Forget Learning Loss! Embrace the Power of “Yet”...

Forget Learning Loss! Embrace the Power of “Yet”...

Transforming a deficit mindset to a growth mindset in support of student success

Loss of instructional time and decreased access to teachers and peers led to shocking academic gaps as documented by the 2022 NAEP administration. 

Education leaders are right to be concerned about student academic setbacks stemming from the pandemic. 

The dialogue surrounding this issue allowed for the term “learning loss” to earn a prominent place in back-to-school planning sessions and professional development. It has been a nexus of conversation for leadership teams and board members across the country.

The Problem with “Learning Loss”

Here’s the thing: the term “learning loss” lends itself to only one narrow aspect of a student’s life while neglecting the true scope of the problem. 

Students did not simply lose opportunities to learn and make academic progress. More importantly, they lost normalcy. They may have grappled with health issues, had birthdays go uncelebrated, and were impacted by hard economic choices because family incomes were slashed. Students lost much more than learning- they lost confidence, socialization, and vital emotional regulation skills. 

Learning occurs when students are safe, healthy, and cared for. This is the foundation of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Focusing on ‘learning loss’ in a silo is not the best solution for our current dilemma, but examining the stagnation of academic progress from a wider angle, does present paths to success. 

The Power of Yet

A common strategy in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is reframing. This approach empowers people to confront problems typically outside their sphere of control. The fundamental nature of this approach is useful for building and district leaders who are tasked with confronting the myriad issues associated with reestablishing instructional normalcy. 

To reframe the issues students face stemming from the pandemic, it is first important to acknowledge that students have not lost the ability or willingness to learn despite what the term “learning loss” implies. Despite having taken a step back in reading and math scores, they are fully capable of learning and excelling - they simply are not ready to resume learning YET. It’s not that students can’t learn or have lost learning, they simply cannot resume or recover learning…yet. 

The weight of that one simple word - yet - makes a world of difference in how a school, district, and individual educator approaches instruction. Including “yet” means adopting a: 

Growth mindset  - rather than judgment. 

Confidence and support - rather than evaluation.  

Grit and resilience - rather than desperation.   

6 Strategies to Harness the Power of Yet 

Overcoming the impact of the pandemic and supporting student achievement is going to take innovative solutions and a dedication to students’ social and emotional needs in addition to their academic ones. 

The following high-level strategies are intended to support building and district wide initiatives designed to confront the many issues their student populations face in this pandemic landscape: 

1. Equitable access: The pandemic shone a light on disparate access to the internet during periods of remote instruction. The “digital divide” as it has been coined, has drawn the attention of local, state, and federal government officials. While schools and districts are not able to control where internet cables are placed, they can budget for options within their control (like mobile hotspots) and seek support from local officials and utility companies to close the divide. Equitable access to learning materials and opportunities is paramount to student success. At Breakout EDU we believe in giving all students a chance to shine. 

2. Meaningful relationships: Relationships with teachers, administrators, and support staff are essential to cultivate a student’s sense of belonging at school. Students who feel seen, heard, and cared for have better attendance, decreased anxiety, higher self-worth, and have shown higher levels of academic achievement. Relationships are also a core component of social emotional learning and whole-child instruction. 

3. Engaging learning opportunities: During the pandemic, many students spent a lot of time online watching videos on TikTok and YouTube. TikTok alone grew 180% in 2020! No classroom teacher can compete in a world of 30-second attention spans. Despite the best laid lesson plans, students are likely still going to be transfixed by the power of these mediums and it will be difficult to get them re-engaged in the actual work of learning. Students need to spend time struggling with concepts and working through them. Doing so develops grit and resilience. Breakout EDU games are the piece de resistance for student engagement - the second they walk into a classroom and see a Breakout EDU setup they will forget about influencers and enthusiastically dig into learning with standards-aligned games.  

4. Authentic and relevant experiences: Students thrive when they see themselves reflected in their curriculum. This is a key tenet of both culturally responsive pedagogy and trauma-informed teaching. Not only does culturally responsive curriculum and instruction aid students feel a sense of belonging, the practices also increase critical thinking skills and contribute to gains in reading comprehension and mathematical thinking. Breakout EDU games are designed with cultural responsivity, equity, and inclusion in mind.

5. Diagnosing prior learning: Simply because a concept was taught in a prior year, does not mean that every student has retained the information. Likewise, some students possess content knowledge beyond their years. Using diagnostic assessments to uncover where a student is at on their learning journey is critical to meet them where they are at. While there are many options for diagnostic assessments, Breakout EDU games serve as an engaging, formative tool. Our Game Design Studio allows teachers to create games incorporating prior year learning standards. From there, watch carefully as collaborative groups of students figure out the puzzles! Students will become more active in the game when they have confidence in a task and will choose to lean more on their peers for areas they aren’t as comfortable. Watch the healthy struggle unfold and glean critical insights into student areas of strength and growth opportunities.

6. Involving the community: To fully satisfy Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, schools and districts can also embrace caregivers and community wraparound support. Students should feel loved and cared for at home, at school, and everywhere in between. Involving caregivers and the community lends itself to transparency in behavior expectations, learning goals, curricula, and academic standards. Breakout EDU games are a fantastic way to bring teachers and families together at events like Open House, Curriculum Night, PTA/PTO meetings… even Board meetings!  

Final thoughts

We do need to address learning regressions and gaps resulting from the pandemic. Certainly our students need to learn requisite math and literacy skills, but consider doing so in a greater way that shows them they are part of, and contribute to, something great. The classroom is no different than an athletic field or time online with friends. Every student has something unique and fantastic to contribute. 

Schools and districts that do the work to ensure students feel welcome, cared for, and accepted have a better chance of connecting kids to topics they feel passionate about so they can achieve academic success.

To support administrators, educators, students, and families as they navigate the complex realities facing today’s learners and academic institutions, Breakout EDU’s robust collection of standards-aligned games help educators create a learner-centered experience where students are free, challenged, comfortable, and happy working together at the pace they need and with the requisite supports they need in place as individuals. To support teaching staff, we offer pre-built digital and hands-on games in all subject areas and grade levels. For those who venture on the more creative side, our Game Design Studio puts the power into their hands to develop unique games for their unique student populations. And finally, our Lock of the Day activities are ideal for classrooms looking for quick, 5-minute ways to engage students with all the benefits Breakout EDU has to offer, but also protect valuable instructional time.

Once you experience a Breakout EDU game, you'll see why our games are the key to unlocking the love of learning in every student. Click here to request additional information or to schedule a 15-minute demo.