Impact of distance learning on beginners: identified which areas suffer the most

There is no shortage of challenges for beginners.

According to Danguolė Savičienė, an expert in primary education at Visaginas Verdenė Gymnasium, extended distance education prevents primary school students from developing the skills and abilities envisioned in general education programs, according to a press release.

“Learning the Lithuanian language develops the skills to speak, listen, read and write. When educating children remotely, due to the specifics of education, reading and writing skills suffer the most: it is difficult to find time to read texts, although it has been observed for a long time that the more often read a child, the better his reading skills. less time to answer text questions, independently, perform reasoning tasks. Elementary teachers also noted that in many cases, the skills to hold a pen properly were not developed. Parents may not be in control of this kind of thing, don’t pay attention to it, and going back to class will make it very difficult to correct a badly formed habit. Also, some first graders do not learn to write letters correctly and to combine them. It is clear that children lack practical skills, advice and individual observations from the teacher, ”says D. Savičienė.

The teacher admitted that she had done a lot of research on how children could improve their reading skills. The most effective is individual attention, but how to do it remotely?

“I called home and listened to each child read. I have a long time. The idea was dismissed by a student who sent answers to questions by voicemail. Now this is a good way to inform: students prepare ahead of time (and this way I know they are working with the text) and answer the prepared questions. I can even see how the child deletes the voice messages and chooses the most appropriate one – this shows that the student is looking for a better option, tries to form sentences more fluently and motivates him, ”says the expert teacher.

Reading skills are important to all lessons.

According to the teacher, the lack of reading skills prevents the student from progressing not only during the Lithuanian language, but also during math lessons.

“Peer teachers, especially first graders, find that learning to solve word problems requires good reading skills. If a child reads poorly, it is more difficult for him to understand the text, then it is difficult to solve textual tasks ”, says the teacher.

He also drew attention to observations by teachers in grades 3-4 on the difficulty primers face in mastering angular division, multiplying two digits from a single digit, multiplying two digits from a single digit two-digit number, dividing round decimals at an angle, calculating a rectangular area or perimeter, and solving equations.

According to D. Savičienė, the world’s distance education is also becoming a challenge. After all, in these lessons there are many practical tasks: research, tests, measurements, observations. Much research is done not only in the classroom, but also outside the school gate, in nature. Some of the research objects that students no longer observe are likely to be swallowed by several classrooms on the windowsill now.

“After the start of the quarantine, I organize the investigation activities remotely. In this way, they acquire a different character: research papers are presented in such a way that the student can do it completely independently. I provide instructions to the students: an activity sheet with the progress of the investigation, a report form. Children investigate, complete, take photos. The next lesson summarizes the results of the work, analyzes the errors, or welcomes the discoveries. Fourth graders are already doing the best investigations, such as “I measure footprints in the snow,” “I measure snow cover,” “I count steps and measure time,” during which the children are outdoors together. “, the teacher shares ideas.

Supporting loved ones is important

Simonas Šabanovas, PhD in social sciences, educational expert, pedagogue and professor at Vilnius University, speaking of gaps in primary school knowledge and skills, which are becoming more and more pronounced due to distance learning, The answer to this question is not unequivocal. According to him, there are not only losses but also positive aspects.

“Some students, with the help of their parents, siblings, or other loved ones, even narrowed the learning gaps by receiving more personalized attention. Feeling compelled to contribute to a better educational process, even under such difficult conditions, parents tried to include education in leisure activities: games at home or outdoors. Family conversations on the related topic of the lesson, especially about nature, historical events, help children to better memorize new knowledge and connect it with experience, ”says the education expert.

At the same time, S. Shabanov warns that if parents take care of everything and help at every step, especially for primary school students, they can start to hinder the acquisition of greater independence, whose development is one of the main skills in education primary. Now students have become “dependent” on the help of their parents or other relatives, because it is easier to ask than to think for themselves, not to be afraid of making mistakes. According to the educator, in a case in which the challenges are not solved at an early age, the acquisition of higher skills is usually affected and the learning of the students is based on a system of greater knowledge and application.

Help is needed, but not much

Speaking about the gaps in distance education, D. Savičienė, an expert at Visaginas Verdenė Gymnasium, says that in order to achieve the child’s learning progress, more attention must be paid to controlling the performance of tasks. Some students really need outside encouragement to complete assignments.

According to her, the best advice for parents in such circumstances would be to read and explain with the child the material, rules and examples of exercises set out in the textbook. The teacher assures parents that the textbooks really do contain all the basics and that learning the results would only be good.

For his part, S. Šabanov, doctor of social sciences and educational expert, points out that beginners need the help of their parents to establish a unique schedule for their teaching and learning, because synchronous lessons are carried out at clear and Independent work is already the responsibility of the students.

“Students, with the help of teachers and parents, should create their own individual teaching / learning schedule, according to individual needs. After all, for some it is better to work in the morning and for others at night. Teachers should also keep this in mind when applying a variety of assignments. Of course, performing complex and higher-capacity tasks often requires the help of parents or other family members to understand them, but it is important that they do not do them for the child, but only explain them in other words, ”emphasizes education. expert.

Less pressure and more communication

In analyzing the challenges and outcomes of distance learning, S. Shabanov emphasized that adults must realize that the student does not really have to understand everything. According to him, here and now children generally do not learn everything, because in primary education it is necessary to be able to wait and at the same time not to leave everything alone.

“By putting pressure on children, we are not developing their strengths, but only reducing their learning difficulties. In my opinion, it is important to encourage and let grow where the child is strong, and the resulting positivity and success will help themselves to cope with learning difficulties, ”advises the expert in education to parents.

According to him, to help children you should not be afraid to use various publications that can help the learning process through practice and interactive tools or even games.

“It is very important to understand what the child’s needs are, what measures help him to acquire knowledge and skills in a more qualitative way,” says S. Šabanovas, who works at the publishing house “Šviesa”.

Reflecting on the challenges that beginners face in the educational process affected by the pandemic, he also emphasized the need to remember that children learn not only in lessons.

“They learn not only in the classroom during activities or lessons, but also during breaks, before and after lessons. Socializing acquires many general skills. Recently, it is precisely the students who are beginning to have a great need. Therefore, even during distance education, we have to use practical work in teams, in pairs, start discussions and even sometimes have only one hour of communication instead of subject lessons ”, emphasizes S. Šabanovas.