Education has been on the front line of COVID-19. For six months now, teachers around the world have been navigating education systems affected by school closures, adapting and improvising to keep their students learning. 

Even as many countries usher their students back into classrooms, with all the fresh challenges that entails, inspiration can be found in the examples of teachers who rose to meet the occasion. They remind us that teachers are more than just conduits for knowledge. They are a vital lifeline for their students, now and during whatever is next.

Remote learning without internet

The challenge faced by Fransiskus Xaverius Faima, a teacher from Indonesia, is a familiar one: how can teachers and students connect if many are not connected to the internet? Internet coverage in Indonesia is fairly high - around 66 percent of people have access - but connectivity rarely stretches beyond urban hubs. While schools are closed, students in remote communities like Faimau’s may not be getting any education at all. Faimau from the Kecil Fatutasu elementary school in East Nusa Tenggara, now travels for hours each day to set up small learning groups. He takes a few students at a time through lessons, gathered around his single laptop. 

Elsewhere in Indonesia, responding to the pandemic has required a creative approach. In West Papua, teachers are working with education consultants to design offline curriculums, printing and distributing materials that creatively integrate students’ home surroundings into their lessons. A simple pot of boiling water, for example, can teach a student much about physics and mathematics. 

For Faimau, all this extra effort is simply part of a teacher’s duty. Education, he understands, works best when it is consistent: “children have to keep learning because if we just leave, they will go back to square one.” His ad-hoc classes may not be able to offer his students everything they would get in a traditional classroom, but, for now, keeping them engaged is enough.

Delivering free school meals

Whilst widespread internet access in the UK has encouraged a national transition to online learning, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges of a different sort. The Western Primary School in Grimsby is situated in a deprived part of town, where four out of ten students receive free school meals. For many, it’s the only good meal they’re guaranteed all day. Zane Powels, the assistant head teacher at Western Primary, recognised the impact lockdown could have on these students. 

Five weeks after schools in England closed, Powels had already delivered more than two thousand meals to students, walking door-to-door, laden with lunch packages containing sandwiches, fruit and snacks. This also allowed him to check up on the children’s wellbeing whilst locked-down at home. 

5 weeks into lockdown and I have walked over 125miles delivering nearly 2000 school meals with a combined weight of over 1100kg. More importantly, children and parents from our school have been supported through these tough times and will continue to be ‘The school that cares’, tweets Powels.

Western Primary is not unique – the centrality of teachers and schools to students’ lives has been thrown into sharp relief during the pandemic, and Powels exemplifies the sense of responsibility felt by teachers everywhere.

Teaching in a truck

In Guanajuato, Mexico, a teacher known only as Nay, recently won widespread praise on Twitter after a picture emerged of her holding a makeshift lesson in the back of her red pick-up truck. She and a student, both masked, sat around a small table, pouring over school work. Nay is an elementary school teacher who specialises in working with children with disabilities such as autism. 

Just over half of people in Mexico have access to the internet. Aware that many of her pupils cannot get online or even have books, she converted her truck into a mobile classroom and travelled for hours a day to sit with them in person. While Nay is insistent that her extra efforts are nothing special, her story does highlight how the pandemic has hit vulnerable students the hardest. In these difficult times, it’s those students who occupy their teachers’ thoughts the most.

These three stories highlight what all teachers know: nothing beats being there in person. The situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve, and the promise of a return to ‘normality’ may be on the horizon. But until then, let’s take inspiration from those teachers who are doing everything to be there for their students.

Cover image published in thejakartapost.com courtesy of teacher Fransiskus Xaverius Faimau.

Fifteen teachers from around the world shared their experiences ensuring that learning continued during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the Teacher Task Force. The challenges that teachers faced and the strategies they developed can guide the next steps in responding to COVID-19 as countries and organizations plan to reopen schools and develop more resilient education systems.

A fine balance: Teaching through the pandemic   

Through their unique stories, key themes have emerged about teachers’ professional and personal challenges during the pandemic. Professional challenges included variations in both their own and their students’ digital literacy and in their ability to access online learning. Teachers also faced the personal challenges of maintaining work-life balance and dealing emotionally with the sudden changes brought on by the pandemic.

Teachers also drew attention to the inherent inequities in education systems and their implications for distance education, in rich and poor countries alike.

