The Rona Diaries: Week 8
Candace:
We are not doing ok over here and the stress associated with online learning is a big factor in the anxiety and malaise Chloe and I are experiencing this week. Moving online has been a huge learning curve for me because I have never been 100 percent comfortable with using technology in the classroom. I remember when The Storefront first got a donation of Smartboards and Ibnou had to stand at the wall holding the dongle connected to my computer into the side of the board just so that I could show a clip from "Imitation of Life." Meanwhile, younger teachers would be at the front of their classrooms confidently swiping across interactive lessons and inviting students to the board to write with the different colored electronic markers.
I always told myself that tech in the classroom was change, but not necessarily progress; that teaching students that screens rather than people should be the focus of their attention was counterproductive. However, I am willing to admit that perhaps my resistance was related to fear of learning something new and not being good at it. (I love when life puts me in situations that help me build empathy for the position that my students are often in).
When administrators began to prepare teachers for the possibility that school would close due to COVID-19 they required that we learn how to hold classes in Google Meet and I was faced with familiar feelings of fear and inadequacy. When school shut down in the beginning of March I was introduced to the idea that there is a difference between asynchronous and synchronous learning. In an asynchronous model students learn the same thing at different locations and at different times. Teachers post activities and materials and then give students flexibility around when to complete the assignments. Asynchronous learning is good for students who like independence, but it can be isolating. It also requires a lot of adult support for those students who are not particularly motivated or organized. Although Chloe has Zoom meetings with her teachers, they are not every day with every teacher so her school is primarily following a asynchronous model.
In a synchronous model students learn in real time online with their teacher using platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. The school where I work is using a synchronous model. My students follow the same schedule that they do when they are in the building, except that their classes are 40 minutes rather than 45 minutes long. They engage with their teacher (and each other) every period, every day. That means that I teach online 5 periods a day, in addition to attending staff meetings, leading advisory sessions, and facilitating an after-school program. In my opinion, synchronous learning is more effective for middle-schoolers. Students can ask questions and get support from their teachers and peers, lessening the responsibility of parents. Students also get daily feedback on their work which makes them more responsible about completing it, and they feel like they are part of a school community that approximates the community of the classroom.
Every morning Chloe sits across from me as we engage in the struggle of teaching and learning. While I'm trying to guide 8th graders through the process of writing a 2000 word research paper and convince 7th graders that Things Fall Apart is not really about white people, Chloe is sitting across from me needing help with math problems like this:
"You are really nice and funny until you start trying to be MY teacher."
-Chloe Victoria Celeste Cross
We are not doing ok over here and the stress associated with online learning is a big factor in the anxiety and malaise Chloe and I are experiencing this week. Moving online has been a huge learning curve for me because I have never been 100 percent comfortable with using technology in the classroom. I remember when The Storefront first got a donation of Smartboards and Ibnou had to stand at the wall holding the dongle connected to my computer into the side of the board just so that I could show a clip from "Imitation of Life." Meanwhile, younger teachers would be at the front of their classrooms confidently swiping across interactive lessons and inviting students to the board to write with the different colored electronic markers.
I always told myself that tech in the classroom was change, but not necessarily progress; that teaching students that screens rather than people should be the focus of their attention was counterproductive. However, I am willing to admit that perhaps my resistance was related to fear of learning something new and not being good at it. (I love when life puts me in situations that help me build empathy for the position that my students are often in).
When administrators began to prepare teachers for the possibility that school would close due to COVID-19 they required that we learn how to hold classes in Google Meet and I was faced with familiar feelings of fear and inadequacy. When school shut down in the beginning of March I was introduced to the idea that there is a difference between asynchronous and synchronous learning. In an asynchronous model students learn the same thing at different locations and at different times. Teachers post activities and materials and then give students flexibility around when to complete the assignments. Asynchronous learning is good for students who like independence, but it can be isolating. It also requires a lot of adult support for those students who are not particularly motivated or organized. Although Chloe has Zoom meetings with her teachers, they are not every day with every teacher so her school is primarily following a asynchronous model.
In a synchronous model students learn in real time online with their teacher using platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. The school where I work is using a synchronous model. My students follow the same schedule that they do when they are in the building, except that their classes are 40 minutes rather than 45 minutes long. They engage with their teacher (and each other) every period, every day. That means that I teach online 5 periods a day, in addition to attending staff meetings, leading advisory sessions, and facilitating an after-school program. In my opinion, synchronous learning is more effective for middle-schoolers. Students can ask questions and get support from their teachers and peers, lessening the responsibility of parents. Students also get daily feedback on their work which makes them more responsible about completing it, and they feel like they are part of a school community that approximates the community of the classroom.
Every morning Chloe sits across from me as we engage in the struggle of teaching and learning. While I'm trying to guide 8th graders through the process of writing a 2000 word research paper and convince 7th graders that Things Fall Apart is not really about white people, Chloe is sitting across from me needing help with math problems like this:
Huh? The extent of my math knowledge is calculating tips and figuring out the cost of a dress when J.Crew is offering 40% off sales. Chloe goes from wondering out loud why I don't know how to help her with her coding assignments ("aren't you supposed to be a teacher? Didn't you have coding when you were in school?") to ignoring my advice about how to prepare for a test on Steinbeck's The Pearl ("I don't have to write out the answers to the questions in the study guide, I can just think about them"). We both need a vacation!
Chloe:
I don't really like online learning that much or even want to write this blog, but sadly I have to. I'd rather go to regular school and actually interact with my teachers and other students but I'm kind of glad I don't have to take finals and the State Test. I also don't like that everything is harder than it was at regular school. Sometimes I like being able to stay in my room and relax but after a while it gets super boring. I guess I'm kinda getting used to it, though.
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