How can technology be used to build a trusting relationship
between myself and my students to better engage them in their learning, is
there technology to help build these important relationships and trust so
learning can take place?
While looking for answers to my question, I read two articles
(cited below) from our classroom readings that helped me find ways to integrate
technology into my teaching, that will allow my students to be engaged while
learning and also have a voice within the class.
In the article Supporting
Autonomy in the Classroom the simple idea of giving students more
choices and control of their learning created an environment within the
classroom that helped students want to learn, which helped them be engaged in
lessons and classroom discussions. The idea of giving autonomy to students can
be hard for teachers, the thought of putting student's learning and test scores
into their own hands can be stressful and, personally, I may find it hard to do
my first year teaching. One way to remind myself and to help maintain a level of
autonomy is to have my students keep in check, respectfully. One way I can do
this is through a short survey or poll. Of course I'm not always going to be
able to please every single student at any given time but if the students feel
they have a voice that is heard and respected, it will also help build a
trusting relationship and maintain the autonomy in the classroom. The article
mentioned three different types of autonomy within the classroom, with the most
important being cognitive autonomy. This is the type that deals mostly with
their education. Cognitive autonomy promotes learning because it allows
students to be heard and freely discuss or debate, it gives them the
independence to solve problems in their own way and has the teacher listening
more than lecturing. They not only build trust with the teacher but also with
each other. In regards to letting students have a voice, the article 7 Keys to Effective Feedback, explains the
importance of students getting feedback and the difference between feedback and
advice. Sometimes, as humans, we are quick to give advice thinking we are
giving feedback. The article also mentions the importance of allowing students
to give the teacher feedback. To tie the two articles together, there needs to
be a level of autonomy and trust for students to know they can give feedback
without being punished or embarrassed in front of their peers. I believe a way
to do this is, again, through the use of online polls or surveys. Lastly, the
article mentioned the timeliness of the feedback and how important it is to
give feedback as soon as possible so ideas remain fresh and at the front of the
mind. The two articles had me searching the internet, where I came across a
website rating the 10 best feedback tools to use in the classroom. My favorites
were those like NearPod and Socrative, where students can interact, in real
time, with the presentation. There's opportunities for them to compete against
one another, play games, add commentary to the classroom discussion via digital
sticky notes, and even take small quizzes or polls. The idea is to have
students be engaged in classroom presentations or lectures by actually being an
active participant instead of just sitting in the classroom listening to the
teacher. They're allowed to be heard and the teacher can get instant feedback
and/or responses from the students. By doing so, they are an Empowered Learner, which according to ISTE
standards, is a learner that participates in the classroom with the use of
technology.
The article, Ten Best Classroom
Tools for Gathering Feedback, also mentioned the use of Google Forms.
This reminded me of a teacher who came to one of our classes and talked about
his management style and how he connects with his students. He used Google
Forms at the start of every class. As students walked in and got settled, they
new they were to get on their computers and take part of the daily survey or
poll. Each day was the same questions - on a scale of 1-4 rate how you're doing
health wise, in the classroom, and why for each. Some students explained they were
a 1 because they were tired or they were a 4 because the material was making
sense or they received a high score. Some answers were more personal such as a
pet passing and others were merely a period with no other response. Meanwhile,
he would sit at his computer and as soon as the students submitted their poll,
he could see their answers and respond immediately through email. His students
new he cared because he would ask them follow up questions, congratulate them
on extracurricular activities and/or clarify questions. This has really stuck
with me and is something I plan on using in my own classroom. As I've gone
through the program I've thought of ways to connect with students and have
their voice be heard and all my ideas seemed to be very time consuming. Using
Google Forms and allowing roughly 5 minutes at the start of class to connect
and immediately respond takes away the daunting task hearing each voice in
every class. The also address the timeliness factor in regards to giving
feedback (Wiggins, 2012) as well as helps the student become a Creative Communicator, stated in the ISTE
standards.
Another ISTE standard being addressed throughout the entire
classroom and will be part of classroom management is Digital Citizen. Students will need to learn what's appropriate
and what's not in regards to posting within the classroom and interacting with
their fellow peers. The rules will be set in place and respect among each other
and myself will be given at the beginning of the year but they are expected to
maintain the standards and rules set out throughout the entire year.
Reference
Stefanou, Candice R., Perencevich, Kathleen C., DiCintio,
Matthew, & Turner, Julianne C. (2004). Supporting
Autonomy in the Classroom: Ways Teachers Encourage Student Decision Making and
Ownership. Educational
Psychologist, 39(2), 97-110.
