COVID-19 and the resulting global pandemic has without question caused the most rapid and dynamic shift ever seen in education. Not only have schools closed their doors to students, learning has had to be re-envisioned and reimagined to meet the social, emotional, and academic learning needs of students. The learning curve for everyone has been immense. We have become at times socially distanced/self-isolated prisoners in our own homes and have been forced to learn a new way of connecting with the world around us. I remember very early on, when the schools first switched to online learning, receiving a funny video of a parent ranting about the challenges of remote learning and how she was struggling to manage four children, and all the complexities and different educational platforms that they were required to utilize. In the end, out of frustration she stated, “If we don’t die of corona, we will die of distance learning” (Strauss, 2020)! I remember laughing at the time, but almost three months in, reality is setting in.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/8U6zU4MXmnA
While I am not a fan of a lot of the changes in education our Government of Alberta has made and/or proposed recently in regards to the future of education, I think in collaboration with the Health Minister, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, and the College of Alberta Superintendents; they have done a phenomenal job laying the foundation and the parameters for success in consideration of these current unprecedented times. Unlike the poor lady in the video, our students have only been required to focus on literacy (LA) and numeracy (Math) in Grades K-3, literacy and numeracy with some integration of Science and Social in Grades 4-6, for a total of five hours per week. In Junior High, the students are required to focus on all four core subject areas (LA, Math. Social, Science) for a total of ten hours per week (Approximately two hours per subject; with the addition of Religion across all grades as we are a Catholic School). In regards to assessment, we have also been advised to follow a “Compassion before Curriculum, Grace before Grading” philosophy.
While I agree that there have been massive improvements in our integration of technology and our application of remote learning, I disagree with Mantella’s view, “that the dramatic shift to online teaching that occurred last semester has broken down all barriers to embrace online/remote instruction” (Spear, 2020). As I posted on our class KUMU Wiki, there is still quite a significant digital divide occurring across the globe. “We are in crisis learning, not distance learning” (Armand, 2020). As outlined in the Hope, where are you? book and corresponding movement, not every student’s or teacher’s experience with school closures and remote learning has been the same.
I hope what is learned in and through this experience, and what continues to be a priority when the COVID-19 pandemic is officially over, is that we continue to prioritize what is truly important: the mental health and well-being of our community and fostering social connections. “We are so much better at handling the hard stuff [trauma, grief, loss, emotional dysregulation, and learning] when are connected” (Carrington, 2019, p.15).
References
#HopeWhereAreYou. (2020). Retrieved June 02, 2020, from https://www.hopewhereareyou.com/
Carrington, J. (2019). Kids these Days: A Game Plan for (Re)Connecting with those we Teach, Lead, & Love. First Printing.
Spear, A. (2020, May 12). A Faculty Perspective on COVID-19 Teaching: It’s Too Soon to Make Pronouncements – EdSurge News. Retrieved June 06, 2020, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-05-12-a-faculty-perspective-on-covid-19-teaching-it-s-too-soon-to-make-pronouncements
Strauss, V. (2020, March 22). Perspective | ‘If we don’t die of corona, we’ll die of distance learning’ – Israeli mom with four kids at home loses it. Here’s her rant. Retrieved June 05, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/03/22/if-we-dont-die-corona-well-die-distance-learning-israeli-mom-with-four-kids-home-loses-it-heres-her-rant/
Hi Mary,
I agree with you that there is a “rapid and crazy shift” in education when the pandemic happens. It brings a lot of challenges to both of teachers and students. I don’t think every teacher are getting used to the change that all the classes are moving to online. Also some of teachers are not ready to use these video conference like zoom in their classes. Some teachers might not willing to use these educational technological tools . For students , some of them might lost their motivations in learning if teachers do not enter a new education model regarding to the latest technology development and educational innovation. These are challenges but also opportunities in education. I think there will be improvements when the mandate to teach online ends.
Hi Kery,
Sorry about the spelling mistake.
I agree with you that there is a “rapid and crazy shift” in education when the pandemic happens. It brings a lot of challenges to both of teachers and students. I don’t think every teacher are getting used to the change that all the classes are moving to online. Also some of teachers are not ready to use these video conference like zoom in their classes. Some teachers might not willing to use these educational technological tools . For students , some of them might lost their motivations in learning if teachers do not enter a new education model regarding to the latest technology development and educational innovation. These are challenges but also opportunities in education. I think there will be improvements when the mandate to teach online ends.
Hi Keri!
this is a wonderful write up, and to be honest I clicked on it because the titled made me laugh as well! We have had follow up discussions in our meetings about how this online teaching is so draining, and the connection and interactive piece is just not there (even though we are being interactive and connecting with the kids)
I really hope the new normal involves much more of the old normal then what we have done the last 3 months!