Why do some kids do well with distance learning?
Seventh period, Montenique Woodard's last class of the day, has been her hardest class all year. When Edutopia first talked to her in the fall, she said of her middle school science class, "I don't know what to do with them." One boy in particular, the "class clown," was a constant problem, and the way he behaved affected his 15 male classmates.
But when they met again months later during the coronavirus closures, Woodard told them something surprising: the same boy was "thriving" during remote learning. "I think not having those everyday distractions in school has really helped kids like him focus on the work and not necessarily all the social things going on, because some kids can't separate those out," said Woodard, a teacher in Washington, D.C.
We've heard that a lot lately. Teachers in our audience are telling us more and more that a few of their shy, hyperactive, or very creative students are suddenly doing better with remote learning than they were in the classroom. "It's been great to see some of my students finally find their place in education," said Holli Ross, a first-year high school teacher in northern California, echoing the feelings of dozens of teachers we've talked to.
Also Check: Nursery In Barsha Heights
That doesn't mean it's the norm, though. Many students find it hard to adjust to learning from home: Digital access and connectivity remain a pervasive equity issue; stay-at-home orders have made family problems worse; and teachers and students everywhere struggle with how to recreate the engagement and conversation of a classroom setting.
But it's not just a few, and the unplanned break from the physical classroom may be revealing hidden reasons why some kids have trouble while others do well. We listened to what our teachers had to say and found that some things, like social situations and the rigid bell schedule, don't work well for all kids. At least for some of the teachers, it has made them think about making changes that will last when they go back to the classroom.
Also Read: Nursery in Damac Hills
The Benefits Of Self-Pacing
The average high school student goes to class at 8:00 a.m. Even though school schedules vary by district, many students have classes right after each other with little time to rest. But because of the pandemic, school schedules have changed in a way that gives students more freedom over when and how they do their schoolwork.
A Memphis, Tennessee, middle school English teacher named Lauren Huddleston said, "I think a few of my students are doing really well getting a taste of more independence." "They're taking more responsibility now that they're not in school all day," says the teacher.
Students can set their own hours, which gives them the chance to work out, take breaks, or even just be bored, all of which research shows are good for them. Ashlee Tripp, a high school English teacher, thinks these kids are doing well because "they enjoy the freedom to work at their own pace and decide how they want their day to look," and the students seem to agree.
In English teacher Katie Burrows-class Stone's survey, a 10th-grade student said, "I like online learning because it gives me the chance to plan my day well." "I can work out, relax, and get my work done on time without being interrupted."
Time To Think Again About The Overworked Kid
During the school day, many kids are always going somewhere. Club meetings are often held during lunch. Many kids do extracurricular activities or sports after school, often to look good to colleges, or they get a part-time job. On average, high school students do homework at night for at least seven and a half hours a week.
Our teachers say that some students' grades changed after enrichment activities were canceled because of shelter-in-place orders.
"Some of my students are doing very well. Kasey Short, an English and social studies teacher at a middle school in Charlotte, North Carolina, said, "I think it's partly because so many things like sports and social activities aren't happening anymore, so they have more time than they've ever had to work on schoolwork." Short said this to explain why she thought this.
Research has shown that kids can have a hard time keeping track of their busy schedules: When students are too busy, especially if they feel like they have to take certain classes or take part in activities, they are more likely to have unhealthy levels of anxiety.
"This has made me think a lot about how we teach. Is our current model way too much?" Why would anyone need seven classes? Why do we need to have such a long school day?" Rosie Reid, who teaches English to high school students and is the 2019 California Teacher of the Year, said this. "I can't say enough about how this closure has changed the way I teach because I can see that it has given so many students a great break."
Lowering The Stakes
Some teachers say that the change in academic standards during the pandemic is a cause. Due to the way home learning works and the fact that issues of fairness are always present, many school systems have told teachers to be less strict with homework and grades.
Mark Gardner, an English teacher at a high school in Camas, Washington, said, "I think a big part of [some students' work getting better] is that we've drastically cut the total amount of work so that tasks aren't so hard that they're impossible to do."
A study by the Pew Research Center found that 61 percent of teens feel pressure to perform at a certain level in school. This is the most important pressure that teens feel. In the last ten years or so, teachers have also been under more pressure to get students ready for benchmarks on standardized tests. This pressure trickles down to students, who are twice as likely to report unhealthy levels of stress during the school year as they are during the summer.
Cathleen Beachboard, an English teacher at a middle school in Fauquier County, Virginia, said that one of her students told her that he likes remote learning better because he doesn't feel as much pressure to do well. Other students in her class have said similar things, she said. "He says that he feels like he can really learn now that state tests are over."
Cutting Down On The Talk
Even though many students and teachers have said they miss the in-person connections and relationships at school, our teachers say that for some students, making friends at school may be hard because of anxiety.
Elena Spathis, a high school Spanish teacher in Hillsdale, New Jersey, said, "Students who have been physically or verbally bullied at school are probably glad to be home in a safe place."
In 2017, at least 20% of students ages 12 to 18 told the National Center for Education Statistics that they were bullied at school. Students who get picked on the most also tend to do worse in school than their peers who don't get picked on.
For some students, making friends at school might not be bad in and of itself, but it might be distracting or scary. Nearly a third of teens say they feel pressure at school to "look good" or "fit in socially." This can affect how much they pay attention and participate in class. Blake Harvard, a psychology teacher in Madison, Alabama, said, "The online environment may give people a chance to be heard without having to worry about being judged.
Getting Enough Z's
Lastly, teachers said that the difference they've seen in the performance of some students may be due to the amount of sleep they get. Most students, like many teachers and workers across the country, no longer wake up to an alarm clock that goes off very early.
When asked what she likes about remote learning, Ingrid, a junior in high school in California, said, "Now I have time to sleep eight hours every night."
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens ages 12–18 sleep 8–10 hours a night and children ages 6–12 sleep 12 hours a night. However, a 2018 study of high school students in 30 states found that more than 70% of students did not get enough sleep during the school year.
Even though people argue about school start times all the time, when one school in Seattle pushed back its start time by an hour in 2016-2017, researchers found that students got more sleep and did better in school.
"Some kids have trouble getting to class at 8:30, but they might do great getting their work done at 10:30 at night or even 10:30 in the morning. "They only need a few more hours," Ross said.
Comments
Post a Comment