While I have no doubt of its earnest desire to provide the best possible service, I am left with no faith in the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District’s plan to restart the school year. Given the flaws already pointed out by others, the likelihood of COVID-19 recurrences soon after start-up is too high to ignore. Rather than waste time recounting them I shall instead explain my belief that the plan’s shortcomings are based on three false assumptions.
1. Full-time attendance for face-to-face instruction (F2F) is a gold standard that must be maintained. While there is no disputing that young people, especially adolescents, suffer mentally and emotionally when deprived of social interaction with peers, there’s scant evidence to show that full-time attendance at school is an absolute requirement. Besides, school is not the only place our youth interact. In addition to numerous virtual venues, such as games, discord chats and, of course the ubiquitous Snapchat, they have other activities such as sports and the arts. Believe it or not, many interact F2F in unstructured time as well.
Given the flaws already pointed out by others, the likelihood of COVID-19 recurrences soon after start-up is too high to ignore.
2. In-class time is inherently non-social in nature. Why else would masks only be mandatory in hallways and on buses? While those of us whose in-school experience ended decades ago may harbour memories of endless hours sitting quietly in desks arranged in rows, quietly working away using books on our cramped desks, the fact is that classrooms are not at all like that now. Rather, they are active, social spaces where movement, communication and interaction are fostered. The fact is, from the 1960s onwards, all classes have been that way. Perhaps memories and preconceptions should not be trusted, tainted as they are by too much time speaking to like-minded others who do not question your words or by the oodles of TV shows and movies that continue to promote the myth of quiet study.
3. Online learning is something that is only to be used if no F2F options are left available. While no doubt predicated on a fear of the unknown and resistance to change, the notion makes little logical sense in light of the 32 years that this province has been successfully educating rural students in over 100 of its schools using distance education technologies. And that is in addition to the significant time and effort the district has expended in building capacity among its professionals using the proven, powerful G Suite for education. Why is eLearning getting such a bum rap? There’s no good reason other than personal bias that may exist within those in a position to halt progress. Existing statistics show that Newfoundland and Labrador students taking courses online through the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI) experience the same success as do their F2F equivalents. Still, within the district, there seems to be a deeply held disbelief in its own eLearning capacity. Why else were the CDLI’s online courses also suspended along with the rest back in March?
As a veteran educator I admit to being left flummoxed that, after four decades in which electronic technology has proven to be a useful asset, followed by a nightmarish five months in which we have learned that the existence of coronavirus has rendered many of our existing institutional practices obsolete, a school district seems committed to carrying on much the same as it always has. It won’t work.
I draw some comfort from the statement that the current policy is a living document and that the district will continue to monitor and make changes as needed. May I suggest that it start with its own eLearning experts and with those still brave enough to offer the hard-to-swallow advice that needs to be heard?
Maurice Barry
Mount Pearl