In my 25 years career as an educator I have never experience an Academic year like this one. Unusual is understatement. Are there opportunities in the midst of all this? How our 21st Century learners are responding? Here at TIS, we see Online teaching and learning as an opportunity to be innovative, creative and to challenge ourselves. We look forward to welcoming our students on campus soon. But for now, let’s hear what TIS students have to say about Asynchronous and Synchronous learning.

The orientation was very interesting because I have never done an online orientation before. The same goes with online learning. However, it is a new experience for me, and I am enjoying being online. It gives me space to do my work, as I am a solitary learner and, as long as I do not procrastinate, I believe I will do well. ~Elayath Fafali, G11

This academic year would be so much better if we were in school. I think that because all teachers depend on new Apps like Edmodo and new updates to ManagaeBac, like streams and resources, it is very hard to catch up with everything. My self-management skills were not so good during school and just as they were improving, all this came along, so the academic year is not going well so far, but I’m sure it’ll get better with time and guidance from our teachers. ~Claris Perdison, G10 

This past week has been crazy. We did not start school the way we normally do due to the global pandemic. We have to adapt to this new normal. Online classes have been very fun but strange. We have been refreshing our knowledge on MYP concepts, as well as the new students now grasping the concepts. Getting to know the new teachers and students is a little bit weird because we are lacking
physical interaction but it has been quite fun during these past few sessions. To approach this semester, I will be more conscious of my time, as well as stopping procrastination. I can’t wait to see the future unfold and what the rest of the semester has for us.
~Nana Aba Egyei-Mensah G9

Online learning is pretty good so far. I feel like it will still take some getting used to because of all the new systems put into place, but I think I’ll manage everything well. I have started this new academic year with a focused mindset, ready to work, and diligent. I have also started a club and it will take a lot of self-management skills which I have and willing to work on. ~Annalisa Boahen, G10

Transitioning from the usual classroom setting to online learning was not a change I ever anticipated. Due to the current climate I have
quickly learnt to adapt to this change. This new situation has taught me the importance of time management and, also due to the fact that we are learning remotely, I have also become independent in handling my work. I believe these skills will be beneficial to my college experience. ~Kwasi Dankwa, G12

This past week has been very eventful. School started on Monday and we hit the ground running immediately with many tasks. The major change from the latter stages of last semester is that most classes are now asynchronous. This means there is greater pressure on me to be more disciplined and stay motivated to keep up with school work, especially since I am a final year student. I used the first week to adjust to the new changes and I’ve realised that this academic year will require a very strong and positive mind set to keep me motivated and push towards my goals. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to this academic year as it will truly reflect my growth as an IB student. ~Joshua Yeboah G12

The online learning has been very simple so far and I have not had many challenges. This year, I want to put my best effort into my academic performance to achieve a very successful year. ~Tiffany Forson, G9

In all honesty, I was unhappy that this semester started online. I was looking forward to seeing my friends again in August and returning back to normal school life. However, I’ve come to terms with the current situation and I’m trying my best to work with what is available. I believe that this semester can still be an amazing one regardless of the circumstances. I’ve decided to keep an open mind, be ready to adapt to any changes and also maintain consistency with my work. I hope to excel this semester and perhaps try new things I’ve never done before virtually. ~Lady-Margaret Hagan, G11 

Online learning is definitely something I’m getting used to. Last semester was hectic, but I decided to learn from the mistakes I made in that semester. It’s rather unfortunate that the home environment isn’t as productive as the school environment, however, I’m still putting in measures to ensure that I produce quality work. Some things I have implemented to make sure this academic semester is much more productive are as follows:
– To eliminate all forms of procrastination. Procrastination is definitely the thief of time and I find that doing assignments earlier gives you enough time to correct all mistakes and produce better results.
– To eliminate distractions. Twitter, Instagram and the likes will always be there after studying. I believe putting my phone aside during the day and focusing more on my assignments and studying has helped me adjust better to online schooling.
– Last, to put in my best effort. Home is a very peaceful environment with no form of motivation to study whatsoever. I have, therefore, decided to motivate myself day in and day out to ensure that I put in my best work and I produce excellent results at the end of
the day. ~Alberta Addo, G12

A week in and I can already feel the excitement of the next edition of the fast and furious academic year. So far things have been interesting as there have been a few adjustments to online learning such as the introduction of pre-recorded sessions, which I believe benefits me in many ways. This year, I hope to be very balanced as an IB Learner. I consider this to be very key and my main
attribute to achieve excellence this year due to numerous activities I will be partaking in like Eportfolio, Personal Project, normal lessons, etc. I am looking forward to a successful year and praying that we soon get to go back to school and interact with each other. ~Roman Agyeman, G10

My orientation was a wonderful experience and I am glad to be part of the TIS family. My online learning experience is going on pretty well. In my opinion, the adoption of both synchronous and asynchronous method of online learning makes learning more effective.
Thank you. ~Maa Abena Afriyie, G9

The online learning has been a surreal experience with its own challenges and benefits. It was easy to adjust for me, however, when the work piled on, I felt overwhelmed. However, based of the ideas of my peers and Dr Ken (Principal), I was able to space out my time more, learn when needed and rest as well. I hope to bring aboard many great things involving my CAS in the DP. Looking forward to the rest of the school year! I hope to meet everyone in person soon. ~Naa AdjeleyAnang-La, G11

