5 Ways to Empower Students

Giving them a voice in their own education.

By Adora Svitak
February 8, 2012

What's the most powerful resource in your classroom? Is it

the formidable stack of textbooks, the encyclopedia, the
computer? As much of a reader and education technology
enthusiast as I am, I believe this most powerful resource is
something else entirely. It's something collective -- the
diverse imaginations, observations, opinions, hopes and
dreams of students. By empowering students, you can
engage them further in learning, provide a more democratic
learning experience and, of course, find the most powerful
resource in your classroom: us.

1) Give Your Students a Voice Through Forums for Student Feedback

You may remember from your own school days how much
students sometimes complain about teachers ("she gives so
much busywork," "he gave me a D just because I turned it in
a day late!"). Now that's only amplified through social
networking. What if you could use that to your advantage?
I'm both a teacher and a student. I receive a lot of feedback
from teachers for class work and homework, and I also really
appreciate getting constructive feedback from the students I
teach via video conferencing. Setting up a forum for students
to provide constructive and timely feedback -- criticism or
praise -- through mediums like a group Google Doc, Twitter
hashtag, Edmodo site, blog, etc., helps you improve your
teaching. It also helps students, emphasizing that learning is
about partnership and working together.
2) Give Students Decision-Making Power in an Area of Curriculum
This might seem like an unrealistic idea in an age of
common core standards and high-stakes tests -- what if
students veer drastically off the required course? However,
this is actually entirely possible to incorporate with existing
curriculum. For instance, if you teach language arts and the
goal of the unit is teaching students how to write an effective
response to literature or a literary analysis essay, who says
everyone has to write about the same book written by some
ancient dead writer (no offense, dead writers)? Besides, if
you're already scared of writing your very first response to
literature, having to decipher ancient syntax isn't going to
help. So instead, why not have students pick a book of their
own choosing -- a novel like The Hunger Games, even
(gasp!) a graphic novel like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, or
even (double gasp!) a smart comic book like Bill
Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes? All these works provide
plenty of themes to analyze and are compelling reads. You
could turn this response to literature unit into a book club
unit where students make cases for picking their suggested
book to be read and analyzed by the rest of the class. This
student-directed curriculum idea is applicable to many other
subjects. Giving students the power to choose creates a
sense of ownership over the learning.

3) Put Yourself in the Sandbox

Jump in to work with students. When I teach language arts, I
love using collaborative writing to explain concepts like
figurative language or to demonstrate how to start writing
different types of pieces (like an essay or a suspenseful
personal narrative). I ask for student involvement and
feedback; they throw out the ideas while I link them together.
The best part is that this helps provide a crucial link between
the explanation of the topic and the "Go do this at home and
turn it in" moment. By getting students to collaborate with
you, they're starting to work on their own but also getting the
concept reinforced.

4) Encourage Meaningful Technology Use in the Classroom

Many teachers tell students to turn off their devices when
they walk into the classroom. However, it can be incredibly
empowering to do just the opposite. By having your students
bring their own devices, you open up a world of new learning
opportunities (like the flipped classroom model, web quests,
podcasts, virtual field trips via Skype, livestreaming with
classes across the world, etc.), and you reaffirm that
learning can happen anytime, anywhere. When students use
their devices during class time to access learning resources
that they can also get at home or on the go, we see that
learning doesn't just happen within the four walls of a
classroom. Plus, it literally puts learning power in our hands.
I know some teachers who have expressed concerns about
rolling out any kind of technology they themselves didn't
know how to use that well. However, if that's the case, don't
be scared to let your students teach you a thing or two about
technology. If you're worried about students slacking off on
digital devices, it's worth checking out
the #pencilchat  discussion.

5) Involve Students in "Real" Issues

A big complaint a lot of students have about what we learn in
class is that it doesn't seem applicable to the real world.
Have students practice skills they've learned or topics
they've come to understand in service learning, debates,
leadership/volunteerism/community service, or by having
opinions on "real" issues like education reform or the 2012
election (shriek! politics! you might think, but as long as you
stay objective, the students are civil to each other and
parents are okay, politics can be one of the most energizing
topics there is for students). Have your students make a
difference with what they've learned, and they'll be more
motivated to learn further -- because they're seeing that it's
having an impact. They're learning to help others instead of
just working toward some lofty, seemingly distant goal of
graduating and going to college.

