Following up on my last post, I wanted to continue discussing what I gleaned from an online session with my host virtual school high school (Seniors) English teacher. However, I wanted to focus in this iteration specifically on issues relating to English/Language Arts instruction.
When working online with the host teacher, and looking through actual student work, I found that much of the students' responses to readings and other written assignments were quite thorough. Even when the prompt or question specified two paragraphs, many of the students wrote far more. In my own classroom, many of my students are reluctant writers and will do only the bare minimum, and some even fall short of that. However, in the case of the virtual school English class, the teacher said it seems that because it is computer-based and the students type their responses, many tend to write more thoroughly than they would if they were using pen/pencil and paper. Still, she said toward the end of their 16-week semester, many of the students start to type less and try to get by doing the bare minimum required by the assignment, "just to be finished." Overall, though, I believe that because students are typing on a computer for their "written" work in a virtual school, it is a more engaging format and far less tedious. It is something they already do with e-mails, blogs, personal pages, etc., so it has a built in familiarity with less detractors. They might forget they are doing "work."
But with all the text required for reading and responding in a virtual school class, this still presents difficulties for some students, particularly thos who are categorized as English as second language learners (ESOL). The teacher said these students often have to be treated as struggling readers would because their deficiencies are mostly the same as it pertains to interpreting and communicating in English. With these students, she said she is able to work with them in individual sessions to help build their English reading and writing skills. But in her five years with the virtual school, she has only had about five ESOL students. In the traditional classroom I have found it difficult to find time or design the class lessons in a way were I can work with an ESOL student in individual sessions often. I think the set-up of the virtual school is more beneficial for these students receiving the differentiated instruction they need because a teacher primarily works with one student at a time, rather than managing a whole class on a regular basis.
Further, for students who might have learning disabilities or other special needs and might have an IEP (individual education plan) the accommodations featured on their plan are mostly already met by the virtual school setting, such as more time to finish assignments or tests, for instance. Because of this, the teacher said that IEPs are mostly a "non-issue" in the virtual school English class. In my experience this is not so in the traditional school classroom, where high school English teachers must be careful to ensure that these accommodations are being met for particular students. Often though, if these teachers refer back to the IEPs, they must go to a file in a filing cabinet because the IEPs are often kept secure for confidentiality reasons. Having this information available in a computer database would seem far more efficient, however, for both teacher and student.
Again, focusing solely on English instruction in the virtual school compared to traditional school, I find that the oral component is highly beneficial. It is something that I didn't consider to be part of the virtual school experience before I began this foray into an actual virtual classroom. In the class every student must respond to the teachers questions orally, as a way to ensure academic integrity and ensure student learning. In the case of the traditional school, particularly in a Senior English class, I know that it is difficult to get every student to verbally respond as an assessment. You might have a few students do so and you can call on each, but this can be tedious. With the virtual school it is a requirement for every student and you aren't limited by a specific class period to do so.
Primarily, what I've determined thus far regarding high school English instruction in the virtual classroom, is that in many cases the instruction can be just as engaging and substantial as the traditional classroom, if not more so. Particularly, I like the idea of having students responsible for oral components in each class module, the built-in benefits provided to students who might have learning difficulties, and the inherent engagement of the computer-based format and its seeming effect on the quality and breadth of student written work. In my next blog I should be able to comment on observations of actual student/teacher interaction.
I am looking forward to finding out what that experience might further reveal about being a virtual school English teacher.
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2 comments:
Your reflections are very thorough and informative. The comparison between typing on the computer and hand writing assignments is interesting. I personally find it much easier to type and can certainly cover more content faster in this format. On the other hand, (no pun intended) I'm used to dealing with third graders who are just learning to type. (Smile)
The one-to-one attention that is provided in the virtual school environment seems to address a number of issues for special needs students. I'm still anxious to see how the number of students is managed. I'm assuming that a significant number of students work well independently and don't need special attention. I will soon find out as I'm participating in my first student meeting tomorrow.
Thanks for your great post and insightful responses on my blog.
Reading your post left me thinking about how tools like word processing programs, graphic organizers, and such have changed learning (if and how). I depend so much on the computer for helping me to organize my references, plan, and edit my writing.
Prior to taking my first online classes as a graduate student, I suppose I would not have suspected online learning as having that kind of potential for engagement. I've said it before, but it's so interesting how our impulse (for many) is to see the traditional F2F classroom as a gold standard to be emulated as much as possible to the point where we can overlook the unique potential of online learning (like students writing more in your example, engagement, accommodating IEPs, individualized instruction, and more). Opportunities and requirements for oral participation are a surprising element of some virtual schools. At first glance, it just doesn't seem like online learning could do a better job in terms of encouraging oral participation, but the potential is clearly there.
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