The impacts of COVID on teaching?
Author: Ian Taylor, lecturer in animal behaviour and ecology
Read time: 5 minutes
Flooglebinder curate educational adventures to create change for people and planet, which includes audits, workshops and residentials. As a BCorp organisation we use business as a force for good, meet the highest standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency, whilst tracking and monitoring our social and environmental impact.
We asked our network of teachers what has been the impacts of COVID on teaching and here is what we discovered?
73% stated that they found it very difficult to assess engagement and worried about their students feeling isolated and that’s just the start of it...
It goes without saying that we have all been affected in one way or another but I feel that 'education' always seems to be last in the queue when we (society) come to consider the impacts that we all have to face. General outlook on the education sector is that 'teachers and students will be fine, all they have to do is log on, how hard can it be'? When we asked what were 'The impacts of COVID on teaching?', we discovered a lot more...
So, what will we remember most about 2020?
As the front runner we obviously have Covid but once we scratch the surface we discover what other difficulties came as a result of this pandemic:
Furlough/not receiving furlough
Stay at home/don’t stay at home
Queuing for supermarkets
Running out of toilet paper
Living on zoom chats
Or will we remember the positives:
More family time
Reconnecting to ourselves, our friends, our family and nature
Learning new technology
Helping others
Enduring and adapting to change?
We discussed the impacts of Covid on teaching with teachers and lecturers from over 30 different schools and colleges. Admittedly it's not a huge test group but still it paints a pretty clear picture. I was able to understand some of the main issues that have developed but also an insight into...
“...the lengths that these amazing people go to in order to connect with their students.”
Earlier I wrote about the positives from 2020, the ability to endure, adapt to change, help others and learn new technology, this was inspired by the responses I had gained from asking teachers the following question...
What have been the main impacts of Covid on teaching and why?
Nearly all of the responses I received started (understandably) with a degree of negative energy...
73% stated that they found it very difficult to assess engagement of learning and worried about their students feeling isolated
53% said that the loss of effective practicals has reduced the quality of the overall experience. Some practicals simply require you to be closer than 2m
67% suffered fears and stress over new technology and having to learn different teaching techniques in a short space of time
“We kind of went into lockdown on a Tuesday and by the Wednesday we were all expected to log in and crack on”
However, some responses soon developed into a mini lesson plan on how to endure, be kind, motivate and encourage.
65% said they had shared innovative ways of teaching practicals and felt closer to their peers. Either by going back into college and recording the sessions for their learners or by allowing more time for the practical sessions with smaller numbers.
70% went on to say that they have actually benefited from having to learn new technology and when everyone has a stable internet connection it works well. Plus it can be used post Covid giving the students a more rounded experience.
But, the issue of ‘students feeling isolated’ and ‘lack of engagement’ were left unanswered. Not being able to build strong relationships due to the absence of 1:1’s and missing that crucial ingredient of ‘the personal touch’ has given rise to this engagement issue and students feeling isolated.
“The main issue is not being able to address the lack of engagement and overcoming student isolation”
“Some students have only met via virtual classrooms and don’t want to turn their cameras on any more. We need to get back to the classroom environment”
This gives serious cause for concern because if left unattended this can manifest and quickly develop into mental health issues if it hasn't already.
When we think of learning we think of the classroom (indoors or out), the other students and your teacher being able to look you in the eye. Remove these things and the balance evidently shifts. The warming news (appreciating that contact time varies) is that when the students were allowed to return to their classrooms and lecture theatres the teachers noticed a huge increase in engagement, participation and overall happiness. The age old saying couldn’t be more true..
“You don’t know what you’ve got until it's gone.”
As we go into the new year there seems to be a real sense of togetherness and with the new Covid vaccine just being released there is hope that this year will be a one off and the things we have learnt will better prepare us for the future.
The true extent of COVID will not be known until the end of this academic year and even further down the line, whether that’s academic or personal issues. However, addressing the issues now, listening and working with incredible people, who we know as teachers, will give them the added support they need. We all need support and if there was ever a person to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in then it's definitely a teacher. Their ability to prep, IV, mark, deliver, listen, present, show compassion, be enthusiastic, cover a lesson, be a counselor oh, and actually teach...is incredible.
So the next time you see a teacher, shake their hand, actually... just say thank you because they are beacons of hope that inspire the next generation to do better than we have, and most of all...they keep our communities together.
