Online Science Classes Not a Solution
The Pony Express Editorial Board
The Pony Express Editorial Board
After the COVID-19 pandemic, we returned to classrooms thinking that the days of online learning were over, however after a year of in person learning, some students have had to go back to their online schooling for their science class.
Saddled with a dire teacher shortage, the district has had trouble finding qualified candidates for positions, which is now impacting many students’ learning. The teacher shortage is one of the leading factors that is preventing many classrooms, in Pioneer and all across America, from having permanent teachers. Although there are many reasons behind this teacher shortage, leading causes are the lackluster salaries and long hours many are forced to work. Without teachers to fill these positions, students are not getting the full social, emotional and educational experience they would usually be offered at school. In an effort to fill in these empty spots many classes in San Jose Unified, left without teachers, are getting a daily rotation of substitutes. While substitute teachers are important, they are not a replacement for permanent teachers, as they are often much less knowledgeable on the topics that the classes cover, and are unable to provide as much educational and even emotional support for students as a teacher who works with the same students on a regular basis.
Within the science department; biology, chemistry and even physics classes are currently being taught online rather than through in person instruction. Substitute teachers are rotating through the classes on a daily basis as not only is there a lack of permanent teachers, but long-term substitutes continue to be hard to come by. New teachers everyday create a constant unknown that can harm students’ ability to learn effectively, as they are navigating a new way of learning, and prevents them from forming the student-teacher bonds that are fostered in classrooms with more permanent educators.
Two years ago, during distance learning, we utilized platforms like Canvas and WebEx, allowing students to connect with real teachers in real time. However, with the rotating substitutes that have been filling in teaching spots for classrooms that require credentialed, topic-specific teachers, the school has turned to a different platform.
Their solution to the problem? Edgenuity.
The platform, now used in multiple biology and chemistry classes without permanent teachers, is a self-paced program with the intention to give students the ability to learn in the vacancy of an actual teacher.
Although Edgenuity provides students with a learning platform that is supposed to help them deepen their knowledge in the specific topic, the lack of in-person interaction prevents students from being able to fully understand topics. The main issues with programs such as this, that are fully asynchronous, is the prevention of students from asking questions. Oftentimes, in a regular school setting, students are able to go directly to their teacher with any questions or confusions they may have, this is especially important in science classes. Science concepts by themselves can be extremely complex and having to learn them on your own, without a teacher to guide you through the topics, makes them even more difficult.
A secondary problem that Edgenuity poses is the lack of labs. Although students are giving online simulations to run, this is not comparable to hands-on activities that allow students to learn through creative problem solving and building off of their own mistakes. Without being able to experience science topics in action, students are missing an extremely important connection between science and real life. This connection is largely important because not only does it allow students to dive deeper into the specific concepts they are covering, but it can also provide students with deeper insight on how the world really works.
Although Edgenuity has been put in place to solve a pressing crisis in the teaching world, its negative effects on students outweighs its benefits. Students are being put in an environment that discourages them from asking questions and being creative while at the same time forcing them to do monotone tasks in the name of learning. Rather than having human interactions with teachers and classmates that encourage discussion and problem solving, students are forced to stare at a computer screen for hours, which can cause students to burn out faster and lose motivation to learn.
The best solution to this teaching crisis is not replacing teachers with robots, but instead encouraging more people to enter the teaching profession through wage raises and better working conditions. It has been proven time and time again that teachers are extremely important in our society, as their main goal is to raise youth to be productive and educated. If teachers were better compensated and appreciated for the hard work they do, an online platform would not have to supplement the crucial learning of students.
Saddled with a dire teacher shortage, the district has had trouble finding qualified candidates for positions, which is now impacting many students’ learning. The teacher shortage is one of the leading factors that is preventing many classrooms, in Pioneer and all across America, from having permanent teachers. Although there are many reasons behind this teacher shortage, leading causes are the lackluster salaries and long hours many are forced to work. Without teachers to fill these positions, students are not getting the full social, emotional and educational experience they would usually be offered at school. In an effort to fill in these empty spots many classes in San Jose Unified, left without teachers, are getting a daily rotation of substitutes. While substitute teachers are important, they are not a replacement for permanent teachers, as they are often much less knowledgeable on the topics that the classes cover, and are unable to provide as much educational and even emotional support for students as a teacher who works with the same students on a regular basis.
Within the science department; biology, chemistry and even physics classes are currently being taught online rather than through in person instruction. Substitute teachers are rotating through the classes on a daily basis as not only is there a lack of permanent teachers, but long-term substitutes continue to be hard to come by. New teachers everyday create a constant unknown that can harm students’ ability to learn effectively, as they are navigating a new way of learning, and prevents them from forming the student-teacher bonds that are fostered in classrooms with more permanent educators.
Two years ago, during distance learning, we utilized platforms like Canvas and WebEx, allowing students to connect with real teachers in real time. However, with the rotating substitutes that have been filling in teaching spots for classrooms that require credentialed, topic-specific teachers, the school has turned to a different platform.
Their solution to the problem? Edgenuity.
The platform, now used in multiple biology and chemistry classes without permanent teachers, is a self-paced program with the intention to give students the ability to learn in the vacancy of an actual teacher.
Although Edgenuity provides students with a learning platform that is supposed to help them deepen their knowledge in the specific topic, the lack of in-person interaction prevents students from being able to fully understand topics. The main issues with programs such as this, that are fully asynchronous, is the prevention of students from asking questions. Oftentimes, in a regular school setting, students are able to go directly to their teacher with any questions or confusions they may have, this is especially important in science classes. Science concepts by themselves can be extremely complex and having to learn them on your own, without a teacher to guide you through the topics, makes them even more difficult.
A secondary problem that Edgenuity poses is the lack of labs. Although students are giving online simulations to run, this is not comparable to hands-on activities that allow students to learn through creative problem solving and building off of their own mistakes. Without being able to experience science topics in action, students are missing an extremely important connection between science and real life. This connection is largely important because not only does it allow students to dive deeper into the specific concepts they are covering, but it can also provide students with deeper insight on how the world really works.
Although Edgenuity has been put in place to solve a pressing crisis in the teaching world, its negative effects on students outweighs its benefits. Students are being put in an environment that discourages them from asking questions and being creative while at the same time forcing them to do monotone tasks in the name of learning. Rather than having human interactions with teachers and classmates that encourage discussion and problem solving, students are forced to stare at a computer screen for hours, which can cause students to burn out faster and lose motivation to learn.
The best solution to this teaching crisis is not replacing teachers with robots, but instead encouraging more people to enter the teaching profession through wage raises and better working conditions. It has been proven time and time again that teachers are extremely important in our society, as their main goal is to raise youth to be productive and educated. If teachers were better compensated and appreciated for the hard work they do, an online platform would not have to supplement the crucial learning of students.