It’s been roughly six weeks since my school district closed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. As the first few days and weeks unfolded, my email inbox swelled with a mad surge of posts from fellow teachers around the globe whom I follow on social media. They graciously offered advice on how to adjust to our “new normal” of delivering quality instruction remotely, while sharing their amazing lesson plans, endless links to their personal resources and wonderful tutorials for implementing countless technology based tools.
For me it’s been a great learning experience, as I’ve been able to take time to learn how to thoroughly use online conferencing platforms, record lessons from my desktop, and to just dive deeper into technology in a way that I’ve always wanted but have never had the time to do.
While I miss my students and being in my classroom, I have to admit that I’m really enjoying working from home. I mean really, I am! While I’m keeping roughly the same schedule of starting my day at 6am, I’m not feeling nearly the stress or lack of energy that I experience by the end of a typical work week at school. In addition, I’m able to weave into my work schedule time to cook, grocery shop, do laundry and even exercise; all things that unfortunately take a back seat to my inflexible school schedule.
Furthermore, I’m not having to deal with unruly student behavior that saps me of so much energy and I’m not having to juggle 50,000 tasks simultaneously. I’m home, focused on students, one-on-one and it’s made a huge difference in my physical and mental health. In addition, taking more than twenty minutes to eat a warm, home-cooked meal for lunch has been a huge plus as well as being able to use the bathroom whenever I need to go.
Then it occurred to me that if I really enjoy working from home, perhaps there are other teachers who feel exactly the same way. I couldn’t be the only one, could I? Perhaps there are even students who wouldn’t have ever chosen this platform for learning, but after being forced into it are wishing that online school could be an option for most, if not for all of their coursework.
All of this begs the question, how will this pandemic change the way we teach and learn as we move into the future? Since I teach Spanish, let’s take a look at how this pandemic could shape the future of world language instruction and learning in a positive way. I came up with six examples, which could easily be expanded to general education courses in public and private schools.
1. Alleviate World Language Teacher Shortages and Overcrowded Classrooms
Before this pandemic, the supply of world language teachers was already in crisis. The severe shortage has compelled school districts across the nation to get really creative when it comes to attracting world language teachers. I’ve heard stories about school systems stealing teachers from other districts and offering to pay them signing bonuses along with higher salaries. I’ve seen world language programs crumble and disappear. Administrators have been forced to hire less qualified candidates in order to fill vacancies because after all, a warm body in a classroom is better than no body at all.
But for many world language teachers, a shortage equates to larger, overcrowded classrooms, which lead to more work and higher levels of stress and anxiety. I’ve read tweets and blog comments from teachers who are teaching individual world languages classes with upward of 30 and 40 students. To me that’s just a recipe for disaster. How much learning is really going on?
There are some truly exceptional teachers out there who could make that type of situation work, but that’s not the norm. Most teachers will take longer to get through their curriculum and they’ll spend an exorbitant amount of time on classroom management. As a result, students will have less opportunities to engage in truly enriched learning experiences within the classroom.
As for paperwork, it’s insurmountable. I can personally attest to the endless amounts of correcting that need to be done. If you’re always using digital, auto-corrected multiple choice assessments, then you won’t have as much grading to do, but you also won’t know your kids’ strengths and weaknesses so you won’t be able to adjust your teaching to address them accordingly.
If you’re regularly assessing your students using a variety of formative and summative assessments and you’re providing valuable feedback in a somewhat timely manner to your students, then you’re always backlogged. The amount of paperwork is simply insane and unreasonable, and in the end, it serves no one.
In my opinion a world language classroom shouldn’t have more than 24 students, and I’m being generous. I’ve taught classes with as few as 7 and as many as 31 students and personally, the ideal size for me is between 12 and 16. But that won’t fly in most public school systems because it means hiring more teachers, which equates to more salaries and benefits that come from an already strained pool of tax-payer money. And then there’s the teacher shortage to consider.
While we’re experiencing a shortage in world language education, there are teachers out there who are available and searching for job opportunities, but can’t find suitable options where they live. Perhaps they’re looking for flexibility or only need a few hours each week to bring in some extra income.
Enter online schools. There are already so many successful virtual schools and online teaching platforms that it perplexes me why more public school districts haven’t gotten on board and implemented their own brand of online programs, especially in their shortage areas.
