Dear Editor,

I sat in one of my niece’s classes today as she engaged in the virtual learning experience, and after spending a full hour with her I concluded that this is certainly not a good match for a grade three student.

It was sheer bedlam. The teacher spent three-quarters of the time trying to get the students together, which never happened, and the background noise was distracting and unbearable. I sensed that after the hour the teacher’s energy was expended and the children were obviously no better off than when the class began.

It is based on this experience that I join the conversation in support of a return to face-to-face classroom interactions. If we don’t try to do this we are going to have a deficit in learning and this group of students are going to be at a great disadvantage. I anticipate that a lot of effort will have to be placed on helping students to catch up so that they can have the necessary foundation on which to build a solid academic structure.

Learning at the grade three level is an ongoing experience.

Children have different learning styles, and if this is not recognised and addressed early it can lead to students becoming frustrated, resulting in them having a hard time excelling. According to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences in which there are eight different types of learners, one person may have one learning style or he/she may have several. He identifies the learning styles as visual, auditory, verbal, logical, kinaesthetic, physical, intra-personal, naturalistic, and social.

As I listened to my niece’s class, I sensed a thirst for the social learning style. The students who are exposed to this learning style make good participants and are excellent team players and facilitators. This type of learner thrives when they are able to interact with other people.

Student learning is more than listening to a lecture or reading a book. Interaction with peers enhances intellectual, social, and emotional development.

For two years there has been a lack in this area, therefore it is now full time to get our students back in the classroom. If we continue to keep students out of the classroom indefinitely it is going to be difficult to identify learning deficits, emotional instability, mental health issues, and abuse in a timely manner for remediation or intervention.

COVID-19 is unquestionably a fearful public health issue. It cannot be taken for granted, but if the protocols – handwashing, wearing masks, using sanitiser and yes, getting vaccinated – are followed, there is no reason for us to settle for virtual learning.

Burnett L Robinson

Blpprob@aol.com