Virtual School Meanderings

May 26, 2023

CSSE 2023 And K-12 Online Learning

So the Canadian Society for the Study of Education is having their annual congress this week (starting tomorrow I believe).  I looked through the program and here are the sessions related to K-12 distance, remote, online, blended, and hybrid learning that I was able to find based on titles and abstracts.  Note that if anyone is attending the conference and wants to share the notes from the session, I would be happy to post them here.

Sunday, May 28

Speculative World Building and Professional Development in Secondary School Contexts

Session Technology
Date Sunday, May 28 8:15 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

This paper details a professional development workshop series on science fiction, speculative world building, and digital storytelling delivered remotely in the fall of 2020. Conducted during a period of remote learning and uncertainty catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this professional development workshop series was delivered virtually to 7 participants teaching a range of subjects such as English Language Arts, Science, Religion, and Music across a variety of modalities and grades, and built on previous research exploring world building with both secondary students and pre-service teachers. This paper will consider: (a) ways to effectively design and run professional development on genre-based approaches to pedagogy; (b) how educators are thinking about the future and future-oriented storytelling across grades and subjects; (c) how educators utilize resources on science fiction and world building towards myriad pedagogical goals. Providing both an overview of the professional development workshop series and participating teachers’ reflections on the role of speculative storytelling in their practice through pre-workshop surveys, post-workshop semi-structured group interviews, and follow-up individual interviews, this paper provides a foundation upon which further professional development opportunities on science fiction, speculative storytelling, world building, and digital storytelling might be crafted to bridge speculative theorizing and pedagogical practice.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Brittany Elizabeth Tomin
    Regina
  • Facil.
    Jillianne Code
    UBC

Secondary student engagement and resistance during the pandemic

Session Differential Access to Well-Being in K-12 Schools: Pre Covid and in COVID
Date Sunday, May 28 9:45 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

During the pandemic in Ontario, schools were closed for months at a time, shifting students to online learning. Working from home, students struggled to complete work amid varying conditions and while grappling with interlocking crises of the global pandemic, an economic recession, a social justice reckoning, and the rise of disinformation and far-right extremism. In this context, using a lens of social reproduction theory and resistance pedagogy, my research examines student engagement with learning and what motivated them to engage with or disengage from school. From a secondary analysis of a 2020/2021 board-administered survey, and student and teacher interviews, the study finds that students were largely disengaged from learning throughout COVID. Motivation to engage came many sources, including intrinsic interest, parental pressure, teacher relationships, future goals, and competition. Reasons for disengagement included low academic expectations, few consequences, increased responsibilities, mental illness, lack of relationships, and a feeling of overwhelm from global issues at the time. Students felt increasingly isolated at a moment when solidarity and community were most important. To re-engage students in school post-pandemic, educators and policymakers should ensure that the school experience is relevant to youth given the social issues they face every day.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Christine Corso
    OISE – Toronto

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES’: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THE EDUCATIONAL CHANGES DUE TO COVID-19 ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Session Differential Access to Well-Being in K-12 Schools: Pre Covid and in COVID
Date Sunday, May 28 9:45 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

The pandemic has changed the face of education for Ontario elementary school students. This study examines the influence of the physical changes, online learning, school environment, and the changes to resources and supports on elementary school students with disabilities. Furthermore, this study explores how students’ behaviors have been impacted by these changes. In order to examine how the educational changes of the pandemic have impacted students with disabilities, semi structured interviews were conducted with fourteen caring adults: primary caregivers, teachers and support staff for elementary school students with disabilities. Findings suggest that students with disabilities behaviors are being impacted by educational changes due to Covid-19. For most participants, the online learning environment was not successful and impacted their students learning outcomes and amplified their behavioral concerns. Participants suggest that the accessibility of resources and supports has suffered and has been limited during peak times of the pandemic. In the midst of a global pandemic, it is crucial to examine the impacts of the educational changes on disabled students to ensure that students well-being and academic success is being maintained.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Haley Clark
    Queen’s

Monday, May 29

Emergency Remote Assessment Experiences of Teacher Candidates in Ghana during COVID-19

