Active Learning Outside the Classroom during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life for students and parents. Schools remain closed so parents are having to adapt to home based learning and online education to support their children. Students are also having a challenging time with the new way of learning; most are missing their friends and being in the classrooms and there are many who have no access to technology. Today, we checked in with students as well as teachers to see how they are coping with the new realities.  Here is News Five’s Duane Moody with a report. 

Duane Moody, Reporting

It’s been almost five months since students have been away from the classrooms due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has been said by education officials that having children out of school for such an extended period of time widens the learning gap. Now, there are a number of skills developed by a child engaged at an educational institution; outside of learning arithmetic, how to read and write and even about the sciences, it is where they acquire social and leadership skills.

The reopening of schools has been pushed back with a new date still to be announced. It has left students and parents in the lurch, because while health is crucial, education is equally important.

Jael August

Jael August, Primary Education Student, University of Belize

“I have a group chat with my fellow teacher-students and we keep sharing links to very informative sites that teaches us new methods that we can incorporate in the classrooms and that we can use in our lesson plans and especially to this situation with COVID-19, how we can manage the classroom in such new environment and the new regulations put in place.”

For eleven-year-old Khloe Longsworth, she misses her friends and teachers and being able to engage with others in the classroom setting. With support from her family, this standard-six student is participating in online courses.

Khloe Longsworth

Khloe Longsworth, Standard Six Student, St. Joseph R.C. School

“P.S.E. classes online with Miss Lisa Canton. She teaches us math, length and widths and measuring. For language, she teaches us part of speech and how to find helping verbs.”

Duane Moody

“So she does this with you guys online? You use your tablet and you are talking to her and everything?”

Khloe Longsworth

“Mmhmm.”

Duane Moody

“How is that experience because it is different from what you do in class. How is that for you? That type of learning?”

Khloe Longsworth

“It’s harder, but she helps us through it.”

But there are a number of children who do not have access to technology for online learning; be that internet or electronic devices. In some cases, the age of the child would make for parents to get creative with active learning at home. That’s what Marcella Dorado is doing with her five-year-old son.

Marcella Dorado

Marcella Dorado, Mother of George Marin III

“Every day in the morning, I wake him up, we start doing school work, math, English, a little bit of reading. At Simon Quan, they have little ABC, 123 posters—I buy for him—and every day I practice with him just to keep him going because it is not all about the teachers. It is about the parents helping out the teachers by taking up your child at home.”

Although she is preparing to soon become a teacher, UB student Jael August says that not being in the formal classroom setting with colleagues becomes overwhelming at times. They have, however, established a social media group where they dialogue and stay virtually in contact.

Jael August

“Not being in the classroom is pretty sad for me because I love being in the classroom. That face to face interaction with your lecturer is very influential to how you learn; it positively impacts you so not having that face to face interaction has been difficult for me. In terms of understanding certain things, you have to email and call your lecturers, so it has been difficult, but we have been managing so far as students.”

Duane Moody for News Five.