Amid unprecedented school closures, educators across the country are working to shift to remote school for the rest of the spring, at least. Everyday we hear about heroic educators relentlessly and creatively supporting and engaging students, some of whom face additional challenges—whether its access to technology, taking care of siblings and family members, or as essential workers in grocery stores.
At Springpoint, a primacy on student voice is baked into our school support approach. Our community-based design process starts with an intentional and methodical approach to understanding student assets, needs, and aspirations as the basis of all school design work. We also support our school partners to engage students on their design team to ensure that student voice helps shape their work.
To learn more about the student experience during these times, and as part of our values around student voice, we spoke to several high school students across the country. We hope that these student stories and insights will help educators develop a deeper understanding of the student experience as they continue to design and improve virtual learning environments.
Several students we spoke to contend with an urge to focus on other things outside of school work during the day. Dauty, a student at Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA), noted that his small household lends itself to distractions. It can be hard for him to find dedicated time and space to focus on school work. When he is able to focus, though, he gets a lot done.
But some teachers are beginning to figure out how to channel what could be seen as distractions into learning opportunities. At Noble High School’s Multiple Pathways Program (MPP), one student named Ross was working toward chemistry credit for rebuilding an engine. He plans to write out and annotate his process and send a video of himself completing some of that work. His teachers have asked him to answer a set of questions and engage in a metacognitive reflection process as well.
We heard students speak about technology issues, distractions, and simply missing face-to-face learning as well as their teachers and friends. Since everyone’s routine is affected, many students are working in more cramped quarters in their homes than they are used to. On top of that, most students agree that the in-person support from their teachers and fellow students is missing, making remote learning all the more difficult.
Even the act of going into a school building was helpful. “I’m a procrastinator, so this stinks,” said Ross, a MPP student in Maine. “I need a push to do my work. Waking up and simply showing up at school is a good push.”
We have never faced mass school closures of this magnitude. Many schools have approached the new reality in different ways. Some students are participating in synchronous lessons, while others complete independent work. But what came out most clearly across our conversations with students is that their teachers have been a crucial support system. From Zoom office hours to phone calls and rapidly returned emails, teachers have been providing academic support to all of their students.
“We can email or text our teachers and every student needs to check in with teachers to make sure that they know what to work on,” said Daunty from BDEA. “We have a very community-based school; teachers will help you and talk to you and work with you.”
Students are also finding ways to help each other. One sophomore named Olga from International High School at Langley Park said: “For me [remote learning] is hard. But now I am thinking about kids who just came from another country and might not even know how to use a computer or don’t know the language. For them, it is hard. I ask some teachers questions during their office hours. Some of my classmates and I text each other to see if we need help. I [am] help[ing] kids downstairs who just came [to the US] too. But this is a little bit hard for me because I don’t have the skills to teach a student a new language.” And at BDEA, some weekly meetings earlier this spring sought to seed ideas from students and teachers alike for how to get the students who aren’t showing up to be more engaged.
It’s no surprise that many students, especially high school students, are balancing myriad responsibilities throughout this time. “I work at Aroma Joe’s, which is a coffee shop, and our drive through is open during lockdown,” said Jayden, another MPP student. “I also work at Market Basket and I babysit on the side.”
But Jayden works to make time for both school and extracurricular learning: “I am also doing a lot of extracurriculars, which are teaching me a lot. I have game cameras I’m setting up for hunting. I have bird feeders, so I have been counting and identifying birds. I am also writing an essay about the coronavirus. I love being outside. I’d rather be outside than inside.”
Some students have found that remote learning is teaching them a lot about their own learning styles and preferences. “I am participating more in driving my own learning,” said MPP student Ariana. “My teachers have helped me with that a lot. I like collaborating with them. Learning from afar means that I have to be more independent and learn in my own way. Teachers are more understanding and more open to trying new ideas and making shifts.”
“CBE makes me so happy because I actually know what I need to do,” said Asberry, a student at BDEA. “With a letter grade in my other schools, I felt like I was not learning material. I was learning how to do worksheets. I didn’t understand how to get a higher letter grade. But at BDEA we have CBE, and the feedback tells you exactly what you need to do, so it’s not a guessing game on what I need to get done.”
Students found other bright spots as well while acknowledging how much school closures are delaying their plans and shifting their immediate focus. “Before school closed, I was preparing for AP tests and the SAT, hoping to get scholarships for college,” said Arnoldo, a junior at IHSLP. “I will still do those things but for now, I have been studying at home and doing classes online. It has been working for me. I have been learning more English and grammar.” He described a few projects he’s enjoyed working on, such as a Math project in which students were asked to create a graph to explain the impact of the coronavirus. The intention was to create accurate and shareable graphs that include details on the health system and how to flatten the curve to help people understand the realities of the pandemic.
Most importantly, students talked, again and again, about the importance of the support of their school community, most notably their hard working teachers who are navigating these uncertain times. “Our teachers trust us,” said Arnoldo. “They take time to learn about our situation. They trust us because they know we are looking for a better future, to get an education so we can live a comfortable life and help other students like us, or help other people. They trust us to become the best of ourselves.”