Some K-12 educators are saying they’re concerned about what school might look like if remote learning has to continue in the fall.
Educators said for many students the school year before coronavirus acted as a foundation for later learning that took place remotely. Chad Folkersma is the principal of Rudyard Junior and Senior high, he said remote learning next year could be more difficult without that foundation.
“We had 7 months to build relationships with these students before we went online and if we were to continue this method in the fall these are new students, and they don’t have that relationship,” said Folkersma.
He said the sense of community is important for both teachers and students and that were it not for those established relationships some students may not have been as successful in the online portion of the semester.
Folkersma said that isn’t the only difficulty with remote learning, there’s also the issue of internet access. He said around 10 percent of his students aren’t participating in online learning and are doing packets instead, some of these are doing so by choice, but many simply don’t have the option to do online.
Folkersma said the school is doing what it can to help, but it isn’t always possible, “not all of our students have internet access or the availability to it, even if we provide them with a free hotspot or not it doesn’t mean it will work for the signal based on where they live.”
Another issue of technology is having the right device, said Folkersma. Some students might only have a phone, which can do some things but not all that they need to do the online learning. Other cases are where there are a limited number of capable devices at home, so students might have to vy for time within their family. This is another area he said Rudyard is trying to help out, he said the school has been able to provide some students devices in order to do online learning.
Folkersma said that packets are certainly helpful with remote learning, but students can get so much more out of it with online learning. He explained that originally the percentage of students using packets was around 40%, but it dropped as students tried out the online and found success. Another area where packets don’t give the whole experience were more hands-on subjects like art, music, gym, or shop.
Across the whole teaching staff a lot of creativity had to go into moving to remote learning, Folkersma said these hands-on subjects have been some of the most creative. Music classes did online practices and lessons, utilizing video chat to give students the personal instruction for musical techniques. Art taught students to use what they had-- most students don’t have access to the same kinds of art supplies a school does, so the students and teachers got creative in their mediums.
Gym class, Folkersma said is one area that used both of these ideas and more to create an engaging experience for students. He said, “they (gym teachers) were supplying workouts for all students, not just their students, and they are still doing daily workouts to keep kids moving in different aspects. It’s worked out really well, they’ve given them ideas on how to use things around the houses whether it be a chair or a can of beans or whatever they have.”
Folkersma explained that the gym class also utilized group chats to foster a sense of community as the students stayed active and keep each other accountable.
Folkersma said if remote learning continues in the fall there will be challenges, but he believes the students, teachers, and everyone involved will be ready to find creative solutions and new ways to learn and educate.