https://www.edusys.co/blog/what-is-virtual-classroom

Teachers around the world have one time or other this year received notification from their schools that the school is closing. Plan B for teachers was to do online teaching.

Although some schools have reopened others have been closed down again because of covid-19 infections of teachers and learners.

Teachers had to shift their classes to online learning in a very short time span. They were scrambling to start their classes in a new format. The curriculum, daily lesson plans, homework, assignments, and assessments had to be reorganized. How-to-guides for learners and parents had to be written and teachers had to make sure that the learners, and their parents knew what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Teachers were under enormous stress because they had to do it fast, and it was up to them to make it happen.

There was another thing that was worrying teachers, and that was the at-risk kids. The learners that was on the edge of behavioral emotional and academic problems. The ones that teachers closely keep an eye on every day, watching them for signs of increasing distress or signs of progress.

What was going to happen to these Learners?

The classes started and daily problems that arise had to be dealt with. Teachers watched as learners logged on and complete assignments. Learners asked their questions, and the teachers answered as fast as possible.

Teachers checked attendance, what assignments were turned in, and then they start to notice incomplete and missing assignments, some learners did not log in and no emails from parents.

Those are the kids that teachers worry about. How can these kids be helped?

With no face-to-face contact, no observance of body language, how can teachers tell, which learners are not doing so well?

School photo created by drobotdean - www.freepik.com

The following tips can help teachers to monitor learners mental health.

1. Trust your instincts.
Remember that you as a teacher know a lot about your learners, and how they learn. You watch them earlier in the year or maybe longer. You know the areas in which they are challenged. You know how to connect with each learner and if they need more personal attention or if some learners that prefer a bit more distance. You should trust your instincts about your learners. If you feel that something is wrong act on it in whatever way available to you. You can talk to the school counselor or you can reach out directly to the learner and their parents.

2. Use the standard metrics.

Everything is the same, but nothing is the same.
We want to remind you the exact same metrics you used to gauge student progress before – attendance, completing in-class work, completing homework, performance on assessments – are still there, and they’re still valid. Those are still your first-line metrics for student mental health. Any changes from baseline merit your attention and concern. That’s the most important thing to watch for: things that are out of character or are not consistent with the character and temperament of the student you’ve come to know so well.

This applies to the learners virtual work, and their behaviour during virtual classes. The objective measures are the same, an assignment is either complete or not. You have to look for the subjective measures. You do that during any live contact that you have with your learners. Does not matter if it is a large or small video class, or a one-on-one video chat, this is the time to watch closely.

What to watch for:

• Does the learner make eye contact and can they maintain eye contact?
  Any change from your learner is reason to follow-up.
• Look at their body language. Are they sitting up right, are there agitated or highly energetic or low energy?
• Are the learners able to maintain focus for the whole duration of the class?
• Listen to the vocal tone and speech patterns. You know how each learner talks and you will notice if anything changed in how they communicate.

When reviewing these metrics – both objective and observational – keep in mind that everything is the same but nothing is the same. By that we mean that while the old indicators are still valid, they may not mean what they used to mean. For instance, a high-achieving student who hasn’t turned in a single assignment is not necessarily having problems – they may just be clicking the wrong icon on your virtual platform. At the same time, a relatively unmotivated student who shows up for every virtual meeting, posts lots of questions, and is eager to communicate may be reaching out for help or seeking connection, support, and understanding from you. In both instances, your best option – while following school regulations – is to reach out to the student and family and check in. What happens next depends on how the family responds: if you can’t make contact, tell your principal.

4. Be intentional.
We know that you as the teacher set up your virtual classroom, lesson plans and assignments with each learner in mind, set up so that each learner can succeed. That take care of academic side but on the mental health side you can make assessments by asking general questions:

• How is everyone feeling today?
• Is there something anyone is stressed about?
• How is things at home?

Specific questions can be asked in one-on-one sessions:
I see that you assessments are not been turned in on time. Do you need help or maybe more time?
I noticed that you are very quiet is something wrong?
You are very talkative are you excited about something?

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Everything that were said previously depends on efficient, direct, and proactive communication. Here’s why: the exact same behavior could mean opposite things in different students. For example, a student who’s more talkative than usual could be talking more for two reasons (of many): 1. They’re lonely and desperate for contact with anybody – even their teacher. 2. They love virtual learning, they’re excited about the material, and they’re all in for the first time, ever.
Same behavior, different causes.

It's important to check in with each learner. The only way to tell the difference between learner 1 and learner 2, is by communicating with them or their parents via phone or video call. If you find out that something is wrong you can offer appropriate support. Problems can be followed up and handled by the principal or the guidance counselor. If necessary guidance counselors can conduct in-person home visits.

If, you as the teacher, followed all these guidelines and tips, you can have peace of mind that you did your best for each learner.

Thank you for reading. I would like to hear from teachers if this is even possible to do with everything that is expected from teachers.

Source: https://evolvetreatment.com/blog/monitor-mental-health-covid-19/

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