The Rough Meets the Tough this Unusual School Term.
Maintaining a safe and uplifting learning environment in the face of a pandemic.
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, people are slowly adjusting to the new normal while adhering to safety precautions to prevent further spread of the disease. In some parts of the world, stakeholders in the education sector are still facing the dilemma, as to whether, when, and how to reopen schools in their respective countries. A look at countries that have already taken the step, the most popular option appears to be the combined use of physical and virtual learning techniques (Walsh, 2020). A few countries have taken the bold step to stick to face-to-face learning, among them France, Israel, Britain, China, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, and India among many others.
Back home, we’re now in the second month since school reopening, and I believe I talk for most teachers when I say that while this unconventional school term has been quite challenging, it has also been a meaningful learning experience for teachers. With some students opting to attend physical classes and others studying from home, teachers have the task of delivering quality instruction to all students regardless of their students’ preferred mode of learning. Here are some valuable insights I have learned with regard to ensuring students adjust accordingly and get the most out of whichever form of learning their parents endorsed.
1) Self-care
Yes, I know what you are thinking. This is an overemphasized piece of advice. That’s a fact. However, it is only so because it’s extremely important for you as an educator to look after yourself wholly (physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, et cetera) so that you can give your full attention and energy to your kids in class when the time comes.
2) Collective goal setting and sharing
Let your students be aware that you are consciously trying to make them as comfortable as possible even as they seek to adapt to the changes in their education. Set rules that are aimed towards this objective in a manner that will involve the participation of the students in each other’s welfare. Joseph Hamer, a second-grade teacher from Wichita, made such an attempt. He made a rule that each student ought to treat the other the way they would want to be treated. Each student would then be awarded tally points for every positive behavior and get their points deducted for every misdemeanor.
3) Discuss and enact the COVID-19 rules
This applies especially to face-to-face learning environments. Tune your students to positively accepting the new normal that has been brought about by the pandemic. Learners come from diverse family and cultural backgrounds, which employ different reactions to social distancing, washing of hands, and wearing masks. Help your learners understand the difference between what they practice at home and what the school health measures stipulate. Encourage and remind them to go by what is required during school hours. Be precise and to the point about hugging, handshaking, and other activities that may trigger close contact with students.
4) Adopt social-emotional learning
Anxiety and other negative emotions may spike at such a time when students are grappling with the new reality in their academic lives. Social-emotional learning is quite crucial at such a time. Engaging students in the activities discussed above is one way of adopting SEL.
To complement these activities, teachers can also come up with a schedule for fun online and offline group activities (depending on the learning mode that you are on) for your students to help them relax and bond hence enjoy learning. Doing so will also tone down any negative emotions, enable them to embrace the new normal, and look forward to the new system of learning. There is a myriad of benefits to this form of learning.
References
Walsh, F. (2020). Coronavirus: Is it time to move on and get back to normal life? Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53951764
Hamar, J. (2020). How to Create a Safe and Uplifting Environment This Fall in Your Classroom. Retrieved October 15, 2020, from https://www.coolcatteacher.com/joseph-hamer-safe-environment-fall-2020/
Hernandez, J., Minder, R., Pronczuk, M., Rasgon, A., Landler, M., Kramer, A., & Francini, A. (2020). Across the Globe, Students Head Back to School. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/world/schools-reopen-globe-students.html
Spires, B. (2020). How other countries reopened schools during the pandemic — and what the US can learn from them. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/how-other-countries-reopened-schools-during-the-pandemic-and-what-the-us-can-learn-from-them-142706
