Virtual Classrooms: The Way of the Future
Coronavirus is forcing us to rethink our system of mass education. Traditional face-to-face instruction poses too great a risk for many within the education community. Hopefully a vaccine will be available very soon that should minimize the health risk. Notwithstanding, there are several advantages of incorporating a re-evaluation process into our pedagogical tool kit to further insure the health and safety of our school population.
Consider a school district that cannot afford to hire teachers for classes that are requested by only a few students. Online instruction would allow one teacher to teach such a specialized class across the district. The district only has to pay one salary and benefits and all interested students can participate in the class. There are also districts in which one teacher travels from school to school to provide specialized instruction. Rather than visiting a different school once or twice a week, a virtual classroom could offer instruction everyday if it was beneficial to students from all of the participating schools. Large class size is another problem faced by educators. Here is another opportunity for a virtual classroom to assist.
Three categories of students
Students generally fall into one of three broad categories. The first is students that can work independently. With an occasional question directed to their teacher, they are able to work independently until the assignment is completed. In the current environment often these student’s questions are “put-on-hold” while the classroom teacher has to deal with other problems — many of which are discipline related. Offered a virtual classroom option, these youngsters could be removed from the large physical classroom and still meet their education objectives.
The second group of students, and probably the largest, are those that require more guidance during the learning process. We have experienced a great deal of success with these students. The most important aspect of their virtual learning environment is that it cannot mirror traditional lecture-take-notes instruction. I shall address this concern in the next section. At this juncture the point that I wish to emphasize is that a well developed virtual classroom environment for these youngsters could improve learning and also reduce class size.
The third group of learners are special needs students. Depending on their unique requirements, a face-to-face setting may be more appropriate for them.
Early elementary students are typically more “touchy-feely” than older students. I have not had a lot of experience working with these youngster so I yield to other’s knowledge in this area. However, based on the early learners that I have worked with, I have found that these youngsters also fall into one of the above groupings to the degree possible based upon their individual cognitive learning levels.
What are virtual classrooms
Seven years ago when I taught my first online class, the most common accepted approach was to send a self-instructed textbook to the student. The online school provided support through limited contact with students on an as needed basis — occasional chats, emails, etc. A virtual classroom, in my mind is quite a different approach to creating a learning environment. First of all it is live rather that self-taught. Secondly, because it is live online it must engage students. If not, the students will open another window and play an online game. Thirdly, it must be structured to require students to interact constantly with the instructor. Finally, the home environment should be free of distractions — reduced background noise, prohibiting others in the same room from watching television, etc.
In a virtual classroom, targeted skills should be introduced in small segments. Students should then have an opportunity to practice the skill with immediate feedback. In today’s online environment, there are several online sites that congratulate students for a correct answer and provide review or remediation when required. Each virtual class should be divided into several parts. This reduces the opportunity for boredom. I have found online whiteboards to be quite effective in my Math classes. I have written problems on the board and had one of the students solve it as the class watches.
While self-taught online courses are useful for students in the first category described above, a virtual classroom has proven effective for those students that require guidance in their learning.
Home environment
Another very important aspect of a virtual classroom is the home environment of the student. I have had students ask to be excused for a few minutes to take care of a younger sibling. I have heard loud conversation in the background while a child is trying to attend to a virtual classroom instructor.
When a youngster is sent to a distant school building, parents are not active participants in the education process. There are of course exceptions to this — some parents actively participate as classroom monitors or instructional assistants. But most parents let the schools provide the education and in some cases a child care system while they are engaged elsewhere.
The success of virtual classrooms is predicated on parental support. The student’s learning environment needs to be monitored. When it is not possible for a family to stay home and provide this level of support, several families may be able to have their youngsters meet together in a small pod and one of the parents can provide monitoring and support for the group. This responsibility could even be rotated if needed.
The way of the future
COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on our country. With more than 10 million cases of this disease and over 1/4 million deaths, its’ all pervasiveness influences every aspect of our lives today and will probably result in longterm changes for our future. I believe that this pandemic has presented us with a chance to address opportunities for improvement in education. These changes will take time. A total virtual classroom system will require retraining of teachers and changes in the attitudes of parents and students. Notwithstanding, I believe virtual classrooms offer an immediate path for some of our youngsters to develop to their full human potential free from the encumbrances of overcrowded classrooms.