Private schools in urban areas are investing in online schooling for their pupils. However, the level of investment is not standardized and not consistent among schools. … Online education is not a feasible option in a country where most people have no access to the Internet.

Nadya Faquir, a teacher from Mozambique

Online learning is based on the assumption that students have the possibility to follow online learning at home. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all students. Less advantaged children have a greater chance of falling behind. 

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Protecting the socio-emotional well-being of students during the return to school, especially where the safety of school spaces is essential for teaching and learning activities, was also highlighted as a challenge.

We also worry about the social and emotional well-being of our students ….[s]chools are more than just places where knowledge is transferred.; it is where children socialize and where they grow. Schools are safe places for those who have unstable homes. How to ensure this at a distance?

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The suddenness of school closures left teachers little time for preparation. It wasn’t clear to some teachers how they should use the different online and distance education tools, and what the implications of these tools were for the practice of teaching and ensuring student learning. Teachers had varying levels of experiences with the use of technology for teaching. For some, the transition to distance education was neither easy nor smooth.  

The news of Covid-19 was so sudden that it had us stunned at first. Nevertheless, we immediately started activating various platforms to be ready to provide distance learning. …The process was not a smooth one though.”

Barbara Riccardi, primary school teacher, Rome, Italy

It was not an easy initiative to take. We didn't have any resources as we were not prepared for this long lockdown. We had no skill regarding video editing. In spite of the challenges, we made it happen.”

Shaila Sharmin, fellow, Teach For Bangladesh

Strategies for ensuring learning doesn’t stop

In developing strategies to continue teaching and learning, teachers have had to consider many factors, including their own access to technology, their understanding of students’ access to and use of technology platforms, and their knowledge of how their students learn. They have adapted their teaching practices accordingly, while remaining emotionally available for students throughout the process.

Teachers have also demonstrated their commitment to using multiple resources to ensure learning continues despite disruption of school schedules and school closures.

I work in a community of extreme poverty, with few resources. Together with teacher colleagues, I have mapped out the best way to work with these students, in view of their social and economic reality.

Débora Garofalo,  a technology teacher in Brazil’s public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat

I have therefore had to adjust my teaching for those who go at a slower pace, due to lack of self-discipline or depression due to isolation. I start each lesson with emotional encouragement, get feedback on how people are feeling, and generally have slowed my pace or expectations…. I have tried to keep it simple as pupils are having a lot of online lessons. ...

Marjorie Brown, Roedean School, South Africa, Varkey teacher prize finalist

Teachers have relied on collaboration with colleagues to develop support systems while navigating the little-known terrain of online teaching and developing technical know-how. Support from colleagues in similar situations has proved to be important while developing online teaching skills. Professional development opportunities appeared to have more effectiveness when these built on or drew from professional collaborations between teachers. Some teachers point to the ongoing need for - and value of - the partnerships and collaborations developed during this phase. 

The strength of our professional community emerged in these early days, as colleagues supported one another making the transition, learning new instructional tools, and discussing how to support learning at a distance […]

 

Wendee White, 5th grade elementary school teacher, Syracuse, NY, United States

When the news arrived that schools would close, we really collaborated as a team. Teachers came together at school for a brief brainstorm session and started transforming the curriculum to an online one in just one day […] what makes it manageable is the fact that we are in it together. Teacher development has accelerated, and peer learning has been central to it […]

Anne-Fleur Lurvink, secondary school teacher, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Another key factor that has emerged in teachers’ responses is the importance of partnerships and communication with parents in ensuring that children’s learning continues. Teachers displayed an awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by parents during the pandemic. This has led teachers to design strategies that involve parents and to encourage collaborative learning between students and parents, wherever feasible.

I help parents and family with tips and suggestions on how to organize the home study routine (offering practical examples) and how to increase the repertoire of activities…I also offer guidance on how to help students to understand whether they have managed to reach all the learning objectives.

 

Débora Garofalo, a technology teacher in the public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat

Strong parent-teacher-child partnerships have been a tremendous asset to the success of online learning.

Wendee White, 5th grade elementary school teacher, Syracuse, NY, United States

Some teacher experiences have also highlighted the need for developing a cautious approach to adopting online learning. In under-resourced contexts and in schools that largely draw students from socio-economically disadvantaged sections of the population, teachers highlight the possibility that adopting online learning may exacerbate inequities in learning. This requires some planning to mitigate growing inequity such as making use of broadcast media or basic printed materials.

