Educators and parents alike prepare for the “summer slide”, the net negative phenomena in which students academically regress during summer recess, but in the world of COVID-19 how do we effectively prepare for and combat the “COVID-19 slide”? The COVID-19 slide may similarly impact students by resulting in the loss (or in this case the failure to ever gain) vital academic skills.

What can we do as educators and parents to help prevent this?

First, it’s important to understand how strong educational growth is built. Growth and skills are built by consistent and repetitive exposure to content and reinforced through teacher intervention, which happens through in-person learning. Due to the pandemic, we’ve been dealing with virtual and/or hybrid learning, which has almost entirely nullified the in-person, hands-on learning experience. As educators and parents, we can find what is in our control to help prevent the COVID-19 slide.

What does COVID-19 slide look like?

NWEA, a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions which measure growth and proficiency in the classroom, conducted research that predicted that when students went back to class for the 2020-21 school year, they were likely to retain only 70 percent of last year’s gains in reading and less than 50 percent in math.

What can we do as educators and parents to help prevent this?

First, it’s important to understand how strong educational growth is built. Growth and skills are built by consistent and repetitive exposure to content and reinforced through teacher intervention, which happens through in-person learning. Due to the pandemic, we’ve been dealing with virtual and/or hybrid learning, which has almost entirely nullified the in-person, hands-on learning experience. As educators and parents, we can find what is in our control to help prevent the COVID-19 slide.

What kind of resources are available to parents?

GoGuardian, software that allows teachers and parents to monitor students’ computer use, has created a list of Best Educational Apps for Students to Supplement Distance Learning Programs. These programs are mostly free of charge and provide great educational tools that can be accessed digitally. You can access their carefully curated selection here.

Do not underestimate the power of practice workbooks and worksheets! As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Reinforcing learned skills and content through practice is helpful in retention. Another online resource, edHelper, is an online subscription service that provides printable worksheets for educators and families. Their materials include math, language arts, reading and writing, social studies, and science. This website has plenty of free worksheets for grades K-12 that can be printed for at-home use.

Another worthwhile investment recommended for parents is to inspire your scholars to fall in love with reading! Children learn by example. So, take out those books! Reading is a fundamental part of learning to love reading will only enhance a child’s education. Parents.com gives some ideas on how to encourage a love for reading:

1. Ask questions: This enhances comprehension. Ask your child which characters he/she likes best, what they think will happen next, or what he/she would do in that situation.

2. Start a book club: Gather two or more classmates to partake in a book club where they can check in virtually on a weekly basis with each other to discuss the book at hand. Making it a social activity can bring joy to reading.

3. Reading aloud: This allows a child to feel the emotions of what is happening in both fiction and non-fiction literature.

4. Read the book, then watch the movie: What a fun family night!

5. Model reading love: Children learn behaviors from adults, and we know this all too well. Show them how much you love reading.

6. Audiobooks: These can bring a book to life and also become an exciting event that children can look forward to.

Sources:

https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/reading/18-genius-ways-to-make-kids-love-reading/

https://www.edhelper.com/free_worksheets.htm

https://www.nwea.org/content/uploads/2020/05/Collaborative-Brief_Covid19-Slide-APR20.pdf

https://www.goguardian.com/blog/technology/best-educational-apps-for-students-distance-learning/

About the Author:

Stephanie Siciliano, M.Ed.

“There is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it.

If only we are brave enough to BE it.”- Amanda Gorman