MEDOWIE Christian School will offer distance education for all grades - including year 12 students doing the Higher School Certificate - from next year, taking lessons from delivery during the pandemic to "reimagine learning".
Principal Simon Herd said the school had been exploring for the past 18 months what learning "could and should look like", with the help of Harvard Extension School educational researcher Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa and Australian College of Educators president Dr Phil Lambert.
Mr Herd said like many organisations, the school responded quickly when COVID-19 hit and developed its online learning platform mcs+.
"For us, seeing different businesses that were really forced to pivot in that moment for their own future sustainability really got us thinking about 'Is this the moment that education has dreamt of for so long?'" Mr Herd said.
"[We saw it] as a pivot moment for us, based off research and based off the journey we'd been on.
"A lot of schools have already just gone back to what they were doing in January because that's the safe space.
"If that's what we're doing we're going backwards, if we're just maintaining we're going backwards.
"We want to drive forward and give our kids the best opportunities."
Mr Herd said he hoped the school of around 500 students would have an additional 100 distance education or "borderless learning" students next year.
Only a handful of schools have NSW Education Standards Authority approval to offer the HSC in this mode.
He said the target market included those who lived in remote NSW, struggled at mainstream schools, needed extension, were elite athletes, home-schooled or in defence families.
He said the school would consult with interested families first to ensure the mode is suitable for their children.
Students will learn by distance full time, or for single subjects.
This includes a literacy and a numeracy program for primary schoolers and extension subjects, sciences, economics, visual arts and music for secondary students.
Mr Herd said distance education would be based on mcs+, which comprises Zoom video conferencing to allow students to participate in lessons live, or on demand, and the Canvas learning management system for tasks and resources.
Students will have access to additional and individualised support and build relationships and community through interacting in morning debrief sessions and lunchtime social groups, and joining interest groups.
School staff will visit students in their homes and students will visit the campus three times each year, where they will do practical lessons and participate in excursions and carnivals.
Year 12 will sit HSC exams at the campus.
Mr Herd said current on-campus students would also benefit. Senior students who may have previously had to choose between two subjects offered at the same time can take one by distance education on demand.
He said distance education will help them learn from other's experiences and "increase the talent pool" in their classes, which will "push them further".