Some lessons for planning next steps

Teachers’ experiences vary depending on the country, type of school, subjects taught, access to technology/infrastructure and the socio-economic background of teachers and students. Nevertheless, three main lessons can be gleaned from the testimony shared.  

First, access to online learning infrastructure is crucial to ensure continued learning. Teachers with previous exposure to the use of online technology show a greater readiness to employ it. However, the transition to new teaching and learning methods has not been easy. Teachers have had to deal with challenges such as navigating different technologies and what they can offer, ensuring its suitability for their subject teaching, dealing with personal social and emotional challenges, and meeting the learning needs and socio-emotional needs of their students.

Second, teachers gained a good understanding of the learning needs of their students during the pandemic. This knowledge needs to inform the next steps in the educational response strategy. Teachers have placed at the forefront the needs of their students and addressed the contextual challenges faced by them to access online education or other learning opportunities. As countries plan strategies to assess and build on students’ learning in this phase, drawing on this awareness and knowledge will be crucial. In one of the experiences shared, for example, dialogue by the school involving teachers helped build their confidence and maintain continuity of learning for students.      

Third, several strategies and practices developed by teachers to cope with the demands of school closures, including their experiences using different technology platforms, can be harnessed and used to build the resilience of education systems. Two crucial practices that can be strengthened are building peer support networks, and establishing communication channels with parents to ensure their involvement in students’ learning.   

Listening to teacher experiences and ensuring that teachers’ concerns are adequately addressed – and teaching and learning strengthened – will be critical as countries move into the next phase of developing education responses to the pandemic.

Further reading: Supporting teachers in back-to-school efforts – A toolkit for school leaders

Shanghai, January 2020

I woke up one morning in the Chinese New Year holidays to find we were not going to return to school on February 3 as expected. Instead, we were told to prepare to teach online. As the pandemic spreads all over the world education has to reinvent itself rapidly. Teachers from all over the world have come together on social media to support each other and share experiences during these difficult times. But as I become more conversant with online teaching, my mind is still not at ease. I am one of the privileged ones lucky enough to have access to a huge number of resources. But how about those who are not so lucky? My thoughts were with the people in my home country, Mozambique, and other developing countries where the vast majority of the population has no access to electricity, let alone online learning.

Lara, a 13-year-old eighth grader, starts her day by helping the family with chores around the shack where they live instead of heading to school as she used to do before the terrifying pandemic. Lara and her family live in Manhiça, in the province of Maputo, Mozambique. She attends the Filipe Nyussi School in Maluana. Neither of Lara’s parents has completed primary education. Her father is the sole income provider and he earns about $45 per month, which he needs to manage carefully between food for the family and education for Lara and her seven brothers and sisters.

Despite the difficulties, Lara’s father says his dream is to see his daughter complete her education. He beams with pride as he describes Lara as a smart, passionate, and dedicated student. Sadly, he also expresses a lot of concern about the uncertain future.

Due to the pandemic, schools in Mozambique have closed. Lara’s daily routine has changed dramatically. She must stay at home while her father walks to school to collect school assignments. When he gets home after work, Lara completes the assignments and later submits them for the teachers to review and grade. Occasionally, her father has had to pick up assignments twice, paying up to 160 meticais (about USD 2.40).

Lara is very eager to learn. She is frustrated that while she would spend four  hours a day learning when she could go to school, her current routine only allows her to study for one hour a day. The family agrees that the current level of education is extremely weak, but unfortunately there is little they can do. They complain about the additional costs for the printed material.

Lara and her family have no access to electricity and consequently have no TV or Internet access at home. This type of situation is very common throughout the country. For this reason, schools have resorted to providing written material prepared by the teachers for students to study at home. Many other children in rural areas, especially girls, face similar challenges. While school is meant to be free, many have complained about the fees for the printed material. In addition, not going to school exposes young girls like Lara to hidden risks of premature marriages and/or pregnancies.

Private schools in urban areas are investing in online schooling for their pupils. However, the level of investment is not standardized and not consistent among schools. Some private schools are moving faster with online platforms and online classes to better meet the needs of their students. Nevertheless, they also rely on parents’ willingness or financial ability to invest in access to technology such as Internet connectivity, computers, and mobile devices.

Studies have shown that the quality of education in Mozambique lags behind that of its neighboring countries and the level of school retention for young girls in the country is still a challenge. On top of that, the country also struggles to provide proper training for its teachers.

