News from the IGS

10 Jun 2020

Evaluation of the student survey

In order to get a comprehensive picture of online teaching, the main actors, the pupils, were of course also interviewed. The student representatives evaluated the survey.
The survey was issued to students in grades 4-10. 36 responses were given, which gives a response rate of approx. 60%. A quarter of the answers come from grades 5, 6 and 8.
One advantage is that the majority of us have had ICT classes for 2 or more years and are therefore familiar with programs such as Classroom or Docs.
The question of what pupils like about online lessons was mainly answered with personal advantages. You can eat in between, you don’t have to wear a school uniform and you can sleep longer because you don’t have to come to school. But the lessons also improve because you work in a quiet and personal environment and you can organize your work yourself.
However, there were also points that did not go well. Technical problems, such as a slow Internet connection, had a particularly disadvantageous effect, since under those conditions it was no longer possible to concentrate on the lessons. It was also difficult for some learners to maintain their own motivation and not to be distracted.

Above all, however, the friends and classmates with whom you can exchange ideas and play during the breaks are missing.
We did not agree on the things that we learned better or worse in online lessons. We agree that science was a little more difficult without experimentation, but our teachers went to a lot of trouble to explain things more carefully. It was also somewhat more difficult to learn with languages such as German and English. For this, a few said that they were happy to be able to do sports.
Most of us found it strange to see ourselves in the camera and we were therefore happy when we could switch the camera off at certain times. Nevertheless, everyone found it important to start the lesson with visual contact.
Should we need to do online classes again, then of course we also have suggestions on how things could get better for students in the future. We would like to see more breaks because it is very tiring to sit in front of the screen all the time. Better internet quality would also help. Teachers could also make sure that all students understand them and not just a few. Lastly, the teachers should give fewer tasks and homework, or set it up so that we can arrange for ourselves when to do which task.
Finally, we would like to give a few tips to all students who will have to take online classes in the future. Make sure that you drink enough liquids and move around and do sports from time to time. Act as if you were in school and ask your teachers if you have not understood something. Your teachers will help you. Tidy up your desk so that you don’t get distracted so quickly. Keep your spirits up even if the internet is bad or you miss your friends.