ROBERT MORRISON
reporter
Education majors at TCC say COVID-19 has brought many difficulties into the world of education, and teachers are worried about how they will adapt in the classroom.
“Most students need a strict schedule that keeps them motivated and keeps them on their toes rather than being at home and slacking off due to any distractions home can provide,” education student Daisy Osorio said.
With plans to pursue teaching, Osorio said virtual schooling will affect her chances of getting a student teacher position because it is important to gain real-life experience within the classroom.
“I do not think virtual classrooms are able to conduct the same amount of quality teaching for students as in-person classrooms mostly because of the lack of interaction between students and their teachers in a virtual classroom setting,” she said.
Although Osorio recognizes the current value of virtual schooling, she still stands by the in-person class is the most effective in the teaching community.
“In the state our country is in now, the
safest environment for teaching would be online. Is it the best? No. But it is the safest,” Osorio said.
Recent TCC alumni Megan Tran said teaching during a pandemic will affect teachers’ ability to create new ways to keep students engaged.
“Especially seeing how lessons are extremely limited to textbook read-a-longs and screen sharing videos,” Tran said.
Tran says virtual learning hinders some students who learn in different ways, referencing the outline of Howard Gardner’s 1983 Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which states there is not one type of intelligence and not one type of learning.
“Everyone has different learning styles,” Tran said. “By reducing traditional classes to virtual classes, it would do many children who do not learn optimally with auditory les- sons a great disservice.”
Advocating for the benefits of a face- to-face learning environment, Tran does not think in-person classes are worth the risk they present. Other TCC professors share Tran’s sentiment about keeping courses strictly online.
Even though Tran thinks of virtual class- rooms as a lower-quality learning environment, she said nothing outweighs the importance of keeping our community safe.
