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"Return to Learn": Voices and Perspectives on School Reopening

August 8, 2020

Voices on "returning to learn" during a pandemic.

In this podcast, Nick Covington (of HRP) and I, Chris, discuss the "return to learn” plans of school and what we must think about as we reopen. We call upon other educators to hear their thoughts, including Dr. Jessica Zeller, Rachel Lawrence, Shane MacLeod, and an anonymous caller.

Three key themes emerge in our conversation:

We need to recognize that asynchronous learning is just as valid, if not more valid, than synchronous learning in both content knowledge and equitable practice.

Our conversation of “reimagining education” has been replaced with maintaining control. Teachers must push back to change the status quo.

Teachers are facing massive cognitive dissonance of wanting to return to the classroom and help students, while simultaneously recognizing the safety and logistical concerns of the situation.

Also, we experimented with a new recording set up so I apologize for the decrease in quality…always attempting to do better!