Session Technology and Teacher Education in International Contexts
Date Monday, May 29 8:15 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

The plethora of studies on students’ remote assessment experiences in higher education have been well documented in many developed countries. In this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study, n=20 Ghanaian teacher candidates were recruited and interviewed to explore their remote assessment experiences during COVID-19. After a systematic inductive analysis of the interview data, the findings show that remote assessment did not prioritise individualized questioning and feedbacks and had a catastrophic impact on the academic performance of most teacher candidates. Socioeconomic background and geographic locations exposed most teacher candidates to several interrelated challenges, hindering their online assessment practices, and serving as breeding grounds for academic impersonation and cheating during online assessment tasks. This study provides an initial and significant understanding of remote assessment experiences of Ghanaian teacher candidates, providing critical insights into improving and supporting teaching, learning and teacher development.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Ernest Yaw Amoateng
    Western Michigan
  • Speaker
    Daniel Asamoah
    Brunei Darussalam

Technology and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Perspectives

Location Seymour Schulich Building (SSB) S125
Date Monday, May 29 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

This presentation reports on the second phase of a two-year study on the enactment of COVID-19 education policy by secondary teachers, focusing on hybrid learning in Ontario. Hybrid learning broadly refers to the simultaneous teaching of students online by a teacher with students in-person. Its use to meet Ministry requirements for live instruction online has been uneven and contested throughout the province. During March and April 2022 we spoke with nine teachers in three school districts to understand variables impacting their enactment of hybrid learning in a rapidly changing context of crisis that our study found impacted student and teacher well being, workload, and educational equity. Our findings juxtapose the rationale of crisis education policy against the varying realities confronting teachers and students. They also highlight challenges administering hybrid learning relative to the values of participants and stated aims of policy in the study.

Topics

  • 11:15 AMHybrid Learning in Ontario and Crisis Education Policy
  • 11:15 AMLessoned Learned or Lost? A Review of COVID-19 Technology and Education plan

Tracks

  • In person / Sur place
  • Spotlight / Point de mire
  • TATE ? TFEE

Hybrid Learning in Ontario and Crisis Education Policy

Session Technology and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Perspectives
Date Monday, May 29 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

This presentation reports on the second phase of a two-year study on the enactment of COVID-19 education policy by secondary teachers, focusing on hybrid learning in Ontario. Hybrid learning broadly refers to the simultaneous teaching of students online by a teacher with students in-person. Its use to meet Ministry requirements for live instruction online has been uneven and contested throughout the province. During March and April 2022 we spoke with nine teachers in three school districts to understand variables impacting their enactment of hybrid learning in a rapidly changing context of crisis that our study found impacted student and teacher well being, workload, and educational equity. Our findings juxtapose the rationale of crisis education policy against the varying realities confronting teachers and students. They also highlight challenges administering hybrid learning relative to the values of participants and stated aims of policy in the study.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Beyhan Farhadi
    York
  • Chair/Prés.
    Beyhan Farhadi
    York

Lessoned Learned or Lost? A Review of COVID-19 Technology and Education plan

Session Technology and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Critical Perspectives
Date Monday, May 29 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in wide-scale, rapid educational changes, throwing into sharper relief many previously known or suspected educational inequities and inequalities. This presentation will overview a selection of short-term, pandemic-related studies, white papers, and other gray, but educationally focused literature published between June 2020 and September 2022. The search cast widely for literature that focused on the change that the global pandemic demanded to modes of delivery, pedagogies, pedagogues, learning, and learners in K-12 and higher education. This included literature that was not just empirical or theoretical, but also opinion-based and/or ‘technological how-to’. Our intent is to provide some key thematic areas present in current pandemic focused literature, with a view to b.etter understanding educational sector changes and challenges beyond those we already know first-hand or anecdotally.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Jennifer Jenson
    UBC
  • Speaker
    Nora Perry
    UBC
  • Speaker
    Irina Tursunkulova
    UBC
  • Chair/Prés.
    Beyhan Farhadi
    York

Re-imagining literacy in lockdown: A survey of Canadian educators’ experience providing for quality at-home teaching and learning

