For the past year I have been taking courses toward earning a Master’s in Online Teaching. From that statement, one could reasonably assume I am interested in, or even passionate about, online learning. Certainly I am interested. But where’s the passion?
For me, the passion in teaching has always been about relationships with students. The teaching jobs I have felt were my most important jobs were the ones where I thought I really made a difference in students’ lives. When I can make a difference, when I can go home at the end of the day knowing that something I did really made a difference to another person, then that is a good day.
Yes it wonderful to be passionate about a subject. I know many incredible teachers who are passionate about what they teach. I would love to be able to take their classes, and absorb their subject through their enthusiastic teaching. And on my best days I too am passionate about some of the things I teach. But for me, never does that passion trump the passion to connect, to make whatever we are doing have meaning in the life of a student, to help a student feel heard and cared about and OK in the world.
So I struggle with the idea of online learning. How will I connect with students? How will they be able to know that I care about them? Will they put enough effort into a making the connection happen? Obviously I’m not the only one worried about this. In their Online and Hybrid Learning conference Rutger’s University held a workshop called Best Practices for Building Student-Teacher Relationships in Online Learning you can find a video which discusses this issue. Further evidence that I am not alone in my hand-wringing can be found in this blog at Edutopia, Where MOOCs Miss the Mark: The Student-Teacher Relationship.
In my current job as an alternative education teacher, I have many of my high school students for all four years of high school. Of course, some join my program in later years, but the point is I really get to know them. By the time they are seniors I may have had them in as many as seven or eight classes over the four years. I know the moment they walk through the door what kind of day they are having, how rough last night was on them, if they will be able to attend to their learning. Where will all that knowing come from when all I have is a screen?
There is a ray of hope here. Today’s students are digital natives, they have grown up using computers and digital devices all their lives. They have also grown-up online. My high schoolers all have Facebook pages, many use Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, etc. A lot of them used to use MySpace. So they are comfortable with the online milieu in ways my generation is not. Perhaps they will find it easier to bridge that divide than I can even imagine.
But still, what if I am right? What if I lose that connection? What if I lose the very students I am trying to help?
The post is thought provoking. Rest assured, a compassionate tone is conveyed in your writing; furthermore, I trust your students will recognize your sincerity. Consistence interaction, in addition to the aforementioned positive traits, will ensure the necessary rapport you describe. Interacting within the student desired medium will further exemplify your willingness to connect. ~Robin
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to your post. I began my quest in getting my Master's in online teaching because I was looking for a new path, one that would challenge me and keep me on my toes. Although I've enjoyed my online learning, I too, feel like the classroom is the best place for me at this time. The chance to connect with students and know that you made a difference that day is priceless.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I do think that it's possible to connect with students online. I found that when we did synchronous activities online, I felt more connected with my prof and my peers. I think by having those opportunities, having a breakroom for more personal discussions and sharing your own personal thoughts offers the chance to connect. I feel that I can connect better with some classmates than others, depending on similarities and differences. It also helps to have more than one class with them. I feel like that will improve when I'm the teacher and can reach out to my students.
I can tell by your posts that you are passionate about what you do and I think that your students would be able to feel that as well.
Mindy :)
I absolutely agree with your reason for teaching -- the passion in connecting with the students! Sure, I enjoy my subject area, but often I think I could have been happy teaching almost any subject (except maybe math) as long as I had the opportunity to work with students. Sometimes, I thought that made me a bad teacher, because I am not as passionate about my subject. But you nailed it -- the student connections is where it's at!
ReplyDeleteThe technology does take away some of the face-to-face connections, but I've also found it opens up some other students who won't engage in much face-to-face conversations. I have some students who will readily reply to assignment comments online, and sometimes we engage in a witty banter exchange of thoughts -- and this is still connecting. It's a changing world, and we just have to keep finding ways to connect with our students. I hope, though, that we never entirely lose the human face-to-face connections.
~Beth
I completed my Master’s last summer; however I am always looking for ways to better myself for my students. This class caught my eye because technology is such a big aspect of everyone’s life and I need to keep up to be a competent teacher. This is the second online class I have taken. It is overwhelming at times because it seems to be going on all the time. I find myself constantly checking on all the posts and yet I have my job to prepare for, as well as a family to contend with. For me I would say I prefer face-to-face interaction; plus I need some visual instruction on some of these sites that we are creating. Each of us has different needs and I would have a hard time teaching to a screen.
