When You Hold the Masterclass, at Home

Daily pills to help students (and families) organize their study in Covid-19 times, when almost one billion children have seen their schools close. Signed by Marcello Bramati and Lorenzo Sanna, deans and teachers at Faes High schools in Milan. As reported by Time magazine, they are teaching online during the lockdown, in an ongoing experiment in remote learning. Every morning at 8.30 a.m., their advice, tips and good practices for students of all ages.

Among the terms that have overwhelmingly entered into our daily vocabulary, we can certainly include the masterclass. The lesson given by an expert, once in the presence, now remotely, can deal with cooking, philosophy, science, sport... Usually it has the explicit aim of making the disciple autonomous, able, once the master is dismissed, to continue alone in the new skills he has just learnt.

In remote learning times, parents have the unique opportunity to attend different master classes. They can see their children follow with attention and sometimes with passion their teachers and then test their skills and abilities in reading exercises, in dictations on capricious words, in translation tests or in more or less complex problem solving. They will see blackboards, screens, notebooks or empty Word documents, microphones on and hands up, a lot of patience and incessant enthusiasm on both sides and the fundamental importance of examples to follow.

The masterclass can be, every day, remote learning. And the public, that is the family, can relaunch each week the same way of working, structured with patience and exemplarity, in the time available and in everyday life at home. In the evening or at weekends Dad and Mom can also offer themselves as experts in cooking, reading or guitar playing, but also hanging clothes or dishwasher loading.

The solemnity of masterclass programming can certainly help. «Today I am the expert» can declare the parent. «We can learn a complex activity together». Enthusiasm can experience ups and downs and certainly suffer the variable moods of teenagers. Perseverance is a long term goal, which must be clear: activate passions and talents and make the disciples autonomous and responsible. At school, as well as at home.