Session Reimagining Literacies
Date Monday, May 29 1:30 PM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

In Canada during late 2019, governments closed educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in teachers pivoting from classroom-based instruction to remote learning. During this time, many teachers continued to face unprecedented challenges in providing for high-quality teaching, learning, and assessment. Through survey methods, this study aimed to document the experiences of teachers of K-12 classrooms across Canada, particularly inOntario, Manitoba, and Alberta, inresponse to the sudden shift from classroom-based to remote learning and to the increased dependency on digital technology. Survey questions focused on ascertaining teachers with instructional needs as well as inquire into the extent to which they received moral, social, personal and professional support, and motivation while navigating at-home schooling as a result of the pandemic.This study yields important findings thatcontribute to a wider conversation about the opportunities and challenges for remote learning and looking ahead, the systematic supports needed for teachers and parents/caregivers.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Karen Krasny
    York
  • Speaker
    Sonya Sachar
    Alberta
  • Chair/Prés.
    Kimberly Lenters
    Calgary
  • Disc./Comm.
    Kimberly Lenters
    Calgary

Les pratiques pédagogiques gagnantes en situation de pandémie pour façonner l’avenir de l’éducation en milieu minoritaire francophone au Manitoba et en Nouvelle-Écosse

Session RÉÉFMM Multi-paper / Plusieurs communications
Date Monday, May 29 1:30 PM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

Depuis le mois de mars 2020, en raison de la pandémie de la CoVID-19, les enseignants ont vécu la fermeture des écoles et l’enseignement en ligne à plusieurs reprises et intervalles. En nous reposant sur les données qualitatives provenant de 40 entrevues semi-dirigées effectuées en automne 2021 avec les enseignants Å“uvrant en milieu minoritaire francophone en Nouvelle-Écosse et au Manitoba, nous allons explorer trois défis pédagogiques rencontrés par les participants. Par la suite, nous expliqueront comment les enseignants décrivent avoir surmonté ces défis. Les résultats se concentreront sur les pratiques pédagogiques gagnantes développées en situation d’urgence qui pourraient être appliquées à un enseignement en présentiel ou en mode hybride à l’avenir.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Andrea Burke-Saulnier
    Sainte-Anne
  • Speaker
    Gail Cormier
    Saint-Boniface
  • Facil.
    Joël Thibeault
    Ottawa

Tuesday, May 30

Navigating School Remotely: Experiences of Students with Disabilities and Their Families During COVID-19

Session CAEP-ACP Posters / Présentations visuelles
Date Tuesday, May 30 9:45 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

The COVID-19 lockdowns created an educational climate where virtual learning was no longer an option, but rather a necessity. The expeditious transition to online learning reduced the time available for educators to develop lesson plans for remote delivery, making the shift demanding for all stakeholders. While the transition was difficult for all, it was especially challenging for students with disabilities. The variation in at-home learning and the challenge of supporting students with disabilities meant the role of parents in facilitating learning differed. My research aims to add to emerging literature on remote learning and address the research gap related to parent involvement during at-home learning by considering the following questions: How were parents of children with disabilities beliefs about learning made evident while supporting their children during the first COVID-19 lock down? In what ways did these beliefs shift throughout their experience of learning at home? How did parents view their role in at home learning? This research will employ a qualitative methodology using secondary data analysis of 36 interviews with Canadian parents of students with disabilities, exploring their experiences with virtual learning. I will conduct a thematic analysis, identifying common and unique themes emerging from the data.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Adrianna Arsenault
    Ottawa

Examining Barriers to Technology Integration in the Wake of COVID-19

Session Table 15: TATE-TFEE Roundtables / Tables rondes
Date Tuesday, May 30 9:45 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has transformed every aspect of daily life. ICTs have shaped the way in which we live day to day and how we work. In schools, ICTs have increasingly been implemented in classrooms for learning. However, educators’ efforts to implement ICTs in their teaching are still hampered by a variety of barriers. Merely having access to ICTs in schools does not necessarily translate into teacher use of these tools, nor impart potential benefits such as increased student achievement. Researchers detail that teachers also lack access to ongoing, high quality Professional Development (PD) that shows them how to leverage ICTs that improve their teaching practice and maximize student learning. This roundtable presentation will examine the barriers to technology integration using Ertmer’s (1999) framework, and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK technology integration model. These will be used to examine and highlight what current research literature says about the challenges and opportunities of technology integration in classrooms. Last, lessons about technology integration learned (and still unlearned) from technology-mediated online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic will be examined to help inform future research in educational technology integration.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Matteo Di Muro
    Brandon
  • Chair/Prés.
    Helen Jacqueline DeWaard
    Lakehead

