Students Should Be Able To Choose Online Learning When In-Person Classes Resume: Principal

March 23, 2021 – Assistant principal William Jeffery has noticed a trend.

In an interview with Broadband Breakfast on Monday, the assistant principal at Columbia High School in the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District in Texas said some of his students don’t do well with virtual learning, while others thrive. Others prefer in-person learning.

Virtual education has allowed us to “differentiate” students’ needs between online and in-person school, he said.

That’s why Jeffery is recommending school boards keep diverse education methods on the table for students to choose what would suite them best. If students perform well at home and enjoy it, they ought to have the means to continue learning from home. Likewise, students who do best interacting with others in-person should be able to continue in that manner, he said.

Parents and lawmakers have been pushing for in-person learning despite the on-going pandemic; others are wondering if the push for digital learning is worth it versus reopening schools for traditional in-person learning.

Screenshot of William Jeffrey by Derek Shumway

Jeffery spoke about how his use of technology, specifically Flipboard, helped transform his students’ learning experience. Flipboard is a news and magazine app that aggregates content and allows users to curate specific content to their liking, for digital learning in the classroom.

Creating a new educator tool with Flipboard, Jeffery focused on four main goals: critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration, he said.

Jeffery wanted to use flipboard to bring education to the forefront for other teachers to learn and benefit their students wherever they were. “Whether you have a laptop or a pencil, you still have to put that knowledge in your brain,” he said.