Expanding classrooms beyond tradition to meet the needs of every child
While most students go to school and spend their day in a traditional classroom, other young people are thriving in the world of online learning
Imagine a 15-year-old who wakes up before sunrise five days a week. By 5.30 am, she's in the pool with her coach, swimming lap after lap with her state swim squad in preparation for her next major competition. She hopes that each stroke edges her a step closer to her dream – Olympic selection.
By 9.00 am she has to be dried off, dressed and in a classroom. Once school finishes, she heads back to the pool or to the gym for a strength training session. By the time the second round of training wraps, dinner is eaten and homework is done, the clock could be nudging past 10.00 pm.
Across Australia, thousands of talented and dedicated students are balancing sporting commitments, artistic pursuits, health needs, and individual learning preferences highlighting the opportunity for school structures to better support this diversity.
For some young people, this creates an impossible mismatch and unnecessary struggle. Students no longer need to adapt to an education system that expects learning to only happen in a classroom between 9.00 am and 3.30pm.
Whether a young athlete needs flexibility in their day for training and travelling, whether a young person has health needs, or whether a student lives hours away from their nearest school, the traditional classroom isn’t a fit for everyone.
There’s growing recognition in Australia’s education system that structured, high-quality online learning can offer those students another effective learning pathway.
Joanna Baker, Head of Campus at Haileybury Pangea, is at the forefront of witnessing how pioneering schools can think differently to support students whose lifestyle and learning needs benefit from a more flexible learning model that allows them to integrate their learning with their other pursuits?
Haileybury Pangea is the first fully online private school in Victoria and the Northern Territory for students in Years 5 to 12. As well as offering the full curriculum, students can also study individual VCE subjects if their main school doesn’t offer a subject that is of interest to them.
"Online learning isn't the right choice for every child at every stage of their education, but it can be a better fit for some young people whose lifestyle and commitments don't fit the typical school routine,” says Joanna.
“For a young swimmer chasing Olympic selection, or a dancer training full-time at a national academy, the traditional school week can be an impossible ask because hours of training and commuting are difficult to fit around a traditional school timetable.
“Online learning offers those students a flexible timetable that recognises their other commitments but ensures they can complete their education”Joanna Baker, Head of Campus (Haileybury Pangea)
The online classroom can also be a viable alternative for families in rural and remote Australia who have long faced a difficult choice – send a child away to boarding school, or keep them at home but perhaps compromise their educational opportunities. Online schooling can save a child from having to uproot themselves from their family and community without the educational compromise.
There is a misconception that being part of an online classroom is isolating, however Joanna says the experiences at Haileybury Pangea paint a very different picture.
Small class sizes, a blend of live instruction and self-paced learning, and one-on-one and small group time with subject teachers foster strong and trusted connections between classmates and teachers.
"The technology actually brings greater flexibility and allows teachers to genuinely personalise their teaching so they can meet each student’s needs and build strong relationships," Joanna explains.
"Because course content is readily visible and accessible online, this supports teachers to focus on the students in front of them and where each of them is at in their learning. Haileybury Pangea builds very strong and secure teacher-student relationships and those relationships are critical to academic success and personal growth."
Traditional classrooms are supportive and vibrant learning environments for many students who enjoy being on campus, sharing physical spaces and conversations, and being part of a traditional school community.
However, we now know that there are new options and choices for students, which empower them to learn, thrive and build their confidence and curiosity.
