8 minute read
Action Research
Action Research >> An Exploration of the Effects of Asynchronous Pacing on Literacy
By Zander Lyvers, Grade 7 Humanities American International School of Hong Kong
Introduction Asynchronous learning is an approach where students move through assignments at their own pace with the help of both online platforms and personalized coaching. While asynchronous courses are typically used as a means for university teachers and students to communicate outside of the classroom, the same tools of distance learning can be valuable within the brick and mortar middle school. There is ample evidence to suggest that self-paced courses more effectively emphasize students’ literacy skills than traditional teacher-centered pacing. Using literacy skills as the metric, it was decided to focus on argumentative writing techniques, as well as the organizational and grammatical challenges unique to each student. The goal of this action research was to gauge the effects of asynchronous pacing on literacy within a humanities unit.
Method In order to complete the research, the curriculum was structured in a way that allowed comparisons of student writing in both synchronous and asynchronous pacings. The research was conducted in a unit that juxtaposed the economic, political and religious aspects of the “Crusades and the War on Terror”. During the first month of the unit, students analysed primary sources from the medieval period and then contrasted them with Ridley Scott’s 2005 film, Kingdom of Heaven. Students were given 30 minutes each day to write their comparative analysis in a Google Doc. Students were provided feedback, as time allowed, by inserting comments into their respective Google Docs. At the end of the month, students were given a grade reflecting all of these short writing assessments.
In the second month of the unit, the lessons were restructured to accommodate students working at their own pace. Students completed tasks that blended primary sources, secondary sources, documentary film clips and narrative film clips. After the student completed a task, they were given informal feedback in their Google Doc. When the next task was ready for grading, a conference was conducted during which they were required to demonstrate use of feedback from the first task to guide them in their approach to the second task. Each student was graded on how he or she improved in the specific targeted skills. The worry that struggling students might not complete the project in time, keeping them from fully answering the driving question of the unit was a real question.
Due to the flexible nature of the asynchronous classroom, the worries and concerns could be quickly addressed. Since the “War on Terror” is a complex and evolving topic, mini-debates were introduced at the beginning of class to help students clarify key players, events and themes to avoid confusion and misconceptions. These activities helped to reinforce expectations that students should be able to engage in Socratic questioning and collaboration, while navigating an asynchronous unit. Further adaptations were implemented and differentiated tasks were integrated for struggling students, so they would not fall behind. Together, a collaborative solution was sorted and other necessary tweaks were prepared. These adjustments to tasks were based on student’s respective zone of proximal development. This redesigning of certain aspects of the curriculum necessitated realignment of activities to ensure the right balance of content, comprehension, and student reflection on literacy skills. Conclusion Despite the initial challenge of accommodating each student’s specific skill level, the flexibility of an asynchronous schedule allows the teacher to improvise, modify and re-teach concepts to ensure that students improve their literacy. In a class survey comparing the two methods practiced in this unit, 39.6% of students answered that multiple skills were strengthened during the synchronous day-to-day lessons. (See Figure 6. included herein.) Conversely, 76% of students stated multiple skills improved over the course of the asynchronous tasks. (See Figure 7. included herein.) By disrupting the rigid schedules of synchronous curriculum maps, teachers can better adapt to more personalized learning through frequent check-ins, and students in turn have the time to process and implement feedback. An#Exploration#of#the#Effects#of#Asynchronous#Pacing#on# Literacy By#Zander#Lyvers,#Grade#7#Humanities,#American#International#School#of#Hong# Kong students#clarify#key#players,#events#and#themes#to#avoid#confusion#and# misconceptions. These#activities#helped# to# reinforce# my expectation#that#students# should#be#able#to# engage#in#Socratic#questioning#and#collaboration#while#navigating# an#asynchronous# unit.# I# also# began#to#further# adapt#and# differentiate tasks#for# struggling#students#so#they#would#not# fall behind.##Together,#we# came to#a# collaborative#solution and#I would#make#the#necessary#tweaks#to#the#task#based#on# the#student’s#zone#of#proximal#development.## This#redesigning#of#certain#aspects#of# the#curriculum# required#me#to#reframe#the#activities# to#find#the#right#balance#of# content#comprehension#and# student# reflection#on#literacy#skills. Conclusion
