How Online Education can boost student achievement in Middle School
Dr. Mindy Rice, History and Geography teacher / Head of Humanities at Le Sallay International Academy.
Le Sallay Academy is an innovative blended learning school for children aged 10-14. During the school year, 4 three-week boarding sessions in France alternate with online study periods with 5 - 6 live classes a day. Le Sallay Academy has an academically challenging curriculum and personalized learning paths. A typical student at our school is one whose families move frequently. They are comfortable traveling internationally and have learned to adapt to new cultural contexts. A group sometimes known as Third Culture Kids. Some of our students have been bullied at school because of their neurodiversity. Le Sallay prides itself on the unique blended learning structure that helps all students achieve their full potential.
Online classes are often considered a poor substitute for in person schooling. Stories of low student (and teacher) motivation, and poor learning outcomes, have made headlines since the arrival of Covid. So how can anyone make the argument that blended learning (online and in person) is not only a good idea but can lead to higher student performance? Often missed in the conversation about online learning: online learning’s new toolbox. One that is uniquely adapted to making the chaotic, messy and frustrating middle years of schooling a little easier.
Early adolescence is a period of intense self-consciousness; the fear of what other people think hangs over teenagers. Their moods fluctuate from moment to moment; they will try out new friends, clothes, ways of speaking or being in the world. They desire independence from their parents but also look for meaningful interactions with other adults. It is an important development stage but it is no fun.
As teachers our job is to be aware of these changes and help students navigate their new bodies, minds and feelings. At its core of teaching is about people. Students achieve when they have a trusting relationship with their teachers.
At Le Sallay we believe in the importance of beginning the year in person to build this relationship. During the three weeks in September, I can have formal and informal interactions with students, participate in clubs with them or just hang out and watch them play sports. Students can see their teachers as people, not just authority figures who stand in front of the class. Students know if I like coffee or tea, what I’m reading at lunch, what news article I just read. And I get to know their personalities like who really, really likes chocolate and which students value creativity in their lives through their clothing choices or their drawing. Who has trouble with social interactions, who is very outgoing, who is thoughtful and always thinking of others. The depth of these interactions are rare in a typical school setting. Each on site session deepens my understanding of students’ inner and outer lives. What they are passionate about and what they struggle with. These meaningful connections with adults who are not their parents can play an important role in their evolving sense of self.
After returning home and beginning the online session, I can continue that conversation in different but equally effective ways. A safe space for students is essential to student learning and growth. Students need to feel accepted and seen for who they are. Good classroom practices for both online and in person include fostering mutual respect in the classroom. Online students have more opportunities for teasing, play and even bullying other students through chat or text. There is an emotional distance that comes from not being physically present. As in a physical classroom the teacher must have clear guidelines for appropriate classroom interactions. Chat is used only for class content and should contribute to class, not detract from it. At no time are students allowed to use chat to insult or denigrate each other. True learning begins when we learn from one another.
The most useful tool in online learning is the breakout room. It is a place where you can have a truly private conversation with a student. They are not distracted about going to their next class, sensing that other students may be nearby and overhear, or simply feeling that teenage awkwardness in the presence of an adult authority figure. In online classes students are in their home environment (ideally one that is safe and quiet). They are on familiar ground and know that the discussion is truly private. Certainly, not all students are going to share what’s going on in their lives. But I believe the chances increase the more a teacher uses the breakout room to tutor, prod, ask questions and individualize learning. As I grow to know students, often through these informal interactions, I can tailor assignments and connect them to students’ interests and lives. I try to demonstrate that what we are learning has relevance in the real world; in this way sparking curiosity and a desire to learn.
Another area where the breakout rooms can help is getting students to reflect on how they understand their own learning. A student who comes into a history class thinking “I’m not a history nerd, I don’t belong here but I’ll suffer until it’s over” - these are thoughts that teachers can sense but in a breakout room I can ask a student to articulate their expectations for their own learning. John Hattie has demonstrated that one of the key predictors of student performance is “student expectations”. Online teaching gives teachers new communication tools to uncover those hidden self-beliefs. Middle school students' emotional lives can be chaotic but how we feel is intimately connected to how we learn. Simply put, this is a student’s understanding of how well they will do in a particular subject. By knowing their expectations I can set a higher goal and help them achieve it. I believe the tools provided online allow me to do my job better.
Another tool in motivating students can be linked to student expectations. To those students who say I don’t like history or I’m not good at it, I try to demystify history. History is about people and people’s choices in the past. It’s not about memorizing facts but a series of debates. Debates that are guided by today’s questions and concerns. As long as you can read and write and think, you can do history. I also emphasize that they will be confused some of the time and that’s a good thing. If you knew it, you wouldn’t be here. Learning begins with confusion. Learning is a process. There is no one moment when it all makes sense. You will gradually build skills and knowledge.
Another skill I emphasize is encouraging questions. I often begin a new unit in history asking students: How do we learn new things? We ask questions. Historical research begins with a question. So everytime they write an essay or work with sources, I always ask - what’s your question? What do you want to know? And the more specific the question, the more interesting the answer. When students feel their questions matter, that history is not a fixed “truth” that they must memorize and accept, it boosts student desire to learn.
Finally, teacher credibility matters a lot. Students have to trust you know what you are talking about. If students don’t trust your knowledge and skills, they are gone, you have lost them. For me, I did research in archives and I can talk about working with documents, what’s available and what’s not is a product of historical chance (or mischance). We see through a glass darkly into the past. Knowing how we know, what we know is key to thinking like a historian.
Many of these tools will be familiar to experienced teachers and apply to both online and in person learning. Good teaching techniques are universal. But I believe online classrooms can aid us to achieve that often elusive goal, student motivation, by providing a private safe space to uncover hidden self beliefs. When students do more than they believed possible it boosts their confidence. My goal in the online classroom is to harness technology to help students learn more about themselves.