Instructional Equity

To chat with us, please return to our NJSBA Virtual Workshop 2020 booth and click on chat.

The Power of Teacher-Made Videos in Designing Equitable Remote Learning Environments

For some students, remote learning includes joining a video conference at a specific time for instruction. We believe a more effective approach overall and a more equitable approach specifically would be to provide carefully crafted, recorded lessons. Consider the whole-class, "instructional lesson." It is difficult enough to ensure learning when students are physically in the classroom. When students are joining remotely and appear as postage-stamp-size faces on a screen, with microphones muted to avoid disturbing the teacher, teachers lose their "superpowers." If a student is listening to the lesson and a distraction occurs in the home, they may lose critical information. It may be more difficult, too, for students to follow along in a video conference and grasp the content, particularly if they have any learning difficulties. Beyond the typical challenges, though, synchronous instruction can be an equity issue.

If a teacher offers a lesson at 10:00, that is an opportunity to learn. In some homes, older students have to be watching over younger siblings and helping them connect with their teachers while the adults are off at work. In some homes, students are sharing a device and may not have access at the necessary time. Add to that the fact that some students during the pandemic have had to get jobs to help supplement their family income. So, if that 10:00 lesson is only offered then, and a student can't make it, they lose out. Instead, imagine if a teacher recorded a video addressing students, demonstrating a skill, having students pause the video to try a problem before restarting the video to watch the teacher then solving it, and so forth. Students would be able to watch the video at a time that works for them; and they could watch the video over and over again to ensure they understood the information. THAT'S EQUITY! (See Five Types of Videos for remote instruction.)

The Importance of PBL in Equity

Everyone deserves the right to learn to think at high levels. Yes, students need lower-order skills to move to higher-order skills, but problem- and project-based learning provide students with the motivation to tackle the lower-order skills. PBL provides students with a "felt need" to learn skills. Additionally, PBL challenges that address issues of equity and the local community can be powerful in providing authenticity to connect students to the curriculum. Following are sample problems and challenges from MyQPortal that address issues of equity:

• Telling Our Story — celebrating the diversity among students in the classroom through a classroom quilt

• Mirrors, Windows, and Doors — assessing representation in books in the classroom library

• Justice for All — exploring segregation in schools today