Understanding the teaching and learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic
This pandemic has brought challenges for all those involved in the teaching and learning process: parents, tutors, administrators, teachers and students. For me, it has been an interesting journey in which I have learned a lot, as a mother, teacher and student. I now have my eyes open to all the perspectives. As a mother, I have had to take on the task of being a home tutor for my daughter to continue her learning process, trying to balance my other duties with this new role, making sure that my family always comes first. As a teacher observing students, I have been able to observe that the facilities we have are not adequate to carry out an efficient teaching and learning process due to low internet quality, electricity not guaranteed 24/7, etc. However, one of the most challenging tasks for me has been finding different approaches so that my students do not lose their motivation and that their learning is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Being a virtual teacher implies professional growth that will leave a glimpse of a different reality for the rest of my life. My role as a teacher changed completely. Hence, my commitment went from tutoring my students in a certain area (English) to handling external factors that could affect their learning outcomes.
As teachers, we must not take for granted the importance of motivation in virtual education, since it is a more autonomous style of learning. If our students are not motivated, it will be easy to lose them in this new “classroom” that now includes several people and factors. Usually, students tend to disconnect themselves from the lesson when they take classes from their own devices. In these new educational spaces outside a classroom, we find new elements that may negatively impact our students’ attention.
Successfully stimulating motivation in any educational setting must be persistent. In the case of virtual learning, teachers should have more considerations, since interruptions can affect each student in different ways that we may not fully understand: for example, the stress that their electronic device does not work as expected, that there is a power cut in the middle of a class or exam or that the student does not take the steps required to access a video conference, forum or folder to deliver an assignment.
Another very important factor is the sociocultural perception of a certain social or cultural group towards technology. A society is governed by its set of customs, norms, ideals, forms of behavior, etc. Culture has the power or influence to change our way of thinking and dictate what is right, what is wrong, what is “easy” or what is “difficult.”
Now I know, as a teacher, student and mother, that if we all work as a team and understand each other’s circumstances, we can make the best of the situation. With patience, empathy and perseverance, we will all come out with an experience that will make us stronger.
I am very happy to be part of the DREAM Project and to find out that this organization is up to date with our community’s needs. One of its initiatives with which I most identify is Tutor en CASA (At-home Tutor), because I see that their interest in providing quality education to children recognizes and encompasses students’ environment: namely, they make sure to involve those in the students’ environment by focusing on helping parents and teachers create positive learning environments amidst the pandemic.
About the Author: Belisa Howard, Marketing Manager
Belisa Lucía Howard Martínez was born in Puerto Plata, DR. She started with the DREAM Project in 2021 in the role of Marketing Manager. She began her first career when she was only 16 years old, and, ever since, her love for studying has never stopped. As a result, she graduated from Universidad Dominicana O&M twice, obtaining two Bachelor's Degrees: one in Tourism Business Administration and another one in Modern Languages: English Education Specialty, in addition to other courses and specializations in Digital Marketing, Copywriting, Digital Strategies, etc. Currently, she is also a faculty professor at her Alma Mater, where she recently collaborated on the training of teachers and students with regard to the process of online education.
Her favorite hobby is studying, because she understands that education is an essential element for personal and professional growth. She continues to acquire more knowledge, this time studying two Master's Degrees simultaneously, one in Applied Linguistics to the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and another in Educational Technology from Universidad Internacional De La Rioja (UNIR).