With remote learning and home schooling becoming a huge part of our lives throughout the pandemic, it goes without saying that it hasn’t come without challenges.
Thanks to this country’s fantastic teaching staff who have adapted fantastically to the ever-changing situation, children have been able to receive the best education possible given the strange times.
Below you can read about just a few of the challenges that teaching staff have had to face during the pandemic and as they navigate the remote teaching of their classes. If you’re looking for a new teaching position in London, please contact the recruitment team at Red Box today.
Preparing for Technical Issues
With most virtual learning taking place online, there are bound to be problems arising. Whether it is an unstable network or misplaced logins, it goes without saying that relying on technology is an added challenge when it comes to home schooling.
Preparation is key when it comes to working with technology, something teachers have had to show true resilience with. Having a separate group chat to discuss tech issues is just one of the methods that teachers have adopted should one of these inevitable problems occur.
Issues with logging in can be addressed with extra time for pupils to test out their logins prior to their designated lesson time, something that teachers have shown resilience and proactiveness to arrange amongst their classes to ensure everyone can access the online resources properly.
Keeping Students Engaged
When it comes to lesson planning, keeping pupils focussed and engaged is always at the forefront of teachers’ minds. Learning from home compared with normal classroom education provides pupils with an entirely different environment, which means keeping them engaged can be even more challenging.
One of the benefits of using more technology in virtual lessons is that teachers can use interactive tools such as quizzes, questionnaires and resources to complement the onscreen information that students will read and take notes from.
Feedback quizzes or mini-tests are also a great way for teachers to keep track of students’ progress, something else that is more challenging through remote learning.
Avoiding Distractions
One of the most obvious challenges that come with remote learning is the increase of distractions that pupils have at home. Their homes are usually the place where they can relax and spend their evenings, so using this same space for their schooling can be a confusing concept.
Not everyone will have a designated office space in their homes that their children can use for schooling, so teachers have had to come up with effective ways to not only keep pupils engaged, but to reiterate the importance of their education.
Communicating with parents and caregivers that it is vital that students have a quiet environment during remote lesson time is important to ensure that distractions are kept down to a minimum, helping to differentiate lesson time and relaxation time.
Virtual Staff Rooms
Remote teaching can take its toll on teaching staff too. Many schools have introduced a virtual online staff room, meaning that staff can take breaks as they usually would, taking time to catch up with fellow teaching staff and exchange remote teaching ideas.
Working from home in any sector can feel isolating, particularly when you are used to working in a busy, fast-paced environment such as a school, so it has been important to check in with colleagues and friends to ensure morale and mental health is where it should be.
Want to Get into Teaching? Contact Red Box Teaching Recruitment Today
If you’re interested in teaching and are keen to know more about any teaching job vacancies in London, please contact Red Box today. Our teaching recruitment team will be more than happy to discuss your options with you.
Please call 01932 247000, or leave your message with us using the online contact form.