Love and The Distance

Session TATE-TFEE Posters / Présentations visuelles
Date Tuesday, May 30 9:45 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

Holistic educators have emphasized the role of love and care in pedagogy (Miller, 2018; hooks, 2003), citing qualities that flourish particularly through a fully embodied presence in the physical space of a classroom. With the increase in digitalized classrooms after the COVID-19 pandemic, the nature of online teacher presence in the classroom has been rendered problematic, particularly as students and teachers have been required to adjust their previous classroom experiences to completely online or hybrid settings. One question that arises throughout the transition to online experiences is, to what extent can teachers exert a positive, caring, and nurturing presence given the affordances of online classroom technologies. This qualitative study will explore the ways that teachers in holistic education have coped with the recent shift from in-person to online learning. The research questions guiding this approach are as follows: What adjustments have teachers had to make– physically, mentally and emotionally– to the shift toward online/hybrid learning spaces?What are the challenges to being present that teachers observe, both in themselves and in their students, in an online learning environment References hooks. (2003).Teaching community’¯: a pedagogy of hope. Routledge.Miller, J.P. (2018).Love and Compassion: Exploring Their Role in Education. University of Toronto Press.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Keith William Brown
    OISE – Toronto
  • Speaker
    Zian Zhang
    OISE – Toronto

Teacher Perceptions of an Online Training Module on Accommodations for Students with Mathematical Learning Disabilities

Session Special education populations
Date Tuesday, May 30 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

Prevalence of students with specific mathematical learning disabilities(MLDs)is estimated to be as high as 10%(Swanson et al., 2018)in schools today.It is therefore vital that teachers have the necessary training to help them become knowledgeable and comfortable with the use of accommodations for these students. The proposed study will pilot a newly developed online training module for MLDs with elementary and secondary general classroom and special education teachers,which will then be evaluated for its efficacy through the use of a think-aloud protocol and semi-structured interviews.This study will provide essential insight about the components required for creating effective teacher training programs in the future.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Zain Saud Japanwala
    Saskatchewan
  • Speaker
    Pei-Ying Lin
    Saskatchewan
  • Chair/Prés.
    Pei-Ying Lin
    Saskatchewan
  • Disc./Comm.
    Michelle J Searle
    Queen’s

Can you hear me now?’ Online Virtual Learning and Immigrant Families’ Experiences.

Session “Can you hear us now?” Critical analysis of neoliberal neoconservative educational ‘reform’
Date Tuesday, May 30 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

This presentation draws from a study with immigrant families in Ottawa during the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when schools pivoted to online learning. Using critical theory to understand how families and students experienced online schooling and in-person schooling during the pandemic, we look at how inequities continue to be reproduced within the education system. Access to economic and symbolic resources mediated the experiences students, parents and siblings had during this tumultuous time. While some families thrived in their new situations, others struggled with mental health issues, deteriorating family dynamics and lack of support. We argue that as virtual schooling continues and becomes more entrenched in our public education system, attention to the ways it continues to marginalize our vulnerable students and families becomes ever more pressing. We cover some of the practices that schools employed which helped families feel supported through this time.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Alexandra Arraiz Matute
    Carleton
  • Speaker
    Chizorom Sandra Ogbuagu
    Carleton
  • Speaker
    Lan Tuyet Vu
    Carleton

Wednesday, May 31

A scoping review of empirical evidence: A framework of online engagement and support for adolescent students

Session Secondary school education
Date Wednesday, May 31 8:15 AM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