Online education is not a feasible option in a country where most people have no access to the Internet. While teachers from all over the world get together in social media to collaborate and give education a face-lift, some teachers and schools in less privileged countries are forgotten.

Nadya Faquir

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

In Brazil, where I teach primary and secondary school, 82% of students are in public schools. Due to regional social differences, some of us have to deal with adverse situations. But all regions face related problems and connect in different ways.

I work in a community of extreme poverty, with few resources. Together with teacher colleagues, I have mapped out the best way to work with these students, in view of their social and economic reality. Infrastructure and connectivity resources are lacking, but most families have mobile devices, such as cell phones.

We conducted and made available a study guide to be carried out at home with printed curricular guidelines so that parents could withdraw their children from school at alternate times, so as not to create agglomerations that would pose a danger due to Covid-19. The guidelines included information about the platforms that would be used, such as WhatsApp and social networks, including a Facebook group that we already had for all the classes in the school.

So, in addition to the printed guidelines sent to homes, I started using WhatsApp and Facebook with my classes to disseminate short videos. The videos give them guidance to carry out activities, such as work on various topics from digital literacy to computational thinking and problem-solving skills, but also socio-emotional skills, such as creativity, self-management and self-care.

I proposed to the students some reflections and suggestions for hands-on activities. For example, we made a mechanical hand. I made a sequence of short videos, talking about creativity, telling the story of Leonardo da Vinci and also of sustainability , and the three Rs (recycle, reduce and reuse). Another video talked about the importance of the mechanical hand for industry, saving lives and giving quality of life to people who have lost limbs. Finally, I encouraged them to create a robotic hand using cardboard, string and glue, with a hashtag to post a photo on the Facebook group when the work was done.

WhatsApp also works as a channel to clear up doubts, so I organized daily schedules for my students to let them know when I am available to remedy difficulties and clarify points. This has been effective in helping students to continue their studies.

In addition to my work as a teacher, I write two columns on education in major media. I have used this moment to write to teachers and educational managers about using technology to teach, pointing out information about tools such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Blackboard, Century Tech, and EkStep, among others. I have also written about planning, about designing and applying activities, about assessment and hybrid teaching. I have also provided guidance for class recordings, on topics such as voice intonation, didactic sequence, time, cell phone handling, sound and light, as the vast majority have prepared classes without interactions, only with forums.

I help parents and family with tips and suggestions on how to organize the home study routine (offering practical examples) and how to increase the repertoire of activities. I show them the importance of creating lists of books, films and virtual places, such as museums. I also offer guidance on how to help students to understand whether they have managed to reach all the learning objectives, with such questions as:

• Does the exercise that I got wrong have to do with the content of the previous learning?
• Was there any factor that took my attention away from studies?
• Did I understand the question?
• Did I answer what was asked?
• Did I study the whole topic?

This is a period of new learning for all, in which it is necessary to learn from each other, to listen and find ways to overcome difficulties.

Débora Garofalo is a technology teacher in the public education network and a technology manager at the São Paulo State Education Secretariat. She is an education columnist, a winner of national awards and was in the top 10 of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize 2019.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

TEAM is central to my philsophy of teaching and learning. Through 18 years of teaching, I have found TEAM supports learners develop a sense of belonging to their learning community, which is essential for their social, emotional, and cognitive flourishing.

During the COVID-19 crisis maintaining TEAM has been an essential aspect of ensuring ongoing education provision.

TEAM at a Distance

Professional Community Connection

With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis school staff were quick to mobilize. It was an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to support the transition to distance learning. In the first instance, all children were issued Chrome books to take home for the duration of the crisis, and staff development sessions enabled teachers to make the transition to online learning using Google Classroom. These sessions began in a face-to-face environment and transitioned to online as the ‘Stay at Home’ orders were issued. The strength of our professional community emerged in these early days, as colleagues supported one another making the transition, learning new instructional tools, and discussing how to support learning at a distance. From the Suite of Google Apps, teachers adopted Google Classroom, Google Meet, and JamBoard. Within Google Classroom, Google forms are used for quizzes; videos and interactive online activities from Educational support sites like EdPuzzle, Legends of Learning, ABCYa, and YouTube support learners engage with content.

