The pros and cons of online teaching in children and adolescents

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, one of the most radical changes that has occurred is the need to many education systems to adapt, in a matter of weeks, to a situation in which it is necessary to minimize contagions.

And in many cases, like Spanish, this means starting classes online. Something logical if one takes into account that our country is one of those that is failing worse in terms of the number of infected, on the one hand, and that the virus spreads rapidly in confined spaces where there are many people, for the other.

Now... what do we know about the effectiveness of teaching through the Internet? Let's see what they are the positive and negative implications of exclusively using (at least for a few months) an online education model.

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Advantages and disadvantages of online education

Here we will review the possible advantages and disadvantages of the online teaching system applied to children and adolescents, especially in the context of the social and health crisis caused by the pandemic, and without losing view that

what happens in education is not disconnected from what happens outside the classroom.

Of course, first of all it is necessary to clarify two things. First of all, it must be recognized that there has not been a lot of conclusive research done on all the effects positives and negatives of distance education in people of all ages in a context of pandemic and general measures of lockdown. So these are ideas about what is likely, not what is certain to happen.

Secondly, it is necessary to emphasize that possibly the fact of using a face-to-face teaching model, or one that is online, is not as important as the made of whether it has been possible to plan in advance what may happen during the course, avoiding unnecessary interruptions and transitions from one modality to other. It is very important that the education system is stable and that everyone knows what to expect from it in the medium term; the intermittence between stages of daily class attendance, and others in which they spend weeks without going to class, may not be desirable.

That said, let's move on to see the pros and cons of online teaching.

Drawbacks

In this section we will review several of the possible drawbacks of online classes for education for children and adolescents.

1. A barrier when it comes to socializing

All human beings in general tend to need to have moments of socialization; and in the case of the youngest members of the household, this is even more important, because play is their “default” way of interacting with the environment and with others.

In addition, in the case of adolescents, the possibility of interacting in groups of friends on a regular basis is important for the development of their identity, since their behavior is highly mediated by the feeling of belonging to groups and by references of their age, and in some cases, a little older than them, but always on the fringes of the world of adults.

The fact of not leaving home supposes assuming limitations in this aspect. And do not forget that playground time and breaks between subjects are as much a part of the educational process as class sessions.

2. A context that does not prevent the appearance of distractors

As students, something as simple as being in class provides incentives not to be near elements that can distract us.

This is something that occurs to a greater or lesser extent in all ages; Being in sight of the teacher discourages students from completely escaping and browsing the pages of their social networks from their mobile, for example. In online sessions, it is more difficult to force yourself to pay attention, since each student can do practically what he wants while the teacher gives the lesson.

3. Online classes can demotivate students by not being able to participate as before

Of course, nothing forces online classes to be sessions in which the teacher speaks and the students are silent. But it is true that the change of modality can “misplace” some students and make them feel less involved in what happens and what is said during the lessons, producing an emotional disconnection.

Technically the contents do not change much, but the feeling of “going to school” is no longer the same nor is it familiar. As a consequence, some people can shed learning dynamics that they had adopted and that were beneficial.

Consider, for example, a student who used to consult her questions with the teacher. Given the change of scenery, this will no longer be so easy, as you will now have to contact him tutor in other ways, which can make him discouraged and, out of carelessness, give up raising his questions. Obviously, in the online mode you can also ask, raising your hand, but the change may be somewhat disconcerting to you, possibly causing you not to inquire.

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Advantage

These are some of the potential benefits of distance education for young people.

1. Provides security against the contagion of viruses

There are more and more children with pictures of anxiety, even with disorders such as enuresis, because of the anguish that the pandemic generates. The possibility of "going to school" without putting themselves or their families at risk It acts as a psychological protection factor for children who are more prone to developing problems of anxiety and stress.

It is also a way of protecting older students, who are also the ones who tend to have more social contacts a posteriori, both within and outside the family.

2. Open education to a flexible and audiovisual enriched environment

Online classes break with the idea that the lessons are by default sessions based on speaking in front of a blackboard. This can be beneficial if the potential of the virtual world is harnessed., which is full of educational materials such as infographics, videos, and even simulations. In addition, the discussion forums also provide a space in which it is possible to review content through argumentation.

3. It predisposes to "learn to learn"

One of the fundamental aspects of education is to give the tools to "learn to learn". That is, to develop the necessary skills to internalize knowledge in efficient and safe ways.

The Internet environment is ideal for this, since getting used to browsing it makes us, without realizing it, remember "shortcuts" to reach relevant content when reviewing in study sessions, and also provides places where we know that, if we are assaulted a question, we will probably find the answer: scientific blogs, Reditt pages in which experts on a topic answer questions, etc.

All of this enhances learning even beyond the expectations set by the school., fostering a self-taught attitude. It is the best way for students to realize that learning is not just reviewing notes and reviewing the textbook.

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