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Bulletin - Volume 5, Number 02, March/2020
COVID-19 and the challenges in
Education
Rosângela Agnoletto & Vera C. Queiroz
The idea that teachers should adopt digital technologies
in a favorable environment is not new. An environment
that gives confidence, security, and the necessary time
for the exploration, evaluation, adequacy, and
improvements of the experiments performed.
The history sequence breaks paradigms and creates the
environment and time, as if it wanted to go backward,
in search of urgent demands for strategies to be adopted
in all areas of society.
There is an ongoing attempt to launch packages of
emergency measures, mostly adopting the use of digital
technologies. Most of the world's governments,
concerned with safeguarding their economies from the
chaos caused by the COVID-19
pandemic, are doing this.
In the case of educational institutions,
and teachers, a package is launched. A
package to be ingested in a bombastic
dose, both by teachers without
experience with digital technologies
and by teachers that already adopt
digital technologies in their
educational practices. Only with the purpose of
"saving" the educational programs.
But how many teachers are ready to teach in online
environments? What changes in traditional paradigms
should be observed before application? How to
properly switch classes to a virtual classroom? How to
properly guide students to perform in virtual
environments, with teachers and students in the same
boat and some teachers just starting their journey in the
virtual world?
The logic of "going digital" is not simple. It has complex
ingredients as urgency, readiness to deal with Virtual
Management System (VMS) and online teaching tools,
digital fluency, and the necessity of dealing with the
emotions of fear and boredom of social isolation
The mark of this time is uncertainty. Therefore, classes
must rigorously consider all the already inherent
educational challenges:
• planning linked to learning objectives;
• diversity of didactic-pedagogical materials and
resources;
• motivating activities;
• students' profile;
• diagnostic and procedural assessments of
learning;
• validation of the effectiveness and relevance of
the methodology used.
A key issue in these times of
pandemic is to provide all students
with access to the Internet, and
consequently, to online learning
platforms and tools. But is this
possible, even in times of emergency?
The good teacher knows he must
work with the syllabus well to be successful with the
students' learning. To achieve the main objective,
communicating the content involves motivating,
involving, and engaging each student in the teaching
and learning process.
The logic is one for all, and this "all" is represented by
many rhythms, stories, differences, evolutions, and
personalized times. And now, everyone is both together
and separated by the threat of the COVID-19.
In the package of educational challenges, there are
many stages. Some of them are done at the same time:
The mark of this time is
called “uncertainty.”
CEST - Bulletin - Vol. 5, N° 02, March/2020 2
The Centro de Estudos Sociedade e Tecnologia (CEST) was created at Universidade de São Paulo
to collaborate with discussions about the impact of technological advances on society.
For more information, visit our website: www.cest.poli.usp.br/en/
• individual guidance;
• group mentoring;
• constant follow-up and feedback;
• support for those who do not participate in
online activities (seeking reasons for that);
• development of the competence of social
coexistence even in confinement situations;
• development of attitudes of empathy and
collaboration.
It is the teacher's job to establish the approach of the
one or the all, exercising an education for life in a
moment that reigns the fear of death. Many might be
thinking right now the reason for studying if we're
worried about saving our lives. It is up to the teacher on
stage to prepare the students for the future,
remembering that we must have hope and that death or
changes, even the radical ones, bring new beginnings.
Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for the changes
in the best way possible.
The big challenge is set.
Rosângela Agnoletto has a
Master´s in Education from
Universidade Estácio de Sá.
Vera C. Queiroz has a Ph.D. in
Education from Universidade de São
Paulo and is a researcher at CEST-
USP.
Academic Coordinator: Edison Spina
This article is a result of the authors´ ascertainment
and analysis, without compulsorily reflecting CEST´s
opinion.