If you translate one of the ways to say “Don’t jump to conclusions” from French to English, you would say, “There’s more than one donkey at the fair named Martin.” Similarly if you told a French person not to jump to conclusions, they would probably ask why you think they are jumping. Translating a traditional classroom to an online environment doesn’t make much sense either.
Since just about every school in the United States has now been closed for nearly two weeks with no clear end in sight, many districts have moved their instruction to an online model, or in some cases, a hybrid model where students have the option to pick up packets of work. This blog entry is specifically about the online model that districts are using.
It doesn’t take long to find teachers memeing or TikTokking about their initial experiences with online teaching. Even the famous teaching-principal Ron Clark weighed in on it.
I never thought I would say this but online teaching requires much more prep work than classroom teaching. I’m worn slam out. Lol
— Ron Clark (@mrronclark_) March 23, 2020
@misswhitebio Online learning is fun ##fyp ##highschool ##tiktokteacher ##biology
♬ original sound - ceo_of_swag
Most of the complaints on social media are about students not showing up for assigned times; pretending their login information doesn’t work (even in situations where they use that information daily); and/or, goofing off and causing disturbances during online lessons. This is to be expected. Very few teachers have taught in an online environment and very few students have worked in an online environment. And while keeping the connection between teachers and students is extremely important during a crisis like the one we are facing, there are better ways to do that than having 30 12-year-olds log in to Zoom or Canvas all at once.
There is nothing inherently more valuable in a live discussion versus an asynchronous one. Additionally, a video with guided notes or something interactive for students is more valuable than listening to a teacher lecture. Even if a teacher were to do something active for the students while speaking to students, issues with technology, student behavior, and other things might be barriers to understanding.
My personal feeling is that school districts are opting for synchronous models because they feel like school. And while that may be true, it certainly doesn’t harness the capabilities of online instruction where you create or curate video content for students to access on demand.
Direction instruction should come in the form of readings or videos, and like a face to face class, should be used judiciously. There is nothing wrong with a good lecture, but having students log in to a Zoom lends itself to a continuous lecture. Everyone is in a captive audience situation - so what else would a teacher do with an hour of time?
I don’t blame anyone for doing the synchronous model. It’s the direct translation of traditional schooling to online. But like direct translations from French to English, they don’t often work out, especially with something as complex as teaching. And to be fair, most school systems didn’t have time to figure this out. Even in one-to-one districts, teacher use of instructional technology (in reality as opposed to lip-service) is disparate.
I also want to put a disclaimer that almost every educational model works if done with fidelity, thoughtfulness, and skill. My arguments revolve around the time we’re in right now where, overnight, school systems had to figure out online learning for their students without the time, parameters, and thoughtfulness that would hopefully accompany any new initiative.
The Asynchronous Model and why it works
In an asynchronous model, the teacher assumes a different role than they do in a synchronous online class. Instead of a performer, the teacher is a designer and curator. Interactions with students are mostly either in small groups or one-on-one. This allows for teachers to maintain relationships, but it also slows things down to allow for mastery and individualized learning.
This is what it looks like:
The teacher designs a learning module (a unit of instruction) that typically takes five days to complete.
In that module, one will find the following:
Direct instruction
Heuristic assignments
Discussions
Formative assessments
A summative assessment, project, or something on which to give feedback.
The module is organized in such a way that the instruction and work leads up to the summative assessment. This is no different than a traditional classroom.
The teacher conducts office hours to help students who need it.
After the assessment, the teacher gives robust feedback to students to guide their learning.
In this model, planning and design are really important. It doesn’t lend itself to throwing things online, and rather than spending hours on a video chat with students, the teacher is spending hours designing, creating, curating, and giving feedback. In an online environment, that is a better use of a teacher’s time. What’s more, teachers will be creating resources they can use and refine for years to come rather than punching a clock.
I did a YouTube video that fleshes this out a bit more. Feel free to check it out below.