For this week’s Friday Fun, I have called upon a close family-friend, Allison Groen, who has just recently finished her third year of Concurrent Education at Queen’s University. She’s going to be a teacher. Specifically, she’s going to be a high school teacher. I asked her a few questions regarding her own experience with the Covid-19 schooling transformation and how she thinks the world of education that she spends her whole life learning about will change in the coming months, years and indefinitely.
First of all, what has quarantine been like for you? How has your life changed in the pandemic?
It took a global pandemic in order for me to appreciate the little things in life. This new life has required a lot of adjusting. The hardest part is the idea of ‘having nothing to look forward to’. There are no longer nights out with your friends, going out for dinner with colleagues, and actually watching a movie in a theatre. However, with all that being said, I think that my relationship with my family has altered and I have been able to bond with them more. I have also found new workout routines and have found myself accomplishing different fitness goals that would have never been accomplished if I continued working out at a gym.
How has the quarantine effected your education in particular? Did you complete your year online? What was that like?
I completed the last three weeks of second semester online. Personally, I have never taken online courses because I know that that is not the kind of learner that I am. As a result, I did not like learning online for the last three weeks. Zoom is extremely awkward because you’re in a class with hundreds of other students. It is much more difficult to contact your professor and receive adequate feedback to succeed. I think that you spend a large portion of time, just trying to figure out how to navigate the online system which is a waste of valuable learning time. Lastly, completing assignments and final exams online was not only difficult but extremely dull. The content did not provide an enriched learning experience.
As someone just starting in the teaching world, how do you think teaching might change post-Quarantine?
The education sector is just one of the many things that will forever be changed as a result of Covid-19. I think that remote learning will become more common. With remote learning becoming a more prominent aspect of education, future educators will be required to take more mandatory courses on how to work certain websites and computer programs. I think that students will be more tech-savy than the previous generation. I think that all assignments will be handed in online and there will be no hard copies of worksheets, assignments, or textbooks.
How do you think the ways we study education and pedagogy behind teaching will change post-quarantine?
Post-Quarantine, I think that there will be more emphasis on learning how to work computer programs and how to effectively incorporate them into the everyday classroom. I think there will also be knowledge provided on ‘safe and appropriate websites’. There also will be rules that will be required and a lot of the studying will be focused on if students require more rules while working remotely or less rules. Lastly, I believe a major area of study will revolve around academic integrity. With everything online, it is much easier to cheat and use copy and paste. This prevents students from creating their own ideas. The pedagogy behind teaching post-quarantine will revolve around academic integrity in a technology-based classroom.
What are your thoughts on online learning? Do you think it works well with older kiddos? Younger ones? Both? Neither?
In my opinion, I think online learning hinders the overall academic experience for students of all ages. The lessons taught in a classroom go well-beyond the scope of mathematic and English curriculum. Students learn life-skills such as behaviour management, working with others, and the ability to effectively communicate. All of this is lost when the learning experience occurs remotely.
Do you have any predications for readjusting after quarantine both for your personal education and the education sector in general?
I think it is inevitable that learning will move more towards a remote environment. I think everyone needs to focus on creating a positive environment where they can effectively learn and study within their house. By creating a workspace that will allow for better focus which will lead to an overall better academic success
~End of Interview~
A big huge thank you to Allison for taking the time out of her busy summer course schedule to sit down and interview for me. Stay safe everyone!
Stay-At-Home Schooling 