Enriching Education: Education Gap and the Pandemic

 The New York Times reported the pandemic erased two decades of progress in education. How do we even begin to right this ship? One powerful force in helping students is turning to parents to help motivate their children to be excited about learning.

I had a chance to interview Dr. Adedayo Akande from  University of Health Sciences Antigua to learn more.

-Can you share a little bit about the education gap and how that was affected by the last few years?

 

There have been reports that a significant divide continues to exist, even in the past fifty years of educational policies to close student achievement gaps. During the pandemic, this nothing but accelerated the problem due to the abrupt switch to remote learning, which wiped out academic gains for many students in America. This further widened racial and economic gaps, and recovery will be slow.

 

Research has suggested that most remote students will have fallen behind where they would have been if they had stayed in classrooms, with some losing the equivalent of an entire school year's worth of academic gains. Racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps have also widened because of disparities in access to computers, home internet connections, and direct instruction from teachers.

 

-How do emotions affect education?

 

If speaking on the learner's emotions, research has undoubtedly shown that positive reinforcement and the ability to be in a positive mood significantly impact one's learning ability. Naturally, negative emotions have the opposite effect. This often translates to other parts of one's livelihood, not just education.

 

-Why is positive reinforcement so important, and how can families utilize it to support their students?

 

Positive reinforcement is essential in all areas of education because it improves morale and allows one to be motivated and have the confidence to succeed. Families may utilize it to support their students by not necessarily turning any encountered challenges and issues into negative, but instead finding ways to show these things may simply be learning experiences to better oneself.

 

-How can adults get students excited about creating and meeting learning goals?

 

Being an adult learner can be extremely challenging with the many external factors in one's life. Students should establish attainable objectives, whether weekly, daily or per project. Either way, these should be achievements that are celebrated upon completion. As one who was previously an adult student, I often found that consistently working during a particular time of the day also allowed me to stay on track to meet learning goals.

BIO

DR. ADEDAYO AKANDE, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES ANTIGUA

Dr. Adedayo Akande is a Chicago-born/Antigua-raised businessman and academic. He is the Chairman and President of the Caribbean-based Medical University, the University of Health Sciences Antigua. During his tenure as President, UHSA has witnessed numerous developments. UHSA successfully moved online during the pandemic, he’s developed several international partnerships with hospitals, universities, and high schools creating pathways for interested students to pursue medicine. He also partnered with Revive Therapeutics’ research program in a commitment to studying psychedelic medicine or mental health therapies. Students attending UHSA will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with these budding therapies in addiction, PTS