DISTANCE LEARNING FOR UPPER ELEMENTARY 1

Distance Learning for Upper Elementary Students:

Accountability, Time Management, Social Support

Thienan H. Nguyen

Department of Urban Education, Loyola Marymount University

EDUR 6328: Digital Technology in Urban Education

Professor Shannon Tabaldo

May 6, 2020
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Take a moment to flashback to February. Schools are in session, and life for a student

seemed relatively normal. Homework was still being assigned, and assessments were still being

administered. In the back of their minds, they had been hearing from family and friends of the

growing crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, it did not seem that life would be any

different. With a flash forward to March, conversations at home have shifted to every possible

topic revolving around the pandemic. On Friday, March 13, I debriefed my students on the online

format of my math and science coursework and reassured that we as a school will continue to

engage in learning even if we are not fully present together in the classroom as we normally

would. Never would I have thought that a month and a half later we would have gone such far

lengths to make learning at home as normal as possible. However, the three most critical

challenges that my students are having difficulty with is accountability, time management, and

social support which still persist these many weeks in.

Accountability

At the start of online learning, one of the first challenges that came into mind among our

faculty was keeping the students accountable of their work. When in school, the interaction

between teacher and student in regards to accountability is far more feasible because of the

active presence in the classroom setting. With online learning, it is difficult for our students to

discern that their home is now also their classroom; a few of my own parents expressed a

concern that their child viewed online learning as a vacation. It was disappointing and frustrating

to hear that even with my debriefing and the designated school resources pick-up day that

students still perceived it as a vacation. Much of my effort, as well as my grade level team’s

effort, goes to contacting parents and leaving comments on Google Classroom reminding the
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student to complete their assignments or reaching out to Zoom during our office hours. However,

the vast majority of my students continue to not feel as motivated altogether.

A recommendation to promote self-efficacy among our students begins with the state

providing effective teacher professional development on understanding the facets of online

learning self-efficacy (Shen, Cho, Tsai, & Marra, 2013). Bandura defines self-efficacy as:

“People’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute a course of action

required to attain designated types of performances” (1986).

Five self-efficacy areas for online learning were identified in the 2013 research study: to

complete a course, social interactions with classmates, academic interactions with classmates,

handling online tools, and interactions with teachers. Teachers are advised to apply appropriate

scaffolds for supporting and guiding students to be able to complete their coursework (Shen et

al., 2013). To prevent feelings of isolation, it is advised to utilize a discussion board platform

with clear guidelines to interact with peers online, monitor student interactions, and recognize

the work and contributions made by students through active feedback (Shen et al., 2013). Prior to

online learning, teachers should practice the use of online tools with students to improve their

digital literacy and personal comfort level to lessen any lingering anxieties they may have had

prior to online learning (2013). An example that teachers may try to improve a student’s digital

literacy is providing online tutorial videos of common troubleshooting issues that may arise

during online learning; this will help them be more proactive with accessing materials especially

when they are unable to get a hold of the teacher. Research also showed that male students have

more difficulty with peer engagement online, so it is advised that teachers provide additional

support and encouragement as an effort to have them engage with the rest of their peers (2013).
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It is vital that parents of students with special needs engage in training solely on assistive

technologies that are tailored to support their students in helping improve their self-efficacy. A

survey was conducted by Athabasca University to collect data on teacher preparation needed for

assistive technology; results showed that 70% of teachers reported no proper training in using

assistive technologies (Chmiliar & Cheung, 2007). 86% of teachers also reported low level of

satisfaction with using assistive technologies (2007). As a result, the university developed an

online course for teachers to practice using assistive technologies, which has shown positive

feedback overall (2007). Using the same model, local educational authorities should partner with

schools to develop an online course training for parents in an effort to promote their digital

literacy when working closely with their student in their online coursework. By doing so, parents

will be far more comfortable in navigating educational technology to access materials and

provide their support in lieu of the teacher when they are unavailable.

Time Management

In addition to the change of learning environment and the demand of taking ownership of

online work, an added stressor on my students has been managing their classwork load. I serve

3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in a departmentalized style format, and they were very conscious of the

routines and procedures to switch classrooms on time. My colleagues and I were very conscious

with allocating our instruction time appropriately to have our students rotate on schedule, and

students were very dependent on us signaling when to begin transitioning. In online learning,

students are no longer learning on a normal schedule and have additional at-home

responsibilities that impact their “school day.” Our school has recommended the “school day” to

begin at 9 o’clock and end at approximately 3 o’clock, but nonetheless our students struggle with
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not having consistent routines. Because of the inconsistent “school day” routines, their

assignments may pour into the following day. Sooner than they know it their course load begins

to grow, and students begin to lose sight of how to get back on track.

