Abstract
The chapter addresses the response of one school, ACS Athens, a K-12 international school in Athens, Greece, to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The administration, foreseeing the necessity to include online/blended instruction within the curriculum in response to a changing educational landscape and technological advancements, had prepared Middle School and High School teachers and learners for online instruction and had facilitated the design and implementation of digital courses. Conversely, the Elementary school teachers received training for online teaching during lockdown. Additionally, four necessary pillars were considered when designing online learning, as necessary to ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted learning: the i2Flex instructional methodology, reflective practitioners, social-emotional wellbeing, and the development of conscious citizenship.
TopTransitioning To Online Learning: A Pre-Planned Necessity
The announcement of the COVID-19 outbreak in China on December 31st, 2019, and Wuhan’s total lockdown on January 23, 2020 caught the world by surprise. Conflicting information about the seriousness of the outbreak and its likely spread created a climate of uncertainty and fear, particularly among international schools due to their considerable population from China’s inflicted areas. On January 23, 2020, the ACS Athens Crisis Management Team convened an emergency meeting to discuss the potential risks to the school’s community and develop internal protocols to ensure the safety of the school’s community at large. Protocols for travelers and increased observance of hygiene and cleanliness were in place almost immediately following the Wuhan lockdown. This proactive management approach and response to a crisis was not a random reaction but rather the result of a comprehensive, well thought plan based on the safety systems in place and the systematic process of internalizing external risk responses. Likewise, in the first two weeks following the announcement of the lockdown in Wuhan, the educational leadership team discussed contingency plans for different teaching and learning needs likely to arise in the case of the widespread virus in the community.
During the February Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting, when parents asked, “what will happen if the government closes all schools?”, the administration’s response was natural and comfortable: “ No need to worry, the school is ready to operate online”. The degree of comfort in the response was driven by the school’s philosophy, beliefs, and practices as an educational institution used to both responding to and driving change. The ACS Athens philosophy of education considers “four pillars as necessary to create the kind of citizens that are committed to improving their own lives, the life of another, or life on the planet” (Pelonis, 2020, p. 24).