The global rise of online learning as a viable alternative to face-to-face delivery of learning has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the massive school closures in 90% of 188 countries by April 2020 (UNICEF, 2020). This scoping review of empirical evidence examined adolescent student perceptions of being supported and engaged during their online learning experience in synchronous or asynchronous learning environments. Through examining empirical evidence from 26 studies that gathered adolescent students’ perspectives in diverse online learning environments during their critical transition from high school to post-secondary learning. In light of the Adolescent Community of Engagement (ACE, Borup et al., 2014) and a Proximal Community of Engagement (PCE, Oviatt et al., 2016), with this review, we propose a framework of online engagement and support for adolescent students to provide some guidance for educators for developing online instruction for adolescent students

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Jia Li
    Ontario Tech
  • Speaker
    Matthew McGravey
    Ontario Tech
  • Speaker
    Novera Roihan
    Ontario Tech
  • Chair/Prés.
    Jia Guo
    Queen’s
  •  Disc./Comm.
    Wenefe Capili Balbalin
    Ottawa

The Digital Pandemic and its Impact on Online Learning Policy and Teacher Professionalism in Ontario

Session Leadership and Technology
Date Wednesday, May 31 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

While online learning has enabled continuous public education services during the COVID-19 Pandemic, this critical sociology of the enactment of teacher professionalism policy in the province of Ontario reveals deep concerns about the impact of online learning on the teaching profession. Particularly how issues of digital inequity, public expectations, and isolation impact the teaching profession. An analysis of the enactment of online learning policy in Ontario illustrates how online learning reflects the global trend towards governmentality and neoliberalism that includes the privatization of education, the mystification of online teaching, the narrowing of professional discretion, and the commercialization of online learning. The unique historical moment of the Pandemic has led to a greater collective experience of online teaching and creates a unique opportunity to develop strategies to address the impact of online learning policy on public education and the profession.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Theresa Shanahan
    York
  • Speaker
    Farra Yasin
    Manitoba
  • Chair/Prés.
    Michael W Mindzak
    Brock

Action-research integrated into emergency COVID-Response: What we can learn from a new online tutoring partnership

Session Supporting teachers and students amid the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond
Date Wednesday, May 31 11:15 AM
Duration 1 hour

This paper is an action-research study based on a university’”school board tutoring initiative, developed as an emergency response to educational harms associated with the pandemic. Our objectives are to understand the impact of our program on Grade 9 and Grade 10 students’ academic progress, relationships and academic self-concept, and on the tutors. We also aim to document and understand system-level challenges that raise issues for scaling and realizing the potential benefits of tutoring in practice. We used a mix of academic performance and survey data, tutor reflections, and self-reflection to understand our program’s impact. Successes included the creation of a new partnership and program, strong positive reports on caring relationships and motivation, and staff buy-in. Academic gains in the first year of this virtual tutoring program were limited and not statistically significant. Program design (weekly, afterschool sessions) and technical and legal limitations on how the program operated (cameras off, and often, mics off too) may have impacted academic impact. Not all tutoring is created equal and new public investments in tutoring, to bear fruit, will need to be guided by evidence, equity and continuous learning.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Christine Corso
    OISE – Toronto
  • Speaker
    Kelly Gallagher-Mackay
    Laurier

Teaching and learning about peer-to-peer relationships through participatory action research with children

Session Teaching and learning about peer-to-peer relationships through participatory action research with children
Date Wednesday, May 31 1:30 PM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

COVID-19 has limited the daily interaction of many children with their peers and impacted their participation in and access to activities that can create spaces for them to share their views, concerns and needs. Throughout the pandemic, decisions were being made to close and reopen schools, transition to online/hybrid classrooms, and a return to a different kind of schooling, without consulting children. Research shows that participation and relationships with peers are an essential aspect of school life and play an integral role in the social development and wellbeing of children (Holder & Coleman, 2015). This panel will address how teaching and learning can take place in and outside the classroom through participatory action research (PAR) with children to ensure that their voices are heard in education, policy, research, reform, and curriculum design.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Mimas Abo-Amer
    King’s Western
  • Speaker
    Ashika Ashika
    McGill
  • Speaker
    Kate Butler
    Canadian Coalition for Rights of Children
  • Speaker
    Mindy Roberta Carter
    McGill
  • Speaker
    Hala Mreiwed
    King’s at Western

