Tips for Effective Learning Recovery from Ukrainian Language and Literature Teacher Nataliia Demchuk

In the context of war, not all children have equal access to education. A significant number still study exclusively online because, for example, their schools lack shelters or are located near conflict zones. The psychological state of children is also changing. All these factors affect the quality of learning and knowledge retention.

To help her students fill gaps in Ukrainian language skills, Nataliia Demchuk, a Ukrainian language and literature teacher at Holovurivskyi Lyceum in the Voronkivska community (Kyiv region), organized learning recovery sessions at her school. She previously completed training on tutoring tools supported by Education Cannot Wait and received methodological support for conducting learning recovery classes from Teach For Ukraine NGO.

Before teaching, Nataliia worked as a journalist. When she learned about the educational challenges Ukrainian schools and students face due to the war, she decided to contribute to this field. She realized she could teach Ukrainian language and literature to children.
Nataliia also shared her experience and advice with Vchyysia.Media.

“When I met my fifth graders, I was very surprised by their motivation to learn. The children were eager for real interaction and support, as years of remote learning had taken their toll. Some students needed extra help catching up on the material. So, I decided to organize learning recovery sessions in Ukrainian language. But these aren’t just Ukrainian lessons — they’re about support, communication, and creating a comfortable learning environment,” shares Nataliia Demchuk.

What are these sessions?

They are special lessons designed to help fill knowledge gaps in school subjects and also provide socio-emotional support to children.
In November 2024, Teach For Ukraine NGO, with support from Education Cannot Wait, conducted specialized training on tutoring tools for learning recovery in schools for 29 teachers working in rural schools and small towns. Between December and February, these teachers independently held around 300 such sessions with students.

“We were provided with a complete package of materials to prepare and run these sessions — interactive exercises, educational videos, various practical tasks, theoretical modules, entrance and exit testing, and more,” Nataliia explains.

By the way, learning recovery guides are available to everyone on the Teach For Ukraine NGO website for six subjects: Ukrainian language, English, History of Ukraine, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics (which is split into Algebra and Geometry from grade 7). Each guide includes:

• A standalone course or it can be integrated into regular lessons;
• 24 lessons with specific methodologies, exercises, learning pathways, and subject maps;
• Support for teachers, facilitators (specialized experts), and volunteers in the education sector.

How to Organize Learning Recovery Sessions?

According to Nataliia, the first step is to conduct an initial assessment of students’ knowledge to understand who is at what level and who genuinely needs extra support. This can involve test tasks designed to gauge how well a child understands the previous year’s curriculum in a given subject. Materials for the initial assessment are also available in the Teach For Ukraine NGO guides.
Next, the teacher communicated directly with students and their parents to find out if they wanted to join the additional sessions and what times would be convenient. At the same time, she emphasized that participation is open to everyone — even those demonstrating a high level of knowledge — since an individualized approach is applied during the sessions.

“The administration of my lyceum also supported this idea, so now I hold learning recovery sessions for fifth graders twice a week after school as an elective,” the teacher shares.

How Are the Sessions Conducted?

At the lyceum where Nataliia works, the sessions take place offline. Interestingly, each session lasts one hour (60 minutes).

“Live interaction has a significant impact on learning. When you see a child in person, you can better understand their emotions. This is fundamentally different from the online format, where in Google Meet everyone talks at once or, conversely, sits with cameras off. Offline sessions offer the opportunity to teach children how to communicate properly, express their thoughts, use appropriate vocabulary, understand context, and listen to others. That’s why, whenever possible, it’s better to hold such sessions in person,” emphasizes Nataliia Demchuk.

She recommends starting these sessions with a mental reset, as children may be tired and less motivated after lessons. To help students get ready for the session, you can:

1. Do a quick physical warm-up or yoga;
2. Watch a funny short video;
3. Simply talk with the children about how they’re feeling and what they’d like to share;
4. Offer an icebreaker activity — a short exercise that helps create a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom, engage students, and relieve tension before the lesson or session begins.

Examples of Icebreakers:

• “Two Truths and a Lie”: Students share two true facts about themselves and one false statement, and others try to guess which one is the lie.
• “Associations”: The teacher says a word related to the lesson topic, and students take turns sharing their associations.
• “Question of the Day”: The teacher asks an interesting or humorous question, and students respond. For example: “If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?”

Main Part of the Session

Nataliia relies on a guide with ready-made exercises and activities from Teach For Ukraine NGO. The key is to alternate different types of activities — not just explaining rules, but enriching lessons with interactive exercises, such as Kahoot games, tests on ClassTime, or tasks that require active participation from everyone.

“I’ve also noticed that children enjoy hands-on activities — it helps them better retain the material. For example, when studying the main and secondary parts of a sentence, we used cards where students had to match the subject with the corresponding underlining (and the same for other sentence parts). This allowed students to visually see the sentence structure and understand it more effectively,” the teacher adds.

According to her, it is also effective when students explain concepts to one another — this too helps deepen understanding of new material.

Each session always ends with reflection, which can be:

• Subject-focused (asking students what they learned and understood that day);
• Or emotional (checking in on how students feel after the session).

“The key is to remember an individualized approach. Students may have varying levels of knowledge, so it’s important to have exercises for different levels. For example, while some students are still working through the rule, others may already know it. For those students, you can offer more advanced tasks to keep them engaged,” emphasizes Nataliia Demchuk.

“I would add that the most valuable part of these sessions is the live interaction and the opportunity to support each student individually. When I see their progress, when they come and share something important to them, I realize that my work matters. Children want to be heard, and these sessions give them that chance. For me, it’s not just teaching — it’s support, motivation, and creating an environment where everyone feels valued,” the teacher concluded.