Time Zones,” Peg Quann describes the school’s successful transition to online teaching in what amounted to “fixing an airplane while you’re flying,” an analogy made by Head of School Sam Houser when mobilizing teachers for the change. “Somehow, the faculty and students are doing that, across the miles,” reports Peg.

It is the extreme distances involved in George School’s version of distance learning that was cited as the chief obstacle. With students spread across 47 countries and 19 states, coming together for class at the same time is particularly difficult. The school opted for a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning to accommodate students’ vastly different daytimes. “But the school soon found that some of the students in Asia still wanted to connect with their classmates, even if that means turning into classes at one or two o’clock in the morning their time,” Peg writes.

Students and teachers are finding varied ways to connect with one another, learning as they go how to come as close as possible to the George School experience.

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