Teacher Professional Development for Educational Technology: Building from the Ground Up

Session Professional Development and Online Literacy Education
Date Wednesday, May 31 4:30 PM
Duration 1 hour 15 minutes

In Canada, millions of dollars have been spent towards innovative teaching practices. Within the local contact, the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced $20 million for technology to support digital learning in the K-12 education system. An important supplement to the introduction of educational technology into classrooms is the professional development activities for teachers through which technology utilization can be facilitated. However, due to limited research in this area in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is unknown if teachers do incorporate educational technology in their day-to-day teaching and what professional development practices are followed. This study explored the characteristics and components of professional development that motivated and demotivated teachers towards using educational technology in their instructions. Using a qualitative constructivist paradigm as the foundation, a single case study design was applied. The data collection process included an online teacher questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and documentation review. Teachers identified three professional development characteristics that motivated them to use educational technology: collaboration, self-direction, and relevance. This study also provided useful insights for policy and suggested a framework for the context of Newfoundland and Labrador in relation to educational technology integration in classrooms.

Speakers

  • Speaker
    Sana Jamil
    Memorial
  • Chair/Prés.
    Sana Jamil
    Memorial
  • Facil.
    Norman D Vaughan
    Mount Royal

May 19, 2023

TechTrends – ToC Alert

The latest new issue alert from this journal.  No distance, online, and/or blended learning specific items in this issue, but lots of interesting research.

If this email is not displayed correctly, please click here to read this table of contents online.
New Issue Alert 18 May 2023
Dear Reader,
We are pleased to deliver your requested table of contents alert for TechTrends. Volume 67, Issue 3 is now available online.
TechTrends cover image
In this issue
Column: Editor’s Notes
Charles B. Hodges
Column: Rethinking Creativity and Technology in Education
Melissa Warr, Punya Mishra, Danah Henriksen, Lauren J. Woo
Column: Graduate Member Musings
Guest Editorial
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Alyssa López-Quiñones, Marlen Martinez-Lopez, Cueponcaxochitl D. Moreno Sandoval, Joseph Carroll-Miranda, April E. Lindala, Michelle C. Chatman, Jeffery Fleming, Ebony Terrell Shockley, Denise Cadeau, Elizabeth Flores-Reyes
Original Paper
Original Paper
Guest Editorial
Original Paper
Cajetan Ikechukwu Egbe, Philomina Akudo Agbo, Frederick Amunabo Okwo, George Chibuike Agbo
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Original Paper
Andrew A. Tawfik, Jessica Gatewood, Laura Armstrong, Craig E. Shepherd
Original Paper
Florence Martin, Julie Bacak, Drew Polly, Weichao Wang, Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell
Original Paper
John Baaki, Monica W. Tracey, Elizabeth Bailey
Column: Guest Editors’ Notes
Bohdana Allman, Royce Kimmons, Joshua Rosenberg, Monalisa Dash
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May 5, 2023

AERA 2023 – Online but Not Alone: Teacher Perceptions of Effective Online School Leadership 

The thirty-first and final of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

  • Online but Not Alone: Teacher Perceptions of Effective Online School Leadership – Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley; Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley

    Abstract

    As school districts develop online learning programs, the need to examine leadership in these programs is paramount. The literature suggests that while many studies focus on effective leadership in brick-and-mortar schools, research on leadership in online programs is limited. We aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of what makes for effective leadership in online secondary schools in two districts. Using phenomenology, we interviewed six teachers, and qualitatively analyzed the transcripts to name teachers’ perceptions of effective OSL as sense of community, organizational learning, and empowerment. This research has implications for educational leadership broadly, but specifically for leadership in online and virtual schools.

