During the transition to online school, most classes have been bearable as learning new material in core subjects like math and science is not too difficult.
But, one part of school that is completely left out from the smooth transition is foreign languages. For students learning a second language, the online school system has completely failed them.
When learning a new language, the most important and helpful thing is to practice speaking with others.
With the new system, it is practically impossible to have class discussions as it would become too chaotic with people talking over one another.
Although there are break out rooms where students are able to talk to a few members of the class at a time, they do not prove to be effective.
During these break out rooms, students feel awkward as they do not want to switch on their cameras and no one wants to be the first person to start a conversation. All of this results in no discussion, which then leads to no improvement in communicating in the foreign language they are learning.
Without practicing their speaking skills, students will have trouble learning the new language, and will ultimately be set back for the higher level classes.
Therefore, foreign language classes are at the largest disadvantage when it comes to online schooling as the most important part, discussion, is nearly impossible.
Since students are not being exposed to class discussions or comprehension practice, they should begin watching movies and shows to make up for the content they will be missing.
Although it is not the best option as students might not be able to understand people talking at full speed in a movie, it is better to attempt watching something with subtitles than doing nothing at all. By mixing entertainment and foreign language, students have the potential of learning more vocabulary and becoming more familiar with pronunciation. These skills will eventually benefit them in their transition to higher level language classes once schools reopen.