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Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training Inquiry into Remote and Complex Learning Environments Melbourne Graduate School of Education Submission June 2020 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 Introduction The Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Committee’s Inquiry into education into remote learning environments.
MGSE is at the forefront of research and innovation in education, working with partners in early childhood settings, schools, tertiary institutions, government and with the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector to seek new and improved ways to support Australia’s education system.

We lead purposeful engagement with society, sharing our resources and expertise in forging collaborative efforts to build resilient, equitable and sustainable futures.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in disruptions to schooling, including school closures, that continue to have broad and far-reaching consequences.

Rural and remote communities have demonstrated considerable variance in their responses to these impacts, where some have thrived while others have experienced negative outcomes.
Factors contributing to negative impacts include access, emotional wellbeing, social development and educational progress; the effects of which can touch every child differently depending on their age, dispositions, past experiences and current challenges.

Disruptions to schooling can influence the relationships a child has with their family and school staff, as well as impede the development of a child’s language, physical skills, and their social and emotional learning.
The unplanned and rapid transition to remote learning in Australia brought about by COVID- 19 has impacted all communities, especially those rural and remote communities already experiencing hardship following the drought and bushfires.

For children in such communities, disruptions to schooling exacerbate an already difficult situation.

However, this highlights the need to ensure that quality remote learning is available to all students in such circumstances.
It is our belief that quality remote learning, resourced properly, has the potential to increase equity across the country more generally but in particular for those living in rural and remote communities.
Recommendations The Melbourne Graduate School of Education recommends that the Australian Government: • Enhance the readiness and capacity of teachers to deliver quality blended education experiences in rural and remote settings through: o support for professional development for teachers working in remote settings and teaching in a blended learning mode; o support for specialised initial teacher education in remote settings; o support for capacity building for teachers working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings.
• Enhance access to education and digital inclusion through: o support for access to affordable hardware, software and connectivity for marginalised groups; o support for resource development to support creating and exchanging digital content; o increased investment in professional learning in teachers’ use of digital tools and resources; o support for national research on the uptake and application of digital technologies.
2 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 • Support continued engagement and reduce the impact on learning outcomes through: o additional support to school communities and families, in particular those already suffering from disadvantage; o support for innovation in remote learning and teaching; o helping to build adaptive resilience through the provision of collective services to support social and emotional wellbeing; o support for community-led approaches to recovery from the crisis.
• Help build the evidence base through: o support for evaluation and monitoring methods; o support the linking of data across different sectors.

For further information, or to discuss the submission, Dr. Jim Watterston, Dean, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, can be contacted at jim.watterston@unimelb.edu.au or on (03) 8344 8331.

3 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 1.

Teaching quality Teaching quality is the key variable in education for all children (Hattie, 2009).
A synthesis of over 90,000 studies with 300 million students found that of factors within our control, teachers are the largest source of variance over learning outcomes (Hattie, 2009).

This is particularly important for those children living in vulnerable or at-risk contexts.

Recognising the power of school and teachers is essential for recovery.

Education is a major social determinant of health (Marmot et al., 2010).
Approximately, 175 million children have their schooling interrupted by a disaster annually (Nicolai, Hine and Wales, 2016).

While the impact is variable, it is essential we understand the role that schools and teachers play in recovery.

Teaching quality in online learning settings depends upon the capacity to transfer existing materials to online platforms and demands new ways of engaging and interacting with students.
Preliminary results from a national survey of over 10,000 Australian teachers conducted during April 2020 show only 30 per cent of teachers had been trained to deliver remote learning prior to the crisis (RRIF, May 2020).

Transferring material online is only one element, ensuring that the material is relevant to context is also essential.

Remote learning can be as effective as classroom-based learning provided it is delivered in a fashion that recognises the context of the students.
The level of preparedness for distance or blended learning is crucial.

ClassTag (2020) in the US surveyed 1200+ teachers in mid-March during the COVID-19 crisis and found that 43 per cent are making their own decisions about remote learning tools and 57 percent feel unprepared for online teaching.
Not only are educators navigating online learning and feeling unprepared, but they are also dealing with cyberattacks that risk the safety of their learning environments, privacy, and potentially, student data (eSchool News).

