For most of the school year, we have been learning from home. The few days of the week we actually go in school feel the most productive. There are many reasons why we might be getting the most out of the school days while actually being there. For example, social skills and collaborative learning both improve greatly when you are in school.

I think we could all agree our social skills have decreased throughout this past year. Although we see our close friends and family every day, we weren’t meeting as many new people at the beginning of the school year due to the lack of in-person learning days.

According to the National Education Association, collaborative learning is mainly effective because, “Collaborative learning has been shown to not only develop higher-level thinking skills in students, but boost their confidence and self-esteem as well.” When everyone is at home, in their beds, distracted by their phone, with the camera and microphone turned off, it is very hard to add to the class discussions. When you are in a classroom, it is more comfortable to share your ideas and learn together.

Hopefully, these last few weeks of in person learning will benefit us tremendously.

Sources

Desk, India Today Web. “7 Ways Classroom Teaching Is Better than Online Education.” India Today, 5 July 2017, www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/classroom-teaching-better-than-online-education-984387-2017-06-23

Gates, Sabrina. “Benefits of Collaboration.” NEA, www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/benefits-collaboration#:~:text=Learning%20Collaboratively%20Helps%20Students&text=Plan%20activities%20that%20give%20students,and%20self%2Desteem%20as%20well