Remote Teaching during the Spread of the Virus - Essay Example

The current world pandemic, COVID 19, affects almost all sectors of the daily lives. The most hit part is the education sector. In the quest to control the spread of this virus, many countries decided to close down schools because scientists identify that it spreads more in crowded places. However, that was not the end of learning. The world has come up with programs that enable teachers to teach from home and children to learn at home. Teachers shared their experience with this mode of teaching. They indicate that it has its good and bad side.

Advantages

Teachers are now in a better position of extending more virtual teaching for students who need their help. This program enables teachers to assist their children with their homework and also give directions on the matters that are confusing them. The most important thing about the program is that teachers can offer extra time services to their children. Therefore remote teaching helps teachers provide even more tutorials for their learners as a way of instilling knowledge. Teachers indicated that the approach they are using enables them to assist struggling students with their work more than any other method of teaching does.

Teachers also identified that the new trend in teaching increases their ability to accommodate students with IEPs. Teachers recognized that their students now have access to read aloud technology that is not present in the standard teaching programs at school. Students can adjust the brightness and color of the materials they are learning from, unlike the usual handouts from learning remotely. Teachers indicate that the remote learning programs have simplified their teaching work as many students are improving and coping well with the new means. Teachers place assignments on the internet as google docs to enable the students to access read aloud services.

Teachers also identified that they have an easy time because there is no need to control the students if some of them are disrupting the others. The teachers also identified that giving the children more breaks enable them to improve their concentration. The teachers also pointed out that they are now able to focus on a specific student's needs, unlike earlier, when they had to focus on an entire classroom. Teachers will have a difficult time addressing disturbance in a classroom setting, but they identified remote teaching as having no interference. They are hence able to concentrate on the needs of the student with a lot of efficiencies.

Teachers also indicated that the productivity of students is now equal. The reason behind this is that even the shy students will soon feel comfortable t ask questions and participate. The kids who usually feel shy to ask questions in a typical class setting are now sending their items via message, and the teacher can answer them. Teachers said that more students are comfortable participating in behind the screen more than they are in a classroom.

Teachers also identified better participation and work completion levels as a boost in the new mode of teaching. Teachers indicated that the students are already missing their friend. Zoom interactions give them that opportunity already, and by doing so, the participation levels are promising. They also identified that the students who previously never submitted their work in time are showing significant improvement. There is a way in which students find the new means of teaching attractive, and hence they are craving lessons to start. Teachers are already pleased by the levels of participation that the children are showing already.

Teachers stated that the new means of teaching brings about reduction in classroom time-wasters, fluff, and waiting around for other students. Teachers identified that the classes' preparations are taking a little time compared to the time students are in school. They also determined that the lessons are time conscious. An experience that might require the teacher to spend around 35 minutes face to face due to a lot of disruptions will take about ten minutes of a screencast or a recorded video. The students will have enough time to digest what the teacher presents to them, and hence it increases their understanding and simplifies the teacher's work.

Another benefit is that teachers now have increased intentional opportunities to check for understanding. The manner of teaching where the teacher will do random checks to identify which students are listening and those who are not attentive makes one a better teacher. It is the right way of accessing the impact of teaching as the teachers will know how much the students understand the current topic. Virtual education allows more time to check on the kids, unlike in a regular classroom where the teacher has few minutes budgeted to cover a specific length of the syllabus.

Some teachers are also indicating that they are now able to give faster feedback on students' work. The technological tools they are using for this mode of learning increase teachers' ability to provide more rapid feedback, the teachers also indicated that they no longer require to avail themselves for live instructions for the better part of the day. Therefore, they use the big part of this time for individual conferences and assist the students in reflecting on their work. The children hence manage to keep contact with the teachers, and the teachers manage to attend to their problems in time.

