Article Review - How to Teach Online So All Students Feel Like They Belong PDF

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FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEGREE IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE ED EDU404 - PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATIONARTICLE REVIEW :How to Teach Online So All Students Feel Like They BelongPREPARED FOR :DR FARHANA WAN YUNUSPREPARED BY :NAME STUDENT ID AISHA NURIN BINTI BUSTAMAM 2021816684GROUP 1ETABLE OF CONTENT ...

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FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEGREE IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGE ED241 EDU404 - PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

ARTICLE REVIEW : How to Teach Online So All Students Feel Like They Belong

PREPARED FOR : DR FARHANA WAN YUNUS PREPARED BY : NAME AISHA NURIN BINTI BUSTAMAM

STUDENT ID 2021816684

GROUP 1E

TABLE OF CONTENT NO.

CONTENT

PAGE

1.0

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………

1

2.0

SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE………………………………….

2-4

3.0

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS ………………………………….

4-5

4.0

PERSONAL REFLECTION………………………………………..

5-6

5.0

SUGGESTIONS ………………………………….………………….

7

6.0

CONCLUSION………………………………………………………

7-8

7.0

REFERENCES……………………………………………………….

8

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The history of education can be traced back to Confucius (561 B.C. ), the first famous private teacher. Many ancient Greeks had their children educated by private tutors. Learning institutions such as Cambridge University were established during the Middle Ages, and teacher education became mandatory (Davis, 2020). Teaching as a profession has been going for a long time. Teaching is not only passing on knowledge but also nurturing the students to be an all-round person. However with the current pandemic, the quality of education has deteriorated, and many teachers are struggling to take care of their students. Steel and Cohn-Vargas (2015) said that by acknowledging students' identities, rather than feigning ignorance, can help build a foundation for strong positive relationships. This, combined with challenging learning opportunities, can help all students feel welcomed, supported, and valued as members of the learning community.

The article that is being reviewed is titled as How to Teach Online So All Students Feel Like They Belong. This article is written by Becki Cohn-Vargas and Kathe Gogoleswski which was published in the Greater Good website in 2020. This article is made as a guidance for teachers that range from kindergarten teachers to high school teachers , as students from these ranges struggle the most with their identity. It provides information for teachers on how to teach in an online environment so that every student feels that they belong. It is not enough for teachers to just teach, they need to make sure the students feel comfortable and secure in a classroom. This article provided two main points that serve the purpose of this article which is to act as a guide for teachers on how to handle the students and making them feel like they belong.

2.0 SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE

The summary and main points of the article will be presented in this part.

This article is about promoting a safe classroom environment to ensure every student feels comfortable expressing themselves, inwardly improving their academic performance.

In the introduction part of the article, it stated how the Covid-19 pandemic has stripped students’ experience of hectic school lives to an isolated learning behind a screen. This sudden change has impaired students' lives and caused them to question their own sense of self. Being in school, surrounded by different people, will influence someone’s identity. Students’ identity is what drives their behaviours and personality. They base their decision from what they think of themselves, which is their self worth. The decision they made will affect them socially and academically, as it can be positive or negative. However, online learning caused these interactions to become a virtual two dimensional thing, making students unable to express themselves.

Next, the article explained about identity-safe classrooms. An identity-safe classroom is where a teacher ensures that their students’ identity is embraced as a strong point rather than a weakness to succeed in the classroom. The article used data collected from the research ‘Stanford Integrated Schools Project’ , a year-long study of 84 classrooms. This study focused on the effects of identity-safe classrooms on students. They documented how the relationship, questions asked toward students, and the use of diverse materials and activities in classrooms, will affect students' learning progress. The study revealed that in identity-safe classrooms, students felt a greater sense of belonging, welcomed more challenging work, and achieved at higher levels in class and on standardized tests. The article mentioned that the principles of achieving identity-safe classrooms are the same whether it is online or offline. Instead of diminishing one’s sense of self, teachers should encourage students to embrace their identity, in an attempt to understand themselves more and eliminate negative stereotypes. It cannot be denied that this is hard to achieve even in a face-to-face classroom, however educators should always strive for the best.