Ultimately, empowering students is about a realization:

teachers and students have a lot to learn from each other.
After all, as the pioneering American librarian John Cotton
Dana  once said, "Who dares to teach must never cease to
learn." Empowering students helps us all do just that.
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It’s Not About Online Learning: A
Reflection on the “New Normal” in
Education (Part 1)
B Y   F R A N C I S JI M T U S C A N O

Much has been written about the new normal in the society as the COVID-19 Pandemic
continues to spread in different countries around the world. The new normal will involve
higher levels of health precautions. Fearing another wave of infections, governments
will continue to enforce strict measures to contain the spread of the virus. Digital
technology will play a greater role to ensure that essential sectors such as business,
banking, health, food services, and communications will continue to run their
transactions in order to avoid a possible national economic breakdown. While these are
just a few of the possible scenarios that will happen in the new normal, we can,
however, definitely say that the new normal is anything but ordinary. 

In the education sector, schools and universities are now scrambling to enable digital
and technical infrastructures that will support whatever form of virtual learning that they
will most likely to adopt. Right now, online learning has been pushed further and deeper
as a solution that addresses the challenges of learning continuity amidst school closure
at this time of the pandemic. Video-conferencing, which is being used to replicate face-
to-face instruction, has even made Zoom a household name. Access and usage to
video-conferencing tools, as well as to learning management systems, have spiked
tremendously as teaching and learning continue within the virtual corners of their online
classrooms. Online learning has been a great means towards continuous learning.
Some schools have done it successfully, while some faced major concerns and issues
from students, parents, and even their own teachers. In the end, it seems like the new
normal is about online learning and having the digital platforms and tools to support and
enable learning. 
 Yet, this new normal that is too much focused on technology tools or online learning
needs to be reconsidered and evaluated. Can we step back for a moment and think
about those who will be marginalized and underserved in the new normal? Can we
remind ourselves that our digital and telecommunications infrastructure cannot even
decently connect every device in the country to the Internet? Can we wake ourselves up
to the reality that not all students, parents, and homes have access to devices at home?
Can we pinch ourselves to realize that a lot of Filipino families will undoubtedly use their
hard-earned money to buy food and other basic needs that will help them go through
the day instead of purchasing data to get online? And the harsh reality is that, even
before the pandemic began, this has been the situation for a lot of us in the country. 

As we grapple with and re-imagine the new normal in education alongside the new
normal in the bigger society, the following recommendations should definitely be
considered as integral parts of the new normal.

1. “Maslow before Bloom” should be the new battlecry in education.

This pandemic is a litmus test for schools. A lot of schools rapidly transitioned to online
learning due to lockdowns that were enforced in a matter of days. Schools did not have
much time to prepare and were caught in the moment as school leaders and teachers
went back to their drawing boards to plan out how learning should continue despite the
school closures. What was forgotten or considered late was the well-being of students
who are now at home learning on their own. The pandemic has brought anxiety to
families. It separated parents, who are essential workers, from their children because of
the fear of bringing the virus home. Some students are also grieving for family or friends
lost due to the pandemic. Some parents might not have enough money to buy food and
other necessities for daily living, which the kids see and witness at home. Moreover, the
 sense of isolation from classmates and teachers has disrupted the normalcy of
schooling. With these heavily-charged situations, it’s really hard to imagine and ensure
that the students at home are ready for learning. Nothing will enter and stick into their
minds if they are hungry, worried, and anxious. 

As a society in the new normal, we need to ensure that the basic physical, social-
emotional, and psychological needs of students are meant before they can even start
learning. Reach out to and check in with students before starting a class. Check in with
parents and see what help their children might need. Schools definitely need more
guidance counselors or life coaches to help students navigate their emotions and
thoughts. More importantly, give students the time to adjust to the new ways of learning.
Build relationships with them.