For example, in Tennessee, where I live, Shelby County schools, which include the city of Memphis, have been experimenting with a private, online company to deliver their world language classes. The result has been fabulous, as it has been a win-win situation for all involved. Schools are able to fill teacher vacancies, kids are getting quality instruction in classes that aren’t overcrowded and teachers are able to find work that fit their needs and their schedules.
2. Provide More Class Variety
In the mid 1990s, when I began my career, online teaching and learning hadn’t yet been born. VCRs and cassette tapes were still the norm. Facetime, Google Meets and Zoom would later replace what was coined as distance learning, which back then was the only way to provide instruction remotely. Like most technology in its infancy, distance learning was simply clunky and awkward, but it truly was a gateway to the variety of online conferencing that we enjoy today.
Schools that participated in distance learning had a dedicated classroom where instruction would take place. That room would house several large television monitors that would be connected to a video camera and an audio component. Multiple schools located across a particular region would join a network via closed circuit television and this would enable a teacher to teach a class simultaneously to those students who were members of the network.
Traditionally, distance learning offered an alternative that allowed low enrollment classes to run during a semester or school year. So, let’s say there are only two students who want to take Spanish 4 at your school, but in order for that class to run, it needs a minimum of ten students. The school could satisfy its minimum enrollment by opening the class to other schools and using distance learning as the means to deliver instruction.
From the first moment that I was introduced to distance learning, I fell in love with the concept and shortly thereafter was trained to teach Spanish classes using my school’s distance learning lab. Unfortunately, I took another job opportunity before I was able to give it a try. But in the back of my mind I had always believed that this type of remote teaching and learning would eventually become the future of education.
At that time I saw distance learning as a vehicle for schools to increase their course offerings that would provide students with a more meaningful educational experience. A community school shouldn’t be limited to the courses it can offer within the building. Instead it should offer courses that represent the wide variety of interests that our students bring with them when they enter the educational system.
Suppose a student wants to learn an indiginous language like Quechua or another wants to study the history of Latin America. If their schools couldn’t provide classes for them, then why couldn’t these students join classes that were already being offered remotely through either domestic or foreign educational institutions?
Clearly, technology has evolved since those early days of distance learning making it a convenient, user-friendly tool. At the university level, these online options already exist and are the norm in some cases. In fact one can complete an entire degree program without ever setting foot on the campus where it’s being offered.
For some world language students, studying abroad is financially out of the question, but with online options, they can participate with students native to a particular location and benefit from an enriched experience that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.
Personally, I believe that online education will eventually become a norm for high school students. In this day and age when our youth have more power over their personal choices than ever before, they will have the opportunity to choose online classes to suit their personal needs and interests. Whether they complete their education entirely online or they create a hybrid educational program, they will have the power to choose, and the options will be endless.
3. Offer Flexibility for Teaching and Learning
Let’s talk about millenials for a moment. They often get a bad rap for being self-centered, entitled, and unable to live for five minutes without checking their phone for text messages or Instagram notifications.
However, one really great thing they’ve accomplished is reshaping the workforce by demanding more remote opportunities that allow them to travel while working from virtually anywhere. They’ve created flexibility in the workforce by using a laptop and an internet connection to their advantage.
How I wish this type of flexibility existed when I graduated from college, as it would have reshaped the evolution of my entire career, allowing me to spend valuable time in every Spanish speaking country on the planet, devouring their unique histories and cultures. Today there are so many more remote opportunities available than ever before and we have millenials to thank for this.
I can’t help but think that as millenials settle down to start their own families, that perhaps being tied to a school and its rigid calendar might be just too confining for them. Perhaps they will want their children to be educated in a more flexible environment that allows them to choose the places and times that are most convenient for their families to learn.
Then there are those who homeschool their children. For many parents, having access to online teachers to instruct their kids in areas where they themselves struggle, like world languages, is a really nice option to have.
Let’s not forget about students who need to work. Often decent work opportunities interfere with the traditional school day schedule. I’ve seen more than my fair share of students come to school unprepared for class or who simply can’t stay awake because they worked the night before and didn’t have time to complete assignments or to get enough quality sleep.
