How was teaching before COVID19 and how do teachers control their classes after? Teachers have had to adapt classroom management and daily classroom routines for the safety of their students.
In this video I look at some changes teacher have had to implement when teaching during covid19 compared to how they taught in the past.
Safety
Because of COVID19, students and teachers have to wear masks and apply social distancing meaning that they have to stay away from their peers. Before entering class they should check their temperatures, if they have temperature over 37 degrees they aren’t allowed to enter class and should go for a check up. This is meant to protect all the students in class. Stricter hygiene is to be followed so learners should frequently use handsanitizer and surfaces should be cleaned with disinfectant before school.
Social Distancing
Learners love being close with their friends: talking or playing games. It is necessary for them to learn and be social. Unfortunately because of Corona they should stick to social distancing guidelines and remain 6 feet apart. This is especially difficult to manage in class where their is limited space. Most schools have reduced class numbers and added plastic dividers to keep learners safe. There is no scientific evidence that these plastic dividers help keep learners safe, but it might just be like airport security that is more like security theatre – A way for the school to feel like it is doing something in a time where most people are helpless, and to give parents and students the idea that it is more safe at school.
Recess
Because of social distancing rules students are also not allowed to play together during recess. They can meet with a friend or 2 but even then have to stay apart. They can’t play games and should avoid sharing the same toys. A few schools let class have recess at different times as to avoid having all the students outside at the same time.
Lunch
Students are not allowed to eat lunch in groups. They sit separately and should not talk while having lunch. In stead of going to the cafeteria, some schools send lunch packages to class for the teacher to distribute them accordingly.
Communication
Contact between the teacher and learners is verboten, in stead they should distance themselves from the learners and wear safety equipment like masks at all times. Communicating with a mask on is kind of difficult and sometimes it might be tough to properly understand what someone is saying.
Distance Learning
Most schools had to quickly adapt to teaching online when students had to stay at home. Teachers started using tools like Zoom and Google Classroom to teach and communicate with their learners. Distance learning is something that will stay with us forever, so it is the task of universities to prepare teachers for the online component of online teaching. The inability to do that will severely cost education.
This pandemic has forever changed our world and also education. We as teachers should learn from this disaster to not only keep our learners safe, but also adapt and learn new skills to be able to reach our students remotely. This is a very difficult time, but the strength of teachers to do the best for their learners will forever shine through.
