Corona crisis hits vulnerable students hard: 'I'm worried'
Online teaching is the solution during the corona crisis to continue education as well as possible. Yet there are also students who do not have an iPad, laptop or WiFi. What do you do as a teacher? "I'm worried about my students."
Picture: Type tank
A teacher in group 6 at a primary school in Eindhoven worked very hard to get education on track: “On Monday we started to consult and figured out how we could tackle this. We notified parents and sent everyone personal login details. On Tuesday morning we mapped out who did not have digital resources. In my class it concerned six of the eighteen students. ”
On Tuesday morning we mapped out who did not have digital resources
The Eindhoven teacher watched who had not yet logged in and started on assignments. “We called these students and they were able to pick up a laptop on Wednesday. In the meantime, our IT specialist was looking into how we could remove the security from the computers so that students can use them at home.”
Lending
All parents of her students received a letter from the school with an explanation. Every day, between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., parents receive an email with the tasks: 'must-tasks' and 'may-tasks' are on the schedule for each day. “Our calculation method and spelling method are in Gynzy Kids, the students have to do something about it every day. Just like language, reading comprehension and world orientation. ” Mag tasks include reviewing educational programs, exercise, or something creative.
The school believes it is important to lend the laptops to the students. "The parents with whom it is so difficult to arrange or who do not understand it well are often also the parents of children who are very likely to fall behind, especially in the area of language," says the teacher, who does not want to be named out of caution. with sensitivities in parents. She now works a lot from Gynzy Kids because she can then see how the lessons are made and because instructional videos are already included. "For many of my students, the guidance from home is minimal."
Repeat
In Winterswijk at the newcomers school Het Pyriet of Maartje van den Brand, there are also concerns. “Especially about the students who were almost allowed to go to regular education. In three weeks, a good part will have subsided if you don't repeat it.” The teacher says that hardly any student has a laptop. “Parents get a weekly budget. They often have a mobile phone, but you cannot do school assignments on it. It means they're falling behind."
Teacher Maartje van den Brand says that almost no student has a laptop at her school
Because the students have just arrived in the Netherlands, they do not speak the language. “Our teaching is mainly oral and all lessons are saturated with Dutch words that we repeat. They often do not understand instructions in workbooks. And parents cannot help them yet. ” The students of the school love the school. “Now that recreation is also closed, there is little left for them. That is very unpleasant. ”
Argument
Yesterday, teacher Debbie Dussel from Obs Bijlmerhorst posted an argument on her Facebook page in which she shared her concerns with her followers. She is afraid that the backlog will increase further. “This school closure and situation is disastrous for my students who already have a more difficult starting position. It increases the inequality of opportunities. ” 50 percent of Dussel's students need care. “This could be because they are in a problematic home situation or because they have language or behavioral problems. We fulfill a social function as a school. There isn't one now and the community centers are also closed. ”
This school closure and situation is disastrous for my students who already have a more difficult starting position
Her school has also borrowed laptops. “For me it was half of my class. I have not yet been able to reach two students. ” There are no motivation problems, says Dussel. “After I celebrated my birthday, students helped clean up the classroom. A student then said that she did not hope that the school would close because that is all she has to do. ”
Summer schools
Dussel therefore argues for an expansion of the summer schools, where you get lessons for four mornings and undertake a fun activity in the afternoon. “We need a national subsidy for this. I now have to accept that the backlogs will increase, but we also have to look ahead. There is still time for a summer school.” Another option is to 'compact' lessons and focus on language and math. “Without frills,” says Dussel. “Teach only the core subjects so that language and arithmetic are in order.”