ReplyDeleteJust to piggyback off this comment--different people have different learning styles, and if the learner is not a visual learner, online learning is not going to be their best option. As educators we are taught to meet the needs of our students, and if they need tactual or kinesthetic lessons, then f2f lessons are probably going to be the best options for them. I feel your pain, Shannon!
DeleteTwo Things:
ReplyDelete1. The way you write: I was surprised when I began my first PLS class and the facilitator said to use the smiley faces. It made sense and I really like them, but it went against what I had been taught in online etiquette. If you can write in a way that your students can feel what you mean, then you're golden! Use LOLs, and smiley faces so that it is crystal clear what you're thinking and feeling.
2.Opportunities for Visuals: A friend of mine works an an online school history teacher. He offers live lessons to his students every week. This gives him the opportunity to connect with his students. Whether you too have live lessons, or pre-recordings of yourself, it's another way for your class to understand your personality, sense of humor, tone, etc. Also, have them post back to you in video form so that you too can understand them!
Jim,
ReplyDeleteThis is our second online course together this semester and I feel as if everything I read from you is 100% passion filled with learning being the ultimate goal! I feel that every time I have the opportunity to read one of your comments, I learn from it. I can "see" from your writing style that students are your main concern and aiding in their success is your goal. I appreciate your concern with how to deal with the loss of "face to face" reactions in an online course. I too am concerned with loosing the personal touch of seeing and talking one-on-one to students. I think that you are able, through the way you use words, to convey your feelings to the students and also get them to respond accurately to you. I enjoy reading all of your comments and look forward to more enthralling words from you! Linda
Jim, I think you will lose somewhat of your training, but on the other hand help students in another way. For all of the online classes I have taken I remember the things that I have learned, and apply that knowledge to my career. However, most times I do not remember the facilitator's name. However, if your students learn to communicate on line you will know all of those things that you knew when they walked through the door. For me it comes down to do you want to help them further themselves in their careers, meet a lot more people, and do what you love, or have students say on graduation day, wow he was a heck of a teacher. Then have then see your years later, and say hey Mr. Braley I remember when......
ReplyDeleteYou make an important point here Mark, and that is what are we really trying to accomplish with our students?
DeleteFor me, I am not so interested in what they say to me on graduation day, I just want to see then there at graduation! That is the point of my program and the reason we work so hard on relationships- they need to know we care about them and will help them succeed.
Perhaps by way of example, my two co-teachers and I went to a baby shower on Saturday. One of our former students invited us, the mother was a former student, and there were three other former and two current students there. The mom and party host are both going to a technical school this year. They were very excited to tell us about it, and I was totally psyched to hear about it. And though things like that don't happen much, these are the kinds of relationships we create. These kids matter to us. We matter to them.
I also find the first part of your response interesting, in that you raise a good point about the things you remember from you online classes. And though the point is well taken, I would argue you cannot extrapolate too much from your experience and apply it to a high school student.
They are not adults. They don't have careers. They didn't even choose most of the courses they had to take! So they have a different motivation than you or I do when taking an online course. For some, their motivation may simply be they think it will be easier. Gasp! Yep, I've seen it happen.
And though I appreciate the words of encouragement from many people responding to this blog, I still don't yet see how I can recreate this thing in an online environment.
Convince me.
I have very mixed feelings about making connections regarding on-line learning. I read the article you mentioned, Where MOOCS Miss the Mark, and I also read the comments from other readers. I agree that on-line learning is great for motivated learners; motivated learners have a purpose for their learning and the connections are second to the content. I still personally prefer to be in a classroom but that is what I have grown up with and what I have experienced. I look at today’s kids and the way they interact with others; instagram, Facebook, twitter, etc. I wonder what there interpersonal skills will be like, how will they be affected by technology. I look at my own kids and see that they don’t have conversations on the phone, they text. The students of today may very well be able to connect to others electronically because that is what they are used to and perhaps that is where I have to adapt.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your posts. You bring up very valid points and always provide great insight. I, too share the concern of losing the personal relationship aspect that comes along with online learning. I firmly believe that with many students, a teacher can make a much stronger impact on a student's life just by showing you care about them as a person, not just a student. Every year I have a handful of kids whose highlight of their day is coming to school, as they have absolutely no support system outside of the classroom walls. These are the students that educators can have the greatest impact on, and like you I worry that without the structure traditional schooling provides, these students would fall through the cracks. Along the same lines, I also worry that with the emphasis put on state testing nowadays, students are going to miss out on valuable learning opportunities simply because it is not directly related to tested material.
