It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and in that time, children have barely set foot in school. Concerns over time away from school, academics, and activities are high, and many debates over the undesirable effect on children and their future. While theories are being tossed around and solutions are being sought, the UK Government has a proposal—to increase school timings from 8 AM-6 PM.
But the question is, is it worth it?
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, all of us have been forced to somehow juggle work and life in lockdown alongside our mental and physical health. But one thing’s for certain; regular exercise is of the utmost importance, especially for young people.
The research supports this. Schools that enable children to participate in physical activity have a track record of providing opportunities for students to find their niche and develop skills beyond the classroom.
A recent study by Silah et al from the University of California has looked into the relationship between test anxiety and metacognition. The researchers’ main aim was to assess “how the quantity and relative weight of assessments contribute to the effects of test anxiety on performance and metacognitive accuracy.”
In other words, do tests with high and low stakes affect student performance when it comes to increasing or reducing anxiety and the ability to recall information?
The changes and uncertainty of the past 12 months have put an incredible strain on everyone, not least teachers. From delivering lessons remotely to supporting pupils with both their studies and their mental health, it’s been an enduring challenge that continues to this day.
In order to help teachers cope with constantly moving goalposts alongside their usual workload, a number of solutions have been designed and implemented with varying degrees of effectiveness.
In 1988, Australian educational psychologist and academic John Sweller, published the piece Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning. Thirty years later and it’s the go-to resource for teachers wanting to know more about retrieval practice, how memory is shaped and of course, cognitive load theory.
In the opening page of his paper, Sweller writes, “that contrary to current practice and many cognitive theories, some forms of problem-solving interfere with learning.”
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on the way we live, work, socialise and learn. Even though it’s been a challenge for many people, others have welcomed the flexibility and freedom that comes with ‘remote life’.
But what about the world of education? It goes without saying that teachers, parents and students have struggled more than most during lockdown. So how can we learn from what they’ve gone through and make their lives better moving forward?
Ask any teacher what the foundation of schooling is and chances are they’ll say the curriculum. It underpins nearly everything a teacher does – structuring lessons, delivering content and assessing how well students are performing.
So when schools and the wider education world emerges from the pandemic, will the curriculum save the day in terms of the attainment gap and accountability?
Ask any teacher whether it is possible to raise pupil outcomes while reducing their workload and most will probably answer the same – no.
However, a new book by Robert Powell called Live Feedback explores strategies that promise to engage learners, raise attainment, and reduce the time spent on detailed marking of students’ work.
It has been approximately one year since the coronavirus pandemic changed the way in which we live, work and socialise. But how well are teachers coping with their remote education environment?
For many, it has been a constant struggle of trying to stay on top of increasing workloads alongside the challenges that come with permanently being online. As a result, this has led to a disconnect between the teacher and the student.
According to Just Great Teaching by Ross Morrison McGill, 92 per cent of teachers and school leaders feel confident or very confident with their day-to-day work around curriculum. However, 61 per cent still consider it a challenging area of practice, while 24 per cent believe it is a weakness in their school.
Even before COVID-19 changed the landscape of teaching, schools faced several challenges with their new curriculums. But this is only set to increase when you consider post-pandemic learning lost, the impact of mental health and the emergence of a vaccine.