As this year end and junior year looms in the distance, it’s likely that distance learning will become the norm for students, us. So…what’s the best way to execute distance education? 

Starting off, even though teachers are unable to teach students face to face, most students benefit best from teachers who make an effort to teach their classes as if they were still in a classroom setting. 

For example, my Spanish teacher made daily Loom videos that she would upload every morning so that students were still able to learn everyday. She also provided a flexible schedule for us to follow if we wanted to. Work was assigned throughout the week but was due Sunday night so that students had more freedom with how they manage their time and if they were busy with other work, they could prioritize that class instead. This allowed students to work at their own pace and be more comfortable.

Recorded videos are also an important part of distance learning since students have the option to rewatch them if they don’t understand something or need more clarification on a subject. They are also more flexible than having weekly meetings since students aren’t always free at the time the meeting is taking place, which is why teachers shouldn’t take attendance for meetings. 

If teachers do decide to do weekly meetings, they should use use Google meets and Canvas Conferences, which can also be recorded if the students are unable to make the meeting. Meetings are sometimes useful since students are able to talk to their teachers and ask questions, although some students might feel uncomfortable doing so. Teachers can also address a majority of their students. Meetings should be set at later timer however, since many students are more unwillingly to attend a meeting if it is early in the morning. Meetings should teach students new things but also go over past assignments and homework so that students understand what they are doing.

“We were granted the opportunity to ask questions ‘live’ and have them answered by him. It was helpful because more of us might have had the same questions but no one wanted to ask,” said Michelle To.

Other ways to provide the best distance learning by making videos on One Note for science or math classes so it still feels like the students are in class and watching their teacher do each problem step-by-step compared to other teachers who just post their notes and expect their students to self-study. Although meetings might be more effective for classes like these as students can directly message the teacher, who can complete the problem they are stuck on, One Note is a good alternative. 

Since some teachers are not caught up with and have trouble with technology, they can still be active, answer emails quickly, and have office hours where students can ask questions and for help to make sure that their students understand what they are doing. 

Even though I don’t check that often, it’s also really cool when teachers comment and email students about their assignments and the cute confetti when you turn in assignment 🙂 

I think teachers should try have collaborative assignments somehow too !

However, what are some things distance learning shouldn’t be like? 

Ineffective strategies include when teachers just assign a lot of homework that is all due the same time. They also don’t go over assignments like they used to when classes was face to face. Students are then expected to learn and do everything by themselves. Even when some teachers have an online meeting, they don’t address past assignments and instead try to push even more work onto students, making it difficult to understand what is going on and keep up with everything. 

Classes, like these, resemble solely online classes, which are harder to students to learn and understand the material. One of the reasons that students enjoy school is because of the social setting, and meeting and talking to other people. However, online classes take away from this since you’re just self-studying and you’re not really interacting with other people. Several of my teachers had no meetings or videos and just assigned work. 

Having videos and meetings also allows students to get closer with their teachers, be more willing to ask for help and questions, and become more invested in the class.

“Teachers and students would experience struggles in building connections and relationships with one another, making the learning environment less comfortable,” said Katie Ho. 

Tests and quizzes are also an ineffective part of distance learning so far. Teachers already know that even if they ask their students to be honest, some will cheat irregardless. It is better for teachers to just make tests and quizzes open book and notes since in reality, students won’t have to recall information off the top of their heads anyways. It is also unfair for the several honest students if other students cheat and get higher scores but didn’t work for it. It is also hard to see if students are cheating and if other students even have a quiet place to do their work and take tests. Sometimes, parents don’t understand that students are doing school work and even if they are taking a test, they have to pause and do something else. 

Another really unsuccessful part of distance exams is when teachers lock questions after students answer them. Although teachers may have reasons for doing it, it harms students’ grades since I, for example, like to do all of the easier problems first and then do the harder problems along with checking my work. But, locking answers, forces students to sometimes skip questions because they feel like they don’t have enough time to finish the rest of the questions and adds more pressure to them. 

In the future, it would be interesting to have a block schedule where students go to school on different days because it allows students to experience online and face to face classes. Students are able to go to school for a day and have the rest of the week to do their work so they don’t have to cram and can have more freedom. It also allows for a smaller class size but is not too small so students are able to interact and get to know their teachers better. Even though it is still online, students are still able to go outside of their houses every once in a while and talk with other people. 

However, the least effective distance learning is teaching everything in a six week period. Students are more likely to forget everything that they have learned after they finish the class, leaving them unprepared for the next school year. It is also boring to only learn one subject in such a short period of time. 

“I feel like we would feel less motivated if we had to stick to a single course for an extended period,” said Mai Pham. 

The most important part of distance learning is flexibility. It is crucial that teachers listen to what students have to say and make changes along the way because it is hard for students to learn during such a difficult time with everything going on.

If school continues to be online, many students might feel unmotivated since they aren’t physically turning and completing things but knowing that teachers are doing so much for us means a lot <33 Students should understand that it is a big change for teachers as well and that together, we can make it through this and hopefully, return back to normal in the future! :))