So far, online learning has had its ups and downs. On the upside, my schedule is more flexible, online lessons improve my self-management skills and I can work in a comfortable space and time. On the downside, I can’t meet teachers and grade mates physically and the prompt response from teachers is limited. In conclusion, online learning has been interesting. ~Nana Ama Adjagar, G8

It is the TIS class of 2021, starting their final year from home. Newbies at TIS, starting their first year from home. In fact, students of TIS, starting a new academic year – from home. I saw this coming, but I did not think it would happen. The independence we have now is at an all-time high. Nobody is there to say do this and this – for the most part. Honestly, this a preview of university life in my opinion. It is just a matter of tuning our minds to be sensitive to what has to be done and what can be done for improvement and do it. If we can get a hang of online classes in the way it is implemented at the moment, thriving in a university environment will be easier.

Perhaps one is still in shock that this is how things are going. I think it is time to accept it and take steps forward. We should make this year amazing. To make the most of this year I suggest pushing yourself into the right mind. I mean, motivate yourself about work that is to be done. Say to yourself, ‘Yes, there may be a lot of tasks, but I can do them and I’m excited to start it off.’ Although your bed or that video game is screaming your name, because you said you were excited about those tasks, complete them. Don’t let your words become a lie. A change in the usual way of school life should not stop our productivity, fun, or creativity. The world is still spinning, time is still flying. We’ve got this. Together. ~Vanessa Addofoly, G12

My online experience, I would say, even though challenging, has been good so far. The new ManageBac setup and the add-ons are still quite new to me, and so I am now trying to get my head around it and keep up with assignments as well. Compared to late last semester, when we first began online lessons, it has become way better and we have been provided with more resources, such as subject websites, YouTube videos, Edmodo, etc., to help us understand topics better.

However, the asynchronous lessons are posing a bit of a challenge, nevertheless, I am putting my best foot forward and seeking help whenever I need. In my opinion, there should be more live sessions than asynchronous lessons, (especially if all the students in that class are in the country; as there are no time difference issues) because that greatly improves students’ focus, understanding, participation and inter relation. Overall, I am very thankful that, in spite of the rampaging pandemic, we are able to stay connected as a family and learn as well as grow. I can’t wait to come back to school, physically, to the great and vibrant TIS community. ~Adeline Adjei, G11

At the beginning of the first week, I found online learning very stressful because everyone was confused and information was flying everywhere. But as the week progressed and we settled into a regular pattern I realized online learning is something I can do although
it’s not how I imagined my first semester in DP1 to be like. I am determined to make the most of it by coming up with ideas for my CAS
projects and what I can do when we return to have the best experience possible in my last years at TIS. ~Cyril Davis, G11

I did not realize that I took my routine and school days for granted until now. My online school day consists of waking up at around 7 or 8 am instead of 6 am, sometimes working on my laptop in my bed instead of a classroom, and also now I make my own schedule because of the asynchronous aspect of online learning. This can sound pretty enjoyable for any teenager, but it has made me miss classes or submission on some occasions. I miss walking down the hallways with my friends. I miss sitting in a classroom with a teacher and other students, having discussions and asking questions. I miss the loud and crazy lunchroom. I truly miss things I didn’t even know that I loved about my school. If you had told me a few months ago that I would be praying to go to school, I would’ve laughed and called you crazy, but I would do anything to go back to my school campus. Anyways the implementation of asynchronous classes has been better so far, even
though it incorporates a heavy workload. From my gained experience during last year, I learned that following the normal school routine and staying organized will allow me to be more successful this semester. ~Alassane Agalassou, G12

Since I have found my way through the challenging aspects of online learning, I love the idea that I am able to work from the comfort of my own home. In the beginning, online learning was quite puzzling since the communication was an incredibly stressful bit. Fortunately, the asynchronous learning style has been introduced which gives my learning experience a bonus. To be a balanced IB student, I had to allocate my time for my subjects, so I created a timetable in order to have a productive semester. ~Rudolph Dogbegah, G11

As someone who is used to sitting in a classroom and being in the presence of my teacher to ask all the necessary questions I have, I would say online learning has been quite of a challenge for me. Online learning has been an eye-opening experience for me as I had to adjust to its demands while sitting in the comfort of my home. Although, I’m still adjusting, it has taught me that you need to make use
of any opportunity you get and make the best out of any situation you find yourself in. It has also taught me to be a disciplined and balanced individual as well as managing my time wisely as I had to learn the saying “time waits for no man” the hard way. This is because at home there are so many distractions and there will be the tendency to procrastinate, but it all starts with you as the individual.

This semester there’s a lot that I have put in place to help me throughout this time. First of all, I think always having a positive mindset helps you gain that self-confidence you need to push yourself to always do your best. In these times, you might think that you cannot do anything but this whole experience has taught me that it starts with you and your thoughts. Once you have that self-confidence alongside that positive mindset, hard work and self-motivation, I feel like you will be able to achieve whatever you put your mind to and those are the things I’m bringing to the table this semester to make sure that this semester will be the best. ~Amanda Awumee, G12