Unless we were in the medical profession, theatre or certain professions that used safety equipment, masks were not part of our everyday lives. The arrival of COVID has changed the way we do many things including having to protect ourselves and others through the wearing of a mask. We have all had to adapt to new ways of doing things.
The first thing one notices when wearing a mask is that they are a barrier. They are meant to be a barrier between you and others to prevent the spread of disease but one quickly realises they are a barrier for communication in many ways. They hinder communication - muffling sounds, you struggle to "read" peoples faces and you feel isolated or hidden behind a mask.
Making yourself aware of of these "hinderances" means you are able to think of simple solutions to overcome them, communicate effectively and stay connected with your class.
If you have an accent it is often harder to understand every word. We rely on visual clues to fill in the gaps. But if we have noise, a mask and no visual clues it can lead to difficulty in understanding. Think about background noises in the classroom when you give clear, concise instructions.
People who are hard of hearing find masks filter out certain sounds especially "ss" and "th" which helps distinguish one word from another. The higher pitch sounds which are most visible on the lips are often the sounds hearing impaired people have difficulty with. It is also difficult trying to teach young children alphabet sounds with a mask covering the lips. Face the person and talk as clearly as you can - common sense things one does without a mask but so much more important with a mask.
Talking with students is even more important to make sure they do not feel isolated or hidden, making sure they understand instructions and have fun learning and doing activities . Show the children that things have changed but each one of them has something to contribute to the class and that a mask is not a barrier to learning and communicating.
What will I do different when we no longer have to wear masks? One has become more aware of thinking before giving instructions - it it too noisy, have I got the children's undivided attention, are they looking at me if I use gestures, am I speaking clearly, am I communicating effectively? It has made us better communicators but we do "talk" and communicate with our faces a great deal. I am so looking forward to showing a smile with my whole face to my pupils again, feeling the connectivity and not just showing a smile with my eyes.
Communication and connectivity are so much a part of humanity it will be great not to have a barrier hindering this.
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