The COVID-19 pandemic online learning brought many challenges for young children in elementary school, impacting learning, social interactions, and physical capabilities. Primary and intermediate teachers Joanne Reilly from McGowan Park Elementary and Kim Hindle from Pacific Way Elementary witness the effects of online learning on young students and experience noticeable setbacks in students’ capabilities.
For many students, the transition from online learning back to in-person was far from seamless. Students from kindergarten to grade one struggled the most with speech literacy, Reilly explained. This fundamental skill of language and communication is the stepping off point for many essential competencies such as spelling, reading, and writing.
During the period of online learning, students were not able to practice communicating with peers, creating learning gaps when returning to the classroom environment. Reilly noticed a significant learning gap in her classes post Covid-19 as opposed to pre-Covid-19, saying, “home learning might have impacted students because they are not interacting with peers as much.” Reilly suggests that at the kindergarten and grade one age, “a lot of learning is from playing and interacting” creating language efficiencies and communication skills. The lack of in-class socialization leads to language gaps when returning to the classroom environment.
The lockdown created challenges when returning to school and dealing with independence and problem solving. Reilly sees that many children come to teachers or leaders first without trying to solve a problem on their own. Reilly notices that some students struggle to “[do] things independently, and [try] things on their own, and problem [solve],” suggesting students, “are not as prepared to or haven’t had that opportunity to do that before.” With other resources accessible during home learning, students struggle to solve problems without leaning on those tools. These skills are important to allow for the progression of communication and learning habits.
Students practice classroom social skills that will attribute to future subject learning. Reilly expresses that “learning skills such as sitting nicely, and stopping, and looking, and listening, [have] been something that seems to be more and more challenging for students to learn … and are all those kinds of things that you almost take for granted that they would be able to do before they get to kindergarten and grade one.” These social skills not only support classroom engagement but allow for future success in learning. Children at this age are learning to learn and these fundamentals are the pre-cursors for many educational milestones that will lead to other subjects.
Online reading programs, online websites, Google Classroom, Chromebooks, iPads and other tools helped to enhance students’ learning during the pandemic and have continued in classrooms today. Reilly says that prior to online learning, technology was not as utilized to the extent it is today, saying “I am now using different reading programs so that I can work with small groups and give them something valuable and exciting.” Teachers are more comfortable integrating technology into the classroom environment and utilize it to assist students who require additional one-on-one learning.
Reilly notices that students are more intuitive and instinctive when working with technology, however fine motor skills may have declined since online learning. Holding a pencil to write, turning pages, or playing with smaller toys can each be actions that are conducted differently when using an iPad or computer.
During online school, many young students’ learning depended on their family situation. Some parents had the opportunity to be very involved in their child’s education whereas others may not have been in a position where they were able to provide educational support on a daily basis. This meant that some children were affected more significantly than others, creating more diverse levels in future grades.
In intermediate grades from four-seven, Hindle notices significant changes in learning styles and abilities. She says, “kids have less perseverance and are way better at ‘black and white’” meaning they will excel with simple adding rather than a math problem. Hindle acknowledges that many students struggle with “anything that requires higher level thinking, perseverance, or hard work.” Hindle suggests that the lack of problem solving, and critical thinking today can be attributed to the addiction to technology created during online learning as it allowed students to access information easily.
The lack of socialization and focus during online learning left many students deprived of effective learning habits and social routines. Hindle says that “social skills have declined massively, and [students] need to be entertained” even suggesting she is there to be a clown, not to educate them. This demonstrates the lack of focus that many students today display. The online learning period and current constant accessibility to technology is creating learning gaps in classrooms today.
Without structured daily activity that schools provided, an increase in sedentary lifestyles among children is assumed. However, both Reilly and Hindle suggested that any difference in physical capabilities was less derived from online learning but from family tendencies. Families who were active remained active, and kids who were watching TV and gaming, continued to watch TV and game. According to the study conducted by Colley and Saunders suggests that “physical health is a key determinant of health and youth who engaged in more physical activity and sleep while reducing screen time during the pandemic had lower depression scores, less severe emotional dysregulation, and better subjective well-being” (Colley and Saunders, p. 4, 2023). The family lifestyle that students experience contributed to their learning habits. Hindle suggests it is difficult to pin-point whether online learning had a significant impact on students’ physical capabilities.
The adjustment to and from online affected how teachers conduct their curriculum. Hindle says the integration of technology in classes “forced some growth in [teachers] who maybe didn’t want to do that growth” and it benefited her and other teachers still today. To accommodate drastic learning gaps, Hindle produces assignments for multiple levels. She says, “everything that I plan, I have different levels, so I have beginning, middle and a challenge level.” Hindle assigns project-based work for other subjects that allow students to go as detailed as they can or want allowing achieving students to demonstrate their learning, while providing support for students who may be struggling.
Teachers Joanne Reilly and Kim Hindle say that the learning gaps created were individual specific and not all students suffered the same in their education journey. Hindle acknowledged that “kids that had supportive parents … did not decline as much as the students whose parents had long work hours,” expressing family dynamics during the difficult time may have been critical contributors to any education gaps.
The COVID-19 pandemic online learning produced significant challenges for both students and teachers that are still highly visible in classrooms and society today. Many elementary school teachers are still seeing the effects of online learning and attempting to adapt to the way students learn, behave, and play. The pandemic left an undeniable mark on education, teachers, students, and parents were impacted and will continue to address challenges to create a more resilient education system.
Works Cited
Colley, C. Rachel, and Travis Saunders. (October 18, 2023). The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and screen time among Canadian youth. Statistics Canada. Health Reports, Article 82-003-X. https://www.doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x202301000001-eng
Hindle, Kim. (November 14, 2024). Personal Communication.
McDonald, Art et al. (February 2023). School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) Long-
Range Facilities Plan. School District No. 73. https://www.sd73.bc.ca/en/our-district-board/resources/Policies-Reports-and-Regulations/Facilities-Report-2022-23.pdf
Nessman, Cali (November 12, 2024). McGowan Park Elementary [photo].
Reilly, Joanne. (November 14, 2024). Personal Communication.