MIDDLEPORT, N.Y. — Buffalo State Dean of Education Wendy Paterson says remote learning isn't exactly the most engaging way for students to learn.
For that reason, she describes it as "flat."
"It's not natural. A lot of the digital environment is I seek information and it gives it back to me, but the interactivity isn't there," Paterson said.
To bring more activity back into learning, the Royhart School District has been trying some new tricks during the pandemic. This has especially helped to fix a learning gap the pandemic created for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
"There was a lot of learning loss where our students should have been," said Superintendent Dr. Hank Stopinski. "But because of the work of our teachers and the model that was put in place, we closed that gap over the course of the first semester to where the difference has looked more normal."
Here's just some of the ways they did it:
- Teachers have extended their days to meet students' needs
- Teachers are holding office hours on days when there's no class in session
- Counselors are now making home visits
- The school district is doing everything to bring back clubs and activities
- During remote learning, there are shorter lessons
Stopinski says a lot these new learning methods are far from temporary.
"I think you're going to see a lot more family engagement, I think you're going to see a lot more community engagement, the services that families need. We've learned a great deal and we'll build on it," Stopinski said.
Paterson says engaging more students is what ultimately will help them for the next school year.
"In all honesty, we will find out where they are and we will take them where we need to go," Paterson said. "Kids are pretty resilient and we need to ensure they come back in the fall, we engage them actively and in as many different ways as we can."