Online classes would afford these kids the opportunity to study at their own convenience while working part or full-time. Likewise, parents who have little ones at home could save on child care expenses by having an older sibling stay home while the parent works.
Let’s be real. This scenario occurs quite frequently around the country, but with an online school option, kids could take their classes when it best fits their schedule instead of missing classes and falling behind. Many of these kids end up dropping out of school because they fall far below the point of return and they just can’t catch up.
If the education of our youth is really a priority in this country, then there need to be more flexible options available to our k-12 public school communities. Period.
4. Promote One-on-One Instruction
I can attest to the fact that one-on-one instruction works really well. I’ve tutored students regularly during the last two decades and when I work with them, they’re forced to be more engaged in their learning. Whether they’re naturally shy and introverted kids or whether they truly struggle with the concepts, there’s no hiding behind the more outspoken and assertive students in the class. They must perform.
The result is that their instruction is tailored to their specific needs and these students progress at a rate that is best for them. In fact, in my experience, kids with whom I’ve worked individually become increasingly more confident with each tiny success and in turn their desire to learn more Spanish increases.
One-on-one instruction may also be better suited for those students who are easily distracted during class. When I teach in a classroom setting, especially large classes, kids are easily distracted by one another, by the text message that pops up on their phone, by the maintenance man cutting the grass next to our classroom or by the kid who feels the need to wave at my class as he heads down the hall to the restroom. There are endless distractions and as a teacher, I am always wrangling kids back into the lesson, working to keep them engaged.
But these distractions sever the continuity of one’s learning experience, especially for those who already struggle with attention deficit. For most kids, they’re able to snap back into focus, but for others, all it takes is one distraction… and they’re off course for the rest of the class period. These kids may really benefit from a one-on-one instructional experience.
It’s interesting to note that during this pandemic, I’ve read a number of posts from parents who say that in school, their child doesn’t perform well, but in a home environment where they are one-on-one with their parents, the kids appear to be thriving.
Still, there are those kids who struggle with pacing, which means for some the work is too challenging and needs to be broken down further, and for others it’s not quite challenging enough. Both scenarios lead to boredom and both underserve the child.
One-on-one instruction addresses both of these issues in a positive and productive manner, allowing kids to master the material and even excel beyond it at their own pace. With online educational options, educating each child to their potential is definitely within reach.
5. Promote Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness
Schools could save money by offering classes online. They could save bundles of money by having fewer busses to transport students, fewer kids to feed during breakfasts and lunches and purchasing fewer costly resources like paper, textbooks and workbooks since most, if not all teaching and learning, would be conducted digitally.
For example, the world language program in my school district has shifted from the traditional grammar based methodology to the more current proficiency based methodology. As a result, the curriculum has been rewritten in such a way that it requires teachers to use authentic resources like news articles, blog posts and podcasts, all of which are easily accessible online.
The result is that the district saves millions of dollars annually by not having to purchase consumables. However, the exception in our world language department is with our Advanced Placement Spanish courses, for which we do have a textbook, but we also have access to its online suite of digital tools that students use to complete assignments. I believe that at some point in the near future the textbooks will disappear as we continue our shift toward digital instruction and learning.
With regard to managing student paperwork, I believe that students could be more organized, since digital platforms would allow them to house their work in a single folder for each class. In a perfect world, this would prevent them from losing papers and binders because everything will be available to them at their fingertips and archived in the cloud. But I’ve worked with kids long enough to know that there will always be those who manage to lose things no matter the platform.
As a teacher, I have been experiencing the benefits of paperless education, not only as we navigate through this pandemic, but also as I have adapted to my own school district’s digital shift. I find that my stacks of papers to be corrected have dwindled to a single folder and I can go directly to a student’s Google Classroom account to access his/her work.
For some assignments, I will correct them right online and students will receive immediate feedback. For other assignments, like essays, I prefer to print and mark them up by hand. If a student fails to turn in an assignment, I can have him/her share it with me right there in class using a cell phone or laptop instead of waiting for the student to find it at home and bring it to school. No more chasing after kids for their work.
6. Offer More Variety and Flexibility for Professional Development Opportunities
I love professional development, but one of the aspects that really displeases me is the fact that in my county, we have to complete our annual hours outside of the normal school day hours. Usually, it means driving on site to participate in an activity when I’ve already put in a full day at school and I’m totally exhausted.
