Teachers get help in transition to distance learning

Teachers know that students who walk into their classrooms have variety of capabilities and teacher try to find ways to meet the needs of all the students. This includes the students with learning and attention issues. There are circumstances where students are having a hard time absorbing and applying the concepts. However, this shouldn’t be the case. This is where the teacher applies different academic interventions to help the students succeed and learn.

An academic intervention is a specific program to help a student improve in an area of need. Interventions are design to keep track of the progress of students. The first intervention that can be used is teacher-student rapport. This strategy involves having a caring mentor or teacher who creates a positive bond with their students. Nowadays, students value an adult who cares for them and someone who knows their struggles. At-risk students struggle for different reasons but having a teacher who understands them and cares for them is the first step in turning those students around.

The main role of the teacher is to show compassion and build a relationship with these students and allow them to realize that someone cares for them and is willing to help. Moreover, if students have a positive rapport with their teacher; the student is more likely to study hard and achieve both for themselves and the teacher. The positive environment set by the teacher is another key component in this strategy in order to effectively build relationships with students.

Another intervention strategy is student engagement strategies. This is done by allowing the students to work together as a pair or group in order to finish certain tasks. Other than that, it also includes different lecture strategies to engage the students and to make learning more interesting. Some teachers make use of handout containing a map or outline of the lecture wherein he or she leaves some information black requiring the student to write down the missing terms or phrases. This is an effective strategy since students will not have time to be off task or talk with their friends because doing so will cause them to miss the answer or not follow along.

The final intervention is reflection and coping skills. At-risk students are usually struggling and they don’t know how to help themselves which results to giving up. The key component of this strategy is being aware of one’s own thinking and the ability to problem-solve without giving up. This will also help them build resiliency within themselves. This strategy will develop critical thinking skills on how can they overcome certain situations which enables them to have higher self-esteem which is essential in learning.

To sum up, there will always be students who are having a hard time in the discussion which leads to failure. This is when the role of teacher comes into play. Teacher must be aware of these situations and help them improve themselves and facilitate an effective learning process. It will also positively improve a student’s learning capacity and help them succeed in life. The academic intervention strategies mentioned, will greatly help teachers and students in making learning more effective.

*****

- Teacher 1

San Fernando Elementary School

NO ONE could ever be prepared for a health crisis. Teachers may be dedicated to their work, but they too, were taken aback by the effects of COVID-19, especially in education.

Now, they are reeling from the effects of the crisis, as they have to adjust to the transition from a classroom setting to a “blended learning’’environment. There will be no face-to-face interactions this year, not until a vaccine against the disease is available.

In a recent Senate hearing, it was revealed that only 40 percent of public school teachers had been trained by the Department of Education on distance learning. This is quite a low number.

Just recently, a nonprofit organization has helped a number of teachers on this matter, offering teachers a training on basic Math, Science and English, among others.

This group, JOLT, has offered 300 teachers a scholarship worth a total of P1 million that allowed them to enroll in courses that would certify them as qualified online educators, equipping them with the tools to teach online.

The scholarship, according to the group, gives 300 teachers a chance to enroll online for free in courses offered by two top institutions: the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia and the University of the PhilippinesOpen University (UPOU).

Earning the certificate will gives parents confidence to entrust their children to volunteer teachers, knowing their accreditation had been validated, the group said.

After completing the digital courses, the teachers can now record their own videos for the VolunTeaching virtual classroom.