It is not enough to simply listen to student voice. Educators have an ethical imperative to do something with students, and that is why meaningful student involvement is vital to school improvement.
Adam F.C. Fletcher
Driving Question
How can I encourage students to share more and contribute more to class discussions in an online, live-session course?
iN REGARDS TO MY CHOSEN cstp AND SELF-reflected INQUIRy, WHAT WOULD i LIKE MY REALITY TO BE?
​I would like to see a majority of the class participating in class discussions, and sharing their ideas. I have a time constraint but I think that there is a way to integrate a dialogue with an academic lecture in the virtual format. I think there are many ways to do this but as an emerging format for education, its an opportunity to try a few things, reflect on the trial runs, and improve upon what is working now.
HOW CAN i CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN WHERE i AM AND WHERE i WANT TO BE?
After researching engagement and participation activities and practices from other educators, I found a few things I am going to be trying in class. This includes using new-to-me technology like Padlet, zoom polls, and adding activities that allow students to share in a way that suits their preferences and needs. Some of my students are shy or have anxiety about sharing their opinion with an entire class, but are incredibly articulate and witty in their writing. Finding a way to incorporate both of those opportunities into one while in class is a unique and exciting challenge. What I have found is using a multimedia application in class to allow students to write, share media or speak out verbally is going to work very well. I specifically added Padlet into my lesson planning. By understanding the needs of each student individually, I adjust and edit my lessons to be student-centered. Student-centered lesson planning relies on providing class formats that are accessible to every learner and lean on a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
What actions will you take to promote success for your historically underserved students?
My students have a wide range of academic needs and specific accommodations that can feel limiting but actually offer the opportunity for an accessible-to-everyone solution to my lesson planning. By understanding that some students don't prefer to share verbally with the entire class, they can write incredibly well and participate in class discussions in other ways. I use Padlet, which is an app where a board is created, a theme or topic is introduced and posts are created on the board by students. The posts can contain images, text, and media (songs or videos). As well as being able to post their thoughts and idea on the board, they can comment on other students' posts, create threads, like/dislike (thumbs up/down), or rate on a 1-5 star scale. I also include games where students
Reflection
​After integrating Padlet and some other applications for students to share their thinking with each other, one area I still think I can improve upon is creating a space for students to speak to each other, debate, and collaborate without my intervening. One tool I am going to focus more on using is zoom’s breakout rooms and making time for students to work in small groups, unmute and come back as a whole to share their ideas. Overall I think I've made progress in the right direction but still have new ways to innovate and improve!