    Authors

    • Joanne Robertson, University of the Fraser Valley
      Presenting Author
    • Awneet Sivia, University of the Fraser Valley
      Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Not Alone: Educational Leaders Uniting to Address Pressing and Emerging Challenges

Fri, May 5, 2:30 to 4:00pm CDT (12:30 to 2:00pm PDT), SIG Virtual Rooms, Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership SIG Virtual Paper RoomSession Type: Virtual Paper Session

Sub Unit

  • SIG-Learning and Teaching in Educational Leadership

Chair

  • Julie A. Gray, University of West Florida

Due to meetings, I joined this session about 5 minutes into this presentation.  When I did join, the presenter was going over the lack of literature related to virtual school leadership – citing Richardson at el. (2015) and Alotebi at el. (2018).

The study occurred in two British Columbia secondary school sites – one of which was a distributed location and one was a physical location.  There were six participants in total.  The questions that they asked included.

The themes that came out were discussed around this chart.

Many of the ones folks in the field might expect – particularly the contextualized leadership practices (as the foundational ones could apply to any school setting regardless of medium).  The presenter than provided a framework to help explain the themes, which was captured in the article below.

Some interesting stuff that if it builds upon the existing literature in the field (which may be broader than the presenters represented in the beginning).  Apparently the study was published by the International Journal of E-Learning and Distance Education – see https://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1230 – and I haven’t had the chance to really read through it yet.

May 4, 2023

AERA 2023 – Lessons to Keep: Learning in the Time of COVID

The thirtieth of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

  • Lessons to Keep: Learning in the Time of COVID – Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University; Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University; Karoline Trepper, New York University; Emma Bene, Stanford University

    Abstract

    In Fall, 2020, in response to family distress reported widely, we conducted five online convenings between families hosting their children’s educations in their homes and technologists who had created the tools and learning systems used for remote learning. We wanted to (a) uncover the issues families were facing and (b) engage the technologists who created the platforms being used.

    Theoretical Framework. Three constructs afforded a nuanced analysis of our data (a) Eisner’s notion of educational connoisseurs; (b) black feminists’ conceptualizations of criticism; and (c) transgressive carework to peel the layers of critique and care being balanced by families. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, families offered a larger critique of systems and structures.

    Methods. Each three-hour convening afforded the opportunity for families and technologists to talk and listen. Of the participating 75 urban families in the study, 77% were from Spanish speaking households, 19% from English speaking homes and 4% spoke Khmer/Cambodian. During the convenings, families shared observations of student learning and interaction with their teachers. Fourteen technologists representing seven tech companies listened to the ways in which their products facilitated and hindered learning and communication. They asked questions and, in one convening, had a chance to talk about their work and products. Technologists then created prototypes of improved processes, designs, and new products that could reduce barriers to learning and communication. They test drove those prototypes with the families in their last convening. All zoom sessions were conducted with English/Spanish translators and trained facilitators.

    Data sources and Findings. Transcripts were coded by at least two coders, a codebook created, and a set of themes co-constructed. Families in this study were exquisitely attuned to the ways in which technology mediated teaching and learning. As they stepped back from their direct misgivings about technology as users and user/critics, a larger critique of systems and structures emerged: Families as (a) First Educators; (b) Transgressive Caregivers; and (c) Learners.

    The shifts in everyday routines and rising uncertainty as the pandemic evolved in 2020 were compounded by the new roles that families assumed in virtual schooling. Whether parents lost paid work, began working from home, or continued working outside their homes, their new roles as educators became full-time jobs. One parent said that her new insights about her son’s learning compelled her to work with her son’s teachers, and she was “surprised at how much we’ve been able to improve his focus (CFam290).” Decoding instructional language was a critical pivot point that enabled families to design supports and decode the grammar of instruction.

    Scholarly Insight. The findings underscore how historically persistent systemic failures were exacerbated during the pandemic. Families built critiques from an evaluative stance and situated them in their social locations in ways that indexed power disparities. These findings underscore the key role that family insight and partnership play in improving learning designs and outcomes. The policy implications extend from local contexts to federal policy.

    Authors

    • Grace Tamara Handy, Stanford University
      Presenting Author
    • Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University
      Presenting Author
    • Karoline Trepper, New York University
      Presenting Author
    • Emma Bene, Stanford University
      Non-Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

  • Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

  • Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

  • Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.