Weekly Google Meet staff meetings have been an asset – promoting teacher and staff well-being, through opportunity to de-stress, share worries and successes, get Education updates, and to reboot for the week to come. These have highlighted for me, the importance of maintaining a strong professional community connection in order to ensure continued teaching and learning.

Professional development (PD) has been available in-school and at district level. Our school Director of Technology and Media, and the district level Technology Integration Specialist have provided 1:1 and small group instructional support on various technologies via ZOOM and Google MEET. I have benefitted directly, learning how to use Flipgrid, Screencastify, and Google Slides to integrate stop animation into my programming.

A strength of this PD support has been the openness to individual interests. My interest in establishing a District-wide Professional Learning Community Forum has been readily embraced by the District Tech., who acted immediately, setting it up for elementary teachers. Teachers can access the space to support one another through professional discussion and shared practice-related experiences.

Building Community through Parental Connection

I have used technology to develop TEAM-like connections with parents. A key part of TEAM has been working with parents to help them become comfortable and connected with the new learning environment. ‘Google Class tours’ using Google Meet, regular emails, and timely Google Meet drop-in sessions allow parents to connect with me to provide feedback, ask questions, and to troubleshoot dilemmas. Parents have become ‘class members’ to Google Classroom and ClassDojo, where they can track their children’s activity and see a portfolio of  their children’s work. Strong parent-teacher-child partnerships have been a tremendous asset to the success of online learning.

Nothing Like Routine: Keeping Students Connected

Developing an online TEAM with the children has been essential to ensure their ongoing learning. Routine has been an important element. Children use Google Classroom to access their daily schedule, and lesson activities. We meet every morning for our Morning Meeting, which involves many of the same routines that defined our first 30 minutes of ‘normal’ in-class activity.  Adding to this, ClassDojo has been an invaluable resource to maintain a focus on working together. I can take attendance, share videos that support Social Emotional Learning topics; use positive incentives; and create student portfolios. All of these features mirror routines the children had in the classroom, which has supported maintaining their class-connectedness.

As a school, we have developed a Daily News programme, written and hosted by our P.E. teacher. This program continues the routines that defined the beginning of our in-school, school day including birthday announcements, certificate awards, prayers and Pledge lead by 6th Graders via video recording.  The Daily News hosts photos that children send in, showcasing activities they have participated in and work that they have completed. It is a valuable sharing time that consolidates our connectedness as a community.

A Different Way to Teach

This crisis has certainly challenged my creativity, innovation, and flexible approaches to practice. It has underscored the importance of continued professional learning. Adopting a distance learning approach with children has demanded complex thinking – trying to ensure the social, emotional aspects are included; trying to be sure the children are connected as learners; and trying to introduce new concepts with tools that don’t always support practices essential for children’s learning, takes resilience, constant reflection, and a willingness to ‘have another go’!

Wendee White

5Th Grade Elementary School Teacher, Syracuse, NY, USA

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

As a head teacher, I have always felt that teaching means not only getting the curricular content right and imparting that knowledge. It also means encouraging children to think for themselves by making them mindful of their lives and giving them the skills they need to go about various things. I have always felt that the usual school processes should not be so rigid. Until children spend some extra time sitting idle, how will they realize the power of discipline and commitment?

The Covid-19 lockdown measures have really helped me find the answer to a question that has been nudging me for a long time: “Is it really necessary that learning and teaching should be confined to the four walls of the classroom? The new answer in this situation comes out to be “Absolutely not”. Technology has really made this big globe local to us. Physical presence hardly matters. What really matters is the right tools and the pertinent approach to use them.

 In 2008 I read that there is a lot of work going on to make things e-accessible and that the future will bring user-friendly and self-teaching devices. I didn’t realize this until this lockdown that that world has arrived. Within a few days I had learnt to use and operate Zoom, Jitsy, Microsoft Team, Google Hangouts and many other platforms. The e-world has become the new reality!

Within a week I was teaching my students through an app. I received formal training from agencies but I learned most things by testing and trying. At first it wasn’t an easy to survive on e-mode (electronic/virtual/online mode) but after a few days I could see that technology does work most of the time, despite occasional disturbances, virtual distractions and audio-video problems. Initially I thought teaching through this new delivery mode was one-way communication but soon I realized that the sessions can be made lively by adding polls, surveys and videos sandwiched in between the sessions. The technology stunned me because in rural schools we just cannot afford to build in so much variety.

