With the corona virus pandemic causing everyone to shelter in place, lock-downs preventing movement and most adults working from home, where does that leave the children? While schools can treat this as an early summer vacation, what about the students who need the extra input to get through their school year or need the support to bridge their gaps in learning? In India, a lot of Special Educators run private practices to provide access to remedial teaching and explicit instruction for students who don’t get it in school or need more than what they get in school. As the weeks of staying home turn into months, we can safely assume that social distancing will have to be followed for a while after the lock-down in India has ended.. Is it prudent to assume that some education and therapy for children will have to move online?
Potential hurdles
The transition to online remediation does not seem like an easy one, for many reasons. Firstly, one has to assume that all involved families have access to the internet and a working, available device for the children. With parents also working from home, they might need the laptop or computer for themselves and it may not always be available for children to take online classes at a stipulated time. Special education is aided by the use of games, manipulating concrete objects to understand concepts and various multi-sensory teaching strategies that are more effective when teachers and students are together in person. A teacher is able to receive non verbal feedback from the student in real time and immediately make changes to the work or strategies being used. Oftentimes, students are given small breaks during their class duration, that allows them to move around, engage in a short conversation with their friends, get a sensory break, and so on. Students with short attention spans, might have difficulty focusing on what is being taught online, and it might be harder to bring back a student’s attention when they are in a different setting from the teacher altogether.
For some students, especially those on the Autism Spectrum, the classroom environment comes with a clear set of expectations and the understanding that certain rules have to be followed here. We come here to study, we take out our books, the class follows a certain routine, and so on. The change of setting, different expectations in the home environment and all round changes to normal routine might be a source of discomfort and distress for these children. Students are taught in environments that are not sensory stimulating to the extent of distraction and that is a factor that a teacher will be unable to control when instructing virtually. Another point that stands out, is the technical skills that a child requires in order to be able to use a computer/laptop effectively to aid them in their learning. They might need to know how to move/click the mouse or mute/un-mute the microphone. It does put a bigger burden of teaching on parents than before, as they need to be active members of this process. Parents will be the ones who need to fill the gaps caused by the teacher not being present, such as using behaviour strategies to keep the child on task, determining if a child needs a break or is being overly stimulated by something in their surroundings, and so on. The age of the student, extent of their needs, involvement of their parents and flexibility and creativity of their Special Educator/Therapist will greatly determine their receptiveness and success with online learning.
Advantages
In contrast, if harnessed correctly, using technology could open a myriad of opportunities for both teachers and students that make learning on the whole, more accessible. For teachers, it allows work to continue regardless of bad weather, unavoidable personal appointments or future pandemics (of which hopefully, there shall be none). It minimizes regression of skills and forgetting due to long gaps in instruction and revision. Students get to continue learning and keeping their cognitive skills active across settings and regardless of external situations. It allows for assigning students independent work that they can do on their own time and at their own pace, taking breaks as and when they need.
Perhaps also, when they are more ready for learning which may not always happen at your regular class time. With guided reflection, it will help students gain more information about themselves and their styles of learning and help them become more effective learners. Teachers will be able to create more individualized work for students, even within a small group without making students feel aware or ashamed at getting modified work. It will boost a child’s independence, teaching them the skills to access their own learning, get on a computer, sign in to their classroom and so on. This makes it feel like a more self initiated process for the child, rather than the one where you’re dropped off to class whether you like it or not!
It greatly widens the scope for who can be your student, with geographical constraints being no bar. It also allows for parents to be more involved in the transparent process of your teaching, as all the coursework and classes will be available for them to view too. It further cements their role as partners in their child’s learning and will empower them to fill in more gaps of learning for their child.
Online we go
As with our students, so with us, acquiring new skills is an uphill task with a sweet reward. As one learns in Special Education, teaching a new skill takes a commitment to your goal, the flexibility to adapt to emerging situations and the resilience to bounce back after a fall. While us educators figure out the best way to make learning stimulating, engaging and accessible to all our learners, I have a feeling that Gen Z will surprise us in the knowledge they already hold of technology, and perhaps cultivating these skills early will hold them in good stead for the tech driven years to come. So online we go!
About the Author
Damini Bhonagiri is a Special Educator based in Pune. She holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from Fergusson College, Pune and a Master's in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has extensively worked with children with special needs for the past 9 years. Damini currently works as a special educator and inclusion consultant at the early childhood level and runs a private practice.
For more information about online sessions, Contact http://www.tsimentalhealth.com/counseling
A well thought and concise article. Kudos to the author to present both sides of the online teaching learning process.
Committed Educators like the author will certainly ease the way for Gen Z. The article has brought about a right perspective of online learning during this unexpected pandemic.
Great post. Wishing your students and you the very best. Online learning will become part of our education system.