Speaker / Author / Education Advocate
Among the greatest fears, as we navigate the seemingly endless disruption of Covid-19, is that academic achievement could suffer in a climate of remote learning. And even worse, children in communities of poverty, particularly children of color, might experience the greatest adverse effects.
Sadly, both have come true.
USA Today, in an article that appeared this past Saturday offered us a snapshot. It reported that the Volusia County Florida,School District, a district surrounding Daytona Beach, experienced disturbing rates of poor academic performance as students engaged in remote instruction. Two out of three middle and high school students learning remotely received at least one D or F grade in their midterm progress report, confirming the district’s concern that distance learning just wasn’t working. Two out of three!
The impact is not limited to Florida. Districts across the nation are struggling with similar results as they address the dilemma of how to prioritize health and achievement. Last week, I spoke with two local school administrators that shared similar first-hand experiences. One lamented that 48% of his third graders were falling seriously behind in mathematics achievement. They are logging on and participating during the on-line instruction, but they are not producing any evidence that they are learning. The second administrator reported that when she jumps in to observe teachers delivering remote instruction in her middle school, 60-70% of the student’s computer screens are dark.
"There is a big difference between accountability face to face and accountability online," said Aaron Tomhave, Texas high school math teacher. Many parents and educators (myself included) see the in-person connection as a vital lynch pin for academic success. The absence of this instructional relationship has a devastating impact on some of our neediest kids. By the way, I failed to mention that the two administrators I spoke with both serve schools with high levels of poverty and significant numbers of black and brown children.
Despite its critical importance, I have a nagging suspicion that it isn’t just the absence of face-to-face accountability that is frustrating efforts to make remote learning work. Looking again at Volusia County, their achievement patterns are not particularly stellar with students who are opting for in-person schooling. Nearly the same percentage of high school students and roughly half of the middle schoolers are doing poorly or receiving failing grades.
There must be something else. That a district can experience similar results with in-person and remote instruction suggests that where instruction is offered, or even the vehicle used in it’s delivery, isn’t necessarily the only reason for disappointing achievement levels.
The expertise of the teacher, in both content knowledge and possession of a broad range of pedagogical approaches, is the single most significant contributor of effective learning, establishing how students are taught. It is this expertise, coupled with the meaningful and trusting relationships forged between the learner and the adult teaching them that are critical components of kids realizing the success they aspire to and deserve.
So is what is taught.
Teachers across the country are thoughtfully creating lessons that are consistent with the standards of their districts. They communicate enthusiasm to their students and offer each of them every measure of support they can muster, in-person where possible, but largely remotely. So, why are so many kids checking out? Why are students making the decision to have their teacher greet and address a class with 70% of the screens dark? Why are they neglecting to do their assignments, failing to submit evidence that they’re “catching on?”. Aside from the dismissive rationale of stubbornness or adolescent independence, I, again, argue this.
Irrelevance.
Boring is boring no matter where you find it. If it’s boring when the teacher drones on in front of you, it’s also boring if the droning is done through a computer screen. If the content, the subject, the activity is not meaningful to the learner, personally, that same learner may elect to disengage: as in darken their screen. Approaching remote teaching through a traditional “stand and deliver” model is not going to yield a result different from that type of instruction in-person. Those dark screens, the absent evidence of learning, are proof that a new approach is in order. After all, what we all know, but frequently choose to ignore, is that student engagement holds at least equal status to where and how instruction is delivered and it’s eventual impact.
It’s time we pay attention. It’s time we offer another approach to instruction and meaningful learning. It’s time we recognize that a graphite pencil and a digital pencil are still pencils, merely tools for learning. It’s time that we acknowledge that unless kids can find purpose and meaning in what teachers ask of them, their efforts will be more compliant than they are transformational. The Glossary of Educational Reform defines engagement: “Student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Generally speaking, the concept of ‘student engagement’ is predicated on the belief that learning improves when students are inquisitive, interested, or inspired, and that learning tends to suffer when students are bored, dispassionate, disaffected, or otherwise “disengaged.”
Bored. Dispassionate. Disaffected. Disengaged.
Any hope of attaining a measure of success as we continue remote instruction requires a shift. We must teach for engagement, not content. For some guidance, TeachThought.com offers “25 Remote Teaching Tips to Engage Students in Distance Learning.” (Some of these are great tips for in-person learning, too. I’ve added emphasis to my favorites.)
Start with students
Simplify
Work backward from the context of remote teaching
Meet for briefer periods more frequently
Be the ‘lead learner’ as much as you are the ‘teacher’
Use lighting and sound to your advantage
Use games and music
Use different tools for different things - usually
Thinking differently about ‘classroom management’
Try to ensure the privacy of each student
Design for participation
Test everything, plan ahead, and assume everything will break
Empower students: emphasize autonomy and engagement
Think Before, During and After learning
Use the right platform for the right teaching
Know the features and functions of that platform inside and out
Personalize learning objectives and approaches
Connect individually through messaging or separate ‘rooms’
Be selective in what you do together
Create ‘breakout rooms’ ahead of time
Leverage the beginning and end of each remote learning session
Use quick, informal checks for understanding
Be intentional with transitions
Use a timer
Consider digital grouping strategies
Kids want to learn. Kids deserve to learn. Even in the cumbersome world of remote instruction, we have an obligation to assure that they can and will learn - even if it involves rethinking how and what we do with them.