In the first few days, it was more a kind of game and the attendance of the students was also high but soon I realized that attendance was dropping and the joy of a new game was over. The reasons could be many: maybe a network problem, maybe the voice wasn’t audible for the students, maybe they were so busy helping the fathers harvest and mothers to cook, maybe my screen wasn’t visible or – the worst one! –  perhaps my class wasn’t interesting. When I checked the chat box, however, suddenly the conversations became two-way – the children had been on mute. They started to share their problems in the chat box.

As for myself, I was feeling distracted due to various noises but soon I realized that I needed to stop multitasking and be mindful and convey the same to my students. I finally taught them a HOTS (high order thinking skill) of mindfulness.

Whenever you feel that response is weak and attendance is poor, students are just a phone call away. Good communication and effectively convincing students why they need to study comes handy. And my country, India, has a family-oriented culture so it is always easy to make calls to parents and get the folks back to classes.

However, bad networks, high charges for data and high costs for devices are a real challenge. These could be removed by providing a free, subsidized network. Village and city libraries could be converted into virtual rooms with laptops, tablets and internet connections. If learning is free, anybody has the power to become anything.

Dr Neeru Arora

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

Greetings to you all from Turkey. My name is Nurten Akkuş. I am a Global Teacher Prize Top 10 Finalist. I am a preschool teacher –my students are between the ages of 3 and 6. I work in a socio-economically disadvantaged area, where I seek to change and improve people’s lives with education. I attach great importance to paying attention to the individual characteristics of my students. We have made our class and school suitable for the development of my students. We enjoy education by having fun and discovering together. Before the coronavirus entered our lives, we had a great school environment. However, suddenly we had to move this educational environment that we created to digital media.

The virus first reached our country in early March. Everyone was in panic as the world woke up to the epidemic and thousands of people died. Our health ministry and state administrators gave out information about precautions to take. The schools were on vacation. People in our country were called on to “stay home” to try to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

Around the world, we are having a very difficult time. Schools are closed in many countries. We cannot teach face to face. But we are teachers. Our students and their families are always very important to us. It was very difficult to explain this situation to all our students, because we loved learning and school with our students. Families and children were very worried about the virus. I wanted to reduce anxiety before we began teaching online. I had to increase their motivation.

First of all, I talked to the families. I told them that although we need to pay attention to the news, excessive anxiety will be negative in children. I did family education online. We constantly communicate with the groups we have created with them.

Then I spoke to my students online. It was a different experience for them. I told them how we should pay attention to cleaning, and what the virus is, in a simple way suitable for age groups. I asked the children to make part of their home an activity centre. They made their home environment fun.

A great system was made by our Ministry of National Education. Distance education was supported with TV channels. Online training content, game activities and books were prepared. We have set up an online classroom with this system. We share our daily activities there. We also share the daily education flow with the families and enable them to participate in these activities. We carry out many activities with our students such as art, science, plant breeding, vital skills training, free activities, drama, design, mathematics and language education. Through this process, psychological support has been provided for students and families in our country.  

All teachers are constantly communicating with their students in Turkey. Distance education methods and educational content are further developed by our Ministry of National Education. Despite the fact that my students are young, they are obliged to learn via distance learning methods. Families and teachers take an active role in the distance education process. I have given lectures in Turkey and many different countries. But I am giving online conferences right now. Teachers always believe that face-to-face education is very important. This is absolutely true, however, teachers now think that given the critical situation in the world, opportunities for distance education should be well known.

The Varkey Foundation, which works to build the capacity of teachers, offers a great chance for teachers to meet online to discuss methods in different countries of the world.

In a very short time, we have become used to living with digital life and learning. Of course, we miss being with our students and our school. They also miss us. However, my students’ health is very important. And they should not miss out on their education. I hope this epidemic ends as soon as possible in both my country and the rest of the world, so that all people in the world are healthy and that all children can go back to school.

Nurten Akkuş

Nurten Akkuş was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

From the start of this global pandemic, my aims have been to help protect the health and wellbeing of my students, to maintain some continuity in routine, and to meet my students’ learning needs. As I have adapted and evolved, four principles have framed my teaching response:

• Keep it simple. Pedagogy and relationships over tech tools.
• Keep learning pared back to what is essential.
• Focus on keeping up connections and relationships – that’s what matters.
• Don’t stress about high stakes assessment.

