EDUCATION EXPERIMENT: FAILS – #100

REMOTE TEACHING IS NOT EASY. FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE WE HAD         (4) MONTHS UNTIL TODAY TO EXPERIMENT IN REMOTE LEARNING – THAT’S 50 MILLION STUDENTS THAT BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR THE EXPERIMENT IMMEDIATELY – THE EXPERIMENT FAILED, AND HERE ARE THE REASONS WHY:

  1. MANY STUDENTS DON’T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS NOR COMPUTERS. COULDN’T FIND OUT WHY STUDENTS WERE NOT GETTING ONLINE?
  2. FORMAL LEARNING IN A SCHOOLS SETTING NEEDED AT ALL LEVEL OR GRADES.
  3. IT WORKS IN NUMEROUS AREAS, IF A MIXTURE OF ONLINE TIME AND FORMAL CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION IS AVAILABLE.
  4. TEACHERS RECEIVED NO TRAINING IN CONDUCTING ONLINE CLASSES. MY EXPERIENCE AS AN ONLINE INSTRUCTOR REQUIRED A MINIMUM OF 10 HRS PER COURSE TO GET THE COURSE STARTED.
  5. ASSUMPTION WAS MADE THAT BEING TECH SAVY WITH COMPUTER GAMES WOULD FILL THE GAP BETWEEN LEARNING GAMES AND ONLINE SCHOOLING.
  6. DIGITAL COMMERCE VS. DIGITAL SCHOOLING DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME DISCIPLINE.
  7. SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS WERE LUMPED INTO ONE GENERAL CURRICULUM.
  8. PARENTS WERE FRUSTRATED WITH TRYING TO SUPERVISE STUDENTS AT HOME IN ON-LINE PROGRAMS. SKILLS SUCH AS EXTRA EFFORT AND A LACK OF IMAGINATION BECAME VERY EVIDENT. ESPECIALLY, WITH MORE THAN ONE CHILD OF KINDERGARTEN AGE+ REQUIRING DIFFERENT SKILL SETS.
  9. TEACHERS THAT USED ONLINE CAPABILITIES FIND IT MORE HECTIC AND STRESSFUL BECAUSE, THEY AS WELL AS STUDENTS HAVE TO EMPLOY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE.
  10. MOST TEACHERS SEEEM TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE BETWEEN FAILING AND MINIMUM PASSING GRADE. THE LATTER RESULTS FROM MAKING EASIER THE FIND OF EXCUSES FOR A MINIMUM PASSING GRADE VERSUS ISSUING A FAILING GRADE.
  11. ON A TYPICAL DAY 32% OF HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS DIDN’T ENROLL IN THE LEARNING SYSTEM WHICH ALSO SERVED AS THE ATTENDANCE SYSTEM.
  12. MISSING STUDENTS – AFTER INCLUDING THE 1/3 OF MISSING STUDENTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL – WE NOW HAVE TO INCLUDE STUDENTS FROM THESE VALUABLE GROUPS – FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS, DEEP POVERTY, DISABLE STUDENTS, PLUS THOSE WHO MISSED SCHOOL ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE CAN’T AFFORD TO LOSE TOUCH.
  13. DIFFERENT STANDARDS VARY BETWEEN SCHOOLS.

– EARLY FINISH TO SCHOOL YEAR

– DIFFERENT PROGRAMS SUCH AS LIFE SKILLS

– STUDENTS WERE ASKED A WIDE VARIETY OF QUESTIONS

– QUESTIONS DEALT WITH TIRE AND BED CHANGING, MAINTAINING A CHECKBOOK,

– NO TRAINING FOR TEACHERS OR LESSON PLANS

  • OTHER YOUNGER CHILDREN NEED SPECIAL MATERIALS AND PROGRAMS
  • 7 NOT CONNECTED TO INTERNET
  • VARYING OPENING STRATEGIES IN THE FALL
  • 52% OF STUDENTS IN BROWARD COUNTY FL. – GRADES 6-12 – DON’T FEEL MOTIVATED TO COMPLETE DISTANCE LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS
  • SPLITTING CLASSES- WITH YOUNGER STUDENT ATTENDING ONSITE SCHOOL AND OLDER STUDENTS ATTENDING ONLINE CLASSES MIGHT BE A SOLUTION RATHER THAN A REASON FOR FAILURE. THIS IDEA NEEDS WORK.

MANAGEMENT  LESSON:

AS IT CAN BE SEEN, THE REAONS FOR FAILURE ARE NUMEROUS, HOWEVER, OUR SCHOOL SYTEMS ARE BEING CHALLENGED, THEREFORE PLEASE KEEP THIS LIST HANDY FOR WHENEVER YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE ATTEND A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. BE PREPARED!!