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This is what distance learning should be like amid the coronavirus pandemic

2020-08-10T17:37:39.284Z


Many schools around the world had to close their doors and abruptly switch to online learning. But much of what students experienced at home is not learning.


Is online education here to stay? 3:38

(CNN) - When Kim Reeder began teaching in Parker, Colorado, 14 years ago, she discovered that managing the classroom environment required much more time and energy than teaching children, and she couldn't reach as many of them as she wanted.

"I knew there were kids who were left behind or not pushed enough, because due to time constraints and class sizes, I had to teach in the middle," he said.

Then Reeder discovered the virtual school. As a high school Social Studies teacher at Colorado Connections Academy, for the past 13 years, she discovered that "there really is no classroom management." Teaching online at the academy, in a kindergarten through 12th grade public school, gives you time, freedom and energy to "give each student what they need."

  • The world faces a "generational catastrophe" in education due to the pandemic, warns the UN secretary general

Kim Reeder, a high school social studies teacher at Colorado Connections Academy, said virtual education enables it to meet the individual needs of each student.

Many schools around the world abruptly made the transition to distance learning in March, when COVID-19 forced traditional schools to close their doors. But much of what the students experienced at home did not represent real online learning, in which teachers are trained to teach remotely and online.

Deliberately done online education isn't as simple as sending packages home or telling students which YouTube videos to watch.

And when done right, it's just as rewarding as teaching in person, said Eric Sheninger, a distance learning expert and associate at the International Center for Leadership in Education, which provides professional development services for educators. "It's really about using technology in meaningful ways that engage children in thinking and applying their thoughts in relevant ways."

Teaching online requires a different set of skills, not just from teachers and school administrators, but also from students and their families.

Equity is the most important and hardest piece of the puzzle

Remote or distance education refers to learning outside of school, which doesn't have to be online (think, for example, correspondence courses). As of the first semester of 2020, the majority of American students tried to learn remotely and online, and that requires technology.

However, about 18.1% of American households do not have internet access and more than 10% do not have a computer at home. Some families must park outside restaurants or school buses with Wi-Fi to access the signs. Others share a single device among multiple children, meaning that only one child can "attend" school at a time.

"There are millions and millions of children in this county who still don't have access to Wi-Fi and technology," Sheninger said.

Solving that problem requires creative thinking, budgeting and intervention at all levels of government and schools.

“We have to deal with the issue of digital equity. We're sending a lot of work to unequal homes and uneven environments, ”said Stephanie DeMichele, Ohio-based digital learning designer and distance learning expert.

One suggestion: "It would be nice to see our wealthy districts collaborating with their less wealthy, rural neighbors: How can we help them and share resources?"

Mary Gifford, president of StrongMind, a company that provides curriculum, technology and education services to schools in kindergarten through grade 12, said teachers should start by considering the needs of underserved students. "As a teacher, you should think about what you could do to help the most vulnerable students, who have the most difficulty participating."

  • Mexico will educate at a distance through private television stations such as Televisa and TV Azteca due to a pandemic
Distance education, is it equal to face-to-face? 1:36

Rethink and relearn Pedagogy

Before the pandemic, very few teachers received training on how to teach online.

"The more traditionally an educator has been teaching, the less likely they would have considered taking an online class," DeMichele said; they would not have learned to teach, nor experienced a virtual class themselves.

However, students have evolved in their technological mastery. "We are teaching teachers to teach students who no longer exist," he said.

Engaging and keeping kids motivated is different online. Many digital learning environments operate on a 'flipped classroom' model. Students learn the material on their own first, remotely through videos or other technology, then meet with their teacher to work on it and seek help.

"When you're in a traditional setting, crowd management is a bit different," said Tillie Elvrum, president of the Colorado Cyber ​​Families Coalition. "In an online environment, teachers can hand over the board to a student."

The material has to be adapted for different grades, not only by matching the content with age, but also with the delivery of the content, based on technological aptitude.

Towards a digital education in times of coronavirus 2:44

Embrace technology

Toney Jackson, a fourth grade teacher at Nellie K. Parker School in Hackensack, New Jersey, quickly realized after school moved to virtual classes that she could build on her existing skills, such as making videos. .

"I needed to become my students' favorite content creator," she said. "I started thinking, 'What have I done during the normal school year that excited you and how can I use the same techniques and skills in new ways?"