2. Equitable access matters more than ever.

The pandemic has greatly highlighted the digital divide between the haves and the have
nots, which we have been experiencing even before this unfortunate episode of our
lives. Now more than ever, we realize that those who have access to a learning device
and the Internet are the ones who will greatly benefit from the online learning programs
that schools are working on. So, if we know that there are families and students who
can’t have a decent access to these digital tools and devices, what should we do then?
Even if they have devices at home, what if they also need to share that one learning
device with their other siblings who also need to study and catch up with the
requirements of their class?

The new normal should advocate for equitable access to online learning. If a school
chooses to go online, then the school leaders must have a way to ensure that no
student is left behind or barred from learning because of a preference to one mode of
learning. Can schools explore loaning devices for student and teacher use at home?
Can schools work with local government units in acquiring devices for loan to students
and teachers? If schools and parents can’t provide learning devices and connection to
the Internet, whose social and moral responsibility is it? On another note, why do we
wait for a pandemic to happen and then, seriously strive for equitable access? With or
without pandemic, equitable access should always be a goal that is constantly acted
upon.

3. Multiple pathways of learning delivery should be considered in an emergency

learning continuity program.
Responding to the pandemic’s effect on schooling, the French Education Minister called
for an educational continuity, which ensures that all students, whether with or without
access to the Internet, should continue to learn even if they are at home. So, the French
ministry of education employed online learning, open education resources, and forged
partnership with other key players to ensure that all students are reached. In the same
way, Dr. Nadia Lopez, principal in a school in Brooklyn, New York City, in our podcast,
shared how learning packets were prepared and given to parents so that their students
can continue learning even when they do not have connection to the Internet.
 Given the reality of the country, or even schools, in terms of digital divide, the best thing
to do is to provide multiple pathways to education continuity. Taking into consideration
the context of every student, teacher, and family, those pathways need to address their
teaching and learning needs. Aside from online learning, there are learning packets that
can be used, which is reminiscent of the correspondence mode of distance education
way back years ago. Broadcast stations in regions or localities can be used to air radio
or TV programs on lessons being learned in class. With these varying approaches to
delivering learning, educators and school leaders should also be opened to re-thinking
the purpose of assessments and grades. Are quizzes or long tests the best way to
authentically access student’s learning in an online learning environment? Should we
still grade them according to our face-to-face learning standards? The basic idea here
is, while we aim for multiple pathways to learning or instruction, assessments and
maybe even the grading systems will have to be reviewed to serve their main goals at
this point of the pandemic.

4. Better funding, stronger support, and more relevant professional development for
teachers need to be prioritized. 
A lot have been expected from teachers at this time of the pandemic. Teachers were
expected to become designers of online learning overnight, curate online resources and
learn tech tools for their online classes, and re-design assessments that are valid for the
rapid shift in education. Teachers continue to work from home while taking care of their
own children. Teachers check in with their students to ask them how they are and to
provide support and assurance that things will be better. In short, teachers are
frontliners, too! They continue to give a sense of normalcy for students and support for
parents, who are now experiencing firsthand how the life of a teacher looks like. With all
of these expectations, teachers deserved to be prepared and given all necessary
funding, support, and professional development to reach the society’s demands and
expectations.

Society should demand for a new normal that puts the teacher in a more valued and
prominent position, in words, actions, and policies. We do not get tired of being referred
to as the most noble profession and we honestly and sincerely love it. We love how our
students and parents show their appreciation and gratitude for the work that we do.
However, it’s time to demand that the country invests more on training teachers to be
more flexible and knowledgeable of the new approaches to learning and teaching,
whether online or offline. We need to listen more to their needs and requests as they
aim to teach better. We all know that our country’s progress also depends on the quality
of education that we have. Hence, a battalion of well-trained, valued, and dedicated
teachers can help develop a generation of better and responsible citizens, who can
greatly contribute to the development of the society and humanity.
 5. Sound pedagogy drives the use of
online tools and resources.
OECD’s study on the use of technology tools in learning can be a starting point in the
discussion on the effective use of online tools in remote or distance learning. The
influential study found out that, even with the use of tech tools in learning, students did
not necessarily learn better. In fact, the study pointed out how tech tools were not used
effectively because the teachers were not trained to properly and meaningfully integrate
the tech tools in 21st century pedagogy. With these results from the study, schools
should ensure that teachers do not simply transfer or translate what they do inside the
classroom into their online “classroom.” There are certain dynamics that work well in
face-to-face instruction but do not in online learning. For example, the classic example
of long lectures or teacher-driven discussions that usually happen in the classroom may
not translate well in online learning. Students may wander off from or lose their focus on
the lesson especially since there are other competing sources of attention in their
devices. 