Varying access to training being provided in communities has created a patchwork of quality and gaps in accessibility.

“Many teachers are improvising and counting on patience from parents and students as they transition to online learning on the fly” (Hechinger Report, 2020).
Recommendations The Melbourne Graduate School of Education recommends that the Australian Government enhance the readiness and capacity of teachers to deliver quality blended education experiences in rural and remote settings through: • support for professional development for teachers working in remote settings and teaching in a blended learning mode; • support for specialised initial teacher education in remote settings; • support for capacity building for teachers working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander settings.
4 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 2.

Access and digital inclusion With more education and community services moving online, internet access is itself increasingly regarded as an essential service.

The ADII report (Barraket et al.

2019) indicates that affordability remains a key challenge for many Australians.

In general, Australians with low levels of income, education, and employment are significantly less digitally included.
The digital inclusion gap between Australians with a disability and other Australians is also substantial and grew in 2018.

Gorski (2009) argues for a critical reconceptualisation of the “digital divide” and its relationship with education, arguing that “access” should be understood in terms of equity, not merely physical provision.
To address low digital inclusion, Livingstone and Helper (2007) note that while providing home internet access can help alleviate socioeconomic disadvantage, it cannot overcome the relative disadvantage in terms of breadth and sophistication of Internet use.

The results of a national survey conducted during the remote learning period suggests that students in rural areas suffer from poor internet access.
20 per cent of secondary teachers and 38 per cent of primary teachers in rural areas reported that students had access to stable and reliable internet only 50 per cent of the time.

Satellite internet, often put forward as an alternative, is not always reliable and is very expensive for people living in remote areas (Ziebell, Acquaro, Pearn, & Seah, 2020).
Teachers in rural areas have reported that opportunities have emerged from the COVID-19 situation, including improved use of technology, identification of essential learning and creation of new resources.

There have also been many challenges.


In addition to the limited access to stable and reliable internet for students, challenges include extra workload for teachers, a heightened need to reach out to students that have limited support at home, and addressing concerns regarding mental health issues and isolation (Ziebell, Acquaro, Pearn, Seah, 2020).
While the effects on achievement for most students may not be significant enough to warrant special programs, a longer school year, or new programs, the story is different for at-risk students.

Those lacking access to the internet and regular teaching are more likely to have had their learning progress impacted as a consequence of the COVID-19 school interruption.

This can lead to a greater equity gap and reduce the chances of recovery for those already in vulnerable contexts.
Recommendations The Melbourne Graduate School of Education recommends that the Australian Government enhance access to education and digital inclusion through: • support for access to affordable hardware, software and connectivity for marginalised groups; • support for resource development to support creating and exchanging digital content; • increased investment in professional learning in teachers’ use of digital tools and resources; • support for national research on the uptake and application of digital technologies.
5 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 3.

Maintaining engagement The current situation has exacerbated economic issues, impacting on equity of access across the country to quality education.

The impact of a prolonged absence (10+ weeks) from school will probably not manifest in a significant disruption to long-term learning outcomes for most students.

The focus should therefore be on those already experiencing disadvantage (e.g.
rural and remote students), and on identifying others who, because of their experiences during school disruption, are at risk of joining these disadvantaged groups (Clinton, 2020).

About 40 per cent of young people from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds do not complete Year 12 or its equivalent by age 19.

The current pandemic creates a risk that already disengaged students will further separate themselves from school, possibly resisting return.
Such an outcome will come at a high cost for both individual and society from early school leaving.

It is estimated that leaving school early can cost the individual $616,000 over a working lifetime, or across each cohort $23.2 billion over a working lifetime.

School attendance rates across all Australian schools decrease from year 7 to year 10, dropping from 93.0 per cent of nominally enrolled students to 89.4 per cent (Lamb & Huo, 2017).
Children of low socioeconomic status (SES) background may encounter additional difficulties in accessing quality education (Heck & Parker, 2002).

