Identity and Individual Learning

Identity and Individual Learning

June 17, 2021

During this last week, I spent time reflecting upon identity, culture of learners, and individual learning. Through my readings, one quotation stood out.

“If we can’t see a problem, we can’t fix the problem” (Crenshaw, 2016)

There are many concerns surrounding today’s educational system. To begin to solve them, we first need to diagnose the root causes. One example that impacts learning in schools is chronic absenteeism. To find out what causes truancy, and how it impacts students’ learning, I turned to journal articles and other sources to help find answers. To my surprise, the research process was somewhat uncomplicated and extremely valuable. I learned chronic absenteeism has been a hidden problem, however, many states today are starting to focus on it (Kelly, n.d.). Truancy interferes with students receiving the consistent instruction they need to build upon basic skills and missed opportunities for intervention and enrichment (Kelly, n.d.). One recent study revealed only one in six students who are chronically absent in both kindergarten and 1st grade are proficient readers by 3rd grade (Kelly, n.d.).

The cause of truancy in education has been linked to sociological and environmental factors, including healthcare, transportation, and housing concerns (Shute & Cooper, 2015). Recent studies, however, have discovered new insights on this topic. Currently, more students arrive at school and skip certain classes due to ineffective curriculum and pedagogy. Truancy in school is a monumental problem, and should not be blamed entirely on sociological and environmental circumstances. When administrators and other educational leaders look at it from different angles, and recognize curriculum and pedagogy play a role in absenteeism, we can start to construct possible solutions.

Reimagining education is something I reflect upon with each MAET course. This week, not only did I look at truancy with a new lens, I also utilized this mindset when reading about students’ identities and individual learning. For as long as I have been an educator, I have believed that best practice in the classroom included implementation of different learning styles. Surprisingly, science does not support this idea. When classifying students as visual or auditory learners, for example, it is putting learners in pigeonholes since many do not fit one singular style (Kirschner & van Merrienboer, 2013). It is more important to assess cognitive abilities than favored learning styles. Abilities are greater predictors of how students learn most effectively (Kirschner & van Merrienboer, 2013).

The Covid 19 pandemic compelled educators and communities around the world to reexamine and reimagine learning in the 21st century, especially regarding student identity and learning. It revealed not only pedagogical flaws but also exposed how racism prevented students from gaining access to necessary resources and instruction needed when schools closed (Love, 2020a). The pandemic has shown us the problems, and as schools continue to reopen, we need to fix them by closing the educational opportunity gap, building relationships with students across races, and to be more effective in implementing both pedagogical and culturally responsive practices (Love, 2020b).

References

Crenshaw, K. (2016, October). The urgency of intersectionality. TEDWomen 2016. https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality/transcript?language=en

Kelly, K. (n.d.). Chronic absenteeism: What you need to know. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/working-with-childs-teacher/chronic-absenteeism-what-you-need-to-know

Kirschner, P. A., & van Merrienboer, J. (2013). Do learners really know best? Urban legends in education. Educational Psychologist, 48(3), 169-183.

Love, B. (2020a, April 30). Teachers, we cannot go back to the way things were. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/30/teachers-we-cannot-go-back-to-the.html.

Love, B. (2020b, August 2). There is nothing fragile about racism. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/08/25/there-is-nothing-fragile-about-racism.html.

Naglik, M. (2021, June 15). Truancy impacts learning in schools. [Google Slides]. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yt-5K_LqhcmH1h9h_saTJoxhD-eeVXuidO_Tysw9v2M/edit#slide=id.ge09afa7d04_2_0

Shute, J., & Cooper, B. (2015). Understanding in-school truancy. The Phi Delta Kappan, 96(6), 65-68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24375820