So lets just stay online

In a recent article, online learning provider Crimson Global Academy's founder Jamie Beaton has argued that:

"An online training academy could be established to upskill our education leaders, and perhaps the worst-performing remote physical schools, with substandard facilities or poor access to teachers, could be digitally replaced in part or whole"

So from the data gleaned from the global pandemic which has lasted almost a year and that has meant online learning for some students over this period, just how effective would it be to digitally replace schools for those most struggling?

If one is to make such claims then surely, they must be supported by the burden of proof?  In a perfect world, this logical obligation ensures that anyone making a claim must bear the responsibility of proving that claim. 

 
This is the difference between established knowledge over alleged knowledge and helps differentiate between expedient ideas that can be damaging. In education, this means strategies must demonstrate a positive impact: advocates of change need never prove their ideas do not improve learning.

In reality, of course, we do not live in a perfect world. In education, external hype shifts the burden of proof back to those supporting the status quo, leading to impaired learning. Nowhere in education has this shift been more blatant than when it comes to the adoption of computers and online technologies and learning. So what is the evidential support for Mr. Beaton's view?
 
In a recent international survey, 92% of students reported having access to a computer at school. In New Zealand, every school is equipped with high-speed internet, while in Australia the computer-to-student ratio is now below 1:1. In the United States, expenditure on K-12 learning software exceeds $8 billion annually, while in the United Kingdom schools spend an average of £400,000 on computers every year. This does not take into consideration those students who do not have access at home, which would be required if Mr. Beaton's vision becomes a reality.
 
With these numbers, coupled with the experiences of online learning in the last year, the burden of proof for the effectiveness of computers had been met, and that the evidence for the positive impact of technology was overwhelming. Just like a Tui ad, yeah right.

 
A 2015 OECD international review of the impact of computers in education reports:

“The results show no appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics, or science in countries that invested heavily in [computers] for education ... [S]tudents who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes … And perhaps the most disappointing finding is that technology is of little help in bridging the skills divide between advantaged and disadvantaged students.”

After reviewing 126 research studies exploring technology-based education interventions, the global research center J-PAL concluded:

“Initiatives that expand access to computers … do not improve K-12 grades and test scores. [Furthermore], online courses lower student academic achievement compared to in-person courses.”

Sadly, for advocates of online schools like Mr. Beaton, the evidence has overwhelmingly shown that computers do little to boost academic performance. So why not? Common Sense Media released a report addressing how media is used by our students. 

The report was insightful in many ways and addressed what is the primary function of digital technology was for our learners, and how that shapes the way they perceive and utilize this technology. In short, our students use technology to consume content and this influences the way they interact with it for education. Give a man a hammer and everything becomes a nail.

Consumption of content is not effective for embedding knowledge and later applying it. As educational researcher Dan Willingham states:

"The short answer is that you remember the part that you thought about. ... And here's how you should think about memory: it's the residue of thought, meaning that the more you think about something, the more likely it is that you'll remember it later"

Students need to interact with the content, think, and reflect in order to embed it in their long term memory. They also need to discuss it with others, have ideas challenged and critiqued in order to develop their understanding.  

One way that we try and improve engagement is by ‘gamifying’ classroom learning. However, this also can cause problems with learning, with the focus on engaging rather than learning, they are not the same. The learning has to be front and center of the process. Online platforms such as Kahoot and Quizziz can be useful if used sparingly, but if the focus becomes winning the game rather than the learning process of finding gaps in knowledge and addressing them then this can impede rather than support learning. So what are some practical takeaways for teachers can draw from the research? 

Broadly, we are not wired to multitask well, and using computers during class is no exception. A study on laptops in a simulated classroom found that students multitasking on a laptop during class scored worse on a test. The temptation for distraction is large. Another study found that most students using a computer in class spend considerable time on activities not related to taking notes, and furthermore identified a negative correlation between student success in class and in-class laptop use. So one way to reduce this is to lock computers so they can only access the task they are on.

Use an online quiz before and during lessons. Inevitably the misunderstandings that need attention will emerge. But be careful. Check to see if the digital tools you use are accessible to different students. Consider using sans serif fonts, providing materials for lessons in advance of class for review, and using files that can be read aloud via text to voice software like the immersive reader. Additionally, do not focus on who comes first, make it a class average challenge, that way students will collaborate so all succeed and learn.

Popular belief holds that students' attention peaks in the first fifteen minutes or so of class, and then generally declines. A study from 2012, which tracked students' eye-gaze patterns during lessons, demonstrates that this is an oversimplification of a far more complex process. Students pay attention to change. In particular, in online contexts:

• Proximity to the teacher.  Move around the classroom or in the online environment ask questions of students.

• Humor. I'd like to believe my students love my bad Chemistry and Physics jokes. Laughter in the classroom can make students more comfortable, lower their affective filter, encourage intellectual risk-taking, decrease anxiety, establish a more productive student-teacher relationship. As Billie Hara points out, you don't need to be a gifted comedian to use humor effectively in the classroom. It's not about your authority, it's about your students' learning. 

• Variety. Students pay more attention when you don't just read from your PowerPoint. More broadly, don't be afraid to change up the interaction in the classroom when teaching both offline and online. If you're using direct instruction, why not change it up and ask your students some questions while you're presenting the information? If you've got a discussion going in class, why not design some activities for students to talk to each other in breakout rooms instead of just answering your questions for the duration of the class? For example, have students turn and talk to each other regarding a prompt, or if online, have students message a written response to another student and have them respond. This last option is a great example of how a technology-based solution can help students who might struggle with spontaneous changes in the schedule or intimidated by social interaction as teenagers can be.

The justification for online schools from the research is not supported by the evidence, the most effective way for students to learn is to be with their peers face to face in a physical school with teachers supporting them. Technology is and always will be a tool, but human relationships are still at the heart of teaching and learning.