Why some students thrive with remote learning

NEW YORK - While remote learning has been challenging for many, some teachers are reporting that a handful of their students are actually thriving.

"My team has said, on average, at least one child per class is thriving sometimes more," said Lynette Guastaferro, the chief executive officer of Teaching Matters, a nonprofit group that coaches teachers.

Social situations can play a role in how well a student excels in the traditional classroom versus learning from home, she said. One of the challenges of in-person learning is social anxiety. 

"For kids where the social anxiety of school is really taxing on their learning, that's gone now so they are just able to concentrate on the academics," Guastaferro said. "That whole social-emotional piece where they are struggling, they're doing better."

She added that another reason why these students may be doing unexpectedly well is the control and independence they have over their learning, something algebra teacher Tess Ytuarte of Comp Sci High in the Bronx has noticed with her own students.

"We've seen a lot of students really thriving when they are able to make their own schedule," Ytuarte said. 

Students feel empowered, she added, and there are takeaways she would like to implement in her classroom that could help these students once the pandemic is over and in-person learning is back in full swing.

Teaching Matters has free resources on its website for teachers, parents and students who are struggling with remote learning.