The Future of Education

As the beginning weeks of ‘stay at home’ unfolded in Italy, what greatly concerned me was the number of families facing endless hours every day with parents trying to keep their children busy. After all, most parents are not trained teachers, and most family members do not usually spend all day and all night together. The horror of COVID-19 that hit Italy tore at my heart – as an educator of Italian descent. My husband and I, who teach at the university level, had previously conducted research in Italian schools in Rome, Valle D’Aosta, Marano sul Panaro, and have been engaged with a Sienese contrada group for several years. We thought of these families, teachers, and children, with whom we had built a personal and professional relationship. What would they do at home all day after their on-line school lessons were finished? How would parents cope with being home from their jobs, having their children with them, while facing their own fears and concerns for their loved ones, work, and the logistics of this rapid shift in life as they knew it? How could we help and not be exposed to the virus ourselves?  We brainstormed strategies of creating a daily blog to electronically reach communities in Italy. We pooled our combined Pre-k through grade 12 teaching experiences created a resource of read Alouds of simple book and craft activities for families to do together, or just by the children. However, as we were making lists of what to include, COVID-19 had crossed the ocean and within hours, our own city and university shut down. While our initial target audience changed, we could now design the activities to also help our local communities. This session addresses how an idea to help those impacted by the quarantine emerged into an international effort to provide resources and activities for families across the globe. Blogger is a simple tool which hosts our blog. One of the biggest obstacles, however, has been getting the word out to share the resources we have presented with those who could benefit most. 

Keywords: COVID-19, online learning, learning activities, educational resources.

References:
[1] Social-Emotional Learning Should Be Priority During COVID-19 Crisis. 
http://neatoday.org/2020/04/15/social-emotional-learning-during-covid
[2] 'Let Yourself off the Hook': Advice for Teachers and Parents During COVID-19. 
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-24-let-yourself-off-the-hook-advice-for-teachers-and-parents-during-covid-19
[3] Now This News 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKZ1WpyIQw
[4] Turner, C., Adame, D., and Nadworthy, E. 'There's A Huge Disparity': What Teaching Looks Like During Coronavirus. 
https://www.npr.org/2020/04/11/830856140/teaching-without-schools-grief-then-a-free-for-all