Teaching tips not useful during COVID

Re: Richardson: Here’s how we can get the best out of hybrid learning, Aug. 24

I have been a high school teacher for over 25 years. Richardson is also a high school teacher, but his experience seems to be vastly different than mine. He offers a list of 10 suggestions for improving our system such as developing empathetic relationships, setting big learning goals, differentiating teaching for varied needs, and limiting direct instruction. What teacher doesn’t do all of these things already? Furthermore, precisely because we do all these things, I have a hard time believing the study which says that student engagement drops in every year of school after Grade 1.

While I admit we have a lot to learn about making online learning better, most of these suggestions will not translate well, if at all, to education during COVID, either at school or online. Bottom line: this article was not useful for teachers, and leads the public to believe that teaching practises haven’t changed since the 1950s.

Kathy Bol, Ottawa