After another year of students, teachers and parents alike enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, many have become accustom to new ways of learning. Many students and teachers have shifted from in person courses at school, to online learning using technology. While we still do not know what the future of this pandemic will hold for education, it is sometimes helpful to reflect on what changes we have endured and how they have impacted us.

Learning institutions have undergone tremendous changes throughout the pandemic. Students and teachers have put in large amounts of effort to adapt to the challenges of migrating to online learning. While the experience has both benefits and drawbacks, it is important to contemplate this experience and understand how it has affected us.

What the Pandemic Has Allowed Us to Discover About Ourselves

1. Learning Habits
   
   Throughout the pandemic, students have had a lot more freedom in how they study and learn. With all learning being done from home for the majority of the pandemic for most students, students have a bit more freedom in the way they organize their work. The COVID-19 pandemic may exaggerate any issues we have with our learning habits, such as procrastination or difficulties focusing on tasks in certain environments. The pandemic can also help identify how resilient some are with shifting environments, exposing ones ability or strengths in learning under any circumstance. It is helpful to identify how this has affected you and what you excel at – alternatively it can also help students identify areas of improvement
   
   
   
2. Social Habits
   
   A large part of our educational experience involves socializing with others. With most students now learning from the comfort of their own homes rather than at a learning institution, the way we socialize with others has drastically shifted. The move from in person socialization to virtual meetings does not completely recreate the experience of the former. It is important to reflect on how our socialization habits have changed and consider how this has affected the way we learn and how it has helped or hindered our relationships
   
   
   
3. How We Have Spent Our Free Time
   
   The final important point to reflect upon is how we spent our extra free time during the pandemic. As students and teachers no longer have to commute to learning institutions, they save a significant amount of time each day. How we fill this extra time may give us some insight into what we prioritize, whether it be our mental health, our academic success, physical health or personal projects. Reflecting on this, it is important to gauge how you feel about the time spent – If you prioritized a personal project over academic success, do you regret it? Our answers to these questions can give us some insight on what we want in life and how it impacts our learning experience. Taking some time to reflect now may present benefits in the future in the form of knowing how you learn!