Because of Corona and the school closings, the knowledge gaps of many students are getting bigger and bigger.
The Ifo Institute demands an effort to catch up on the missed material.
The
Corona
* pandemic presents teachers, parents and students with unexpected challenges.
According to the results of the Munich
Ifo Institute
, the learning time of many students during homeschooling has more than halved.
Ifo education economist
Prof. Ludger Wößmann
demands a great deal of effort to reduce the learning losses
.
In
addition
to
additional offers
such as remedial lessons, one also has to think about other, far-reaching measures.
Munich - In
view of the corona pandemic, the
Munich
Ifo Institute
has called for extensive efforts to reduce the learning gaps that have accrued.
"We need additional support measures in which missing learning material is made up - especially for children and young people with great learning and performance
deficits
,
" said the head of the
Ifo
Center for
the
Economics
of Education, Professor
Ludger Wößmann
, opposite Merkur.de *.
What is needed are creative solutions, "from classic remedial classes in the afternoon to additional offers such as tutoring, student mentors or holiday programs".
In order to compensate for the learning losses as well as possible, one could also “think about shortening the longer vacation”, explained Wößmann.
The temporary reintroduction of Saturday classes is also "worth considering," said the education economist.
Ifo Institute reports a drastic decrease in learning time during the Corona crisis
According to a survey by the
Ifo
Institute among parents last June, the children's learning time has been almost halved to 3.6 hours a day due to the corona pandemic.
In the case of underperforming children, the daily learning time has decreased significantly more.
Instead of taking care of school, many children would have
preferred to play with the computer or watch TV
during
homeschooling
.
D.
The lack of learning material would have far-reaching consequences in the long term, warned Woessmann.
On average, the loss of a third of the school year means a three percent lower
lifetime income
.
In addition, there would be the macroeconomic consequences.
According to earlier calculations by the
Ifo, the
loss of growth in the event of lessons being canceled from one third of the school year to the end of the century totaled 2.5 trillion euros.
In addition, experts fear far-reaching psychological consequences in the development of children.
+
Prof. Ludger Wößmann: The head of the Munich Ifo Center for the Economics of Education calls for a combined effort so that the students can catch up on the material they have missed.
© ifo / Romy Vinogradova
Wößmann warned strongly against the nationwide
Vera
-
testing of pupils
to strike again in the 3rd and 8th grades.
In order to combat the accumulated learning deficits and to encourage the students precisely, it is "extremely important that the learning progress surveys take place".
Because of the corona pandemic, the federal states canceled the usual vera tests last year.
According to Handelsblatt, some federal states are now considering deleting Vera again, while others wanted to allow schools to participate.
Ifo Institute: “Incentive Effects” - No guarantee of promotion to the next grade
Woessmann also advised against a possible transfer guarantee.
For the
motivation of
the children and adolescents, it is important that the usual test and examination procedures are also continued in distance learning.
It has “great
incentive effects
” whether the subject matter is relevant to the exam or not.
If the material is
queried
as part of
class work
or oral exams, it is worthwhile for the students to learn.
In the past school year, almost all federal states had issued their students a kind of
clean bill
for advancement to the next grade.
In view of the recent school closings, the discussion about an automatic transfer to the next class has recently picked up speed again nationwide.
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen Digital editorial network.