Corona seems like a while ago. Yet they are still noticing the consequences in education. Then it is not about learning disadvantages, but about changed behavior of students. Due to school closures and distance education, pupils saw each other less in recent school years. This led to different behavior for some of the students.
At the Pantarijn secondary school in Kesteren, teachers see that there are more problems at school. The type of fights that normally take place in the lower grades, they still see there in the upper grades.
“There is more unrest among children, because the basis of manners has faded,” says care coordinator of the school Lisette Lindeman. “A new norm has emerged where the tough behavior became more interesting.”
home sitters
Children are also more likely to be overstimulated, Lindeman notes. They experience going to school as too much and too busy. According to the coordinator, this has a negative influence on school performance.
“Students are less likely to go to work, they are more busy with each other, looking for their phone or distraction because they also had it at home,” she says. Students also learned to persevere less well. “When the going gets tough, they give up more easily.”
According to the care coordinator, there are currently more home-sitters and semi-home-sitters. It is impossible to say for sure whether this is due to the corona virus. Lindeman does hear the same noises from colleagues at other schools.
Extra mentoruur
Neuropsychologist Jelle Jolles attributes the changing behavior to the corona period. “They have had little contact, and as a result there has been too little feedback,” said Jolles. “But that feedback from your environment, especially from peers, is necessary to experience: o I must do that, I must not do that.”
According to Jolles, it is important that educational institutions take the time to work on social contacts. Mentor lessons can be used for this in secondary education. Have groups of students talk to each other about things that concern them so that they can give each other feedback.
In any case, there will be an extra mentor hour at the school in Kesteren next year. Teachers also received extra training in pedagogical skills. These are paid for from the National Education Programme, which was set up to eliminate backlogs in education caused by corona.
Gap year or group 9
CNV Education calls for schools to be given the space to do what is in the interest of the student. This can mean that a student gets a so-called bonus year if necessary. According to the union, this is not yet possible because schools are assessed by the Education Inspectorate on the performance of the students. As a result, there is pressure on the schools to let students move on to the next year, while it would be better if they were given longer time for a school year.
The Ministry of Education is considering a solution. An example is a gap year after primary education, a group 9. A five-year VMBO and a six-year HAVO are also being considered. It is unknown when this decision will be made.
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