Education in a Post-Covid World

Hi readers, welcome back to my blog! This week’s post is going to focus on teaching secondary students- with an emphasis on social studies- in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As we sit here today, who would ever have guessed in March of 2020 that a “two-week shutdown” would end up lasting nearly two years? The pandemic lasted much longer than expected and its effects are still being felt, especially in the world of education. With students experiencing remote learning for upwards of a year, the return to in-person instruction has shed light on the social-emotional and academic impact of the pandemic on students. So what can teachers expect to see as they return to in-person learning? Let’s dive in…

Social-emotional health involves the way in which we take care of our mental well-being, develop relationships with others, and react to social scenarios. Since the pandemic limited our interaction with others, children and teens missed out on crucial socialization.

One notable way in which social-emotional health was compromised was a lack of collaboration, which now hinders students’ ability to work with others. In my own classroom, I have noticed this year that many of my students are uncomfortable with group or partner work and prefer to work independently. Based on research, it appears that this is not an isolated phenomenon. In a national study published by the Public Library of Science, it was found that on average 20% of high-school aged females, and 8% of high-school aged males experienced anxiety over socialization upon returning to in-person learning. This interferes with the hidden curriculum of schools to teach students about collaboration and teamwork.

While socialization was a major stress-inducing factor in high-schoolers returning to in-person instruction, countless other factors contributed to a rise in anxiety. The same study revealed that roughly 36% of students surveyed reported experiencing anxiety upon returning back to school. Teachers need to account for this mental-health crisis, as feeling safe and secure falls under students’ basic needs on Maslow’s hierarchy. Accomplishment in the classroom cannot be achieved if a child’s anxiety is overwhelming them.

A final social-emotional effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on students is an increase in internet addiction. When students were stuck in their homes for months, technology became the only way for them to communicate with others. This was helpful in allowing people to stay in touch while keeping their distance, however, it also meant people were spending unprecedented amounts of time staring at screens. In teens and children, a concern with screen time is the anxiety that comes from social media. Looking at edited photos and videos of people going on amazing adventures can be damaging for the self-esteem of young people who are worried about fitting in with their peers.

Overall, as we return to the classroom, being patient and compassionate can go a long way in ensuring that our students have a comfortable return to the classroom.

Beyond social-emotional consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on students, we are just beginning to uncover the impact Covid-19 has had on academics. Most noticeably, the achievement gap in the United States has widened.

During remote instruction, some students were able to have parents home with them monitoring their learning, strong internet connection, drawers full of school supplies, and access to good healthcare in case of a positive Covid test. However, not all students were so fortunate. The achievement gap widened since students had wildly different home lives and support systems to aid in their school work. As teachers, this poses a problem because the academic abilities of students in our classes can vary drastically, requiring various scaffolds to ensure all levels receive a quality education.

One group in particular that disproportionately struggled during this time was English Language Learners. According to the journal, Theory and Practice in Language Studies, during Covid-19 dropout rates of ELL students increased, and academic performance decreased. During this time, it was more difficult for these students to develop their English skills because they could not engage in in-person conversations with teachers and friends.

Not to worry though, there are some positive academic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. For instance, this major historic event allowed social studies classrooms to encourage real-world global citizenship with students. Global citizenship is the idea that we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on current events so that we can make informed choices that benefit our entire global community. During the pandemic, students were able to practice these skills themselves by watching the news to determine which precautions would benefit themselves and their families, engage in debates using facts, and help those who were negatively impacted by illness, loneliness from isolation, and unemployment from being shut down.

The past two years have been a rollercoaster to say the least. It is a huge relief to be getting back to “normal,” but the world of education still has a long road to recovery. Even with in-person learning making a return, social-emotional struggles and academic disparities will be reality for teachers for a while.

Taylor Behlmaier

EDI 670

Reference List

Ferren, M., & Center for American Progress. (2021). Social and Emotional Supports for Educators during and after the Pandemic. In Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress.

Forsythe, M. E., & Chan, Y.-W. (2021). Justice-centered education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal of Environmental Education, 52(5), 347–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.1981208

Hauver, J. (2021). Breathing Life Back Into Social Studies: Lessons from COVID-19. In W. Journell (Ed.), Post-Pandemic Social Studies: How COVID-19 Has Changed the World and How We Teach. Teachers College Press.

Hover, S., Gerwin, D., Gurlea, M., Hicks, D., & Woodward, T. (2021). What Do We Leave Behind? Assessment of Student Learning in Social Studies Post-COVID-19. In W. Journell (Ed.), Post-Pandemic Social Studies: How COVID-19 Has Changed the World and How We Teach. Teachers College Press.

LeCompte, K., Blevins, B., & Ray, B. (2017). Teaching Current Events and Media Literacy: Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, and Active Citizenship. Social Studies and the Young Learner.

Manoharan, S. R., Hua, T. K., & Sultan, F. M. M. (2022). A Comparison of Online Learning Challenges Between Young Learners and Adult Learners in ESL Classes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Critical Review. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(1), 28+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A702610095/AONE?u=brockport&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e4df12ce

Mathews, S. (2021). Global Learning for Global Citizenship Education: The Case of Covid-19. In W. Journell (Ed.), Post-Pandemic Social Studies: How COVID-19 Has Changed the World and How We Teach. Teachers College Press.

West, M. R., Lake, R., & University of Washington, B. C. on R. P. E. (CRPE). (2021). How Much Have Students Missed Academically Because of the Pandemic? A Review of the Evidence to Date. In Center on Reinventing Public Education. Center on Reinventing Public Education.

Widiasih, R., Suryani, S., Rakhmawati, W., & Arifin, H. (2022). The impact of online learning among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of mothers' perspectives. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 27(5), 385. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A718159497/AONE?u=brockport&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=696423c9

Yin, O., Parikka, N., Ma, A., Kreniske, P., & Mellins, C. A. (2022). Persistent anxiety among high school students: Survey results from the second year of the COVID pandemic. PLoS ONE, 17(9), e0275292. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A720368053/AONE?u=brockport&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=186b8858