In addition to making standard math instructional videos, she did some math in action, using fractions while cooking with her family, one of her favorite hobbies.

"I show you how I'm using it," he said. Using the Flipgrid program, her students made their own math videos; posted videos of themselves asking questions; and they answered questions from their classmates.

"This was a way of helping each other, even though we are miles apart," Jackson said. The technology and format empowered his students to participate.

DeMichele encourages teachers to make use of the technology kids already embrace - let them demonstrate mastery of knowledge by being creative, making TikTok-style videos, Instagram stories, or building worlds in Minecraft.

"We really need to change our thinking from 'I need to have power over my students' and empower them to think for themselves," he said. “We need them to be more independent. Go find them where they are.

Children can use all the technological tools available, from chats and email (which are secure and monitored), to small workgroups on Zoom or other online video communication programs.

  • Parents need to worry less about the hours their children spend online and more about the quality of the content

Personalization is valued

Most online schools offer curricula that can be customized. "Teachers must create lessons where children can go at their own pace and follow their own paths," Elvrum said. "Personalization is the way to bring that curriculum to life."

Reeder, from Colorado Connections Academy, has students whose parents have two weekdays off instead of weekends; children also have that schedule. "Online school is not a one-size-fits-all approach," he said. Students can participate in synchronous instruction or watch a video of it later. They can call for additional instruction during office hours, but finish work whenever they want: early in the morning or late at night.

If students take lessons for a week, they can work ahead if they need to, or stay in places where they need extra help, going at their own pace while monitoring their results and progress.

Alexandra Zeitz, from Aurora, Colorado, has been enrolled in Colorado Preparatory Academy, an online school, since 2014. The 16-year-old just finished ninth grade, along with four college courses. "This works for me," he said.

Balance the amount of work

Many parents are anxious for their children to "keep up." That might be something we all have to reconsider now. DeMichele suggested managing expectations, including what parents expect from teachers and what teachers expect from students.

"Anything you think you can do in a day or a class period, break it in half and cut it in half again," he said. "You cannot expect a child to sit at a computer for seven hours a day."

Sheninger pointed out that remote learning doesn't involve piling up tons of digital work on students. Some assignments must be analog and there must be a balance of synchronous and asynchronous learning, interrupted by scheduled time for socializing and also including physical movement.

A new level of family involvement

Many online schools suggest that children have a "learning coach" in addition to their teachers, usually a parent.

"They try to create a tight-knit triangle in order to guarantee the needs that the student requires to be successful," said Alexandra Zeitz's mother, Emerald Zeitz. "You need to have a learning coach so that children are responsible every day for showing up and doing school work."

This is not easy when most parents are working. Even if they are not, they may not be in a position to act as learning coaches, due to language barriers or because they do not understand the material on their own.

However, even if parents are not equipped to be teachers themselves, they can better know what learning style their child has, how long he can concentrate, or what stimulates him.

The only thing each expert emphasized was important: a schedule. Try to have one, stick to one, and adjust as needed.

Mexico will educate via Televisa and TV Azteca for covid-19 4:01

Add the social piece

When the pandemic hit and schools closed, few children interacted again for months. But online school doesn't usually work that way.

"We offer clubs and activities for students, online and in person," Elvrum said. "If they are in a chess club or robotics club, they may be participating in tournaments in person, organized through the school."

In non-pandemic times, Alexandra Zeitz's school has field trips, dances, and talent shows in the Denver metro area and throughout the state, and small groups of children living close to each other can meet in cafeterias for a study group. .

Socialization, he said, “is more intentional. You have to look for your social activities ». This results in having fewer friends, he said, but "they are real, true friends."

Emerald Zeitz likes the online model better than a traditional in-person school.

"You don't have the negative socialization that many children have in traditional schools," he said.

It is also more sustainable during a pandemic, he said. Many students are still able to work online and in person in small groups. Traditional schools can try to help families facilitate these in-person connections, which are key to children's social development and mental health.

No one says this change was easy to make and it is not what most teachers were trained or signed up for. But experts say it is possible if we learn to think differently about what school is and how it works. "Make learning collaborative," DeMichele said. "We have as much to learn from our students as they from us."

- Lisa Selin Davis is the author of "Tomboy: The Amazing History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different."

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Source: cnnespanol

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