COVID-19 has had a profound impact on learning, especially in younger grades
COVID-19 has brought a profound impact on student learning over the past year-and-a-half, especially for younger grades.
"Teachers for the younger age group are seeing that more on the social side," said Oxford Learning director Lorelei Burgess, who added reading and academics are not the only areas of concern. "More so, the children's ability to learn, to sit and focus to instruction."
Many students have struggled and fallen behind academically. Burgess said teachers faced a near nightmare scenario, to come up with strategic and coherent teaching plans in unstable environments.
"They have gone from in-person teaching, to online teaching to in-person teaching and in some cases back to online teaching, when the schools have closed," said Burgess.
Brittany Amber said the pandemic exposed inequities in the education system. Amber's daughter in Grade 2 takes French immersion.
"She hasn't had consistency in learning French," said Amber. "Without that consistency and being in a home that speaks English, it has been a challenge for her to absorb and learn the language at a level that immersion requires."
South of the border, the federal government is now focusing its energy on a new strategy that targets the mental health and well-being of students.
"We must make sure that will be social and emotional well-being is part of the program," said U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. "And that we provide educators with the training to best support our students."
Burgess agreed with this approach.
"I really do believe that the mental health impact for both teachers and students is going to be significant," said Burgess, who also predicted the educational fallout from COVID-19 would last for years to come.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
'Wild, wild west.' Families say organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed without their consent
The state Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham face disturbing allegations from the families of five inmates whose organs were removed and reportedly kept without consent, according to a series of lawsuits.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed from Trump hush money trial as prosecutors seek to hold former president in contempt
A juror in Donald Trump's hush money trial was dismissed Thursday after expressing doubt about her ability to be fair and impartial, and the status of a second New Yorker picked for the panel was in limbo amid concerns that some of his answers in court may not have been accurate.