Teaching Methods

To address loss in learning, distance learning offers opportunities but not all school networks are ready. There are risks also for underprivileged students to be left behind. Remedial education can be applied. In transitioning to distance learning there are wide resources: Wide Open School, UNESCO, ISTE and EdSurge, Learning Keeps Going, New York Times, Distance Learning Resource Center from Education Reimagined, Top Remote Learning Solutions,Koulu, and Emerson Collective. For Catholic materials, it is available through the National Catholic Education Association, Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute, iDEAL (Innovation in Digital Education and Leader- ship) Institute at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education and Catholic schools etcetera. Internet had been used much compared to other media in developed countries while mobile phones and radio for developing countries especially in Africa.

In Africa, similar concern with the United States but more severe. School closure led to loss of learning, increased drop- out rates, loss of free or subsidized lunches for underprivileged groups, and mental health issues. They also have limited infrastructure for distance learning. The economic recession will increase higher level of “poverty and food insecurity.” To scale up distance learning, resources has been provided Commonwealth of Learning, the EdTech Hub, the Global Partnership for Education, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies, Mobiles for Education Alliance, UNESCO, and the Education Global Practice at the World Bank. Inter-agency Net- work for Education in Emergencies, and Global Education Cluster. 54.5% of Catholic school in Africa implemented internet-based distance learning compared to 89.8% in other developing or emerging countries. Due to internet access limitations in Africa, 45.5% used radio, 18.2% used TV, and 45.5% used mobile phone(Wodon, 2020).

To address the needs of the Catholic schools, there is a need to research further on adaptive leadership model, distance learning approaches, changes to professional roles, fund raising strategies, and government assistance on non-profit institutions (Baker et al 2020).

References

1. Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part 1: Developed Countries with Focus on the United States. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301022020

2.Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part II: Developing Countries with Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301032020
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3.Online Education: The new normal – My Learning Guru. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://mylearningguru.com/online-education-the-new-normal/

4.Baker, J. O., Martí, G., Braunstein, R., Whitehead, A. L., & Yukich, G. (2020). Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research. Sociology of Religion, 81(4), 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa039