Post-Covid, engagement in learning has become a key area of need for many schools and young people. Anxiety is high, emotional non-attendance is a key factor, but time spent outside of education has also impacted class attendance for many. Many young people are increasingly going to school but struggling to stay in or attend classes. Support plans for these young people often involve punitive measures which can increasingly lead to a total absence from school, thus deterring re-engagement. For some, the meaning of school may have been blurred by this break. As adults, many of us have thought about our own values and needs: Do we want to work as many hours as we used to? Do we want to live our lives at 100 mph? Many left the workforce when they could, and many others reduced their work hours. Covid has given us the opportunity to slow down and think about who we are and what we want to be/do.
Our young people may have done the same thing. School curricula have narrowed over time and an increasingly academic focus has offered fewer opportunities to young people. The appeal of the school seems to have disappeared, just as the once popular areas have disappeared. Students would put up with the least popular subjects to attend the ones they love. Teaching styles have become increasingly restricted and scripted in many areas, further leading to a lack of variety in learning that may not meet all needs.
In order to help young people re-engage in learning, I produced this infographic with a journey to support them at all stages, whether they are in school or not in school, or They are not educated at all. Please find the link to the PDF below. and also the image. Let me know what you think on Twitter @DanH_9.
Click here for PDF – re-engaging in learning