Some Reflections on Lessons Learned in 2020 that May Be Beneficial in 2021
With Lockdown 3.0 set to get underway, remote learning is back again. Here are some things for those involved in designing teaching and learning experiences to consider...
With remote learning set to become the ‘new normal’ for education in 2021, there are a number of lessons that we can draw upon to help take learning activities ‘from room to Zoom’.
Anyone involved in creating learning experiences should feel hopeful that is not like things were back in March 2020, there are existing practices in place. We are not starting from a standstill.
However, there is still more we can all be doing to improve things.
Here is a quick overview of some things to reflect upon, no matter whether you yourself are an experienced educator or you are dipping your toe in the water with teaching with tech for the first time:
Anyone involved in education now have a good sense of a range of learning tools that can be used to support learning. Examples might include: Quizlet, Kahoot!, Classkick, Socrative, or Edpuzzle – although these are ‘learning’ activities, they do not replace ‘teaching’.
Those delivering remote learning have selected (or been assigned) a learning platform to host their material. Many organisations have tended to opt for Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, or for more established Learning Management Systems (known as LMS) such as Moodle, Blackboard or Canvas. While platforms such as Teachable, Thinkific, and also Kajabi, have boomed when it comes to training and online courses. In terms of these learning platforms, some are being used effectively however others are a little more inconsistent.
Decisions have been made about live teaching via Google Meet, MS Teams, or Zoom and the benefits and limitations of each of these platforms (as well as others that are available) have now become all too familiar. Some institutions are shying away from live teaching, there is scope to reconsider this.
Learners are being encouraged to become ‘independent learners’, often earlier in their educational journey than might have occurred previously. This may be beneficial for more mature learners, but it will not suit all learning types.
Educators are now well aware of the extra time and planning that is required for online learning. Time and authorship should not be overlooked when it comes to developing online learning and teaching experiences. It is NOT the same as planning for a live workshop, class, or lecture.
Not all learners who attend statutory education have access to technology. This is a huge challenge. Some authorities have taken steps to address this in the past months (in anticipation of another lockdown of some sort) but not all learners have this luxury. There are some steps that can be taken to mitigate this, but again there is way more that can be done here – perhaps providing options for asynchronous as well as synchronous learning and teaching could be a small step?
Education is a lifelong experience. The uptake of non-credit bearing online learning opportunities had already been growing in recent years, now it is really taking off. This is a positive outcome of some more mature learners finding they have time on their side that they did not have previously. Online learning is here to stay.
One of the joys of creating and delivering teaching and learning is that each of these experiences are not a one-off. They should not be produced in isolation or as a short-term fix. Like all teaching, there should always be the opportunity to evaluate and reflect. We can all improve and enhance what we offer our learners! This time is a great opportunity to embrace the joys of remote, online and blended learning!
While this is not a comprehensive list, it does highlight some of the challenges already met and the opportunities that lie ahead.
And at Teachknology, we would love to hear your thoughts about the pending educational challenges and opportunities.
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