by Andrew O’Halloran, Dumfries & Galloway LA Secretary

The teaching profession should be extremely cautious about moves towards more online delivery of certificate courses across Scotland. Academic research from the pandemic has shown that online delivery may help employers save money on teachers’ salaries, but it is far from being a panacea.

Clearly, a GTCS-qualified teacher must be present when online leaning takes place, and the technology must be fit for purpose. A 2021 case study from the Faculty of Education at Kebangsaan University in Malaysia revealed that pupil motivation in the online space is lower than for face-to-face teaching.

Apart from a literature review, it focussed on a secondary school in Jasin (Melaka) at the height of the pandemic. The study also flagged up a lack of interaction between teachers and learners as a concern, with group work being particularly difficult online. Only 38.4% of pupils in the survey stated that online learning was as effective as traditional classes. This tallies with the experience of teachers here in Scotland.

Technology is a fantastic addition to a teacher’s armoury, but it cannot be harnessed as a replacement to face-to-face interaction.

Adam Sutcliffe from Aberdeenshire notes: “As a teacher in a rural setting, online learning can never replace pupils and teacher being in the same room. During lockdown and during recent snow days many of our pupils simply could not access any online learning due to lack of connectivity or lack of an appropriate device.

“Technology is a fantastic addition to a teacher’s armoury, but it cannot be harnessed as a replacement to face-to-face interaction. When all is said and done teaching is about relationships and they simply don’t happen to the same extent in online lessons.”

This is in line with the findings of the survey. 39.8% of respondents lived in rural area outside Jesin and all were aged 15 to 17. Only 41.5% stated that they were motivated to learn in online environments, while the majority (97.8%) said that face-to-face teaching is important.

Rural local authorities may look to online to deliver a greater range of courses with fewer teachers, but this will lead to a poorer learning experience for children and young people.

As Karen Graham from the Western Isles points out: “Online learning is being promoted as a means of providing a wider range of subject choices for pupils, particularly in the smaller secondaries in rural areas. While this appears commendable in theory, it gives rise to a range of issues that need to be considered.

“It is clear that, while a lesson is being delivered online, another GTCS registered teacher must be present in the room with the learners, to support and encourage, but also to manage behaviour and ensure safety. Who then is responsible for the planning, assessment and moderation of learning and teaching? Or reporting to parents? There is no doubt that pupil engagement and motivation are enhanced by face-to-face interactions.

“The relationships that are so key to raising attainment cannot be replicated in online lessons. Above all, online learning should never be used as a means of reducing teacher numbers. While this may make a saving for employers, the price will ultimately be paid by our learners.”

We all know that pupils’ educational experience is enhanced by the presence of a GTCS-qualified teacher in the room, and going forward, we should insist that any future certificate classes delivered online have a professional teacher in the room with the pupils to manage pupil engagement and behaviour, to ensure pupil safety and to run group work.

These are key aspects of the teacher’s role that cannot be replicated digitally. Education is about much more than content delivery.