Coronavirus: A new territory for education 

More than 1.4 billion children in over 136 countries have been affected by the closure of schools and universities due to Covid-19, according to the United Nations.  

These numbers are set to increase over the coming days, leading to a disruption in schools, colleges and universities on a monumental level around the world. With the closure of all educational institutions announced on 12 March, an imposition that will last up until at least 17 April – for the time being – the closure pits teachers and students against a new reality as educational institutions around the world scramble to find the best practices in online learning.

It is a hard hit for Malta in particular, where digital platforms are relatively new and online teaching has yet to take off in earnest.

No one size fits all policy  

“Since schools closed abruptly, Our Lady Immaculate School in Hamrun has adopted new ways of teaching our students. Different initiatives were taken by the school such as teachers sending lessons through Klikks, others setting up blogs to send lessons and different material to their students such as using video conferencing, Edmodo and even some teachers giving online classes,” Annalise Bellia from Our Lady Immaculate school in Hamrun told MaltaToday.

Bellia says the online experience as it stands cannot all that easily replicate the classroom environment, despite valiant efforts by teaching staff. But extraordinary methods need to be applied in extraordinary times.

“Sadly, none of the methods being used can begin to replace the one-to-one interaction that takes place in a classroom where every educator tends to the needs of all the different learners in the class.”

Bellia said that during this difficult time, showing their support to students is top priority. “Over and above our role as academics, we are constantly supporting them by showing them that we are there for them.” 

A teacher from St Clare’s College in Pembroke, who wished to remain anonymous, said that teachers agreed to keep in contact with their students through the use of the platform ILearn, as well as through tables for students in year 4-6. 

“We send lesson materials such as PowerPoint presentations, video explanations, notes, worksheets, and other resources that students and parents may find useful during these unprecedented times.” She also explained that teachers could remain in contact with their students through online platforms, as in the event of one-on-one tutoring. 

Clifford Jo Żahra Fenech, a teacher at Saint Paul’s Missionary College, Senior School says teachers at his school had set up a network, mostly via Facebook, where they could ask questions, and support one each other through this unprecedented transition.     

“I, for instance, for the past two weeks made sure that the students kept on practicing the four linguistic skills: writing, speaking, listening and reading. I focused on reading and listening comprehensions by making use of online media and resources. This is where the kids are probably spending most of their time,” Żahra Fenech said.

Żahra Fenech added that teachers were using a whole host of platforms from Zoom, Google Classroom, Kahoot, Clicker and even YouTube. “I’m finding Kahoot beneficial for quick revision exercises that foster a fun, competitive learning atmosphere which cannot be replicated in class without the use of technology.”

He added that their school in particular benefited from their own Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform, which made it easier for teachers and students to direct attention to one centralised system. “It makes real-time conversations possible, so students would know what difficulties others are having, and all work submitted can be uploaded and corrected by the teacher via the system itself.”

Despite the undesirable circumstances, Żahra Fenech is able to take a positive slant on things. “Our students live much of their time inside the digital world, and this is an opportunity for us to blend leisure time with learning.”

The digital and social divide

On Tuesday the Nationalist Party said that Malta did not have an e-learning infrastructure in place before the Covid-19 swept Europe, and that this created a digital divide since students could no longer report to school.  

Clyde Puli, the party’s Family Spokesperson, said the closure of schools was necessary but due to the government’s unpreparedness when it comes to digital learning, hundreds of schoolchildren stand to suffer and lose time on their education.

Puli referred to the Malta AI Project, a Budget measure announced in the previous year, which included several proposals that would have helped diversify and facilitate teaching, including allowing teachers to provide feedback on students’ homework through digital means. However, Puli said, the implementation of such proposals was either slow, or failed to take off altogether.

A spokesperson for the Malta Union of Teachers told MaltaToday the official iLearn virtual platform had been set up before the outbreak of Covid-19 and was widely used by government schools. The union said educators across the country took the initiative to prepare, share and communicate educational material with their students. 

The MUT clarified that it had no issue with its educators contacting students through online platforms. “What the MUT is warning against is the instruction and orders which contradict the spirit of professionalism agreed to in the working group, where we have had members report that they have been instructed to use a certain platform or medium over others.”

So the union has advised its educators to follow official circulars by employers, which were being issued following meetings with the union. The MUT said that any other additional instructions which limited methods and or flexibility should be reported to the MUT. 

Head of Department of Education Studies Prof. Victor Martinelli

Head of Department of Education Studies Prof. Victor Martinelli said that under normal circumstances, those who do not have access to WI-FI may miss out on certain aspects, but would hopefully make up for it in class.

However, under these special circumstances where social distancing is important, and friends are not encouraged to share time together in person, those who do not have access to the internet will miss out, if only temporarily. 

 “In the eventuality of this situation lasting three or four months into July, the effects will only be temporary and teachers can do a lot on their return to school to make up for lost time and opportunities. After all, we have some very long school summer holidays and this too actually does have a deleterious effect on learning overall, unless of course children are kept academically active over the summer, as is in fact the case with some of them.”

Martinelli said this came down to parents being able to monitor, guide and participate in their children’s learning. “Yes, to an extent there is a social divide here, which may only be exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak.”

He highlighted that if children do not have support from those around them, and if parents are not in a position to help out, children may lose out, “if only temporarily.”

Martinelli said that in terms of strengthening online platforms, the University of Malta has only recently, in the last five years, started getting to grips with “distance learning”. 

“The solution is not as easy as it sounds, because one needs platforms and applications to teach remotely, and these usually come with a price tag. Students may, in their pedagogy courses, be taught about distance or blended learning but platforms change regularly and becoming adept at using such platforms is dependent on the use of several specific platforms that schools use, and not all schools use the same platform.”

Martinelli warned that there was also a digital divide between younger teachers, who were able to use these tools better, and older teachers.

“One thing remains certain: change happens, and it happens fast. We must adapt if we are to remain relevant.”