Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

IME if it's just ('just'!) delivering a lecture, hybrid works much the same (except for the fact that concentration seems to go much quicker when viewing through a screen), but as soon as you start doing seminar/small-group work it gets much harder to keep the remote and FTF groups in sync. I can't imagine doing classroom management on top of that.

I think (for tertiary education at least) hybrid is in many ways the worst of both worlds; if you're going to do that, you may as well go fully remote and asynchronous/flipped classroom. But then you hit resource constraints etc. again; many students have a laptop etc., but by no means all do.

Is internet access universal in Italy?

Also even with internet access for the remote students, hybrid/dual delivery is not 'easy' when staff are not additionally resourced. One teacher interacting with students in front of them as well as those online does not result in a satisfactory experience for either cohort.

Also many parents at home will be trying to work themselves, as well as obviously being unqualified or unwilling to teach.

Hybrid or Blended learning as my school calls it is a bodge at best, and a fucking nightmare of increased workload and on the job stress at worst.

I thoroughly resent being made to work through a lockdown for sake of other people's kids. Having to bodge together a video presentation and a normal lesson at short/zero notice is not on my list of fun things to do.

I did this back in March, not just because of Covid but I'm very glad I did... A clearer head has been very welcome in these crazy times and I think they're gonna get much crazier in the coming weeks...

I'm rather conflicted right now, very happy not to be in Europe and in relative safety but very worried about family and friends back home... What a shit show... 😟

Respect to any teachers in here, you are getting fuck all recognition for the danger you are putting your selves in and the extra graft.

Nobody says this about Tesco staff. Which is likely to be much higher risk.

It's fairly self evident that Tesco staff have a lower job stress than teachers and arguably better pay/qualification ratio.

I would tbh and I disagree about it being higher risk but not really worth arguing about on a Sunday.

Wow, Lufuguss does it again... Covid is turning you all fucking mental...

I'm with @Señor_Bear...

I’m getting a bit obsessed with it all again, not healthy. Need to ditch my smart phone for a while.

Fucking A @Señor_Bear

I thought there's been a lot of recognition for supermarket workers especially in lockdown v1, with a much greater increase in recognition (from shit all to some) compared with teachers (from some to some). Teachers have had more attention since the schools have gone back. Round here every time someone mentioned NHS (in spring lockdown v1) someone would pipe up that actually they were clapping/rainbows/whatever for frontline shop workers.

Most people I talk to are very appreciative of anyone who’s continued working for the good of the rest of us - NHS, teachers, supermarket, warehouse, logistics etc. thank god for the lot of them, key workers all.

We were talking about schools yesterday and the spread potential at our junior school, with that age group the risk seems relatively low but not so good with older kids. This is a good read on the subject.

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/risk-comms-updates/update39-covid-and-schools.pdf?sfvrsn=320db233_2

Compare the UK's approach of lockdown and then "Exit lockdown when R goes below 1" with Australia's:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-54768038

Australia has recorded its first day of no local cases of Covid-19 in almost five months.

The state of Victoria - epicentre of Australia's second wave - recorded zero cases for the second day in a row after a 112-day lockdown.

Health officials say more restrictions may be eased in the coming days.

The nation of 25 million adopted an approach of using lockdowns and proactive testing and tracing to contain the virus, and Victoria - where 90% of Covid deaths occurred - imposed some of the severest stay-at-home and curfew rules in the world.

Proactive testing and tracing. It'll never catch on.

Victoria and its largest city Melbourne began to reopen earlier this week after recording no new community-transmitted cases since June.

So, rather than reopen things when R goes below 1 (which could easily become R > 1 a few weeks of reopening things) they decided to reopen when R was effectively 0. Big difference.

Imagine the UK being expected to remain in lockdown until community-transmitted cases dropped to 0.

I think part of the rationale for schools being open is it allows parents to get on with their usual work life.

Oh it definitely is. The Tories want kids in schools so their parents can be economically productive. It's always about the money @lynx. Follow the money.

Speaking of which, Bucky is not actually that cheap although I guess in bang for buck terms it does well. I was down in Buckfastleigh recently and the Abbey is incredibly well maintained. It's almost like the monks have some kind of magic money tree...

Oh it definitely is. The Tories want kids in schools so their parents can be economically productive. It's always about the money @lynx. Follow the money.

But, as Chalfie says, it's also about the mental health, wellbeing and development of the children.

To pretend it's all about the money is a bit simple.

Don't forget that most schools were open during the whole of the original lockdown. Key worker children (roughly 10%) continued to go to school during that period.

Exactly how I'm starting to feel...

Honestly - and I love Italy so this isn't meant as a slight - no more so than Italy. Just in different ways.

Secondo me, lo stesso, ma diverso...

But, as Chalfie says, it's also about the mental health, wellbeing and development of the children.

It is and those arguments are valid, should have qualified. I just believe that's the motivation of the Cabinet.

, rather than reopen things when R goes below 1 (which could easily become R > 1 a few weeks of reopening things) they decided to reopen when R was effectively 0. Big difference.

Imagine the UK being expected to remain in lockdown until community-transmitted cases dropped to 0.

And the corresponding action to this is to (re)start a lockdown as soon as R went over 1. Which would have been back in August, I think.

We could have had three or weeks of lock down to get shit back down again. Whilst schools were on holiday. With no real increase in death toll.

Instead, we had Eat Out to Help out, which had the opposite effect.

Then two months of procrastination and inaction.

It just seem so obvious that very fast, early lockdowns mean shorter lockdown, less economic impact and fewer deaths.

Instead of squashing these waves, we've been bloody surfing them.

Things about to take a turn for the better. US Presidential election Tuesday 😱😱

I'd really like to know what China have done, apart from telling us it's all gone now.

After covering it up, lying about it, etc etc, once we did have a lockdown, it was a proper lockdown. It depended on location but several of my colleagues were locked into their apartments. Villagers put up blockades stopping people come in. We've had the health QR code since February. Temperature checks everywhere. Mandatory mask wearing. That got things kind of under control.
Borders have been closed since the end of March, anyone allowed into the country (very limited numbers) has to quarantine in a government hotel for two weeks - absolutely no way round this. Temperature checks every now and then (v half hearted). Health QR code needed for trains/planes. Masks on public transport. Occasional texts from the govt reminding people to wash their hands.
While I definitely don't believe the govt numbers, and they don't count asymptomatic anyway, AND there have been breakouts (both publicised and not) since it was brought under control, I also only know one person who's had covid (not counted in the official figures, obvs)...

Righto. That's what I'd expect from a lockdown.

Righto. That's what I'd expect from a lockdown

Me too, especially this but

While I definitely don't believe the govt numbers, and they don't count asymptomatic anyway, AND there have been breakouts (both publicised and not)