COVID-19
PeerLearning.net will be enhanced to support instruction in the era of coronavirus. When schools closed their doors, students lost the opportunity to develop and maintain relationships with one another. Individualized remote instruction can replace much of the curricular exposure that students are missing, but it is difficult to replace the social interactions that are such as critical part of education.
Videoconferencing technology can be a venue for interpersonal communication while schools are closed, but this technology is more suited to whole-class instruction. It does not provide the instructional supports necessary to conduct small-group peer learning lessons.
To support teachers in doing remote peer learning lessons, and provide students with a critical opportunity for social interaction during their period of isolation, we will add an audio-conference capability. Rather than the whole class being in a single call, however, PeerLearning.net will automatically place students into their own small-group calls as dictated by the lesson flow and group structure. The teacher will retain the ability to closely manage group structure, monitor student progress, and join the small-group calls on demand to provide assistance with the schoolwork or teamwork.
With PeerLearning.net, teachers and schools will be able to support students both academically and socially during this unique time in our history.