Public Ed 2020-2021: New Opportunities

 The 2019-2020 school year ended abruptly and without ceremony. We said goodbye to our students in early March with uncertainty. Administration told educators within our district to prepare two weeks worth of online learning assignments for students, to be delivered through our learning management system, Google Classroom. Little did we know we would be maintaining this approach for the remainder of the year.

Having recently completed significant training in educational technology, I was eager to get started. I was enthusiastic about creating content that my students could digest at their own pace, on their own devices, and in their own homes. I was eager to host meetings and answering questions that were inspired by my carefully crafted and lovingly created content. My students largely were agreeable as well. They participated and completed tasks as best they could. Students emailed with questions when I was not available. We started on a positive track.

Once we found that we would be spending more time at home than originally planned, the participants began to wane. It was revealed that students needed to only complete one assignment to get credit for the semester, which led to a large decrease in the completion of assignments and attendance in meetings. As such, my own enthusiasm decreased, as my efforts were not being utilized as intended.

One problem was the rapid transition from passive learner to active learner. We expected students to instantly become a completely online learner when our students are accustomed to being fed information, with little opportunity to actually use the information. A passive learner is one that sits back as the teacher, the subject-matter expert, tells students what they need to know. The passive learner is listening for the sake of getting a good grade. A passive learner looks for the one, definitive answer, fills in the worksheet, turns it in, and walks away. In contrast, the active learner is participating in learning. This is encouraged when the educator creates opportunities to use information in an engaging way. This helps students build autonomy and relevance with the subject-matter, as they are able to personalize information while solving problems and collaborating with others.

Each approach has its appeals and drawbacks. Some students thrive with lectures, while others succeed due to the challenges presented in the active community. I contend that students must be trained to participate in their own learning, and this means teaching them how to be active learners. Students have access to all the answers with a simple, "Ok Google". The challenge comes from teaching students how to use the information that is readily available in a simple Google search. 

Funny story from recent online teaching experiences. A friend teacher first grade was administering an oral spelling test. She overheard the student say, "Hey Alexa, how do you spell PARTY?". Innovative problem-solver, points to the student. 

With the advent of continued online learning and a blended approach, teachers must integrate the best features of technology into creating an active learning community. This can be achieved by utilizing the myriad apps and features in the Google Suite of Education and being open to transitioning from a lecture-driven classroom to a project-based classroom. Students must also see their role of the student much like an athlete; no athlete would show up to the game without having practiced, and a student should not show up to class without doing work that is expected. Students must invest in themselves.

One of the best appeals of the active learning community is a more personal relationship between students and educators. When done properly, students receive lower-level Bloom's information outside of class, ask questions in class, then apply what they've learned. The educator is the guide and is truly creating a learning partnership.

I didn't even mention parents! That we will save for another post. 

This school year presents a paradigm shift in public education. This introverted educator is here for it.