Most of the schools in United States were closed till the end of an academic year since the pandemic took place. A total lock down like this has never happened in our lifetime and there was no plan for how to continue an educational process. And yet, the way they responded to the situation is something worth your attention.
Schools had to adjust to the world’s changes and switched to online programs. This allowed us to have wider access to knowledge which wasn’t available before. These days, you can learn any subject you’ve been interested in, from home and free of charge. UNESCO posted a list of modern platforms from around the world, where anyone can join the program they desire. Recourses such as Coursera, Kolibri and many more were known before the pandemic, but become even more popular and helpful since the lock down. This is good news for those who have accesses to electronic devices and a strong internet connection. But how about those, who cannot just learn more, since they don’t have a computer, internet or privacy at home to do the basics, like complete their homework, towards their education? In Tennessee, teachers prepared printed packets for students who can’s access online classrooms and had them ready for pick up or home delivery. Washington D.C and Arkansas teachers recorded videos for FOX tv channel to be shown every day at 10 a.m. and got very positive feedback from the families whose children were very excited to see their classrooms and teachers on TV and study with them. The state of Rhode Island came up with an at-home-challenge for students to limit screen time and encourage reading for 20-60 minutes a day. “Several public libraries around United States providing curbside delivery of books to support the initiative, and many schools and districts are offering a free book pickup service with the help of local literacy groups” says NBC news. “In South Dakota, the Aberdeen School District has put a physical drop box at school entrances so that students who are receiving printed packets can hand in their homework. Texas’ Palestine Independent School District has partnered with the local paper to use unlocked newspaper vending machines as pickup stations for instructional packets.” Many schools around the country turned school busses into WI-FI hot spots to go to and provide internet access to the students. Some districts gave away I-pads and Chrome books for those who needed.
There are many more examples of how teachers and schools around the country helped their students be connected and engaged in the learning process which I found very inspiring. The pandemic exposed many problems and accessible education is one of them. In a long-term perspective, it will change the whole concept of receiving knowledge and change the educational world from “one size fits all” to “we have all the sizes” where each student can learn everything needed in a way which works the best for them.
By Katerina Harding
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-education/
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/solutions
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