COVID-19 Transformation in Education

Learning Under COVID-19 Was Topic of Grinnell Rotary Club Meeting on  Jan. 5, 2021:

 

Brian Conway, principal of Grinnell Davis Elementary School and Middle School, briefed Rotarians on the impact that COVID-19 has had on the way education is delivered to students in these schools.  Over the past three to four years distance learning has become more popular in college and company training. The new methods developed in these settings became models as educators faced the challenging task of rethinking how learning could continue and/or be maintained at the onset of COVID 19 in the spring of 2019 as the Grinnell/Newburg School District completely shutdown.

 

Conway said the remaining weeks of 2019-20 school year were highly stressful and extremely challenging for educators, students, and parents.  The entire summer was spent putting together a comprehensive "Return to Learn Plan."  The plan outlined goals for students K-8 that could be achieved through in-person learning or a distance learning platform commonly referred to as "online learning," or a combination of methods while keeping safety as a top priority.  The plan ensured that the social and emotional needs of students were as equally important as content, knowledge, and skills. 

 

Several technical and training needs were identified during plan development that had to be met in order  to achieve the educational goals.  The school district partnered with the community to obtain all the hardware, including laptops, and software resources necessary for the plan. Hot spots were identified to ensure internet access was available for all students.   

 

In Sept. 2020,  the "Return to Learn Plan" was approved and executed.  A hundred percent in-person class room was offered, with online learning as an alternative option. The model for in-person learning consisted of a self-contained classroom with no intermixing of students. This protocol was also followed during recess and outdoor activities.   Contact tracing was implemented to track/identify students potentially exposed to COVID-19.

 

Virtual learning utilizes the software platform called ZOOM. Training in the use of Zoom, including etiquette practices, was extremely important.    Both in-person and virtual students receive in-classroom instructional teaching at the same time.  Virtual learning students work on their classroom written assignments offline, uploading finished assignments to a Virtual Library that teachers are able to access to review, grade, and provide feedback as necessary. Virtual students on an average participate in online activities two to three hours a day.  Homerooms are utilized by both in-person and virtual students.  These joint participation time periods are valuable  for distance learning students  to feel connected with their friends.  Maintaining a homeroom class room setting will hopefully assist in adjusting back to an in-person classroom.

 

The mandatory two-week in-person class room shut down that occurred in Nov. 2020 provided valuable feedback regarding the success of the "Return to Learn Plan."  During this time all students were challenged with being educated through the use of Internet.  Students, parents, and educators became more confident with the distance learning methodology.  Data transmission was resilient.  All students had the hardware and software to effectively learn outside the classroom. Special needs students had to be taught the new technology and asked to participate whenever possible.

 

Although the summer months were tough, all teachers felt they had grown as educators and were not afraid to experiment with new learning methods through the process of  trial and error. They had  met their over arching goal,  which was to be able to serve/teach students in a variety of circumstances.  January will be a month of testing the students's English and Math progress using the Grade Level Standards.  These tests will be one tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Return to Learn Plan." So far, teachers and administrators are very pleased with the accomplishments that have been demonstrated thus far during the 2020-21 school year.  

 

As Brian Conway mentioned, "There are many reasons to celebrate!"  Our teachers and staff are commended for a JOB WELL DONE!