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What are the challenges faced by teachers in implementing online learning to their students?

Elayne Uglow

Hey there!

I think the challenges faced by teachers in implementing online learning to their students are quite significant. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned the education system upside down, and teachers have been forced to adapt to a completely new way of teaching. Here are some of the challenges that I think teachers have to face while implementing online learning to their students:

1. Technical difficulties: The very first challenge, every teacher faces while trying to conduct an online class is the lack of technical knowledge or the technical failures of the internet or other devices. Whether it's setting up virtual classrooms, testing out different apps or software platforms, or simply ensuring that every student has access to the necessary hardware and software, technical hiccups can throw a serious wrench into a teacher's plans.

2. Lack of student engagement: Keeping the students engaged in the virtual classroom is even harder than the physical classroom. It’s difficult to hold their attention, keep them motivated and prevent distractions when they are learning via a computer screen. This can be especially frustrating for teachers who have students who are easily distracted or don't thrive in a self-directed learning environment.

3. Inability to assess learning: A major challenge of online learning is that assessments become difficult, given that the students do not take them physically. Evaluating and marking work is tougher. Additionally, ensuring academic integrity and preventing cheating are big hurdles for teachers in online classrooms.

4. Not being able to build relationships and communicate effectively: A huge part of teaching is being able to form strong personal relationships with students and establishing effective communication with them. Online education poses a challenge to this aspect and devoids it of the personal connection that teachers are used to. This also impacts the ability of the teacher to communicate effectively with the students and their parents, making it harder to identify and address any issues that may arise.

5. Balancing Adaptability with Structure: One of the hardest aspects of distance learning is finding the perfect balance between offering students structure to make sure learning stays on track and being adaptable enough to account for Internet outages and more untraditional teaching methods.

Despite these challenges, teachers have adapted fairly well to the online teaching and have learned how to make the most of online resources and digital platforms. They are inventive and creative in finding ways to keep their students focused, engaged, learning, and even entertained, in ways that make sense on a screen.

Overall, I think we need to appreciate and encourage our teachers who have to face these challenges on a day-to-day basis, and support them in every way possible.

Cheers!