Assessing What We Really Need To Lose To Catch Up
Discover why dropping outdated educational methods could unlock students' pandemic-era digital skills and self-directed learning abilities for modern teaching success.
What Is Learning Loss and Why Should We Rethink It?
Learning loss traditionally refers to students falling behind academically during school disruptions, but this narrow definition ignores the effective skills and competencies students gained during the pandemic. Instead of rushing to catch up with outdated curricula, educators should recognise that students developed new digital literacies, self-directed learning abilities, and adaptive skills that are more relevant to modern education. The real loss would be abandoning these pandemic-era innovations to return to pre-2020 teaching methods.
When I read Stephen Merrill's article on learning loss(Edutopia, April 16, 2021) I could almost hear the cement drying on a lost opportunity. We boldly proclaimed in early 2020 that we were not going to waste this crisis, that the opportunity presented by 'the great accelerator' would not be lost. That the changes forced on everything from the workplace as a place, to health care, food delivery, cinema, exercise, and transportation would not be lost.
Key Takeaways
- The Learning Loss Trap: Why rushing to 'catch up' with outdated curricula wastes the transformative potential of pandemic-era innovations in education
- Question the Canon: Discover why teaching 500-year-old texts won't prepare students for 2022's information tsunami, and what should replace them
- Beyond Virtual Rows: How schools are replicating isolation by moving from home computers to classroom computers, missing the collaboration revolution
- Redefine to Rebuild: The radical curriculum audit that identifies what we must lose to create genuinely relevant, human-centred learning experiences
It was only two years ago that running a virtual class for long periods of time was unthinkable, a bizarre experiment that would not be tolerated for more than a day by communities that expected their children to go to a place to learn. In less than two years, we designed hybrid, virtual, and hyflex learning models. All of the innovations forced by this pandemic would have taken at least another decade to be widely accepted.
I cringed at the bloggers and LinkedIn professors that reminded us from 2000-2019 how broken the current education system was. We'd been talking about this new 21st century learning for so long that Sir Ken Robinson even passed away before anything really changed and we are now starting to wonder what the 22nd century will look like as we rumble to the halfway point of this epoch.
How Can Schools Redefine Learning Loss After the Pandemic?
Schools can redefine learning loss by auditing their curriculum to identify which traditional content is genuinely essential versus what perpetuates outdated educational models. This involves questioning whether teaching 500-year-old texts prepares students for navigating today's information landscape and instead prioritising critical thinking, digital literacy, and collaboration skills. The focus shifts from catching up to old standards to building forward with relevant, human-centered learning experiences.
Assessing the rubble of the pandemic is complex. For people that made the impulsive decision to buy a Peloton, maybe they decided to start running outside again. But for those in the education business, going back to "the way things were" and trying to patch up the past two years like a gaping wound, is a mistake. We didn't just hit the pause button in 2020. We were forced to pivot in a way that has shifted a lot of our thinking about how we educate people and how this experience is delivered.
When we were playing with online learning pre-pandemic, we tinkered with MOOCs, webinars, Khan Academy, and videoconferencing. But they were gimmicks, not at the core of what we did, and didn't seem to grow or change so much. It felt almost like PowerPoint. Once the platform was invented, that was pretty much it.
But when everyone from your kindergarten teacher to your high school art teacher was forced to teach from behind a screen, nothing could really go back to the way things used to be.
We all want things to be normal again. We want to just be comfortable, to hug one another, laugh openly in bars, enjoy packed yoga classes and concerts. Those returns to normal are understandable. But simply going back to the same old tired content and the same old tired curriculum just isn't going to work. To make matters worse, we are now saying things like learning loss and closing the gaps that are putting the same pressures we put on teachers over the last two years not to lose a step.
I was speaking to a student the other day and he said, "I am so done with talking about the Middle Ages where all we learned about was 500 years of people lying around being sick." Being stuck behind a computer screen for months at a time shined the spotlight on education just as it did food delivery and made me think of two things:
- A lot of what we are supposed to learn at school is unrelated to what the world needs from the next generation of people.