Key to time management is creating goals for oneself. It is advised that local education

authorities provide a general protocol and resources to teachers and families on how to help

students self-regulate and manage their coursework load to minimize stress and anxiety while

also promoting self-efficacy. Self-regulated learning is a process in which students create goals

and monitor them in the context of their environment (Pintrich, 2000). Self-regulated is achieved

in three phases: planning, performance, and outcome (2000). First, students will use creative

thinking to design realistic and effective goals that should factor common norms of their life at

home. Then, students will create strategies that will motivate them to successfully achieve their

goals. Examples of strategies that students can use may include making lists or creating a goal

chart; visualizing and individualizing their goals can help them to become more encouraged to

complete them. Finally, the outcome phase of self-regulation will be working towards growth in

their self-efficacy, high self-satisfaction, and a continued engagement in their coursework.

Emotional Support

In the case of my 5th grade students, the entire school year was focused on preparing for

middle school; particularly on Wednesdays we were in homeroom for the day to focus on

building community and support with one another. With the shift to online learning, our school

protocol on building community with our students is now through Zoom check-in’s. I have also

utilized the Flipgrid platform to present a reflection topic question each week for my students as

a way for me to assess for their emotional state. At the start of the online learning period, my
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students were ecstatic to see each other online since every feeling of being at a home and

Zooming their classmates was, to them, a refreshing change of pace. As for their Flipgrid videos,

the students were so expressive in thought and emotion as they were often saying how much they

missed one another and hope for things to be okay soon. As the weeks have passed, emotions

have been reaching a plateau in part due to no foreseeable return to normalcy of being in the

classroom with one another. Emotional well being is crucial to student success both in and out of

the classroom setting, and it has been a challenge for teachers to find ways to promote optimism

and positivity when students are experiencing strong feelings of cabin fever.

Students are currently experiencing feelings of physical isolation and the constraints that

come with it, and day by day the separation from peers and teachers is negatively reflective in

their online behavior. Isolation is influential in a student’s academic performance, and there is a

great need to consider how to format online coursework that will help students engage with one

another more often and effectively (McInnerney & Roberts, 2004). It is advised that federal

authorities establish a consistent, structured school protocol for social interaction among students

online utilizing synchronous and asynchronous communication. When interacting with students,

synchronous communication allows for teachers to meet with many students at the same time to

discuss course material, provide clarification, and allows students to engage in collaborative

discussion to help support one another in their learning (2004). Teachers must recognize that

some students may not engage synchronously and should inform those students on missing

materials (2004). Asynchronous communication lends power to the students in being proactive to

initiate and engage with their classmates while building comfort with discussing material online

(2004). Overall, both modalities must be run on specific guidelines and instructions to maintain
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appropriate student behaviors that would have also been just as expected had they been in person

together in the classroom. Teachers must make clear on what information is appropriate and

emphasize the purpose of the online communication to be focused on engaging in learning

material rather than normal friend-to-friend interaction (2004).

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world of education to think far outside the box

and has challenged us in ways never seen before. Like mentioned, no one would have foreseen

the problems that would arise from the sudden shift to online learning. Policies and protocols

need to be greatly evaluated if government leaders are advocating to not let any student “fall in

the cracks.” While literature already exists on the dimensions of online learning, there is so much

research and studying to now be included with an even greater focus on equity and access for

students. It will be interesting to see, as we move forward, how classroom settings will look like

and the expectations of teachers for instruction once students return to in-person learning. What

will the new normal look like then?

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References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-
Hall.

Chmiliar, L. & Cheung, B. (2007). Assistive Technology Training for Teachers — Innovation
and Accessibility Online. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 35(1), 18-28.

McInnerney, J. & Roberts, T. (2004) Online Learning: Social Interaction and the Creation of a
Sense of Community. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 7(3), 73-81.

Pintrich, P. R. (2000). Handbook of self-regulation. Academic Press.

Shen, D., Cho, M., Tsai, C., & Marra, R. (2013). Unpacking online learning experiences: Online
learning self-efficacy and learning satisfaction. Internet and Higher Education, 19, 10-17.