Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Motivating distant learners: schools under coronavirus

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I'm not so concerned about students attending online lessons or completing assigned tasks as I'm sure many teachers are. Part of what the current situation enables is a way to look a bit beyond traditional conceptions of learning. Still, I appreciate the concerns. "The students who need the most support and who get the least at home will struggle most when schools are closed." So how do we keep them connected? This framing seems right to me: "Don't miss out. Don't miss your friends. Don't miss school." Though I'd make the message positive: stay connected, stay in the loop. Once they're connected, the work begins to establish new habits. "Make the first step the easiest one to take, by making it small, concrete, or something students have already done." Make the habits something useful and relevant, as opposed to merely replicating what they do in their in-person classes.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 26, 2024 7:42 p.m.

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