Regarding Learning Remotely

Date of Publication
By Tome Loulin

The pandemic has pushed universities and k-12 schools in the U.S. and other countries to start remote learning since there was no other better option available for both educators and students to continue gathering for learning purposes. But can remote learning replace in-person courses? Some doubts remain. There are some exploration and discoveries in my own remote-learning practicing.

In the US, schools had started to send iPads and laptops to students who lacked those devices for remote learning by directly mailing. According to a report appeared on the New York Times, most Latino and African American families are struggling to follow online courses due to this unprecedented COIVD job crisis making most of those families in a difficult situation.

Issues ranging from students' inability to concentrate on screen to food crisis had prevented some disadvantaged students from following up their learning goals.

I have been teaching in Rise English for about a year and half; during my transition from in-person teaching to remote one, I had found that most students who had previously done well in my in-person English lessons had also fared well in the online courses but the rest few who had previously struggled to do well in physical classes had been encountering problems and some had been absent altogether, leaving them in a much disadvantaged situation.

Some parents had reported that the overall progress and quality of remote learning had been uneven and had little impact on students' learning progress though some had appreciated my endeavor.

From some feedbacks I had received, I thought remote learning could be a supplement option for students who could be willing to learn remotely and also that in-person teaching would remain crucial in the long-run.

2020 July 20th