Roaming Reporter: How can teachers improve distance learning?

“I think teachers can improve in online learning by not just teaching but to also have fun with it. I think as a student we tend to learn more when we are having fun and enjoying it. Some errors were either miscommunication or a lot of homework in one week. Some ideas to make online learning more successful is to be patient and always stay positive. I think one of the most important parts of online learning is to ask a lot of questions and to build relationships with your teachers,” senior Malachi Wright said.

“In my experience going to school online has made it harder for me to learn. Having to go to class through a screen makes learning harder because I’m not with the rest of my peers and it’s difficult to focus. It’s easy to get distracted and go on my phone because of online learning. To focus more on school I try to put my phone away from myself. To improve online learning teachers can make learning more engaging,” sophomore Jaclyn Lam said.

“First semester distance learning went pretty smoothly for me. Of course just like the rest of the students I had to adjust to online learning. One of the things I had to adapt to were the prerecorded lectures. At first I hated them, but eventually I started to prefer the prerecorded videos because I was able to work at my own pace. Distance learning is a lot of independent work and no one is really there to keep you accountable. I’m learning to better manage my time and stay self motivated,” senior Erin Min said.

“I feel like online learning has been difficult for many students— we often feel unmotivated to do work, and some of us struggle with obstacles due to the pandemic. I personally dealt with a blow to my mental/emotional health during quarantine, and it was difficult for me to get my homework in and prioritize school. There were also issues with my internet connection constantly, and it hindered my ability to be present in class at times. I think that online learning should be more interactive for the purpose of keeping students’ attention. I also believe that teachers should be more lenient with all their students, as we’re all trying to get through different hardships,” junior Elaine Chu said.

“Online school has been relatively easy for me to maintain every since last semester, and my experience has been relatively unchanged since the pandemic and complete switch to online school. Errors and trials were few and in between as I only really struggled at finishing homework, however management of time came naturally. I believe the biggest issue with online school is just the initial unease of it. To improve online school I would suggest lesser assignments, or rather extensions to offer more time. Teachers have either been understanding towards the struggle of online learning and development, but some assign too much which can feel overwhelming and others none at all. Surveys or perhaps one on one student interaction can help to find a comfortable middle ground,” junior Lucas Huynh said.

“Online learning is definitely a challenge for many people. Teachers can limit ways for students not to stress or fail over online learning. If teachers make you turn on your camera for the whole class period, I think that the students should be allowed to have a few minutes of their camera off just in case something personal happens. Also, teachers could be more open-minded when it comes to having their cameras on or not because people have their reasons. Another way teachers can improve online learning is to do live lessons in class. They should give their lesson in class but also make a video lesson for people who are stuck and if they were really stuck, the teachers could make a place for comments or questions. Last semester, I could say it was hard learning the curriculum in a few of my classes. Every time I had a lesson in class, I couldn’t understand I would just self-teach myself afterward. I didn’t take any notes so it was tough for me but I started taking notes and everything was a lot smoother and less stressful. Although I don’t look at my notes afterward, writing things down can really help you remember the curriculum. And I also realized that typing notes aren’t as efficient as writing down your notes,” junior Alex Pham said.

“[So] teachers can be more relaxed on students instead of trying to rush through everything. Be a little more aware of what students are going through and that it’s [COVID-19]. Everyone is on edge waiting for a phone call that could change them forever,” sophomore Jimmy Nguyen said.