I agree that with students being digital natives, most are more comfortable in exploring and experimenting with new technologies than the teachers. I feel classes like this are important, because if we as educators don't try to continually learn how to effectively use these tools we would be doing our students an injustice, as they are skills that will be vital for today's students in future careers.
Mark Caskey
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ReplyDeletePassion goes a long way in the field of education. I have found that over my years in school, it has been easy to recall those teachers who were passionate about what they did, and those who just simply did their job. Making connections with children beyond the content you are teaching makes a GREAT teacher.
ReplyDeleteThis is only my third online graduate class. I have never considered obtaining an online degree because it’s not my learning preference. However, like you mentioned, most if not all of what students are familiar with stems back to the Internet and some form of technology. My worry is: Will there come a time when children aren’t able to communicate face-to-face?
Just a week ago, I picked up some Chinese food to go and found a family out to dinner with their kids. Sounds like a good idea to me, a family together on a Friday night. However, one of their kids sat there eating his dinner with earphones in his ears, and an iPhone in his hand. Does it come down to parenting, or will we as a society have to accept this new generation? I wish you the best of luck as you set out to reach the field of online learners.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI do really understand what you mean about learning in the classroom vs. online learning. It is so easy to see how much you care and truly want to make connections with students. I like how you said about helping a student feel "heard and cared about and ok in the world". Within the past few years I feel as if the importance of connections with students is being pushed aside and the stress is on test, test, test. Even though I understand that it is our job to fully prepare our students, I also feel strongly about the need to make connections with my students. Before I came to our district I had the opportunity to work with an alternative education teacher in another district. Building positive relationships was crucial, especially in this setting. Students need to know that they can walk in your door and see a friendly face, someone who not only cares about their education, but also cares about them as people. Without that, I believe that we would really lose some of our students. I really was so glad that you shared the story about how your former student invited you to the baby shower and you found out that the student would be attending a technical school. Those moments are the ones that make what we do so worth it! To me that shows just how important making connections are.
I'm not sure if those connections are possible in an online setting. Even though I know that I have students who are truly engaged with the use of technology, I feel that we all have students who need that face-to-face interaction. It is so easy to see that it is very important to you to grow professionally and to also be there for your students, and to me that is what makes a great educator.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteOnce again, your words say the things that many of us feel, but don't always articulate as well as you do. One of the reasons I want to move back to teaching is because I miss the connections I made with students. In vocational education, I have many of the students for three years in a row and for multiple periods in a day. I often spent more time with my students than their parents did and really got to know these kids well.
One of my goals for becoming an online educator is to help students complete their high school education through offering the theory content online to those students who are on homebound or in an alternative setting. Yes. I'll miss out on the connections we make in the F2F classroom, but I'll be helping students start on a career path and that's where I hope to make the connection. Web 2.0+ tools can help make connections through virtual office hours (think Skype, googlehangouts, or wiggio) or chat sessions.
Another possibility is having students log in to the F2F class session with one of the above tools.
Face to face interaction is the optimal condition, however, online learning is where things are moving, so appreciate that you are willing and able to adapt. And at our core, we all want to connect with others, so we'll find a way using the tools that are most available and most "normal" for the time/environment we are in. The same friends I used to call on the phone for a weekly/monthly catch up chat have very much morphed into sending each other texts and pictures and assuming we've all read each other's Facebook updates. Connections and communication still happen, only the mode is different. We replace wide eyes with emoticons and emphasis with all caps. And I don't think its perfect, but my personal opinion is that it is still mostly effective. Time will tell how much we lose in losing the social cues we've all relied on for millenia and perhaps someday we'll see a shift back. For now, I agree that you must go with where the students (or in my case employees) already are.
ReplyDelete