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Toronto Prep School (TPS) is committed to fulfilling its core academic mission of educating its students. It recognizes that an event such as a pandemic health emergency is a potential threat to academic continuity. Good stewardship requires that TPS takes appropriate steps to promote educational stability. To these ends, all learning has now moved to online delivery via Zoom and other platforms for the duration of this crisis. 

Our teachers use a combination of both synchronous and asynchronous activities, creating a blend of traditional online learning styles with newer, more collaborative audio and visual tools. Working with a mix of activities makes the content more interesting and exciting, increasing student engagement with both the teacher and other learners. 

It is important to note that wherever teaching and learning takes place, the importance of the teacher being physically or virtually present with the students is imperative. As such, being logged in regularly and providing live video lessons and feedback instead of just typing a response is paramount. Online teachers need to engage and support students through the duration of a given course, and by establishing the teacher’s presence, it shows students that they are both visible and available. We engage our learning community through online posts, forums, and social media; when students see teachers putting time into discussions and engagement, they are more encouraged to participate themselves. Establishing a social presence is the key to helping students learn online through these uncertain times.