Media mentions: Ragan discusses pivot to teletherapy for group speech-language pathology services; Jones discusses unconventional learning settings in response to COVID-19
Ragan discusses pivot to teletherapy for group speech-language pathology services
T.J. Ragan, a clinical associate professor and director of UGA’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, spoke with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) about pivoting to teletherapy for group speech-language pathology services.
Ragan discussed practical strategies, tools, and tips for serving groups via telepractice. ASHA is a professional association for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the United States and internationally.
“One thing that we’re really adept at is that in-person we can limit what’s in front of our students,” she said. “In teletherapy, we don’t have the capability to do that. Maintaining engagement relies on pre-planning. You want to let the parents and/or the professional know we want the children sitting at a place free from any distractions.”
Jones discusses unconventional learning settings in response to COVID-19
While universities across the globe prepare for online or face-to-face learning during COVID-19, Stephanie Jones, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, says there is a lack of thought in the all-or-nothing approach to teaching.
Jones, who specializes in literacy, social class, and poverty and their effects on education and social justice education, has long been interested in unconventional learning settings. Coffee shops, barber shops, and other locations are all within her vision for community-based schooling. She says the downside of online learning is that many young people are not receiving the same educational experience that face-to-face provides.
“The choices of ‘fully online’ and ‘fully in-person’ lack any possibility for nuance, for being responsive to local needs, and for taking seriously the importance of stable and relatively predictable learning environments that teachers and students need to feel safe and be productive,” Jones said.