Classes are Stopped, But Learning Continues – It Doesn't Necessarily Mean Learning ‘Online’
There was a joke about a group of fitness enthusiasts who built a step-counting group, where every day they would record how many steps they took. One night, after 11 pm, Old Zhang checked the group and found himself in first place with 18888 steps, with Old Wang in second place at 17777. Old Zhang thought, 'It's late, most people are asleep, so this first place is secure.'
The next morning, Old Zhang's first task was to check WeChat for the situation. But he was surprised to find that he had become second, and Old Wang's steps had increased to 19999.
He called Old Wang and asked him how he could have taken so many steps so late. Old Wang said, 'I bought a rocker and attached my phone to it. It's enough to count the steps in a little while. Starting today, I'm number one!'
Walking fitness is for oneself or for others? Does the count itself determine the steps? This is clearly self-deception!
However, the same phenomenon also exists in our current online learning for students. Some schools require students to 'check in' by recording their attendance, often multiple times per class, as if checking in means learning.
Some use software to require students to be online at all times, as if the online light represents the student is learning! These forms of meaningless practices are no different than Old Zhang attaching his phone to a rocker to count steps.
'Online learning, uninterrupted learning' is about form, but effectiveness is more important. We cannot use form for form; some schools operate from 8 am to 6 pm, with subjects rotating—checking in, interacting, recording, taking photos, downloading, and uploading. This leaves students with no time to rest, making them busy and exhausted, and it's unclear what they've actually learned.
Recently, a statement from the Ministry of Education pointed out that online learning should not require students to 'check in' by uploading learning videos, to avoid unnecessary burdens on students. At the same time, it should guide students to arrange their schedules rationally, and through increasing rest intervals, doing eye exercises, and strengthening physical fitness, protect vision, strengthen the body, and protect mental health.
'Online learning, uninterrupted learning' is key to the result, and fundamentally depends on the fruit. I think we should not interpret 'online learning' or 'network learning' as having to make students spend time online and lie on the internet; offline self-study and homework are also learning! As schools and teachers, after issuing learning tasks and setting learning goals, the focus should not be on real-time supervision online, but on providing feedback and guidance on learning results!
