Remote Learning: The Social Hindrance of the Younger Generation
July 22, 2020
This post was written by Amanda Bolnick. Amanda is currently an undergraduate Business student at the University of Central Florida. With a focus on marketing and digital media, she hopes to combine creativity with business solutions to contribute to society in a meaningful way.
Students of all ages and stages of life have had their qualms with the transition to remote learning. The unprecedented transition to remote learning has caused students, parents, and teachers significant stress. However, for elementary age children who are still in their early developmental phase, remote learning may cause longer lasting effects than this. Long-term remote instruction could have lasting effects on their development of social and emotional intelligence, potentially hindering them later in life.
Social development is a cornerstone in early childhood education, as it plays a monumental role in future academic, social, and professional success. Therefore, an entire age cohort with a gap in their social development is cause for concern on an individual, economic, and societal level.
What is Social Development & How Does Education Affect It?
Social development is a person’s ability to manage and process their emotions in a way that allows them to form relationships, problem-solve, and make decisions in a rational, constructive manner.
This skill set develops from a young age and is shaped by the positive adult influences in children’s lives as well as social interaction with their peers. Influenced by their personal experiences and ability to mirror the actions of those they admire, children use the direct interactions they have with peers and teachers to shape their ability to handle conflict and adversity in an ethical and productive way.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Remote Learning on Social Development?
With the loss of a traditional classroom setting comes the absence of additional adult support outside of students’ families, as well as an absence of in-person interactions that children have grown accustomed to with their peers in the classroom. These strike directly at the main building blocks of social development.
This loss limits their ability to grow their skills in:
Dealing with stress
Handling conflict
Social awareness
Self-Regulation
Attitudes about themselves and others
Overtime, a lack of development in these skills will hurt students in their future academic achievements and social interactions. It can also negatively affect their health in adulthood due to a reduced ability to manage stress and deal with adversity.
How You Can Help as an Educator
Educators play a vital role in their students’ success, especially in a remote environment. In times like this, it is even more important to ensure that students are being supported and engaged with the lessons being taught.
Educators can play a significant role for students by:
Building personal connections and maintaining individual relationships with students,
Encouraging peer interaction via interactive learning, and
Keeping groups small and intimate
Building Personal Connections
It is important to provide as much individual attention as possible to each student. One-on-one interaction is vital to aid them in building self-esteem and feeling involved, and only needs to take a few minutes each day per student. This can be done as easily as making a personalized call with each student if the class size allows it, or assigning each student “a buddy” to check in on them each day.
Encouraging Peer Interaction Via Interactive Learning
Some form of communication beyond written should be implemented at least 1-2 times a week, preferably in smaller, more intimate groups. This encourages peer collaboration, allows for social interaction, and provides support that can not be replicated through an email. Collaboration opportunities allow students to have their voices heard and have more insightful discussions with their peers and educators.
Implementing surveys and evaluations, such as peer reviews and student feedback, are a good way to ensure that remote learning environments are as useful to students as possible.
Keeping Groups Small and Intimate
In keeping groups smaller and more intimate, personal connections and one-on-one interactions amongst peers are more common and meaningful. A setting that breeds connection can provide a substitute for in-person interactions that are now lacking.
How You Can Help as a Parent
As a parent, your role in this transition is to provide the emotional support and sense of normalcy that a child needs with this disruption in their daily routine. It is important to ask your children how they are feeling and look for signs that they are struggling with this transition.
Some of These Signs Include:
Increased anger
Irritability
Withdrawal
Clinginess
Changes in sleeping patterns
Appetite changes
Establish a routine
Exercise and spend time outside
Give them things to look forward to
Spend quality time with them
Encourage them to pick up a new skill or develop a new goal
Encourage them to have an outlet for their feelings (For example: writing in a journal)
In these times of uncertainty, it is important to look out for our younger generation and ensure that they do not get left behind on this critical component of education and development. Well informed efforts from educators and parents are essential for the continued growth and security of our children. If we work together, they will be provided with the best education possible, despite the present circumstances.
If you have students with learning disabilities, I encourage you to check out my previous post for some helpful information and tips.
