How does online teaching affect children?

Schools remain closed up to mid February but not confirmed if they will reopen, many parents and children have been struggling with online teaching.

 

Many schools have moved back to online teaching where many thought this will be a good idea for children not to miss out on education. However, there’s been many struggles for teachers, children and parents with online teaching especially in primary schools.

 

Katie Carew, who’s a ks1 leader and teaches year 6, said: “Our biggest problem was the academic learning, for example children that went from year 5 to year 6 missed out a whole term and once they got to year 6 their learning was quite low and it will get worse because they’re missing another term of school so we’re worried they’re not secondary school ready.”

 

Mrs Carew, has noticed many difficulties that children are facing with online learning and wants them to “do the work but at the same time I don’t want to put any added pressure on the children or families because you could have mums that work all day and having to help their children in their home learning to a particular standard, but that standard isn’t going to be the same standard you would get in class because in class you’re there to help them anytime, whereas online it’s here’s what you need to do and they have to do it independently.”

 

Having children behind screens has had a huge affect on their learning and on their mindset. Penelope Stanley, councillor for children and adolescents “All children will be missing out on structure, on routine, on safety and the familiarity of going into school. For the older children, it’s really having an affect on self-esteem, on anxiety, depression and there’s definitely been a rise in self harming behaviour, suicide ideation and in eating disorders.

 

“For children in primary schools, what they’re missing out on is social skills, so all through primary school it’s not just the academic learning but all those day to day learning how to make friends and how to make up friendships. Children are losing those interactions and that’s going to be a massive challenge when they go back to school and if you’re only 5 or 6 years old that’s a lot of learning time.”

 

Mrs Stanley claimed that “schools should focus on children’s social interactions and mental health. For example, set time in the day where there’s a game which doesn’t include learning but something that focuses on emotions. Playing games where there’s random questions about how you are feeling or whether you’ve been feeling a certain emotion, so it’s just about talking about feelings and giving names to feelings to make that normal.”

 

Boris Johnson has said that the government’s priority is to get children back to classrooms “as soon as possible” but they will not reopen to all pupils after February half-term, but could open from 8th March as this will be the first step to lift the lockdown.

 

If you need any help or tips with your child in home learning click here