Some students have all but ‘disappeared’ since schools were shut down, teachers say, as they give an insight into the difficulties they face with trying to keep children engaged in learning.

Since making the switch to e-learning, some pupils have dropped off the radar, leaving their teachers at a loss on how to reach out to them when all it takes to be ignored is the click of a button.

Jenny*, who teaches science between Year 4 and Year 8, says she has been pre-recording her lessons and allowing pupils flexibility in watching them and returning their work. But there are still those who do not participate.

“The school has been getting in touch with the students to make sure they are fine and to see if the family needs any help or support to cope,” she said.

“We’re trying to support them as much as possible and we’re flexible with the genuine cases that we know about,” she added.

“But it’s not the same. At school it’s easier to get to them but at the moment they can just easily not log on and ignore their emails.”

The reasons for students not being able to participate are varied.

Some students may not have the resources or parental support to continue doing their lessons from home. For others, school could have also been a refuge, says May*, an English teacher for Year 9 to Year 11 students.

Very often it’s like talking to a wall and a lot of the joy of teaching is now gone

“It’s a mixed bag. I definitely have a lot of students who are having problems with device access or a limited digital knowledge. Then there are students who are technically participating but not actually doing any of the work. Getting work back involves lots of chasing,” she notes.

“Others have family members who might be working and unable to help students, or they might require students to work in the family business instead of doing their lessons, or in some cases family members may not see online lessons as important and therefore they don’t reinforce attendance and participation.

“I feel as though I’m a first-year teacher all over again.”

Live lessons, May says, at least allow teachers to speak to students directly, but not all of teachers are able to give live lessons because of family commitments.

“Very often, it’s like talking to a wall and a lot of the joy of teaching is now gone. The energy and mood of the lessons has definitely been affected and students feel it too.

“Moreover, having everything digitised is frustrating, and planning and correction time has tripled.”

Much of the teaching and learning, she adds, is made up of spontaneous moments with students where the teacher gets instant feedback and can adapt the students’ approach.

“Now I don’t know if students are following. Normally all it takes is one look and I can tell that a student hasn’t grasped a concept – but now I’ve got no idea,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Education Ministry said schools were doing their utmost to keep in touch with students while teachers were regularly updating senior management teams about those who were not participating. There would then be direct communication with parents or guardians.

“Although in many cases this improves matters, unfortunately this is not always the case, despite all the efforts made by the schools,” the spokesperson said.

The ministry is also providing free internet and digital services to students experiencing difficulties in these areas, as well as sending resource packs directly to the homes of these students.

A number of educational resources can be found online at teleskola.mt. Parents or guardians who are experiencing issues may contact the education helpline on 2598 1000.

*Names have been changed