I am a 6th grade English language arts teacher in a Title 1 urban public school outside of Detroit. My students have daily access to Chromebooks, and I aim to structure my class in a hybrid manner, with about half of their assignments being online and the other half utilizing traditional tools such as notebooks, pencils, and workbooks. I believe that effective online learning environments must prioritize equity and accessibility for all students.
Blended Compromise
I previously worked in a wealthier school district with a huge diversity of students. I could reasonably assume that a majority of my students would complete most assignments, regardless of the delivery of the assignment (digital or physical). My current students have challenged this existing belief, and I am still learning the best way to provide them with instruction and learning materials. While technology offers potential for personalized learning, there is a digital divide. Many of my current students do not have access to computers at home for school assignments, which leaves little flexibility for digital homework; on the other hand, we have lost organizational skills, and lost papers and pencils are the bane of my existence. At least with a digital assignment, there is no excuse for “losing” the assignment. This is why I advocate for the blended learning approach to integrate technology thoughtfully, while respecting the need to teach organizational skills.
Systemic Barriers to Learning
Many of my students are struggling readers, who come from families of struggling readers. The issue permeates every facet of their education and even everyday lives. Emails are challenging to get responses from. It is my hope that the digital world we live in would allow for us to reach those who most desperately need it; however, the system, as it is currently laid out, seems to be leaving families further and further behind, with LMS platforms that are challenging for students and even more so for families. I see tremendous value in higher education teaching and learning online, but I am very concerned about the path down the digital world for our most vulnerable students and learners.
Rethinking Online Assessments
Online assessment allows for the entirety of the internet to be used as a tool, which serves as both an enhancement and fault. It is an enhancement because when the internet is used as a tool for the assessment, learners are able to critically evaluate the results and consider ideas beyond what would have come to mind without. Online assessment also provides scaffolding and modifications to meet learners at various levels. At the same time, learners can become too dependent on using the internet and search engines as an easy way out. It can stifle creativity and force all learners to come to similar conclusions. Online assessment, when thoughtfully designed, can provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and digital citizenship skills; however, it is essential to guard against over-reliance on technology to cultivate creativity and independent thought.
Realities of Instructional Design
Currently, I believe that design is more impactful in higher education than it is in secondary, particularly lower secondary schools. What I mean by this is that an undergraduate or graduate student will be spending much more of their own time interacting with the learning materials and the overall design of the course; I am inclined to even include upper grade high school students in this. However, in my anecdotal experience, I do not see design being particularly impactful to my 6th grade students.
I think that my Google Classroom and daily classroom slides are all very well-designed, with multiple modalities present, learning targets and success criteria embedded, and engaging material. A student asked me this past week, “Do you make all of this yourself?” This question made me realize that I could teach a 6th grader using a worksheet and document camera projected on the Promethean board (what my neighboring teacher does), and I think it would yield quite similar results. That said, I do notice design as a graduate student, and I do find myself being more engaged with material when the course or unit has been designed with UDL principles in mind.
Cultivating Critical Dialogue
One of my favorite questions to be asked by a student is “Why are we learning this? How will it help me get a job one day?” I ask myself this question as I work through my graduate courses and wish I had asked myself this more in undergrad. To be critical of what we are teaching and learning is directly tied to Paulo Friere’s anti-banking method. As my 6th graders were reading an excerpt from Rosa Parks’s autobiography, one student asked my favorite question: “Why are we reading this?” I paused before answering and asked the class if they could help answer the question. A few students provided short responses, such as “She’s really important” or “She ended racism!” I gave my best answer: “It’s important for us to learn her side of the story, rather than just read accounts of what happened. More importantly, it’s important for us to read and reread our history, so that we do not repeat it.” I then told the student to keep asking these questions. They are important.
Digital critical pedagogy begs for this sort of collaboration that occurred in my classroom. And while I teach in a physical classroom space, I believe that it is critical to foster this sort of dialogue, which could easily be replicated online in a discussion forum or in future classrooms.
References
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: linking theory and practice (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand.