Teachers Want to Improve Online Learning Skills, but Training Uneven
2020-08-12
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1The COVID-19 crisis caused public schools in the United States to shut their doors in March.
2But that did not mean the school year ended early.
3Instead, educators quickly developed, trained for and established emergency distance-teaching operations, many employing e-learning elements.
4Most school systems restarted operations within a few weeks and completed the year by late June.
5But the change to virtual learning settings was difficult for many teachers and produced mixed results for students across the country.
6Aimee Rodriguez Webb, a teacher in the state of Georgia, was among those who had a rough transition to online education.
7So, like many other teachers, she is working now to improve her e-teaching before the new school year opens in the fall.
8Rodriguez Webb bought camera equipment and a large new writing board.
9She set up a room in her house for broadcasting lessons.
10And, she recently started three weeks of training in online teaching along with other educators in the Cobb County School District.
11As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S., distance learning efforts are being included in a growing number of plans for the coming school year.
12Many school systems are facing pressure to improve after the educational losses of last school year.
13But investment in training is uneven across school systems.
14Some have offered new guidance on distance teaching.
15But many educators feel unsupported.
16Richard Ferdig is an education technology researcher at Kent State University in Ohio.
17He told the AP that wealthier areas have used the summer to train teachers both on technology and on how to get the best performance from students who are learning at least partly online.
18Teachers in those areas will do well, he said.
19But, he worries about teachers in poorer areas.
20"They've either been given nothing or they've been told, 'Here's the tools we bought for you, with very little support," on how to use them, he said.
21Linda Mullen is Communications Director for the Washington Education Association, a union of teachers in the northwestern state.
22It recently carried out an opinion study involving 1,500 of its members.
23Mullen said 79 percent of them said additional training is necessary if distance learning operations are required in the new school year.
24Another 23 percent reported they would need major career development or training.
25In New York, recent public opinion studies show that parents grew increasingly dissatisfied with distance learning as the school year progressed last spring.
26Dia Bryant is deputy director for The Education Trust-New York, which did the studies.
27"We kind of just threw them out there and gave them a Zoom link or gave them a Google Hangout or a Google Classroom," she said of the state's teachers.
28She added: "We need better professional learning for them."
29Some school systems are ending summer break for teachers earlier than usual so they can get more training in distance learning.
30Cobb County, Georgia, is among them.
31Teacher Rodriguez Webb said the school system ordered teachers back to work two weeks earlier than in past years.
32A statement from Cobb County Schools says the administration will make sure "teachers have the tools, resources, and training to help students succeed, no matter the classroom setting."
33Keisha Redd-Hannans is head of Instructional Leadership for New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut.
34She said officials know that teachers were not prepared for the sudden changes in education this spring.
35Early on, she said, no one knew how much work to give students or how long they should spend on computers.
36Redd-Hannans said the school system has agreed to pay a private company almost $270,000 for online training and support services.
37Some parents have asked for schools to reopen fully.
38They argue that distance learning cannot equal the quality of an in-school experience.
39Christina Higley, a mother of three in Webster, New York says education will suffer if teachers do their jobs online.
40She added, "They can train them all that they want. They could give them the millions of dollars and tools ... for online learning. They could do six weeks of intense training. There is still going to be children who can't learn that way, and the teachers aren't going to be able to change that - no matter what they do from afar."
41I'm Jonathan Evans. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1The COVID-19 crisis caused public schools in the United States to shut their doors in March. But that did not mean the school year ended early. Instead, educators quickly developed, trained for and established emergency distance-teaching operations, many employing e-learning elements. Most school systems restarted operations within a few weeks and completed the year by late June. 2But the change to virtual learning settings was difficult for many teachers and produced mixed results for students across the country. 3Aimee Rodriguez Webb, a teacher in the state of Georgia, was among those who had a rough transition to online education. So, like many other teachers, she is working now to improve her e-teaching before the new school year opens in the fall. 4Rodriguez Webb bought camera equipment and a large new writing board. She set up a room in her house for broadcasting lessons. 5And, she recently started three weeks of training in online teaching along with other educators in the Cobb County School District. 6As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S., distance learning efforts are being included in a growing number of plans for the coming school year. Many school systems are facing pressure to improve after the educational losses of last school year. But investment in training is uneven across school systems. Some have offered new guidance on distance teaching. But many educators feel unsupported. 7Richard Ferdig is an education technology researcher at Kent State University in Ohio. He told the AP that wealthier areas have used the summer to train teachers both on technology and on how to get the best performance from students who are learning at least partly online. Teachers in those areas will do well, he said. 8But, he worries about teachers in poorer areas. 9"They've either been given nothing or they've been told, 'Here's the tools we bought for you, with very little support," on how to use them, he said. 10Linda Mullen is Communications Director for the Washington Education Association, a union of teachers in the northwestern state. It recently carried out an opinion study involving 1,500 of its members. Mullen said 79 percent of them said additional training is necessary if distance learning operations are required in the new school year. Another 23 percent reported they would need major career development or training. 11In New York, recent public opinion studies show that parents grew increasingly dissatisfied with distance learning as the school year progressed last spring. 12Dia Bryant is deputy director for The Education Trust-New York, which did the studies. "We kind of just threw them out there and gave them a Zoom link or gave them a Google Hangout or a Google Classroom," she said of the state's teachers. 13She added: "We need better professional learning for them." 14Some school systems are ending summer break for teachers earlier than usual so they can get more training in distance learning. Cobb County, Georgia, is among them. 15Teacher Rodriguez Webb said the school system ordered teachers back to work two weeks earlier than in past years. 16A statement from Cobb County Schools says the administration will make sure "teachers have the tools, resources, and training to help students succeed, no matter the classroom setting." 17Keisha Redd-Hannans is head of Instructional Leadership for New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut. She said officials know that teachers were not prepared for the sudden changes in education this spring. Early on, she said, no one knew how much work to give students or how long they should spend on computers. 18Redd-Hannans said the school system has agreed to pay a private company almost $270,000 for online training and support services. 19Some parents have asked for schools to reopen fully. They argue that distance learning cannot equal the quality of an in-school experience. 20Christina Higley, a mother of three in Webster, New York says education will suffer if teachers do their jobs online. 21She added, "They can train them all that they want. They could give them the millions of dollars and tools ... for online learning. They could do six weeks of intense training. There is still going to be children who can't learn that way, and the teachers aren't going to be able to change that - no matter what they do from afar." 22I'm Jonathan Evans. And I'm Caty Weaver. 23Carolyn Thompson reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 24________________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26virtual - adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet 27transition - n. a change from one state or condition to another