In the new normal, teachers should transform how they teach online, especially since
online tools and resources present numerous affordances that teachers and students
can take advantage of. Teachers can curate the best online learning resources about
their topics and create learning playlists or menus that can make the learning process a
personal journey for every student. Teachers should avoid being a content dumper, but
instead be a master curator of resources that enable engaging and deeper learning.
Moreover, teachers should design effective synchronous and asynchronous learning
activities that enable sustained engagement, self-regulation, voice, and choice in
students. To be able to do these, teachers should always remember that sound
pedagogy should drive the use of tech and not the other way around. Avoid jumping into
the bandwagon. Instead, start first with a solid understanding of 21st-century
pedagogy. 

6. Review purpose of assessments and

grades in times of emergencies.
At this point of the pandemic, assessments and grades continue to be controversial
topics among school leaders and other members of the school community. The
questions generally revolve around the relevance and implications of assessing and
grading students while the global crisis continues to put security, safety, and health of
everyone, especially, the students, in danger. Transitioning to remote learning also
made it more challenging for teachers to gauge the students’ understanding of their
lessons. What kind of assessments can be properly and meaningfully used in online
learning? For younger students, how much parent involvement is allowable to ensure
that students can independently demonstrate mastery of learning? What kind of
formative feedback can be best given to students who are learning at home?

For the new normal in education, assessments and grades should be reviewed and
reimagined so that they continue to be relevant to students. Schools should deeply think
about their purposes and priorities in designing assessments or grading students.
Beyond making students accountable for their own learning, educators should also bear
in mind that in times of emergency remote learning, the higher call probably is to
continue encouraging and supporting student learning. One way of doing this is to
continuously give students feedback on their learning which can help them reflect on
their strengths and find ways to improve themselves further. Eventually, teacher’s
feedback serves as verification until students finally “get the lesson.”

Educators agree that grades should reflect what students have learned and can do.
However, at this time of the new normal, grades can also cause frustration and anxiety,
especially in students whose academic performance may have “suffered” due to factors
that are out of their control. Hence, educators are called to practice flexibility in allowing
students who are deeply and validly affected by the pandemic to finish their
requirements when they are ready and capable of doing so. Educators can also focus
more on mastery of learning and adopt grades that demonstrate or indicate mastery of
knowledge and skills, or lack thereof. Schools can also be clearer in their criteria of
mastery of learning while still maintaining their standards. Teachers can then help
students achieve these criteria by constantly giving them feedback. In the end, grades
may still be given, but with much fairness, compassion, and flexibility.

7. Forge stronger school community and

external partnerships.
The pandemic has highlighted the big gap among schools in terms of equity, access,
and support for teachers, students, and education, in general. Some schools quickly
responded to the school closures because they had better access to digital technologies
and more teachers who are trained and equipped with the skills needed in teaching with
technology. On the other hand, some schools dabbled with problems related with
access and readiness. Parents also were not spared in this pandemic as they became
teachers overnight and had to understand the modules or online learning activities that
teachers have created for their children. In reality, not all parents were ready for this
new set-up and a lot of them were overwhelmed by the things that they have to do with
their children.

