With respect to those who stand in awe of all that’s changed about schools in the past few months, I would ask “what’s actually changed?”
I don’t mean to minimize the incredible work that educators around the world have done to respond to this crisis. It’s amazing the scale and speed with which we moved from physical space to remote schooling.
But aside from the venue through which schooling is happening, how else has the overarching narrative truly shifted?
Have power relationships between students, teachers, parents, administrators and policy makers really been significantly reoriented?
Are students now at the center of determining what, when, and how they learn?
Has schooling become more equitable across society?
Has the definition of “success” changed?
Aside from turning to technology to deliver the curriculum, has anything about the curriculum really changed?
Has technology amplified learning instead of teaching?
Has our long-term thinking about assessment shifted in any real way?
Do kids find the experience of school more relevant? Less competitive? More empowering?
Maybe it’s early to ask these questions. But, aren’t the answers to these questions (and others like them) the better measure of what, if anything, has really changed?
Hi Mr. Richardson,
I like the questions you pose within this blog post. As a first grade teacher and an individual who is very oriented with technology; I learned through distance learning that it is not the same in the classroom at all. For distance learning, we were asking to post daily lessons as well as hold 30 minute “live” sessions. Most of my students did not complete the assigned work. Although we are in a very unique time and we cannot be in the classroom, we as educators, need to find a way to assist all students, especially at the elementary level to be more successful in school via the online platform. I hope this fall (since we will more than likely not be physically in school) find ways to be more effective in student learning so our students do not fall behind. Also, thank you for all you do. I am currently reading two of your books for my graduate course and have learned a lot of information so far!