The Reform of Education in Jamaica 2021 draft report (Orlando Patterson report) has sent shock waves throughout our education landscape. For most of us educators, the findings were not surprising. The recommendations, however, are quite interesting. Nonetheless, the findings of the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission have amplified the warning that the time for transformational change in our education system is long gone.

Schools have now reverted to the face-to-face modality, but as educators we cannot go back to the way we were.

Arguably, online teaching and learning was not “working out” for many Jamaican children, parents, and teachers. The learning loss has been great and, more importantly, the mental health of both learners and teachers was on shaky ground. The 2021 UNICEF report had also raised some alarming statistics – the disruption to routines, education, and recreation, left many children/youth feeling afraid, angry, and concerned for their future. Jamaica’s children lost an estimated 1.3 billion in-class hours over 19 months of physical school closures and learning loss has been experienced by at least one in three schoolchildren.

With all these challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, educators must now, more than ever, “follow the science”. The science of learning can provide some general pointers. As classroom action researchers and teachers, our practices must be evidence-based and data-driven. Educators must therefore approach face-to-face teaching with deliberate and evidence-based plans.

Teaching and learning can never be the same as before. How must we move forward? There are many approaches to take, but the following must be part of the modus operandi going forward:

1) Prioritise social emotional learning (SEL) by providing consistent opportunities for students to reflect and share their feelings.

Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, graced mankind with the following words of wisdom: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” Experts refer to SEL as the missing link in effective education. Only when students feel safe and supported are they really ready and able to learn. It is no secret that Jamaica’s children have experienced and are experiencing many traumatic events (directly or vicariously), which can easily negatively impact learning.

Hence, integrating SEL strategies into lessons will help to foster a physiologically healthy and safe learning environment. When learners experience stressful events, neuroscience tells us that the amygdala, the area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, which communicates a fight or flight response.

Being mindful of this, teachers must be more cognisant of the signs of social and emotional distress in learners. This may be manifested through tantrums, fights, talking back, etc. We must also remember that learning can be slow and difficult; maintaining motivation and minimising frustration is key. Some examples of activities that can be used to prioritise SEL for any age group are:

a) use daily feelings emoji check-ins — showing a list of emojis or memes and asking learners to share which best represents their feelings can go a far way. Encourage honesty and openness. Assure them that they are in a safe space and be genuinely interested in what they are and are not saying.

b) encourage private journaling — many students may return to the classroom with feelings of abuse and neglect and may not want to publicly share. Encouraging them to write/draw their feelings in a diary, that is only for your eyes, can provide useful information to you and can aid greatly in helping them overcome their individual challenges.

c) empower learners to become self-aware — children who are self-aware are in touch with their strengths and weaknesses. We know that many children are not fully aware of what they are good at. That is OK. What is more crucial is that children begin to acknowledge their personal strengths and weaknesses. While teachers ought not to be focusing on challenges/failures, learning how to face challenges head on should not be a topic that is avoided. Children need to understand that resilience is built from hardships.

2) consistently differentiate instruction — the ability levels, habits of mind, and developed intelligences of learners are now even more diverse than before. We must admit that online teaching provided many opportunities for differentiation – catering to the varying learning needs. Learners have got used to the multiple pathways to learning being offered to them, and so we must keep the same momentum going.

Differentiated instruction is a method that systematically and purposefully targets the skills students need to work on. This may be different for individuals or groups of students. Differentiated instruction and assessment will be the key to bridging the educational divide and plugging the learning loss that has been brought on by this novel coronavirus pandemic. Lessons mid- and post-pandemic must include access to content in multiple formats, multiple pathways for interacting with the content, and diverse and creative ways of expressing learning.

3) Embrace the technology —redefine what is meant by blended learning

Now is the time for educators to further embrace and be creative in designing flipped classrooms for the better normal. No longer can we partially embrace technology integration in teaching. Schools must collaborate in designing hybrid models to suit their contexts. For example, combining face-to-face learning experiences with online learning components, such as homework submission. Now is also a good time to embrace the idea of teaching through social media. Opportunities for developing their digital literacy and digital innovation skills must continue to be given.

4) Join or form a professional learning community (PLC)

No teacher is an island, we need each other to survive. As a nation we have been socialised to be individualistic; collaboration is still a challenge for us as Jamaicans even in the 21st century.

We often talk about the learners and neglect the self who teaches. Educators must make a concerted effort to collaborate with each other and trusted professionals to provide emotional and psychological context to our work. Teaching at this moment is extraordinarily complex and can be difficult, and will still be. A PLC is simply a team of educators who share ideas to enhance their teaching practice and create a learning environment where all learners can reach their full potential.

Get together with colleagues in your school or your school region. There are also international PLCs that meet virtually. The possibilities are endless.

No doubt educators everywhere are facing a multiplicity of challenges. The urgency of improving on what was before presents us all with a frightening responsibility; however, we must build narratives for what the new reality should look like.

Education needs to be at the heart of a post-COVID-19 world. One can hope that, despite the many dark sides of the current pandemic, there might also be a sliver of silver lining for education.

Shellon Samuels-White is lecturer in the Faculty of Education at The Mico University College. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or shellon_samuelswhite@yahoo.com.