Dean Joanna Masingila spoke to Syracuse’s WSYR NewsChannel 9 on “How students learn virtually now that distance learning is the rule the rest of the academic year.”
On Friday, May 1, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced all K-12 schools and colleges in the state would continue to provide distance learning through the end of the school year. Most schools in the state have been closed to in-person instruction since at least March 23; all schools in Onondaga County including the Syracuse City School District closed on March 18, and Syracuse University ended residential instruction on March 13.
Masingila told WSYR that schools and teachers have adapted in a variety of ways to the new normal of online and distance learning.
“I think we’ve learned that it is possible for learning to happen in many, many types of environments…teachers have figured out a lot of things, like what might be most helpful for their students, checking in with them. I know my colleagues who have children in school some of them say they have lesson two or three times a week where they’re face to face, there’s also information sent home or students may be doing things online.”
She reinforced that parents should not feel pressure to be “teaching” their children during the school day. They should instead encourage the learning they are doing online or with materials sent home, and reach out with questions to teachers and other staff. This echoes advice Prof. Tiffany Kozalka previously shared with WSYR on supporting students while social distancing.
Masingila has been participating regularly in TV Classroom, a project of the local PBS affiliate WCNY, which provides educational and instructional content each weekday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. She has led several mathematics lessons; other School of Education participants include Profs. George Theoharis and Thomas Bull, english education senior Kimshari Diaz, and alumni with The Reading League.