I think that these times are very confusing for everyone, especially students, As COVID-19 cases begin to rise again would you like to see schools go fully remote?
Presently, some schools are 1/2 remote and 1/2 in person. Do you think that this structure is affecting children in their learning process? In their social and emotional well being? And finally, do you think that classrooms that have a structure that allows for children to be in person and online at the same time could be better organized? How would you restructure this type of learning environment?
Even though, Covid-19 cases are beginning to rise again I would not like to see the schools go fully remote. I am in a district that started out the school year fully remote and since I am in a kindergarten class it was not going well. My cooperating teacher could not see the students’ hand writing capabilities, could not tell which students were given the answers by parents, she could not fully tell which children were paying attention, and also did not have a full range of knowing if all the students were doing their assignments. Also, five-year-old children cannot sit in front of a computer all day, so the google meets we did have with them were very short and none of them last over 30 minutes. Last week though the district changed into a hybrid schedule, so now half of the class comes in Monday through Thursday and the next week the other half of the class comes in on those days. All Fridays though are fully remote for all the students. Last week my cooperating teacher finally got a better understanding of were the students are at. We found out a lot of the students have trouble writing and most of the students were given answers by parents when we were fully remote. Also, last week we noticed that the students were a lot happier because the past weeks when we were on google meets at least one student cried daily. However, when we were in person last week none of the students were upset and you could just tell how happy they were to be in school.
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ReplyDeleteAs cases rise again, I personally would love to stay with the structure that the school I am in is doing right now. I feel that if cases are not rising at a fast rate in the district, the school should try to stay in class as much as possible. I am already seeing the negative effects remote learning has had on these students and they are already behind. I cannot imagine having these children go fully online again. These students are also not completing their half remote work now, so what happens when you get no work at all from these students.
ReplyDeleteBased on my observations of the students' social and emotional well being, it is really sad to watch them in class. These students want to interact and play with each other desperately and to have to tell them no is heart breaking. Another problem with the students not being able to socialize is that they are not allowed to share anything. This can become a problem later down the line. Meaning, these children may not know how to share or may not want to share because they are unable to learn it now.
Right now I am in a school that is following a hybrid schedule, and some students are fully remote while others are half and half. While I do feel that the students who are coming to school part time are making some progress in their learning, I think the students who are fully remote are not progressing in their learning as they normally would/should be. Students who are fully remote are not focused enough when they are sitting on their computers at home and do not seem to take school as seriously as they normally would. I also think that a lot of the students are missing out on social interaction which is crucial for their emotional health. In terms of the organization of the schedule of the school I am at, I feel that they have a well-structured schedule. Having students come in 2-3 times a week on a fixed schedule has been working out well so far and I feel is giving students enough social interaction.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am leaning towards keeping students in school as long as possible. I believe that the hybrid model is appropriate for now and deciding to keep students all remote is doing more harm than good. Even though there are reports of increasing Covid-19 cases, young children are generally not effected by the virus. Remote learning is going to negatively impact young students for years because they are not getting the socialization they need.
ReplyDeleteI think that we need to do our best as educators creating moments where students can socialize, despite the remote environment. From what I have observed is that the majority of the time students are listening to the teacher give instruction. There is less time for students to interact with each other and this factor is going to show once we can teach in person again.
While the district I am in is completely remote right now, the plan is for them to go hybrid starting October 19th. With COVID cases rising, I would really like to see the students stay in school for as long as possible. In my district, while the remote plan is very well planned, I do think it is difficult for the students' learning, especially with them being in kindergarten. Doing assessments yesterday with the kindergarteners, their learning progress is so so low, compared to how it would be if they were learning full time in person. It is very hard socially and emotionally for the kindergarteners who are not able to be with their friends; this is the time when it is essential for them to be socializing.
ReplyDeleteThe district where I am at now is completely remote for now until the second marking period in mid-November start. Though I do see that cases have risen in New Jersey, I can see through the teachers I am cooperating with that there are students who are not benefiting from learning virtual at all. We see some of the students' results on these early assessments that we do to know where they are at, and we see how these students are missing that intimate and effective learning that happens in the classroom. I honestly do hope I can get in the classroom this school year. Not just because of the students and being able to teach in person, but I think about the edTPA and how part of it requires you to give information on the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI do know that my district and my school in particular, is planning to go synchronous hybrid for the next period. My cooperating teacher is worried about how that system is going to play out. I honestly am just as lost as the teachers I'm with and feel we will have to be pushed into it to know where to make it effective.
This is Dennis Martin!
DeleteThe cases are rising but bringing students back to fully remote school is only going to hurt them. Every school district is different in their approach to the school year but from what we all can see is remote learning is not helping the students, especially the young ones. COVID-19 is not a huge threat to this age group so I think keeping them in school as long as we can would be the best situation for their academic learning and mental health. It is not ideal to have elementary aged students sit in front of a computer for hours at a time and expect them to understand all the material given to them. We are seeing a regression in students mental health as well, they are more anxious and their social skills are not being developed as they should be. School is an important place for children to learn but also an important place to get the socialization needed to excel in their lives.
ReplyDeleteWith cases rising, I feel that it's imperative for children to stay home because it's their safety and the safety of every one else around them. With safety out of the way, remote would hurt them in the long run. My school is currently a hybrid method and there's only 3-4 children who have opted to come into school. Initially the district was going to allow parents to put more kids in, but it was halted when cases began to rise. It's hard to think of alternative methods because I can't really think of any. The districts presented the best way possible but in my district they reduced the on screen hours. This hurts the kids even more because since parents demanded less screen time, teachers are trying to fit in as much instruction as possible within a 30 minute period before cameras go off. How is that anymore beneficial? I feel like even if parents had the option to bring their child in, they're not going to. Some parents really just don't want to risk it, and some parents aren't too concerned over their child's education which is unfortunate but we can't do anything. Parents want to save their gas and time by staying home (based off what I have seen) and some parents want their kids in schools desperately because their kids distract them from work. There's two sides of the coin unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteKayla Sanderson : I think the 1/2 and 1/2 is not effective some students learn at a different pace and are in need of extra help from the teachers that they are either not seeing everyday or not seeing in person. It is also very difficult for the teacher to balance both of these. I think going fully remote is a good option since it would be keeping everyone safe and all of the students on the same page and the teacher will better be able to teach.
ReplyDeleteSince my district has been virtual since the beginning, I feel that the students have already been somewhat accustomed to learning this way. I feel that the hybrid scheduling is not effective for these students because they have been going in and out of school all these months and it can really take a toll on their mental health. Especially since the students are so young they get excited to go to school and see their friends and teachers that when it's taken away from them they get sad and don't know when they will be able to go back.
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