Education Publishers Rise to the Challenge of Lockdown Learning
/by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
In our recent “Publishing as an essential business” post we looked at how the industry has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on how publishers are contributing to global efforts to confront the crisis and prove their value. There has undoubtedly been a concerted effort from every corner of the industry, whether that’s by making critical content accessible when it’s needed most or by making these distressing times more tolerable and entertaining for isolated readers.
Of all the industry sub-sectors, education publishing in particular has been in overdrive in recent weeks, as worldwide lockdowns have flung parents, students, teachers and educational institutions into the unfamiliar territory of home schooling and distant learning. Although approaches have varied according to countries, states, districts, types of schools, and grades, publishers have been under pressure to step up to the plate and ensure that teachers and students of all levels are equipped with all the right resources as a matter of urgency.
Generally, educators of every age group have been well catered for, with free access being granted to teachers, parents and students across many online publisher platforms. But publisher efforts to support the learning community during the COVID-19 pandemic go far beyond that.
Primary school teachers have been spoiled for choice when it comes to skill and literacy initiatives and content that can be packaged up to form the basis of virtual lesson plans. Simon & Schuster’s imprint Simon Kids has bolstered its Read and Learn offering with live Snack and Read readalong sessions with top authors and illustrators on its Facebook page and everything from drawing tutorials, storytelling and singalongs have been uploaded to its YouTube channel. It has also produced a range of free-to-download activity packs across many of its major brands.
Scholastic is another publisher which was quick to realise the benefits it could be offering educators and students while schools were closed. The publisher curated Scholastic Learn at Home, a free, Open Access digital learning hub designed to support virtual learning plans from Pre-K through to ninth grade. In addition to the extensive learning opportunities being channelled through the platform, teachers can also plan virtual learning meetups to expand on the resources provided.
In addition, many publishers such as Macmillan and HarperCollins, have unlocked their safely guarded gates by granting authors, librarians, teachers and others temporary permission to post or stream online video readings of their proprietary content, providing it is done on a non-commercial basis.
Heavyweight textbook publishers in the K-12 and higher education spaces have also been doing their bit to support teachers and course leaders as well as students. The likes of Cambridge University Press, Cengage, Wiley, SAGE and Pearson, to name a few, have opened up their digital platforms and granted free access to a plethora of etextbooks, tutorials and other resources to help support with distant learning. Several of these publishers have been generous enough to keep these initiatives going for the remainder of the summer term.
Beyond the “free stuff”, publishers are also supplying a great deal of support and advice mechanisms to educators who are also learning on the fly when it comes to home schooling. The English language learning arm of Cambridge University Press launched a Supporting Every Teacher campaign on its World of Better Learning website, full of useful advice for teachers, and publishers such as Wiley and W.W. Norton are also offering free webinars and workshops for course instructors.
Across the board, publishers of all shapes and sizes are rising to the challenges of meeting the needs of teachers and course leaders and keeping the home-stricken world educated. And they have been doing so in a highly innovative way, by using every digital tool at their disposal, from opening up access to online courses and textbooks to using their social channels to great effect or giving educators the support network they require to carry on with their jobs. We don’t know how long the pandemic lockdown will last and for how long educational institutions will remain closed, but it’s safe to say that publishers are going the extra mile to help ease the burden currently being imposed on teachers, parents and students.
KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (formerly Cenveo Publisher Services) is the industry leader in editorial and production services for every stage of the content lifecycle. We are your source for intelligent automation, content creation, accessibility compliance, digital learning solutions and more. Email us at info@kwglobal.com.