I know that the learning experiences I design on campus cannot be easily replicated through distance learning. In a short space of time I have learned how to: use the tools online learning offers; balance synchronous and asynchronous connections and collaboration (if you have ever watched a YouTube video for 60 minutes you will understand what I am trying to avoid!); and establish trust and cultivate engagement in an online environment.

At the beginning of each week, I post the instructions for learning on the school learning management system. A weekly videoconference check-in is followed by a series of short assigned prompts or projects, classes are divided into smaller online tutorial groups on discussion boards, and office hours are made explicit to respond to questions and to provide feedback.

The transition has been challenging and the superhuman efforts demonstrated by the entire global teaching profession under trying circumstances have been impressive. There have been teething problems and I have trusted my professional judgement. I am, after all, learning how to teach via distance in the middle of global pandemic.

There is a steep learning curve in the first week, online fatigue needs to be managed, and I have had to rethink how to engage students and have empathy for their experience. It is really important to connect with students online and design tasks that are interactive. It gets easier after the initial learning curve.

My students are also adapting the ways in which they learn and this has been a large adjustment. They have been brilliant, demonstrating independence, developing their ability to self-regulate, and coping with frustrations. When I asked them for one word to describe their feelings about distance learning, replies included: “neutral”, “open-minded”, “curious”, “different”, “interesting”, “excited”, “isolated”, “relaxing”, “flexible”, and “unsure”.

Parents have modelled patience and partnership. Two examples from emails I received:

“We are very appreciative of everything the school is doing to keep our children connected and moving forward. Thank you to all the staff for their amazing work.”

“Our three children have had to manage the changing learning environment without us being physically present to support them. Despite the rapidly changing environment, they have coped extremely well and I am proud of their resilience and the positive perspective they are bringing to this difficult time.  I attribute much of the ease of this transitional period to the approach and support provided by the school.”

I am providing opportunities for parents and students to give feedback as I navigate and fine tune my distance teaching techniques. My teaching skills are evolving and I am enjoying the stimulation, collegiality and creativity of this steep professional learning curve.

Cameron Paterson

Cameron Paterson was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

"What if lessons were like stories! What if we could watch those like cartoons on the TV!! Wouldn’t it be great fun, if lessons could float like clouds, in front of the eyes?  Learning could be more fun then. Again, if there is any time, when we are far from our school and teachers and we are unable to understand even an easy lesson; what can we do then?  Keeping this in mind, we came up with this endeavour.”

These words are from the description box of the Facebook page “The Online Teacher”. Let’s find out about the background story!

I am Shaila Sharmin, currently working as a teaching fellow for Teach for Bangladesh. I teach grade 4 and 5 students in a government primary school in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Like all other students all over the country, my students were preparing for a class party on 17th March, which is National Children's Day in our country. They made all the arrangements, decorated the classroom and ordered the cake. But suddenly the notice came to immediately shut all the educational institutions in the country before their party day. At first, the students thought that they had 14 days’ vacation. They were heartbroken, but they thought they could make it after the short vacation. We had no idea how long it was going to be.

When reality hit, we all found out that it is going to be an uncertain period of time. A colleague of mine, Atia, while communicating with students and asking about their life and study, realized that students did not have any scope for learning. They do not have anyone in their family who can help them regarding study. Fellows are their teachers whether the school remains open or not. 

Another fellow, Sanjida was maintaining contact with her students and giving them mental support. One of her students, who was top of her class, said, “Apa, when will the school will open? I have no teacher, no homework, I have nothing to study because I can’t solve some lessons by my own. I am getting bored at home and I will not get good marks in the examination if this situation continues.” After hearing the urge of her student to learn, Sanjida tried to support some of them over the phone. But it was not very feasible idea.

Analyzing all these events, I asked myself how prepared I was to face this problem. I thought there must be an alternative way to reach her students. So, Atia, Sanjida and I came up with an idea to support our students by making educational videos and sending them through the Internet.

We were determined to continue teaching and learning because life can’t stop in this lockdown. We gathered our ideas and thoughts. Initially we thought of making videos and sending them to our students. But then we realized we could post them on Facebook and upload them to YouTube. This could be useful for many students around the country. So we started to plan, selecting topics. We named their project The Online Teacher. We opened a Facebook page named The Online Teacher and created a YouTube channel. The videos are 5-10 minutes long so viewers don’t get bored. We are writing up scripts, gathering material, shooting them, editing the videos and finally uploading them to both Facebook and YouTube. We started by sending them to students to make sure they are understandable.  

