Learning Gaps due to COVID-19

Educators Identify Learning
Gaps due to COVID-19

More than half of public K-12 educators say the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant loss of both academic and social-emotional learning for students, according to a March 2021 Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) report.

The report, Closing the Learning Gap, shares insights from the March 2021 Horace Mann Voice of the Educator Study, which surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. K-12 educators to gain insight into the educational challenges caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the findings:

• Over 97% of educators reported loss of learning by their students over the past year when compared with children in previous years.

• A majority (57%) of educators estimated their students are behind by more than three months in their social-emotional learning progress.

• When asked what the biggest obstacle to return to a “normal” education environment was, nearly half (47%) of educators cited a wider gap between academically struggling and high-performing students.

“For 75 years, Horace Mann has been dedicated to helping educators achieve lifelong financial success, driven by our desire to help those who are taking care of our children,” said Horace Mann President and CEO Marita Zuraitis. “That appreciation and respect has only deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators are working harder than ever to meet the needs of their students through an environment of constant change, and we are inspired by their enduring commitment to help each student reach their full potential.”
 

The good news for students is the 2021-2022 school year has strong potential to look more like a pre-pandemic learning environment. Teachers are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in all 50 states. The Centers for Disease Control lessened social distancing requirements to three feet from six feet for students in most classroom settings, a development largely expected to spur more schools to re-open. Several manufacturers are testing their vaccines on children and expect to release clinical trial results over the summer.

With that in mind, educators have a wealth of ideas to best support students’ progress going forward:

• 53% see a need for a narrower focus on grade-level standards to ensure students learn the most important concepts for their grade level.

• 34% would like more paraprofessionals to provide targeted support to struggling students.

• 30% requested access to more social-emotional learning resources to help students process the events of the past year.

In the Horace Mann study, teachers stressed the need for transparency and involvement in workplace decisions as administrators weigh how to adjust academic practices and curriculum. Many educators emphasized the need for flexibility in adapting to the ever-changing challenges of the pandemic, and patience as teachers, administrators, students and parents navigate an environment none of them have ever faced before.

“In the midst of the upheaval of the 2020-2021 school year, 93% of educators said they were proud of how they adapted their teaching to meet the needs of students, whether in a remote, hybrid or socially distanced in-person learning environment,” said Horace Mann National Business Solutions Executive Kelly Ruwe. “Teachers’ experience on the front lines will be invaluable in charting the way forward: Surfacing new issues that need to be addressed, sharing successful approaches, and advising how our communities can band together to help our children succeed.”

The full report, “Closing the Learning Gap: How frontline educators want to address lost learning due to COVID-19” is available at horacemann.com/closing-the-learning-gap. And for information on ways VHES can help your child catch up in their studies, please visit our website. 

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Reading Strategies: Academic Coaching Specialist - Washington DC, Northern VA, Charlotte NC, Richmond VA

There is a host of tools at the student's disposal for interacting with what we are reading. The concept is known as active reading and it will work to increase comprehension and retention of information. Try out some of the strategies below. 

BEFORE YOU READ:
•    Z – Sweep:  Performing a Z-Sweep will help you understand what lies ahead. Move your hand from the left to the right under the first line, then back around through the body of the text, and then finish with a sweep from left to right at the bottom. Read the first sentence, glance or sweep through the body, and then read the last one or two sentences. By using this strategy, you can gain a cross-section of what you are about to read. 

•    SCAN:  This strategy significantly improves text book reading comprehension in middle and high school students.
S = Survey Headings and Turn Them into Questions
Find each bold heading, and turn it into a question. For example, if the heading is The War of 1812, you should think, “What happened in The War of 1812?”
C = Capture the Captions and Visuals
Glance at the pictures or diagrams and read each caption.
A = Attack Boldface Words
Be sure to focus on the terms in bold. Quickly read these words for an understanding of the main vocabulary words.
N = Note and Read the Chapter Questions
This is perhaps the most important pre-reading strategy. Read the review questions at the end of the section first. This will help with the main idea behind the passage.

AS YOU READ OR AFTER YOU READ:
•    Highlighting:  Using color helps to increase attention.  Highlight the main points and be careful not to become “highlighter crazy”.  Highlight the main points after you read a section.  As yourself, “What’s the main point of the paragraph I just read?”

•    Margin Notes:  Questions or comments jotted in the margins next to important paragraphs provide visual cues.  Writing down quick notes as you read really helps with retention.  Furthermore, when you go back over the book before finals, all the main ideas will be there for you. 

•    Summary Writing:  Summarizing information is time-consuming, but it is the best way to be sure that you understand and remember what you read.  You can write brief summaries at the end of each chapter or at the bottom of your 2-column notes.  If you write a summary within 24 hours of taking notes or reading, you’re much more likely to retain the information.

Contact us and you can start working with a tutor on active reading strategies!  

All About Learning Styles

What are learning styles?

Learning styles can differ from student to student. Learning styles are the approach an individual takes in learning, or acquiring and assimilating new information. If the student can discover how he or she learns best; the individual will know what strategies and study techniques to employ, in order to accommodate one’s learning style. 

Primary types of learning styles:
1.   Visual
2.   Auditory
3.   Kinesthetic or experiential 

Who are visual learners?
•    Don’t like long speeches
•    Responds to viewing charts, pictures, and graphs
•    Enjoys observation
•    Enjoys visual stimulation
•    Develops images in their mind
•    Thinks in terms of images and pictures
Visual recommendations:  
•    Watch your teacher’s body language and pick up on certain cues
•    Keep a notebook and pencil readily available
•    Write material over and over again
•    Draw pictures to help associate what your notes mean
•    Utilize technology: computer, tablets, laptops, apps, and other media
•    Ask questions in class and stay involved
•    Visualize information as a story 

Who are auditory learners?
•    Prefers oral instruction
•    Not a fan of lengthy notes
•    Diagnoses meanings through tone and voice
•    Responds well to speech and lecture format
•    Talks ideas through in their head
•    Picks up quickly on words, pitch, and voice nuances
Auditory recommendations: 
•    Talk things out to yourself
•    Try to use word analogies
•    Say information out loud, over and over for memorization
•    Practice classroom presentations
•    Get involved in debates
•    Use songs and melodies to aid in memorization
•    Converse with friends about your ideas
•    Read words out loud when proofreading 

Who are kinesthetic or experiential learners?
•    Likes to touch and handle objects
•    Uses their hands when communicating
•    Design oriented
•    Enjoys using tools and equipment
•    Responds well to activities: painting, drawing, or physical activities
•    Sitting for long periods of time is not easy
•    Willing to take more chances
•    Attracted to exploring
Kinesthetic or experiential recommendations:
•    Take breaks when studying
•    Switch up topics frequently
•    Do more physical things when studying: walk around, ride an exercise bike, play with a squishy ball, read notes while doing chores, chew on taffy
•    Make your work desk colorful and intriguing
•    Visualize your work from beginning to end
•    Play soft music in the background
•    Have parents and friends proofread your work
•    Use bright colors for highlighting reading passages
•    Glance over a passage first to get a feel for it 

Learn more about how our tutoring services can help your child! 

Tips for Homework Success

1)    Show your child how to be and stay organized
2)    Get rid of as many distractions as possible
3)    Create a plan for tackling homework assignments
4)    Get your child to see how homework can relate to tasks in everyday life
5)    Support your child and provide encouragement
6)    Make your child look up to you by working on a task at the same time
7)    Be interested in what your child is working on 

These tips should help get you and your child set in the right direction!

Learn more about homework help and Academic Coaching by contacting us today.