Continuing on, the next part of the article is the two main points on how to teach an online class so students feel like they belong, which are creating a caring online classroom and supporting student identity through diversity. Firstly, the article acknowledged that creating a caring online classroom can be tough for online learning as teachers are not capable of greeting their students face to face and determining students' understanding just by visual scanning their faces in the classroom. The authors said that three important pillars of creating a caring classroom are having trust in relationships, inclusive interactions and a feeling of belonging. By having trust, students will be more courageous to interact in class. The article recommended teachers to regularly check up on students by asking about their feelings and lives, to build trust between students and teachers. If the classroom is big, it is advised to make a smaller group so that it is more manageable. Then, the article mentioned that all students deserve equal education, but not everyone is born rich, some students are falling behind as they lack resources like internet access and devices. It is up to school to help these students by providing them with care packages and homework packets. The article also suggested for teachers to provide students space for them to share their thoughts. For example, Zoom has a feature called “breakout rooms,” and for kindergarten students, there is an app called Seesaw Class App.

Secondly, the article advocated supporting student identity through diversity. The article reminded us that students’ identity should be celebrated and not ignored. This sense of self is what makes students different from one another, for instance, their race, gender, nationality, culture and many more. Teachers must help students to embrace their identity and assist them in discovering something new about themselves because it is a vital part of identity safety. The article said that this will help students to gain confidence in themselves, teaching them to take pride in who they are and remain respectful to others who are different from them. Furthermore, the article stated that amidst this online learning period, it is easy for students to feel overwhelmed and uncertain, especially being in a whole new environment, making them uncomfortable to be themselves. Thus, it is important for teachers to provide unconditional support and encouragement for students to increase their morale. After that, the article suggested that teachers should motivate students to start journaling, as it is one of the best ways to keep an eye on one’s feelings and promote confidence.

Towards the end of the article, it said that identity-safe teaching is easy to be adapted to online teaching due to its flexible nature. Identity safe classrooms can be implemented to virtual learning by valuing the differences between students, and supporting them through this tough time. The article hoped that this experience will strengthen students as we move forward and return to in-person teaching. The confidence, resilience, and hope fostered by identity-safe practises during this pandemic can greatly ease the transition into the uncertain times ahead.

3.0 STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

In this part of writing, I will present the strengths and weaknesses that I found while analysing the article.

After reading the article, there are two strengths and two weaknesses that can be pointed out. One of the strengths of the article is it is up-to-date with the current issue. When Covid-19 pandemic first hit, all learning sessions were switched to an online platform instead. This abrupt change can be overwhelming for teachers to adapt with as they are not used to teaching virtually. This article acts as a guiding material for teachers in this virtual era, because it is important for them to ensure all of their students are comfortable being in an online classroom. With this, teachers are now well informed with how to make sure all their students feel like they belong in a classroom.

The second strength that can be obtained from this article is a clear and vivid explanation. The article explained the main points in a very detailed manner. It also includes examples of offline teaching situations, which makes it easier for teachers to imagine the situation. For example, it explains how teachers could greet students outside of class in school before, and to make up for that, it suggested teachers to be more attentive and caring during virtual learning. Furthermore, the article also suggested different apps and websites for teachers' usage to create an identity safe environment in online classrooms. This can be seen from the mention of Zoom

meeting and SeeSaw app. With that, teachers are now aware of new learning tools that can be used. Now we are focusing on its weaknesses. The first weakness I noticed is that the article does not have enough main points. The article only listed two main points which is inadequate despite having a lengthy explanation for it. I believe that a good article should have at least 3 main points, and not to mention that this is a how-to article, meaning that it should have included more points. By having limited points, readers are left with limited options too. It cannot be denied that creating an identity safe classroom can be tough. The writers should have provided more information so that teachers can opt to multiple approaches.

The second weakness of the article is that it lacks the

students' voice. I

understand that the article is made as a guide for teachers, however, I believe that in order to create a classroom where people are safe to express themselves, the writers should insert students’ views on it as well. Creating an identity safe classroom should be a collaborative effort between teachers and students. Sometimes what you think is the best for someone, can be untrue. The authors could have conducted a survey, collected answers from students on how to make online learning more fun and stress free. Moreover, by inserting students’ input, it would make them feel included and their voice is being heard. Thus, it is important to include students’ opinions in their writing.

4.0 PERSONAL REFLECTION

In this part of writing, I will be sharing my personal reflection after reading the article.

When I first read the article, it struck deep in me as a student studying under the faculty of Education, because this is what is expected from an educator to their pupils. However, being a student myself, I can totally understand the problem of being uneasy, anxious and does not feel like I belong in a classroom. These problems can stem from various things, as each student is an unique individual. The article made me realise that it is a teacher’s responsibility to make students feel like they belong. It shows how important a teacher's role is in a classroom, and how they should uphold it. The article made me promise myself that once I become an educator,

I must try my best to help my students. This article is a good starter guideline for me to establish my own identity-safe classroom.

