Occupation: Mental health and addiction recovery specialist
Company: OK Rehab
Location: London
About business: OK Rehab is an addiction and mental health treatment provider with the mission to deliver truly inclusive addiction treatment.
About expert: Ray has been in the industry for over 15 years.
1. What’s the biggest benefit of online learning vs a traditional classroom setting?
It can help children to get to know more people in their class with the use of breakout rooms. Additionally, due to its flexibility, children get to spend more time with their families.
2. Should schools and the government pilot a hybrid / remote learning model to allow children to be homeschooled?
Yes. For some children, this would work well. For example, if a child has additional needs, they may usually have to miss many classes but a hybrid model would allow them to attend many of their online classes.
3. How do you think remote schooling could work best / be managed?
Structure is essential. I believe there should be timetabled lessons each week that children can expect. Perhaps teachers could offer sessions in which children stay on mute completing work individually and can ask the teacher a question if they need to. This could maintain a sense of community without causing the students to burn out with constant timetabled lessons.
4. How do you think digital learning will change the future of education?
It will open up many doors as people will be able to take courses all over the world in countries they would never have travelled to. It will also allow students to use a range of resources that may not be available to them in the classroom.
5. How can the government help improve digital learning?
The government should provide low-income families with the necessary resources to complete online learning such as WiFi, a good laptop and stationery. They could also offer online classes providing vital information on study techniques, time management and group work.
6. What advice would you give to your younger self while at school?
I would advise my younger self to prioritise my happiness above everything else as this would have made me more productive overall.
7. What was your biggest struggle in school, and how did you overcome it?
My biggest struggle was related to imposter syndrome. Though I did well in school, I often felt like I had to work harder than my friends to achieve the same results. I overcame this by focusing on my positive qualities and my academic achievements rather than my failures.
