Reshaping learning for online classrooms

BitDepth#1245

TEACHING IS a challenging exercise at the best of times. Raised in a family of teachers, I began my education in the private preschool of my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandmother was a respected teacher, as was my uncle. My sister, Joanne Rivera, became a master teacher in English in Houston 16 years ago.

To get some perspective on this, I asked Rivera about her experiences over the last decade teaching online in Texas and an old friend, Joseph (name changed by request), about making the change to online teaching over the last three weeks. Both are Trinidadians who migrated more than two decades ago.

You need a learning management system (LMS), but you need a system first.

“Courses are delivered through two major platforms, Edgenuity and Schoology,” explained Rivera.

“Both LMS systems are capable of doing full-on course delivery independently, but both have limitations.

“Edgenuity lacks the ability to conduct discussion board open-ended questions, so that's where I customise the courses to meet the requirements of the state-mandated curriculum.

“Zoom worked well, but we are now using Google Meet, and now they are thinking of going to Microsoft Teams. It's a security issue, but it's all very annoying for me.”

Joseph is a special education teacher, support services, in the New York area.

This teaching role usually requires one-on-one coaching for students who are having difficulty understanding classwork and he works with students on a specific area of weakness. Teaching is determined by a student's individualised education programme, which is custom designed for every special education student.

“What works for me is live instruction, working through problems with the student,” Joseph said. “In the beginning, Zoom was fantastic for me.”

Delivering instruction.

Online learning systems will often mix synchronous or live teaching and asynchronous systems, which use a combination of recorded video and audio along with supporting materials, to deliver modules of instruction.

“As a face-to-face teacher, I depended on various forms of feedback from my students to optimise learning,” Rivera said.

“This could range from eye contact and questioning to informal and formal assessments. I could adjust my classroom approach in real time.”

The solution, she found, was to simplify and clarify.

“It's in the front-loading, the planning and the ability to be in a process of continual change,” she said.

For Joseph, teaching has become an experience with different synergies.

“With live instruction, you are teaching in front of a parent and some of my colleagues really do not like it. I like it for exactly that reason.

“In my programme, there is specific training to deliver the instruction. Sometimes you try to explain to parents the problems their child is having, but when they are right there, they can see the challenges.”

The resource challenge exists at both ends of the connection.

“Some parents struggle (with the technology),” Joseph said, “so I try to get an older sibling to get involved. If you have a grandparent who is caring for the child, it can be a problem. It's not easy for older parents.

“A lot of parents have multiple kids and only one device in the house. They are having to make a schedule.

“Students can return to school through online learning,” Rivera said.

“So we have what we call veteran students. Some students have no training with computers. An online class sounds like a wonderful fix to the high school counsellor offering the student a chance to earn their diploma from home. It is, in reality, a nightmare for the online teacher.”

Mark Lyndersay is the editor of technewstt.com. An expanded version of this column, with the full interviews, can be found there