Teachers also stated that effective and more efficient feedback is as a result of a perfect kind of differentiation. Teachers identify a massive relief from meeting online with only a few students who require special attention because they will give them all their concentration. The close contact and focus hence provide these children with a good time. Teachers will not need to handle the rest of the students as offline; therefore, they are now free, and the burden appears negligible. Teachers are now in a position to teach something to the whole class at first, then they meet the students who require extra clarification, and with this, their work is now more accessible.

Teachers also indicated that with the new teaching system, they could develop closer teacher-student and even close links with the parents. Teachers close contact with the students during this period makes them fee;l that the connection that existed in a race to face classroom is still there. Most teachers also identified that it makes them also to feel that they are in a very close connection with them. The situation also makes parents familiar with the things their children learn, their habits, and their strengths and weaknesses.

Teachers are also observing an improvement in technological integration and innovation among their colleagues. The teachers are in a position to learn more about tech and broaden their experience. They can understand and familiarize themselves with the Microsoft teams. The teachers can develop approaches that suit best for their students. For instance, one teacher innovated a presentation where the students will see his face at the corner of the page, and the rest displays content, so they just have to clarify various issues that students will understand.

Finally, the teachers confessed that they can now see more awareness of inequities in the system and more accommodations. Schools are striving to make devices and learning information available to all students. It is a level of equality that does not appear in the classroom scenario. There is dire need to support students from low-income families so that they can have gadgets and access to the internet. The teachers indicated that the current support that schools are showing tp students is different from the one in schools because they assume that there is equality in the classroom at all times.

Disadvantages

The teachers indicated that with the COVID 19 pandemic in place, hence a new method of teaching, they do not expect to cover everything they would include in the class. They remain with a choice of only deciding on which lessons are most important for students to learn and put all their focus and time on them. Teachers also identified that this situation is so unfamiliar with students who are having a hard time coping with it. Teachers recognized that students have a hard time trying to understand assignments, and they face significant distractions due to inadequate access to the internet.

Teachers find it very difficult to be realistic about what they can cover and what students can grasp. Teachers have a great challenge to create an excellent remote lesson plan because they are not used to the means yet. The teachers will have a hard time balancing what they teach their students and what their students will understand at the end of the day. The teachers are carrying the burden of restrategizing on their approaches and covering content within the designated period.

Teachers also identified challenges associated with the use of accessible and useful technology. Remote learning demands a high level of technological approach for it to functions. The teachers must know how to work with technology. Choosing the best solutions is a great challenge to the teachers, primarily because all students do not have equal access to digitalization. Teachers will spend most of their time figuring out how they can manage to provide their services to their students in various parts of the world despite the current digital divide.

Teachers also raised issues about their self-care. Teachers claim that it is complicated to manage their health in remote teaching. Research has it that it is essential to maintain one's physical and mental health as a teacher. However, teachers claim that with remote education, they are getting physically and mentally exhausted in their work. They often get exhausted for their own sake and also in service to their students. Teachers indicated that they sometimes feel overwhelmed with urgent tasks; they feel worried about their students mainly because the teachers do not get immediate feedback, and they also find themselves in increased pressure.

The WHO organization states that gd health does not mean the absence of common types of illnesses. They indicate that the health of a person incorporates their physical, mental, and social welfare. Teachers may not get enough hours to sleep, and even the chance to exercise is not there. These are things that contribute to their health, and the fact that teachers are missing them is a threat to their well being. Teachers will have a lot of tasks to do, like planning for sessions and preparing notes and assignments to forward to students and will have limited time to address their issues.

The teachers also identified that they are having limited time left to mingle with their families and friends. They devote much of their time to the students and familiarizing themselves with the tech for use to reach their students. They are also suffering from mental stress because of the overwhelming works they face. They are not in a position to make time for themselves to do the things they love and those that are calming and help them recharge. Therefore, they find the remote teaching systems quite demanding and exhausting personal life as well.

Teachers' approach to lessons has a new added extra role in the new curriculum. They must play an additional role in understanding how their students are responding to remote learning. These are unusual circumstances for the students, and now it is the teachers' task to assess the impact of remote education on their students. The teachers analyze the responses from different students and use them to frame their teaching approaches towards different students. The teachers identify this as a challenge to them as they will have an extra duty above they exhausting work of planning for lessons and assignments.

Another challenge that teachers face is dealing with parents whose first language is not English. Research identifies that some migrant parents may struggle to make any sense of the remote learning curriculum. Some overwhelmed parents have already begun calling schools requesting that their students resume regular learning. They feel quite uncomfortable with remote learning programs. Teachers have a difficult time to convince such parents that this program is essential to their children due to the occurrence of COVID 19. They must persuade parents to allow their students to access learning programs.

The teachers and students are the key players in remote learning programs. The teachers play a significant role in ensuring the success of these programs. The people whose parent's first language is not English will have a challenge because their parents often find remote learning irrelevant. The teachers have shown great efforts in supporting this program, and in doing so, they encounter positive and negative phases in their daily jobs. They will have added roles because they will plan the lessons and ensure that all students access the kind of information they are presenting before them. So far, so good. The remote learning programs are useful in many parts of the world because they ensure continuity of learning amidst the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic. Teachers indicate that some elements of this program can be essential even if the standard classroom approaches. They intend to carry forward the useful programs so that they can enjoy some of the benefits of the digital approach to working.

Teachers also identified better participation and work completion levels as a boost in the new mode of teaching. Teachers indicated that the students are already missing their friend. Zoom interactions give them that opportunity already, and by doing so, the participation levels are promising. They also identified that the students who previously never submitted their work in time are showing significant improvement. There is a way in which students find the new means of teaching attractive, and hence they are craving lessons to start. Teachers are already pleased by the levels of participation that the children are showing already.

Teachers stated that the new means of teaching brings about reduction in classroom time-wasters, fluff, and waiting around for other students. Teachers identified that the classes' preparations are taking a little time compared to the time students are in school. They also determined that the lessons are time conscious. An experience that might require the teacher to spend around 35 minutes face to face due to a lot of disruptions will take about ten minutes of a screencast or a recorded video. The students will have enough time to digest what the teacher presents to them, and hence it increases their understanding and simplifies the teacher's work.

Another benefit is that teachers now have increased intentional opportunities to check for understanding. The manner of teaching where the teacher will do random checks to identify which students are listening and those who are not attentive makes one a better teacher. It is the right way of accessing the impact of teaching as the teachers will know how much the students understand the current topic. Virtual education allows more time to check on the kids, unlike in a regular classroom where the teacher has few minutes budgeted to cover a specific length of the syllabus.

Some teachers are also indicating that they are now able to give faster feedback on students' work. The technological tools they are using for this mode of learning increase teachers' ability to provide more rapid feedback, the teachers also indicated that they no longer require to avail themselves for live instructions for the better part of the day. Therefore, they use the big part of this time for individual conferences and assist the students in reflecting on their work. The children hence manage to keep contact with the teachers, and the teachers manage to attend to their problems in time.

Teachers also stated that effective and more efficient feedback is as a result of a perfect kind of differentiation. Teachers identify a massive relief from meeting online with only a few students who require special attention because they will give them all their concentration. The close contact and focus hence provide these children with a good time. Teachers will not need to handle the rest of the students as offline; therefore, they are now free, and the burden appears negligible. Teachers are now in a position to teach something to the whole class at first, then they meet the students who require extra clarification, and with this, their work is now more accessible.

Teachers also indicated that with the new teaching system, they could develop closer teacher-student and even close links with the parents. Teachers close contact with the students during this period makes them fee;l that the connection that existed in a race to face classroom is still there. Most teachers also identified that it makes them also to feel that they are in a very close connection with them. The situation also makes parents familiar with the things their children learn, their habits, and their strengths and weaknesses. Read More