Home Learning Experiences Through the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the education process almost all over the world. Some countries closed their schools, Slovakia was among them (schools in Slovakia were closed intermittently for almost two years). Teachers faced the challenge of developing alternative educational practices through digital technologies. Students also faced personal, technological, and social challenges. Distance education, as a replacement of imparting and receiving knowledge, was in many aspects also very demanding for parents. It was necessary to overcome several technical problems (availability of appropriate and reliable Internet connection, provision of appropriate computer equipment and sufficient personal educational space for each member of family). An important role was also played by the student's ability to mobilize his own motivation for asynchronous and autonomous learning. The discussion with the professional public and the review of the relevant literature indicated that the teaching of mathematics is more sensitive to the interruption of attendance education. As the students themselves expressed: for the understanding of mathematical concepts, the personal presence of the teacher necessary and fundamentally affects the student's ability to obtain new knowledge and understand it. The testing of knowledge of students in Slovakia in 2022 at all levels of schools (after almost two years of distance learning) indicates that in the field of mathematics education there has been the biggest drop in knowledge compared to other subjects. Our study focused on the analysis and uncovering of negative but also positive factors operating in the online teaching of mathematics, which significantly affect the results and level of knowledge of students at the university. Mapping and identification of problematic moments in this process helped us reveal the results of a survey (study) conducted among students of the 1st year of bachelor's studies at the University of Žilina.