Introduction
Undeniably, education quality control has been the primary concern for educators globally. This call for quality can become intensified by major changes that affect humanity such as the Covid-19 global health crisis. From a pedagogical perspective, by adapting or transforming curricula and implementing recovery strategies quality continuation in times of crisis can be ensured.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) lexicographers report seeing a huge rise of many coronavirus-related terms in a very short period of time. In the words of Bernadette Paton, who is the Editor of Oxford English Dictionary, it is “a rare experience for lexicographers to observe an exponential rise” in usage of the word Covid-19 which has come “overwhelmingly to dominate global discourse, even to the exclusion of most other topics”. This suggests that great social change brings great linguistic change and that educators may need to embrace this language evolution. The role of the 21st century language teachers is believed to be that of global educators whose effort is to equip students with knowledge about world problems and real-life communication.
Thus, although English remains the Lingua Franca, a language spoken all over the world, another question may also be added-“Do you speak the language of Covid-19?”
Part 1
Crafting understanding of pandemics vocabulary in the English language classroom
Introducing the Translation Bureau Covid-19 Glossary
The Translation Bureau is a federal institution within the Public Services and Procurement Canada portfolio which supports the Government of Canada. It clarifies basic conceptsto promote clear communications about the coronavirus disease. It is updated and improved on a regular basis with alphabetically listed words.
An adapted table with selected examples of the Translation Bureau Covid-19 glossary is provided below:
A / B / C / D
abnormal respiratory findings, affected city, amplification of viral spread, animal-to-human transmission, antipyretic therapy, antiviral drug, asymptomatic case, asymptomatic incubation period, asymptomatic transmission, border closure, ban large gatherings, cluster of cases, caremongering, chain of infection, close contact, confirmed case, contact precautions, contagiousness, death rate, deglobalization, depression, disease control, droplet transmission precautions, dry cough, declare a pandemic
E / F /G / H
early detection, elbow bump, epidemic curve, flatten the curve, global impact, global health crisis, hand hygiene, health care provider, health crisis, health emergency, hygiene measures
I / L / M / N
immune system, incubation period, infectious disease, intensive care unit, laboratory-confirmed case,lift the lockdown, local transmission, medical equipment, mode of transmission, maintain social distancing, non-essential travel
O / P / Q / R
outbreak, oxygen therapy, pandemic, pandemic epicentre, protective equipment, person-to-person transmission, physical distancing, plank the curve, primary case, quarantine, respiratory failure
S / T / V / W-Z
self-monitoring of symptoms, superspreader, surgical mask, suspected case, symptomatic case, test negative, test positive, travel restrictions, vulnerable health system, voluntary quarantine, World Health Organization, zoonotic disease
Pre-Speaking stage: Building confidence via literacy builders
Effective literacy builders for teaching pandemics vocabulary are word fact cards, the Frayer Model, semantic gradients and virtual corpus- concordance lin. Examples are given below.
While-speaking stage activities to make the speaking EFL curriculum real and topical
For educators to make the speaking EFL curriculum topical may follow the following taxonomy of activities:
Examples of class discussion questions
| CATEGORY 1 ACTION TAKEN & PANDEMICS COVID-19 | CATEGORY 2 EDUCATION & PANDEMICS COVID-19 | CATEGORY 3 SOCIAL / MORAL DILEMMAS & PANDEMICS COVID-19 | CATEGORY 4 PERSONALIZED REFLECTIONS & PANDEMICS COVID-19 |
| Question Can student scientists contribute to the battle against Covid-19? | Question Should teachers become more flexible, sensitive and understanding with students’ assessment due to the impact of Covid-19 on education? | Question What are the human rights that are temporarily violated under Covid-19 conditions? (i.e., lockdown, restrictions) | Question Could you share how your country is dealing with the pandemic? |
| Answer University inventions can help especially research teams | Answer Alternative assessment methods need to be used | Answer Civil liberties | Answer The measures in Greece are among the strictest in Europe and have been credited internationally / spread of the disease under control / number of deaths the lowest in Europe |
Examples of new-articles based activities
Example of a role play debate
Example of a Covid-19 presentation
Post speaking activity
A short memory quiz based on a Covid-19 article can be an effective post speaking activity. Students are expected to try to recall how certain selected covid-19 related words in heavy type were used in the article they read and choose the correct phrase. Then they check their answers with their partner by reading to each other the sentences that contextualize the quizzed word.