Next, the article talks about the significance of having a caring online classroom. I agree with the article because a loving environment is important to make someone feel safe. When students feel safe, they are more open to speak out and interact in class. For example, I used to be a loud and active student back in highschool. I would frequently answer teacher’s questions and volunteer myself in group work. But now in university, I found myself to hold back a lot, especially being around new people. It is easy to feel loved and cared for when you are in a face-to-face classroom, but in a virtual one, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and unsafe. Knowing my classmates from behind a screen makes it harder for us to connect, so it is hard to be myself in front of them. However with suggested Social Emotional Learning (SEL), I believe students can be more attuned with their emotion. Durlak et al (2011) as cited by Weissberg (2016) revealed that SEL increases the percentage of succeeding in the classroom and also improves philanthropic behaviours, attitude towards school and reduces stress and depression. Thus, it is important for teachers to ensure that their students are managing in an online classroom, and encourage students to interact more with their classmates by doing fun group activities together.

Lastly, the article encourages supporting students through diversity. I wholeheartedly agree with this point because I believe that ‘fear of the unknown’ drives a wedge between students. When someone's differences are being considered weird and ignored, it can unintentionally spew hate. Teachers should embrace students’ diversity and teach other students to appreciate other’s differences, be it race, culture or food. For instance, teachers could do a cultural day, where students were given a chance to explain and share about their culture with the rest of class. Sujata (2019) stated that by immersing yourself in different cultures, you can build trust, love, and respect thereby wiping out negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups. With that, it is vital for teachers to make sure their students are celebrated for who they are and ensure that the students do not face any discrimination in classroom.

5.0 SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

In this part of writing, I will give some suggestions and recommendations to improve the quality of the article.

Upon going through the article, I have a few suggestions and recommendations that can be used to better the article. My first suggestion is the authors should focus the article to a more specific group. This article is made for teachers ranging from kindergarten to highschool, with a more specific group, the authors are able to provide more detailed explanation and methods to deal with students from that specific age group. The authors can make multiple articles for different level-of-education teachers. The second suggestion is that the authors should include a list of apps and websites that can be of use to teachers. The article did mention three different apps and websites, however giving a list would be better. Teachers now have a wider selection to choose from and avoid repetitive activities. On that note, I highly suggest listing the names of apps and websites.

Next, my first recommendation is that the authors must provide more main points. In this article, the authors only gave two main points which are inadequate to be considered as a good article. The authors should include more points, for example, equity in school and teacher self reflection. Equity in school is basically ensuring every student has the same opportunity as the others in the whole school, not just classroom practices. Teacher self reflection focuses on teachers embracing their own identity before implementing it in class. By having more points, the quality of the article also increases. The second recommendation is that the authors must conduct a survey and gain responses from both teachers and students. This is because the data would be more convincing and relatable to the readers. Hence, it is recommended for the authors to conduct a survey.

6.0 CONCLUSION

After reviewing this article, I have learnt many things. First and foremost, I now understand how to review an article. Personally, reviewing an article is not easy, however I have

enjoyed my time doing it. I also have given a few suggestions and recommendations that can be used to improve the article quality and make it easier for readers’ to understand.

In conclusion, this article discussed the methods to teach online and make your students feel like they belong. It heavily encourages a caring and loving classroom in order to make the students feel secure. The issue of this article is very much valid as lots of students are struggling to learn online. It is very important for teachers to play their part in promoting identity-safe classrooms to their students in order to achieve positive learning and teaching outcomes. The goal of this article is to spread awareness of the importance of students' emotional and mental health in the classroom. With that, I hope educators and future educators will look into this matter seriously.

REFERENCES

Cohn-Vargas, B. and Steele, M, D. (2015). Creating an Identity-Safe Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-an-identity-safe-classroom-becki-cohn-vargas-do rothy-steele

Davis,

B.

(2020).

Who

is

the

greatest

teacher

in

history?.

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from

https://www.mvorganizing.org/who-is-the-greatest-teacher-in-history/

Sujata, D. (2019). Respect For Cultural Diversity. In R. D, Souza (Ed.). Global Bioethics Enquiry. (Vol 7., pp. 151-152). UNESCO chair of Bioethics.

Weissberg, R., Durlak, J., Domitrovich, C. & Gullotta, T. (2016). Why social and emotional learning

is

essential

for

students.

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from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-sel-essential-for-students-weissberg-durlak-domitrovi ch-gullotta....