Things that should happen in schools now

As schools continue to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic and invite a growing number of students back for in-person learning, there are basic steps that authorities should be taking to ensure a successful return. The question is: Will they take them?

Before the pandemic, though they were growing in number, as it is called “one-to-one” schools, where all students were provided with a laptop or iPad, were still more the exception than the rule. Now, however, most of us teach in a one-to-one school.

Schools should provide intensive professional development over the summer to teachers (and pay them to attend) in effective instructional strategies when all students have a device.

What is more likely to happen is that teachers will be left on their own to figure things out, or they will be provided with off-the-shelf video tutorials. That’s what most of us got during a pandemic year, so why should we expect anything different now?

Many schools used far fewer textbooks this year because hard copy books didn’t work well online and/or online versions of them were not very accessible. Schools should provide the resources and the opportunity to expand on what many teachers did — combine engaging authentic texts online with online multimedia, including having students develop “textbook” chapters for future classes.

I hope these things come into effect very soon in order to save us from the depreciating quality of education in many schools in Africa and around the world.