Like most senior high school students in China, Liu Yu, had planned to continue her studies earlier this year to prepare for the upcoming College Entrance Examination.

However, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced in late January that the spring term 【小题1】(delay) due to the novel corona virus pneumonia(新冠肺炎) outbreak, forcing students 【小题2】Liu to stay at home.

Instead of【小题3】(fall) behind their original plan, Liu and many others have already begun studying full--time again --- only from home,【小题4】may have become【小题5】largest online teaching trial(尝试) the country has ever seen. To go with students' new learning environment, a “cloud platform” was launched on Feb 17 to provide【小题6】(they) with education resources. For students in remote or rural areas, a television channel by China Education Television started airing【小题7】(class) on Feb 17 so they can study at home.

However, online teaching and learning has its weaknesses 【小题8】(compare) to studying in a physical classroom. “My motivation(动力)to study is【小题9】 (strong) when my classmates are around me and all working very hard,” Liu Yu said.

According to the MOE, online courses are only temporary measures taken during the epidemic(疫情). When the new term【小题10】(begin), schools will not replace classroom teaching with online classes.

In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.

The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore 【小题1】 disadvantages of distance learning. School facilities are expensive 【小题2】(build). Online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people at the same time, 【小题3】(result) in greater savings. But moving away from a traditional classroom 【小题4】 a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily 【小题5】(be) a disaster. Physically attending school has hidden benefits: getting up 【小题6】(early), interacting more with peers, and building better relationships with teachers. Moreover, schools should be more than simple institutions of traditional learning. They are places where students 【小题7】(offer) counseling (咨询) and other support.

Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to transform education overnight. 【小题8】, online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos are unable to make eye contact or assess a student’s level of engagement. Given these 【小题9】(expect), schools should not become permanently “remote”. Technology, however 【小题10】(advance), should simply be a tool of a good teacher.

Many schools started online courses for students to study. at home on account of the spread of COVID-19.【小题1】, the outcome turned out to be not satisfying, because the online education required teachers to carry out live stream courses using mobile phone software and properly interact with students, which proved【小题2】challenge for many teachers.

Some teachers discovered they left the microphones off before finishing the online courses, and others were frequently interrupted by【小题3】(they) young children's shouting or crying. Sometimes they had to repeatedly reconnect to the platform due【小题4】poor Internet connection,【小题5】annoyed both the students and the teachers. Some schools offered online courses for each subject including sports. Teachers found it awkward【小题6】(give) instructions online because many children did not have enough space to move. Some parents complained that they had to join several different chat groups of different【小题7】(subject) . They also hated to accompany their children taking online courses just to make sure their children were【小题8】(full) concentrated instead of【小题9】(play) video games.

Schools should not put any unnecessary academic burden on primary and secondary students through online classes, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday. It was recommended that online courses【小题10】(link) to infection prevention and psychological health guidance.