Loss of Learning during the Pandemic

 The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted a profound crisis upon education, resulting in a loss of learning for students worldwide. Alarming is the widespread phenomenon of ‘forgetting’ by students of learning from the previous class – this is a regression in their curricular learning. The foundational abilities are such that their absence will impact the learning of more complex abilities and conceptual understanding across subjects.

The study was conducted in 5 states of India across 1137 schools, class 2 to 6 which comprises of 16000 students. The data paints a grim picture of the extent of learning loss in India. In the realm of language, a staggering 92% of children, on average, have regressed in at least one specific language ability of the previous year in oral communication, reading comprehension, and sentence construction. In mathematics, 82% of students have regressed in specific mathematical skills, including number recognition, arithmetic operations, and problem-solving.

Three possible solutions:

1.    Flexible Curriculum Design:

Ø  Extend flexible curriculum approach to all subjects. Incorporate the previous grade's learning outcomes into the current curriculum.

Ex: Include foundational skills reinforcement, like 2-digit and 3-digit addition for Grade 4 students. Grade 6- classifying food components in science, it is essential to address foundational knowledge and differentiate various food items and understand their sources.

Ø  Consider students' socio-emotional needs in curriculum development.

Ø  Implement child-friendly assessment methods.

2.    Teacher Professional Development:

Ø  Prioritize teachers' understanding of students' socio-emotional well-being.

Ø  Adopt effective models like the Japanese lesson study:

§  Co-facilitation

§  Classroom demonstrations

§  Reflection

Ø  Provide ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers and enhance teaching skills to adapt to evolving learning needs.

 

3. Learning Support:

Ø  Conduct assessments to identify individual student needs.

Ø  Develop tailored support plans:

§  Target group assistance

§  Small group instruction

§  Peer monitoring

Ø  Create teaching aids and custom worksheets to address specific learning needs.

 

4.    Parental engagement and community awareness:

Ø  Organise a training program for parents and the community regarding learning loss.

Ø  Introduce reading materials and other resources that have been used during that year to recover learning loss.

Reference:

Loss of learning during the Pandemic- Field Studies in Education by Azim Premji University.

Japanese Lesson Study: Teacher Professional Development through Communities of Inquiry Brian Doig and Susie Groves Deakin University.

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