AERA 2023 – Digital Screens as Teachers

The twenty-ninth of the sessions from the 2023 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association that I identified as relevant to this space that I have the opportunity to blog is:

  • Digital Screens as Teachers – Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University; Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds; Marie Potter

    Abstract

    Objectives. We present parental perspectives on screen-based learning for children during the first and most restrictive lockdown in the UK. In doing so, we examine the lived experience of parents as home educators and highlight the opportunities and challenges of screen-based learning, whilst identifying policy implications.

    Perspective(s) or theoretical framework. Early in the pandemic, quantitative studies in the UK identified that the government enforced lockdowns may risk increasing inequalities based on gender, wealth and social background (Andrew et al., 2020). It was argued that the absence of formal education could have a significant negative impact upon educational attainment for marginalized groups (Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, 2021); in turn affecting opportunities for social mobility among the young (Major and Machin, 2020). With schools closed nationally and children having to learn from home, new family dynamics emerged as caregivers spent more time with their children and there was an expectation for parents to act as educators (Clayton et al., 2020). As schools sent more work to be completed via screens, education within the home also became increasingly digitalised (World Economic Forum, 2020). We discuss the phenomena associated with screen-based learning in the home during the pandemic.

    Methods. We interviewed sixty parents from diverse backgrounds using qualitative semi-structured online interviews via Voice over Internet Protocol/VoIP mediated technologies (Microsoft Teams) or telephone interviews.

    Methodologically, qualitative semi-structured online interviews are considered advantageous for their flexible and participant-friendly approaches, that help interviewees tell their stories, in their own words and their own time (Eder and Fingerson, 2003). This viewpoint aligns with the interpretivist stance of the study. VoIP mediated technologies allow for real-time interactions between the research team and the participants (Lo Iacono et al., 2016). Telephone interviews, like face-to-face interviews, have the ability to collect meaningful data and are advantageous in terms of their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility (Azad et al., 2021).

    Data sources. We developed a semi-structured interview guide, which included questions on the following:

    1) To what extent, and in what ways, did schools facilitate children’s learning during lockdown
    2) If screen-based approaches were used, how effective were they from a parental perspective
    3) Did parents have any concerns about the use of screens for children’s home-learning

    Interviews were recorded with participants’ permission, professionally transcribed (verbatim), coded and analyzed.
    Results. Findings establish how teaching and learning behaviors changed during the pandemic; and how through the analysis of changes, we see the emergence of new attitudes towards screen based digital education amongst parents.

    We identify positive and negative impacts from the increased use of screens for education, which provides educationalists and policymakers a more thorough understanding of the learning landscape, as the UK government pushes forwards with national digital strategies.

    Scholarly Significance. As much literature is framed around the negative portrayal of the short–term and long-term impacts of the pandemic on young people’s education (Ofqual Report, 2021) including the learning loss and widening inequalities narratives (Child Poverty Action Group, 2020), this paper offers alternative viewpoints to be considered.

    Authors

    • Carmen Clayton, Leeds Trinity University
      Presenting Author
    • Rafe Clayton, University of Leeds
      Presenting Author
    • Marie Potter
      Non-Presenting Author

Which was in this session:

Families, COVID, and Unequal Schooling: Stories and Lessons From the Field

Thu, May 4, 11:30am to 1:00pm CDT (9:30 to 11:00am PDT), Division G Virtual Sessions, Division G – Social Context of Education Virtual Session RoomSession Type: Virtual Symposium

Abstract

This session focuses on research conducted with and about families during COVID school disruptions. The works focus on new and unexpected roles parents and caregivers played as education partners during the pandemic. Despite glaring inequalities and discrepancies in experience, COVID schooling changed boundaries between schools and families as families translated, decoded, and reshaped learning in their homes alongside their children. The papers document and give voice to family experiences and suggest lessons learned. The analyses can help reframe and impact how educators, school leaders, and policy makers partner with parents going forward.

Sub Unit

  • Division G – Social Context of Education

Chair

  • Shelley V. Goldman, Stanford University

Discussant

  • Ann M. Ishimaru, University of Washington

Again, I’m at a face-to-face conference in Ottawa, Ontario – so I’m unable to sit in and blog this session.  If someone else who was in the room has some notes, please add them to the comments section below.

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