Pedagogical implications
- Educators need to help students develop a greater understanding of current global events and controversies as they help to bring citizenship and human rights education to life
- Educators need to let students review the Covid-19 facts, conceptualize the medicalized and militaristic Covid-19 language and apply it in the classroom speaking community.
- Educators need to consider the following quotation being the epitome of the policy of a transformational English school “The evolution of mass media has increasingly exposed children to sensitive issues, which require demystification and discussion” (Scarratt and Davison, 2012).
Part 2 Effective Recovery Tactics
The modernization of the speaking curriculum of English language schools is one parameter by which innovative and transformational schools can exist. Another parameter is the implementation of strategies to help education leaders change the educational crisis mode into the recovery mode. Numerous best education recovery practices have been proposed. In this article the following strategies are analyzed: UNESCO’s global coalition, SEL interventions – social and emotional learning and skills upgrading strategies.
- Report by the technical team of the UNESCO international institute for higher education
Education leaders need to
- Provide a clear regulatory environment for the reopening of classrooms that promotes a sense of security.
- Document the pedagogical changes and impact.
- Scale-up digitization, hybridization, and ubiquitous learning.
- Renewal of the teaching and learning model.
- Generate mechanisms to support learning among disadvantaged students.
- Recover more quickly, hopefully with some useful new skills (i.e. acquiring distance learning skills and deeper digital mastery).
- Ensure continuity of teaching by using a virtual modality.
- SEL – top concerns of educators to reestablish normalcy
- It is axiomatic that developing students’ IQ is not enough. The overarching aim is to educate the heart and the mind. It is an “education of the heart”.
- When we address SEL we advance emotional intelligence.
- Educators need to normalize emotions. The pandemic has caused stress and anxiety about the future for many students and their families.
- Teachers should spend as much time as possible (re)connecting with students. Strategies could include scheduling one-on-one conferences and providing an open-door policy to any student seeking additional help.
- Watch for anything in the environment that could re-traumatize students (i.e. expulsions can be avoided) and promote predictability and stability.
- Shaping Transformational Schools involves creating a supporting infrastructure and Trauma-Informed Schools.
C1.Strategies to bridge skills gap in post pandemic age for teachers
- Transparency to the recruitment process, exact skills, expectations and goals of the position should be clearly defined.
- New-skills based training programs by school personnel administrators should be offered to further back up an employee’s skill set.
- Going beyond teaching certifications withskills-based and personality assessments policy prior to hiring is necessary.
- Assessments throughout training after hiring to determine progress are equally important.
C2. Strategies to bridge skills gap in post pandemic age for students
- Collaboration with education providers for skills-based development programs after-school programs and camps offering youth opportunities to learn new skills (i.e. robotics, programming) are necessary.
- Job readiness boot camp programs job training combined with mentorship, classroom, and online instruction that offer apprentices practical and theoretical training is essential.
- Of the utmost importance is the construction of new revolutionary campuses digitally-enhanced classrooms, seminar halls, and laboratories as well as in-house recording studios-recording of video presentations of lectures (lecture captures) made available online
- Adaptable curricular is needed to incorporate a wide variety of courses for new skills such as data science and artificial intelligence (AI).
Conclusion
To conclude, the right strategic moves are to foster a systemic education reform and ensure institutional sustainability and scalability. This means that every aspect of schooling needs to be reshaped. In particular, these aspects include curriculum, instruction modalities, assessment, learning environment, technology, community relations, and instruction time. The epitome is to plan for long term successful working of the institutions. Educators need to remember that “deep within every crisis is an opportunity for something beautiful”, which suggests the beauty of a successful recovery (Kate Mc Gahan).