Using this platform, we are trying to make comprehensible video lessons of Bangla, English, Math, General Science, Bangladesh and Global Studies and Fine Arts for grade 1-5; and to reach as many students as possible all over the country. We are also giving mental health support through messages and live sessions. We are not only focusing on textbook-related content but also trying to cover history and life-related knowledge.

We are seeking feedback from their students and asking them on which topic they need the videos. The students are also enjoying seeing their teacher on the screen and learning by themselves. But it was not an easy initiative to take. We didn't have any resources as we were not prepared for this long lockdown. We had no skill regarding video editing. In spite of the challenges, we made it happen. When you want to make a difference, you will find your way to your goal.

Teach for Bangladesh serves students who are from very challenging economic backgrounds.  A little care can have a great impact on them in this pandemic situation. Engaging those students with studying also helps keep them from anxiety and depression. COVID-19 has shown us many challenges. Our good work must go on because we believe doing something is better than doing nothing.

— Shaila Sharmin

Fellow, Teach For Bangladesh

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

I have been a physics teacher in secondary school (grades 9-12) for twenty-five years, and during that time have always been sure to share and publish things I do with students to provide examples and ideas that may benefit my teacher colleagues and their students. The easiest way to share is to put everything online, so that both students and other teachers may access resources at any time. Whether having a live classroom of students or teaching an online course, which I have done with Northwestern University, having Internet platforms on which to put teaching and learning resources has always been part of what I do as a teacher, and I recommend all teachers begin to take this approach if the technology is available. While never being in a situation like we have now because the COVID-19 crisis, where teachers must move materials online for students, the transition for me during this crisis is minimal since I am already setup for online teaching and learning.

There are numerous online platforms on which to put classroom resources, as well as video conferencing platforms that can be used to hold live class sessions with students or meetings with colleagues. With technology, we can make distance learning as close to a live class session as possible. For my students, the everyday class materials are on a Google web page that is linked through my school’s website. I have separate folders for each class, so students can access the appropriate material. I also have maintained a separate class blog for years. This is a normal tool students are used to accessing since many of the posts come from student recommendations they want to share with everyone. On the blog, I have different pages dedicated to different activities and resources students find helpful and interesting. For example, before the era of Khan Academy and online ‘how to’ lessons, I had already been making screencast videos of most of the topics I cover in my physics classes and formed an online library of over 100 videos for students.  In the past, the reason for doing these videos was primarily for two reasons: for students to have a resource outside of school when working on homework and needing to review the material at their own pace; and when a student misses a day, I can provide the appropriate video for them to watch and see what we did for that topic. There is also an increase in views before exams, when students are reviewing the relevant topics. Each video is stored on YouTube, and the videos are public for any student or teacher to use.

With the current situation, I post video links for students to watch either before (i.e. a ‘flipped’ classroom) or after an online class session. My preferred videoconferencing tool is Zoom. Teachers can open a free Zoom account that allows for 40-minute sessions. Students do not need Zoom accounts, but only a link that the teacher can post on a web page or email to students. I record each class session, put the video on YouTube, and then share with students on the class blog. If a student is absent or needs to review the class session, they can watch at their convenience. On a class website, teachers can post homework sets, labs, worksheets, assignments, help resources, articles and any other videos or websites. Students email me questions, or can organize virtual study groups through chatrooms, shared Google Documents, Facetime, Zoom, or Skype; or they can call each other on a phone. I setup Google Sheets for each group of students to share questions about materials, but also share new things they are trying during down-time while being in isolation: keep a focus on student mental and emotional health, because they will get lonely and will miss being in school!  Do NOT overwhelm them with too much work, because this is new for them, too.

I am fortunate my school has wonderful supports in place to help all teachers and students with this transition to e-Learning. We have staff dedicated to providing numerous online options and training staff on how to use the technology. We have Zoom department meetings to share what we are doing with our classes, and have email and texting groups for each discipline so teachers can support each other. The best advice I offer is to have good communication with both colleagues and students: listen to everyone and learn, and get feedback from students. Students are the ones who matter – they are getting different presentations from different teachers, and will tell you what works and does not work if you ask them! We need to be sure we are listening to the students so we can best serve them.

Mark Vondracek

Mark Vondracek was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.