The Complexities of Biopsychosocial Needs in Online Learning

In online education, biopsychosocial needs might manifest in various ways. This might mean that children will not want to sit in front of camera for instruction delivered during a video conference, that when they are sitting, there will be multiple demands for their attention, and/or children may fail to submit assignments because the assignments take too long to complete. Parents may also withdraw students from online learning opportunities or request meetings often to discuss challenges; more interventions may become necessary from supplementary service providers such as social workers and there may be increased requests for special education service evaluation. Yet, children’s biopsychosocial needs may not be as obvious and present in teachers’ space or in their minds. Teachers must exercise additional vigilance to notice, remember, and attend to children’s needs in addition to attending to teaching the lesson. During the hybrid learning period in 2020-2021 when some children were in the classroom, and some were online some teachers simply forgot about the online children because the children with physical bodies in the classroom demanded their immediate attention. What is clear is that there are many complexities at co-operating in an online learning environment that places new demands on the children and everyone helping the children learn. In this issue, the articles focus on various perspectives of the needs of children, teachers, and parents.