- People need to interact and be together to have truly impactful learning experiences. In other words, online learning will never replace good teachers.
Why Are Students Not Behind Despite Pandemic Disruptions?
Students are not broken or behind because they gained invaluable 21st-century skills during remote learning, including digital communication, self-management, and adaptability that traditional classrooms rarely taught. The perception of being behind only exists when measured against outdated benchmarks that don't reflect the competencies needed in 2022 and beyond. Students who learned to navigate virtual environments, manage their time independently, and collaborate digitally are actually ahead in skills that matter for their future.
Ron Berger, whose article in the Atlantic ("Our Kids Are Not Broken" March 20, 2021) about learning loss speaks to this issue, said, "I kept hearing about 'remediating learning loss,' and I had this vision that school was going to be a place where all the kids come in and get tested and triaged and sent to different areas to get fixed."
There has to be a resistance to hitting the pause button to go back on the treadmill and making it go faster so we can catch up. There has to be a reflection, a pause on the way we have done things and serious questioning about what we need to stop doing. We need to think about what we need to lose so that we can catch up to the innovation that was forced upon us during this pandemic. Students developed new literacy skills that extend far beyond traditional reading, including digital navigation and informa tion evaluation. They also strengthened their social-emotional learning through adapting to unprecedented challenges.
We need to develop metacognition about our educational practices and embrace critical thinking when evaluating what truly serves our students. Rather than focusing solely on aca demic deficits, we should be implementing comprehensive strategies for assessing student progress that capture the full range of skills students developed. Going forward, project-based learning approaches can help bridge traditional curriculum with the real-world competencies students need. This includes developing habits of mind that will serve them throughout their lives, regardless of how rapidly our world cont inues to change.prioritising adaptability, resilience, and continuous learning. These are not losses; they are gains that redefine what it means to be prepared for the future.
What Should Schools Prioritize To Build A Better Future For Students?
Schools must prioritise developing adaptability, resilience, and critical thinking over rote memorization of outdated facts. Educators can embrace effective teaching methods, such as project-based learning, collaborative assignments, and real-world problem-solving activities, to create engaging and relevant learning experiences. This shift will helps students to become lifelong learners and equip them with the skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
Instead of focusing on deficits, schools should emphasise the strengths and unique experiences that each student brings to the classroom. By implementing differentiated instruction and personalized learning plans, educators can cater to individual needs and creates a growth mindset. Creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel valued and helped to take risks is crucial for their overall development. Furthermore, schools should prioritise collaboration with families and communities to provide complete support for students' academic and social-emotional well-being.
The pandemic forced us to confront the shortcomings of traditional education and highlighted the need for a more relevant, human-centred approach. By embracing change and prioritising the skills that truly matter, schools can prepare students for a future filled with uncertainty and opportunity.
Conclusion: Embracing the New Educational Landscape
The concept of learning loss, as traditionally defined, is a misnomer in the context of the pandemic era. While academic disruptions certainly occurred, they were accompanied by a surge in invaluable skills and competencies that are essential for success in the 21st century. By redefining learning loss and embracing effective teaching methods, educators can unlock the full potential of their students and prepare them for a future where adaptability, resilience, and critical thinking are paramount.
Ultimately, the goal of education should not be to fill students' heads with outdated facts, but rather to equip them with the tools and skills they need to navigate a rapidly changing world. By focusing on human-centred learning experiences and developing a growth mindset, schools can helps students to become lifelong learners and contribute meaningfully to society. The pandemic has presented us with a unique opportunity to reimagine education and create a system that truly serves the needs of all learners.
Further Reading
- Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2015). The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth. *Journal of Economic Literature, 53*(3), 453-495.
- Darling-Hammond, L., & Hyler, M. E. (2020). Preparing educators for the time of COVID.. And beyond. *European Journal of Teacher Education, 43*(5), 615-623.
- Schleicher, A. (2018). *World Class: How to Build a 21st-Century School System*. OECD Publishing.
- Fullan, M. (2020). The New Meaning of Educational Change (5th ed.). *Teachers College Press*.
- Berger, R. (2021). Our Kids Are Not Broken. *The Atlantic*.
