How to Combat COVID-19 in the Classroom
Amid the influence of COVID-19, a Corona-virus that could potentially be deadly, teachers must seriously reflect on their classroom management plans to decide how they will handle classroom management issues that the Coronavirus may bring.
Research explains COVID-19 spreads from person to person through droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. In many classrooms, especially in elementary and middle schools, students talk a lot, and some students are vociferous without meaning to be. By being loquacious in this manner, students may easily transfer droplets in the mouths or noses of teachers or classmates nearby and spread the virus. In conjunction to this health risk, teachers must be mindful to carry on with teaching, for the national Standards for student learning is their utmost responsibility. Generating a management plan, for instance, that will support student safety and learning is a serious matter, and teachers must act decisively.
If teachers are teaching higher grades—tenth through college—they may encounter a mutual discourse with their students about the virus, and students most likely will follow the rules to protect themselves and others because they possess the mature capacity for sensible reasoning; contrarily, teachers that teach lower grades—kindergarten to ninth grade, must tread carefully to combat the virus while teaching because younger students are rarely as understanding about important matters as their older peers. Thus, a serious plan must be mapped for students to remind them of appropriate behavior under critical circumstances while simultaneously reminding students of mastering national learning goals, for many students’ brains are like a novelty-seeking-missile, disengaged one moment, but capable of intense focus and attention. . .” (Research); students must understand when to listen and when to take heed.
Teachers may explain to students as much as students need to know about Coronavirus and how it will influence the layout and appearance of teaching and learning. An idea for this implementation is to allow students to explore assigned topics on their own and to report their learning with the class. They may also explore strategies for dealing with difficult situations and how they themselves may help in a school crisis. Students taking control of their own learning helps teachers to influence other learning goals they must teach.
The most notable difference that teachers must bring to focus is the requirement of students and teachers wearing face masks to help block contagious droplets from others that that may spew in others’ direction.
Again, ideas are important to think about: a helpful suggestion is for teachers to teach students about mask-wearing, arming students with helpful information about masks so that they may make wise decisions following school rules in wearing masks.
According to research, until 1910, wearing face masks during medical procedures was not common. Face masks, made of cloth and gauze and sometimes sprinkled with clove and cinnamon, were worn by medical personnel for protection of viruses.
In past times, people were warned to limit speaking during medical procedures to limit the spread of germs and also that the areas with infection should be avoided (Matuschek, et.al., 2020). This realization is important to understand because, teenagers by nature talk a lot and will need to temper their dialogues for health’s sake.
Likewise, hand gloves were used to prevent doctors from catching germs. Yet, gloves were immediately removed upon intended use to avoid spread from gloves to other areas. In schools, gloves are recommended for cleaning purposes and for contending with students with medical needs. Without violating a student’s privacy, however, teachers should decide how they will handle such emergencies.
However way teachers handle the COVID-19 crisis, they must document how they will contend with the issue as well as prepare to address students that will challenge them on the enforcement of wearing masks. Teachers’ classroom management plans should reveal lessons given to students about wearing masks and gloves.
Equally, using hand sanitizer is important. However, using hand sanitizer is an understood hygiene requirement and should be used regardless of COVID-19.
Yet, in spite of the Coronavirus, learning must continue. Teachers must prepare themselves professionally to generate assignments that will be engaging for students to concentrate on assigned classwork. Teaching should be of a high caliber during unusual circumstances that affect an entire nation’s schools because busyness will help ease students’ and teachers’ nerves and help keep them on task with learning and teaching.
Thus, by urging students to present their best in completing lessons and by encouraging them to be good students, teachers should encounter minimal opposition to students’ willingness of learning the required Standards, and, additionally, teachers may present lessons on morality and values. Common research shows that few students are aware of proper behaviors in given situations; thus, lessons on morals and values will be appropriate for teaching to help students understand right from wrong. Learning how to cope with the Coronavirus during instruction and pushing learning Standards that demand attention, is every educator’s responsibility—especially the responsibility of teachers and students.
Combating COVID-19 is possible.
Below are tips to help with classroom management during the COVID-19 crisis:
TIPS for CLASSROOM NEW RULES:
1.Protect yourself and others.
2. Educate yourself about viruses.
3. Keep a safe distance from others
4. Wear a mask.
5. Wash hands or use hand sanitizers.
6. Remain mostly quiet.
7. Remain seated in your own space.
8. Let teacher know if you are sick.
9. Refrain from poking fun.
10. Keep hands to yourself.
11. Focus on learning the Standards.
12. Complete assignments.
13. Support your teacher and classmates.
14. Believe that everything will be all right.
15. Accept “Thank you” for your kindness and understanding.
Cynthia Mathews (2020)
Let me hear from you: Thank you.