However, since this pandemic began, our professional development opportunities have moved to the online platform and I’m just loving it. The best part is that some presentations are self-paced.
Currently, I’m taking a workshop on how to use Schoology and I have a little more than two weeks to complete only six hours of professional development. What a great feeling to know that I can schedule each module when it suits me so I can truly get the most out of the time that I spend learning.
A few weeks ago I participated in online Zoom and Screencastify workshops. What I enjoyed most about them is that they offered different day and time options to participate live, and if I couldn’t attend any of them, I could always watch the recorded replays.
As a teacher, I’m used to receiving lots of flyers and newsletters via snail mail that offer site-based professional development opportunities in a variety of areas. They’re usually pretty costly because airfare and lodging are involved, which limits the number of opportunities I can take.
However, since this pandemic began, many of those opportunities shifted to an online format. In fact, before the pandemic, I attended a virtual world language conference that featured recorded presentations by more than a dozen well-known educators. I was able to watch and learn when it was convenient for me in the comfort of my own home and the cost was only a fraction of what it would have been if it had been held in a convention center.
The people who organized this conference were pioneers and they experienced a huge success with their online approach. My hope is that more online professional development options like the one I attended will become more of the norm in the future. Do I enjoy the contagious energy that infects me when I attend a live conference? Absolutely! But sometimes, you just need another option.
Final Thoughts
The Coronavirus pandemic thrusted the entire globe into the realm of k-12 online and digital education in an extremely short period of time and I for one believe that this method is here to stay. Going forward I’m hopeful that we’ll see more remote teaching and learning options available to our k-12 communities where flexibility and the power to choose will finally soften the rigid confines of today’s schools.
I envision world language students, as well as students of other disciplines, to have the ability to create their own learning paths. Whether they choose to be in school each day, log in from a remote location or participate in a hybrid of the two options, they will have the power to control the decision-making process of what they learn and how they learn. The result will be students who are much more invested in their own learning and who will enjoy much more academic success.
Since socialization is integral to our development as human beings, a new education model would allow for remote students to participate in all activities that would take place in the school for which they would be zoned.
To Illustrate this notion, I’ve had students who were homeschooled until their senior year of high school, at which time they opted to attend school for the very first time in a physical building with a student body so that they could experience major social events like prom and graduation. They wanted to feel as though they were part of a community and experience the important milestones of their young lives with peers.
Wouldn’t it be nice if these kids could’ve had the option to participate in on-campus activities and events long before their senior year? Why does our current system force them to choose one path or another? Why can’t they choose what’s best for them so that they can truly benefit from their educational experience?
Let students choose. Let teachers choose too. At this point in my life, I would prefer a hybrid model of teaching. I really like the idea of teaching from home, but I also need to interact with students and colleagues to feel as though I’m part of a social network and community.
As I think ahead to the future, the idea of being able to work remotely is quite attractive since my parents are aging and dealing with some major health issues that will eventually require me to travel between Connecticut and Tennessee to care for them.
If my school district offered remote opportunities, then I wouldn’t have to worry about my job security or having to take a leave of absence without pay. I’d be able to continue working for the school district where I’ve already invested so much of myself and for which I truly enjoy working.
To conclude, it’s my opinion that the Coronavirus pandemic has put our education system in the spotlight. It has highlighted our strengths and our flaws and it has forced us to forge new paths toward improvement. Certainly, our system is far from perfect, but I truly believe that allowing more online and remote options to both teachers and students will benefit education in the long run.
With regard to world language education, online opportunities appear to be a natural fit and I believe they would serve to really strengthen our mission. World language teachers educate students to open their minds to different perspectives and ways of life that exist around the globe. We teach them to communicate not only in words, but in a cultural literacy that will ultimately bring people together.
Affording students the freedom to choose courses outside of our current school district’s offerings is directly in line with what we prepare our students to do; to step outside the confines of their language, culture and country in order to explore one that is unfamiliar to them.
When I began my teaching career, I had one main goal that drove me and that very same goal continues to drive me after more than two decades of being an educator; if you can’t take students around the world during the school year, then bring the world into the classroom. I truly believe that this is more possible now than ever before in the history of education and online learning is the key.
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