OHIO faculty, students provide virtual learning opportunities for parents during coronavirus

Thanks to a Facebook group created by an Ohio University faculty member, parents across the country who are homebound with their children due to the coronavirus pandemic have access to educational lessons.

Dr. Debra Dunning, associate professor of instruction on OHIO's Lancaster Campus, was inspired to start the group because the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College's faculty and students are “CALLED to Lead.” 

The group started out with 10 people and now has around 400 people, from Ohio to Georgia, California and beyond.

“I hope to bring the community together and to bring the stress levels down for parents who are not trained teachers,” Dr. Dunning explained. “We understand with our training how difficult it is to be a teacher. We understand child development knowledge and how children learn differently and in various ways.  And now suddenly parents who never wanted to be teachers are in this situation.  It’s hard! And I want them to know we know that and are here to help and guide through trying times.”

Dr. Dunning posts guidelines about setting up a learning space and daily schedule, as well as units, which are posts about online resources for parents, such as watching an opera or reading a St. Patrick’s Day story from a former student who is now a teacher.

“Children need to know that despite this situation, there are always people to help,” she noted. “They need structure in hard times and they need some control of their environment and schedule.  Students all over this world are missing their friends and teachers.  We are social being by nature so we want relationships.”

Dr. Dunning has also enlisted the help of her students, including Mikayla Julien, vice president of the Ohio Student Education Association at Ohio University Lancaster.

According to Dr. Dunning, Julien connected with a mother in Virginia who didn’t understand how division is being taught in school today. They connected through an online help desk for students to chat with parents online for homework help.

“This online page is acting like a support group or a social gathering in a time when we cannot physically be together,” Julien explained. “This page is allowing parents to receive some much-needed support and at the same time is allowing education professionals and students to share their knowledge with all who utilize it. Within the coming weeks, this page will become more and more vital to parents and those working with children in their homes as we all become more stir crazy and want to know some more ways that we can help keep the children engaged and still involved in learning.”

Stephen Pack, a junior in OHIO’s Early Childhood Education program, said the group has allowed him to help parents understand how everyday interactions can serve as educational moments.

It’s also helping him develop his teaching skills with his little brother.

“I will be using many of these techniques at my home because I also have my 10-year-old brother at home who thinks that this break from school means endless Fortnite,” he said. “At least this way, I still get to practice teaching techniques while I am out of the classroom.”