Ngākuru School 7-year-old Harriet Grainger-Allen delivers a mock news broadcast about the Covid-19 lock down.
Every school is different, as are the teachers and pupils within them. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to remote learning during the Covid-19 lockdown.
With school resuming on Wednesday, education providers have needed to be flexible to cater to the differing needs of students and their families so each child has the chance to learn.
NZEI Rotorua branch manager and Mamaku School teacher Joanne Collyer said remote learning had its challenges but "the teachers still play the most important role in the learning experience".
"It's certainly been a challenge for us in a rural community to have all students getting access. We sent Chromebooks home to any families who didn't have their own devices - that was very important. In some cases we sent two - we have a number of families with six children, so one wasn't going to cut it.
"Having paper resources are also really important and that was okay to prepare beforehand, they were able to collect those before the lockdown."
"We do become social workers, in a way, because it is about calming students down and reassuring children that we are all in this together."
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She said not being able to feed off student engagement made it harder to teach.
"It's just about working differently and finding new ways of getting messages out there and getting feedback."
Kaingaroa Forest School principal Marylouise Macpherson-Hall said the lockdown and remote learning were providing many lessons but she and her staff were determined to do all they could to help pupils.
Kaingaroa Forest School principal Marylouise Macpherson-Hall. Photo / File
"The immediate response has been to utilise the hard packs they have put together. A lot of our students don't have internet, some don't have digital or Freeview television either. Before the lockdown kicked in, we distributed learning packs as well and went through them with the parents."
She said a key during a time like this was to be willing to adapt to change and think outside the square.
"I'm fortunate that all my staff are very adaptable and always considerate and mindful of those diverse needs that each learner has. They try to keep things personalised and they're already making contact with some of the whānau to talk to the tamariki - just trying to be available and supportive.
"The wellbeing of the kids is huge. We have to understand the realities are, that our kids have lots of barriers and we have to look at the whole child. Being flexible and open to change and new ideas is really important."
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has outlined the different ways in which the Ministry of Education plans to provide learning opportunities for all during lockdown. Photo / File
Last week, Education Minister Chris Hipkins outlined the Ministry of Education's plans to ensure all students could learn at home when Term 2 begins.
"It's important to reinforce up front that the Government is still working to a timeframe of a four-week Level 4 lockdown but we're planning for every scenario. That means, in education, developing robust distance learning infrastructure and a more resilient system so that learners can receive education in any scenario.
The Ministry of Education's package includes:
Increasing internet and device access for students.
Delivering hard copy packs of materials for different year levels.
Funding two television channels to broadcast education-related content.
More online resources for parents.
Fast-tracking ways to connect learning support coordinators with families remotely.
