Effects of Covid-19 in teaching
Photo 1. The student’s canteen
Due to the corona outbreak, last spring the effect of Covid-19 virus was huge among the students, because classroom study stopped altogether. Students were instructed to do different kind of assignments to those teachers whose courses they would have normally been having at school.
Internships for students were extremely difficult to get, because obviously due to Covid-19 work placements didn’t take students to their premises. For excemple, Fazer was one of the few companies that could have been able to take students as interns, but students needed to decide for themselves if they were willing to take a risk of contamination if accepting the internship.
Due to the risk many of the internships didn’t happen, because of understandably many of students and their parents were very concerned the effects of the (Covid-19 ) virus.
Omnia’s Lakelankatu students who needed special assistance were provided classroom studies instead of distance learning. Nontheless, many students seemed to think that Covid-19 and its restrictions provided them a holiday. for this reason, they thought it was not necessary for them to participate in distance learning teaching at all.
At the moment the situation is different because students are back at school and they don’t have in vocational learning units distance learning anymore. However, so that, some teachers in common learning units still use hybrid teaching.
Therefore, schools are operating with exceptional arrangements, with special attention being paid to ensuring good hygiene, avoiding unnecessary close contacts, and arranging teaching premises more spaciously than usual.
The most tricky situation is that at lunch time the whole class has to go to eat at same time. Normally one or two students would have stayed in the classroom to continue baking but now teacher or supervisor has to stay at the classroom to continue with the next step on baking.
Preparing to adopt flexible forms of operation
At the student’s canteen, Herkku which is located in Lakelankatu 1, Espoo campus. At the moment the canteen has only 50% of they seats in use.
Photo 2. The student’s canteen
Safety distances are being followed while queueing and stickers that remind about safe distance can be found on the floor.
Photo 3. The student’s canteen
At the student’s canteen, Herkku students are recommended to use masks and staff has an opportunity to wear masks and vizier which protects both the user and others.
In teaching situations, teachers are also recommended to wear a mask or visor.
Photo 4. Leena Laanterä-Peltonen
Getting internships is still very difficult due to Covid-19 situation. Therefore, our school has provided substitutional teaching to students without internships. Substitutional teaching is being held three times a week and it follows current terms teaching plan/ curriculum.
Due to Covid-19 crises the students also can demonstrate their competence at school. In such cases, the competence is evaluated by two vocational teachers
Merja Leivo 2020, Omnia