Page 3 - Haldor_eBook_052020

Introduction

scared, or angry—a wheel of emotions that Research has historically indicated strong

schools must sensitively address as they look correlations between student engagement
The shift to online learning to structure new curriculums. (defined as sustained focus, active participation

disrupts classroom progress Needless to say, transitioning to distance in learning, and time spent on tasks) and

learning at scale is challenging, especially student achievement. Students who are

Schools have closed in 130 countries, disrupting for educators. Teachers face a unique set of inattentive, withdrawn, and disengaged have

the educations of more than 1.2 billion children hurdles. They need to: poorer academic performance when compared

and youth. And in the US alone, at least 54.8 • Adapt quickly to new learning environ- to highly engaged learners. Consequently, as

million students have been affected by school ments so that they can in turn support students are forced to navigate this “new normal”

closures. (Forbes) their learners. of self-driven, online learning, engaging syllabi
and assignments are critical to their success.
• Help their students develop the necessary

Many districts with internet access are shifting digital skills so they can use technology
to online learning due to the global pandemic. effectively in support of their learning. To avoid permanent setbacks in education,

However, many education systems are • Create curriculum that can be easily shared successful educators are looking for tools that

ill-equipped to quickly make this transition online and has clear instructions that make fulfill three essential needs to improve the
sense to all recipients.
for all students at scale. Technology and online learning experience:

infrastructure are essential to sustain school • Enable frequent collaboration and
communication to make sure no student 1. Personalized learning paths
programs at a safe distance, but they’re often
feels alone and helpless.
expensive and require a steep learning curve. 2. Accurate assessments of student performance

Even more importantly, widespread quarantine Finally, the last (and arguably most important) 3. Self-driven, empowered students

enforcement is also disrupting routines for obstacle that teachers face during the global
students. Many kids feel confused, sad, worried, health crisis is declining student engagement.