As educators, what have we learned from trying to teach during a pandemic?

According to EducationNC, "Lessons Learned from a Pandemic School Year," (Osborne, 2021)

teachers had an "eye opening" experience as they evaluate the progress of their students and assess their own teaching during this challenging time. Perhaps the most significant information is how the experience has impacted on education and how it will influence the future. While some students were not successful (or as successful with online learning), many were. Unfortunately, this information supports the overall results in education when a new or "innovate" technique is implemented. There are those students who will learn in the most challenging situation, those who will learn in a typical situation when given support, and those who need a lot of support to be successful. The key is to determine how every students best learns and how much support he/she needs.

According to many teachers, the pandemic put a spotlight on areas that needed to be reexamined. The first item called to attention is technology. Some schools found they were far behind in the use of technology and struggled during this period. Some teachers realized their need to improve their technology skills. Technology is here to stay and is a tool that can be very beneficial for all. Mastery and implementation is important.

Impressively, teachers said students learned to be more independent and became better user of time management. Equally as important is collaboration among educators. This situation necessitated teachers reaching out to each other for support. As explained by many, this was a great consequence of the challenging school year. Another improvement was communication between educators and parents. Communication is always paramount. Lastly, smaller class sizes meant fewer discipline problems.

All of these items are factors that educators have long realized are important in teaching. Perhaps the experience of seeing the impact of these items in the classroom has restated their value. We can and have learned a lot. Now what?

Osborne, M. (2021, May 10). Lessons learned from a pandemic school year. Retrieved from https://www.ednc.org/lessons-learned-from-a-pandemic-school-year/#:~:text=Educators%20and%20parents%20also%20shared,better%20understanding%20of%20teachers'%20roles