Schools closed on March 13. Since then, a titanic effort has been made to continue with the course.
Students and their performance during the Coronavirus crisis
In these almost three months of online classes, families and students have experienced different situations. From the initial stress, where everything was new and it was easier to keep up with the school’s pace, completing assignments on time, connecting to online calls, to a more relaxed situation where it is increasingly difficult to keep up with the school’s pace.
School plays an important role in our society. At school, students learn new concepts related to academic content but also learn to socialize. Thus, they build their own identity and group identity, responsibilities with both friends and school assignments; in short, it is the first link to the adult and working world.
The Coronavirus and socialization at school
Due to the Coronavirus, students have been deprived of one of the most important functions of school: socialization. They have been deprived of being with their classmates, with the teacher or teachers who help them in their daily lives, and without emotional support. Similarly, they have lost direct connection with the subject matter, they don’t have the teacher’s in-person explanation, which makes the task more difficult to understand and, therefore, demotivates them. At the same time, teachers, families, and students are asked not to stop academic activity, even if it is online.
Reasons for low academic performance during lockdown
However, it is increasingly difficult to keep up with the school’s pace. Why?
- Disconnection: Students don’t go to school and feel like they are on vacation.
- Good weather: Days are longer, and it’s very tempting to go out with friends, leaving school assignments aside.
- Lack of a goal: Although most students are responsible and work well, there are also students who, for different reasons (learning difficulties, lack of internet connection, not knowing how to do assignments, lack of organization…), find it easier to disconnect from homework.
- Lack of in-person school: As mentioned earlier, not attending class, direct instruction from the teacher and classmates, increases disconnection and lack of motivation among students.
There is no doubt about the importance of in-person teaching and direct contact between the teacher and students for learning. After all, people need to interact to learn; we are social beings. The big challenge is how we will face the next academic year, how to teach by combining in-person and online instruction, and above all, how to get students connected, literally.