In the new normal, there should be a stronger home and school partnership that can
facilitate better and more consistent communication and collaboration between teachers
and parents. Communication of learning goals, expectations, and feedback can help
sustain the needed collaborative relationship between the parents, and the teacher. To
do this, the school can create opportunities that can teach parents how to navigate the
online learning environment, guide their children as they learn online, and even, nourish
their children’s curiosity at home. This idea on partnership can still be further expanded
to include the local community, especially the local government units. In the new
normal, sustainable and supportive external partnerships with local government units,
non-government organizations, and other institutions that can help in enabling a
responsive education continuity program should be explored. As schools explore these
possibilities for partnership, school leaders and administrators should always keep in
mind the need to maintain and guard their institution’s integrity and independence from
any self-serving motives that can interfere with the school’s vision and goals. 

8. Privacy, safety, security, and digital

well-being are top priorities. 
When schools transitioned to remote learning, a big number of technological and
education enterprises took steps to help connect teachers and students. The surge in
the use of video-conferencing platforms and learning management systems showed us
how educators have found these tools to be quick solutions in addressing the learning
gap that the pandemic has caused. On the other hand, since online learning requires
students to be on the Internet for a period of time, these long exposures had become
opportunities for digital threats, such as cyberbullying and Zoom-bombing, to happen. 

In the new normal, as students get exposed more often to the Internet, teachers should
always consider student’s privacy, safety, security, and digital well-being as top
priorities for a successful remote or online learning. Schools should adopt a more
holistic approach to digital well-being of students. Students and all members of the
school community must be trained to safeguard their personal information online.
Teachers and parents are called to work hand in hand to keep online learning
environments safe and conducive to learning. Schools are called to empower their IT
department or staff, who have the responsibility to guard the school community from
harmful digital threats and issues. 

9. Flexibility, adaptability, and empathy

are essential skills in navigating
uncertain times.
As we navigate the intersections of the physical and digital spheres in our lives, the new
normal is calling us to develop essential skills that can help us to adapt and thrive in an
uncertain future. One thing that the pandemic has taught and reminded us is to have the
skills of flexibility, adaptability, and empathy to face the unknown. These skills are not
learned and mastered instantly. They are developed over time through our life
experiences. These are invaluable skills that we can add in our personal toolkits in
facing life’s challenges and thriving in an uncertain future. In the end, regardless of what
mode of work or learning we are called to do or be part of, the skills of flexibility,
adaptability, and empathy can surely help us to make sense of and adjust well to the
immediate call of the times without burning ourselves out or losing our sanity over
things. 

For our students, giving them more opportunity to practice and develop these skills is
one way of preparing them for life beyond the physical or virtual walls of the classroom.
Growth mindset, appreciation of mistakes, and being resilient are important life lessons
that we can impart to our students at this of the pandemic. Teaching them to empathize
with other people and challenging them to help the other members of the society can
make the new normal more bearable, especially for those who are in the margin of the
society. 

Conclusion:
The new normal of the society is anything but ordinary. Our attention right now is on
online learning as a means to deliver instruction to students who are at home. It is not
necessarily bad to push for online learning in the new normal in education. It actually
helps the education system to adopt effective and efficient platforms and systems that
can unburden teachers from much of their clerical work so that they can focus on the
essential aspects of teaching such as supporting and building relationships with
students. However, as we embark on this journey toward embracing online learning, the
school leaders and decision-makers should not forget the students and families whom
the current problems on equitable access and lack of enough funding may put at a
disadvantage. Every child has the right to high-quality education. Our decision to move
online should not make high-quality education a privilege for those students who can
access the Internet. As educators, our role is to break down walls or barriers that
prevent students from accessing and enjoying high-quality education. So, in this new
normal, let us always uphold the right to high-quality education by providing multiple
pathways to learning that can accommodate every student.

More importantly, the new normal in education is calling us once more to review and
meet other essential conditions that need to be met before diving into teaching and
learning. Let us not forget “Maslow before Bloom,” which remains to be an important
prerequisite if we want to have impactful learning in students, even in times of
emergencies. Education is not the work of teachers alone. Collaboration and
partnership play crucial roles in sustaining learning at this time of the pandemic.
Teachers, parents, school leaders, and external partners have to work together to
address the many challenging issues of remote learning. In the end, collaboration
makes life’s challenges not necessarily easier but more bearable. 
 HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT’S YOUR RE-
IMAGINATION OF THE NEW NORMAL IN
EDUCATION?