The impact for those already living with great stress or disadvantage can be magnified in the current environment.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face additional burdens, compounded by disadvantage already experienced in relation to education, health, and social outcomes (DiGregorio, Farrington, & Page, 2000).
A shift to remote learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is likely to create particular challenges as a result of a potential lack of internet services and access to devices particularly in remote areas, and a reduction in opportunities to engage with learning experiences that support culturally responsive pedagogies and embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and knowledges.
The responses to the results of a national survey (Ziebell, Acquaro, Pearn, & Seah, 2020) conducted during the remote learning period showed that the impact of the COVID-19 situation on emotional wellbeing was similar across state capitals, regional and rural areas, with 62 per cent of primary teachers and 76 per cent of secondary teachers in rural areas choosing the range from ‘slightly negative’ to ‘negative’ when responding to the question about the impact on emotional wellbeing.
In terms of social development, the results were again similar across responses from teachers in state capitals and rural areas, with 62 per cent of primary teachers and 54 per cent of secondary teachers choosing the range from ‘slightly negative’ to ‘negative’.
The results for impact on educational progress were also similar across different locations, although 37 per cent of secondary teachers in rural areas identified that the COVID-19 situation had a ‘slightly positive’ impact on educational progress, which was higher than state capitals (17 per cent) and regional areas (18 per cent) (Ziebell, Acquaro, Pearn, & Seah, 2020).
Much research tends to support the idea that parental engagement in their child’s schooling has a positive effect, but it depends on the way this engagement manifests.

The more engagement is expressed through ‘surveillance’ of schoolwork, the more the effects become negative.

When schools help teach parents to understand the “language of learning,” the more positive the results become.
Teachers in rural areas reported that there are 6 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 opportunities that have emerged from the COVID-19 situation, namely better connection with families (Ziebell, Acquaro, Pearn, & Seah, 2020).
Recommendations The Melbourne Graduate School of Education recommends that the Australian Government support continued engagement and reduce the impact on learning outcomes through: • additional support to school communities and families, in particular those already suffering from disadvantage; • support for innovation in remote learning and teaching; • helping to build adaptive resilience through the provision of collective services to support social and emotional wellbeing; • support for community-led approaches to recovery from the crisis.
7 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 4.

Building the evidence base It is crucial that learnings from the current crisis are identified to help develop effective and efficient responses.

There is a dearth of information in the Australian context in relation to the impact of disasters in general, and their impact on education outcomes in particular.
The history of distance learning provides some context, however, there is little information in relation to crisis or educational disruption and its impact and recovery.

Much of our information is built on data sourced from overseas.

Disasters are characteristically unforeseen, causing many studies to be reactive, with planned pre-post studies rarely available (Parker et al.

2019).
2019).

The current crisis provides an opportunity to consider data linking measures as a means of understanding the needs of our vulnerable communities.

It is important to evaluate and monitor system capacity to adapt and innovate, including the level of readiness for change, and structural integrity to carry the load.
Beyond the analysis of self-reported immediate behaviours and perceived risks, advancing disaster research and attaining key insights into effective recovery and response will require well-designed monitoring and evaluation with longitudinal assessment of individuals (i.e.

vulnerable children) and communities “across the life-cycle of a disaster and across multiple disasters” (Parker et al.

2019).
2019).

Utilising evidence to build preventive models for vulnerable children and families will assist in the new normal.

Recommendations The Melbourne Graduate School of Education recommends that the Australian Government help build the evidence base through: • support for evaluation and monitoring methods; • support the linking of data across different sectors.

8 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 References Barraket, T., Wilson, CK., Rennie, E., Ewing, S., & MacDonald, T. (2019).
Measuring Australia’s Digital Divide: The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) 2019, RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, for Telstra.

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(2020).

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Listening to our Students: Understanding the factors that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students’ academic success, Higher Education Research and Development,19(3), 297-309. eSchool News.

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Retrieved from https://www.science.org.au/sites/default/files/rrif-q005-covid19-online-vs-in-class- education.pdf 9 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59 Resta, P., & Laferrière, T. (2008).
Issues and challenges related to digital equity.

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Springer, Boston, MA Ziebell, N., Acquaro, D., Pearn, C., & Seah, W. T. (2020).

Australian education survey: Examining the impact of COVID-19 research report.

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10 Education in Remote and Complex EnvironmentsSubmission 59