Anyone looking for a silver lining on the coronavirus cloud might like to cast their eye over a global poll about teaching in the pandemic age.
According to the Kahoot! EDU Survey for the Back to School Season 2020, nine out of 10 educators claimed that they had learned something positive from having to adapt to teaching remotely.
Over 75% felt that the same could be said for their pupils.
Eighty-five percent of teachers said that they had changed their methods to better support diversity and inclusion, with almost half having tailored instruction to meet students’ individual learning needs. One in five said that they had added diverse voices and narratives to the curriculum.
On a similar theme, just over a third (36%) said they had got better at meeting students’ varied needs and learning styles.
Twenty-two percent said that remote learning had increased their motivation to teach.
Reflecting on the coming year, 70% of educators said they anticipated seeing a blend of remote and in-person learning, with only 16% not expecting any kind of return to the classroom.
More than 1,200 teachers from across the world replied to Kahoot!’s survey, with the results revealing some notable international variations.
While almost three in four US teachers expect to see blended learning in their schools, in Europe, the figure dropped to 63%, while in Asia it was less than half (48%).
European educators feel safest at the prospect of returning to the classroom (58%), followed by Asia with 54%. American teachers are the most trepidatious, with only 49% feeling at least “somewhat safe” about going back in.
Perhaps the least surprising element of Kahoot!’s survey is the extent to which COVID-enforced distance learning is likely to amplify edtech’s future role in the classroom, with 85% of teachers expecting to use it more frequently.
From the archive: In 2017 we welcomed Erik Harrell, the-then CEO of Kahoot!, to our Edtech Podcast