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We know COVID-19 and its associated changes to our work and learning habits caused a marked increase in the use of technology. More surprising, perhaps, is the impact these lockdowns have had on children’s and young people’s self-reported enjoyment of books and the overall positive impact this has made on reading rates.

A recent survey from the UK, for example, showed children were spending 34.5% more time reading than they were before lockdown. Their perceived enjoyment of reading had increased by 8%.

This seems logical — locked down with less to do means more time for other activities. But with the increase in other distractions, especially the digital kind, it’s encouraging to see many young people still gravitate towards reading, given the opportunity.

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Teaching college in the time of COVID-19 is like nothing we’ve experienced before. The global coronavirus pandemic created unprecedented changes in instruction to accommodate new safety measures of remote learning, flexible in-person class schedules, school openings and closings, campus virus testing, not to mention the personal adversities affecting students. Now more than ever is the time to change it up, relate to your students, and make a lasting impact on their college experience! After one year of pandemic life, here are some pointers for instruction:

To read Bona's tips, click here.

Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, nearly everyone connected to children has raised the alarm about pandemic learning loss. Parents, educators, physicians and politicians — they might disagree on solutions, but they’re all concerned about how the current educational upheaval will affect K-12 students.

By contrast, little attention has been paid to the pandemic’s effects on even younger learners.

“There aren’t a lot of people out there screaming ‘what about the infants?’” said Jack Shonkoff,  a pediatrician and professor who leads Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. 

Perhaps there should be. In recent decades, neuroscientists and early learning experts have discovered just how much an infant’s environment contributes to the development of their brain’s structure and circuitry. When infants receive nurturing, responsive care in stable settings, “it literally shapes the architecture of the brain and builds strong brain circuits for learning, for emotional development, for self-regulation,” Shonkoff explained during an early childhood seminar hosted by the Education Writers Association.

To read more, including the full report, click here.