Just as the schools reopen and teachers, school staff, and students have to start taking physical classes in the school, it would be a very difficult task. Teachers would have to work much harder than before to catch up in their studies. It is much likely that the students might have lost someone due to corona or have seen someone suffer from it. The students might have forgotten all about their studies because the schools were closed.
The schools might have to go through a lot to get these students back on track in their studies. It would be a hard but fruitful process in trying to get the school run as normal. The following are five tips that might help students catch up after a year of closed schools.
Give them More Time:
Giving students more time meaning giving them longer school days or extended school year. Pushing back the school year or having kids stay longer hours at school can help them get the boast that they need after such a gap between studies having students. Schools should think about adding more time to their school year or having a much longer school hour the more time a student will spend studying, the more the student will start getting used to it as having a year off might have made the student inactive. They might also suffer from mental illnesses.
Schools might also need to provide counseling to such students to catch up, But to do this, a school might have to use a lot of their resources by hiring teachers and paying extra time to them.
Tutoring:
Providing students with extra tutoring will be of very great help to them. Extra tuitions can help them with learning the things that they might have missed out on. Students who might be suffering from a disability or any other mental problems like anxiety, depression, etc., should also be given extra tuition time out of classes to catch up to their classmates.
Suppose schools provide extra tuition to students than they would manage to catch up in their studies in no time. Schools should group students in a group of 4 or 5 with one tutor each after school hours to easily understand the school work that has been taught.
Schools can use trained teaching assistants for tutoring students. Though it might cost the school a bit, it would be very effective for the students and help them catch up in their academics in no time.
Changing the Curriculum:
The post coronavirus outbreak curriculum might be hard to follow for students and hard to teach for the teachers. Thus, the curriculum should be changed and design the curriculum so that the students and teachers don't have to struggle with it.
The curriculum can also be divided into groups for different categories for children. The children will struggle with the studies different from others and struggle with a different subject. The curriculum should also involve some art and creativity. Letting children express themselves will help them a lot to get their thoughts across. The curriculum should have the following goals.
- The clarity in what to learn
- Creative and fun methods of learning
- Teachers having the learning materials
- An outline of the topics that are to be taught
Adapting the curriculum is also an effective way of teaching students after they come to school. After such a long break from school, a much-advanced curriculum is sure to help them in their studies.
Mental Health Support:
This coronavirus period has been a hard time for all of us. So the students coming back might have faced a lot of issues like losing someone from the pandemic, face financial problems, seeing someone suffer from the virus, or go through it themselves The children themselves might face a lot of mental problems after starting schools, for that the teachers should provide counseling for students going through these problems. The teacher and school should take more time talking to the students about what the students might be suffering from so that they can adjust better after school starts School could invite psychologists or an expert in that field to talk to students, or they can educate students about these issues.
Hence, students have an easy time identifying their problems. It can help single out any student suffering from having help provided and start their studies being healthy.
Talk About Corona:
Talking about the virus might not be that useful, but the teachers must acknowledge the pandemic that we are going through. Giving them information and education will give them a much clearer view of what is happening.
Answering student's questions about what is happening and the impacts might also help students. Having a conversation in class about each student's experiences might also help. It is a good way to give your input and let students know that they are not alone and fully support them. You can also let them know what precautions you should take and why you should wear a mask and wash your hands.
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