Despite#the#initial#challenge#of#accommodating#each#student’s#specific#skill# level, the#flexibility#of#an asynchronous#schedule# allows the# teacher to#improvise,# modify#and#reGteach concepts to ensure#that#students#improve#their# literacy.# In#a# class#survey comparing#the#two#methods#practiced#in#this#unit, 39.6%#of#students# answered#that#multiple#skills#were# strengthened#during#the synchronous#dayGtoGday# lessons.##Conversely, 76%#of#students# stated#multiple skills#improved#over#the#course# of#the#asynchronous#tasks. By disrupting the# rigid#schedules#of# synchronous# curriculum maps,#teachers can# better# adapt to# more# personalized learning#through# frequent check#ins,#and students#in#turn# have the#time#to#process#and#implement# feedback. An#Exploration#of#the#Effects#of#Asynchronous#Pacing#on# Literacy By#Zander#Lyvers,#Grade#7#Humanities,#American#International#School#of#Hong# Kong students#clarify#key#players,#events#and#themes#to#avoid#confusion#and# misconceptions. These#activities#helped# to# reinforce# my expectation#that#students# should#be#able#to# engage#in#Socratic#questioning#and#collaboration#while#navigating# an#asynchronous# unit.# I# also# began#to#further# adapt#and# differentiate tasks#for# struggling#students#so#they#would#not# fall behind.##Together,#we# came to#a# collaborative#solution and#I would#make#the#necessary#tweaks#to#the#task#based#on# the#student’s#zone#of#proximal#development.## This#redesigning#of#certain#aspects#of# the#curriculum# required#me#to#reframe#the#activities# to#find#the#right#balance#of# content#comprehension#and# student# reflection#on#literacy#skills. Conclusion
Despite#the#initial#challenge#of#accommodating#each#student’s#specific#skill# level, the#flexibility#of#an asynchronous#schedule# allows the# teacher to#improvise,# modify#and#reGteach concepts to ensure#that#students#improve#their# literacy.# In#a# class#survey comparing#the#two#methods#practiced#in#this#unit, 39.6%#of#students# answered#that#multiple#skills#were# strengthened#during#the synchronous#dayGtoGday# lessons.##Conversely, 76%#of#students# stated#multiple skills#improved#over#the#course# of#the#asynchronous#tasks. By disrupting the# rigid#schedules#of# synchronous# curriculum maps,#teachers can# better# adapt to# more# personalized learning#through# frequent check#ins,#and students#in#turn# have the#time#to#process#and#implement# feedback.
Results and Reflection At the beginnning of the asynchronous lessons many students were focused. However, a typically bustling classroom had become much too quiet. Initial intentions were to introduce techniques from distance learning to maintain focus on skills without compromising class discussion. The worry that class would become too personalised and self-absorbed seemed to be realized. And, fears that the environement was no longer conducive to collaboration were reinforced. It was also evident that while most students were engaged and moving along their individual trajectories, a few students plateaued. After having individual discussions with them, it was realised that some felt overwhelmed by the tasks, despite having been differentiated by lexile level.
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Curriculum Initiatives >> Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness in Schools by Amy McConnell Franklin, Director of Social Emotional Learning and Mindfulness
UWC-Thailand has deep roots in social and emotional learning (SEL) and the practice of mindfulness. Founded in 2009 as Phuket International Academy, (PIA) the school community officially joined the United World College Movement in August 2016, becoming the 16th campus worldwide. The mission of the UWC Movement is to “Make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. Building on PIA’s unique commitment to SEL and Mindfulness, the Educational Philosophy of UWC Thailand is “to realize our highest human potential, cultivate genuine happiness and take mindful and compassionate action.” Learning the skills of ‘peacetime’ and developing the capacity to create peace in our own hearts and minds and build mutual respect and trust within our own immediate communities is foundational to the realization of both the educational philosophy of UWC Thailand and the mission statement of UWC Movement.
Community wellbeing is dependent on the ability to be mindful and apply social and emotional skills to build mutual trust and respect for self and others. Recognizing that how we treat one another is as important as how well we read or understand mathematics, and acknowledging that we can’t teach what we don’t know, all teachers, administrators and many parents are trained and mentored in social and emotional concepts and skill building, as well as in mindfulness practices in order to ‘be mindful, teach mindfully and then teach mindfulness’. Deliberately and skillfully cultivating skills in self and social awareness, clarity of intention, alignment of actions with principled intentions, and a strong sense of agency and responsibility allows us to consciously co-create a culture of mutually respectful relationships and to teach and practice the skills that lead to optimal decision making on behalf of self and the greater good. It is our belief that most meaningful, sustainable learning takes place in the context of healthy relationships.
While the responsibility to teach social and emotion-related skills is often relegated to pastoral care personnel, at UWC Thailand the development of these skills is entrusted to homeroom teachers at both the primary and secondary levels. From grade six up, in pods of three people, all secondary staff members are assigned to a homeroom. Three hours and 20 minutes per week are dedicated to wellbeing and timetabled into the homeroom schedule. Twenty minutes at the start of each day is for ‘Time In’, - an opportunity to
check in with self and others through a structured practice including mindful meditation, reflection and sharing- and two 50 minute class periods per week are designated, one for Council (see councilinschools.org) and one for the direct instruction of developmentally appropriate components of personal and social wellbeing from an array of topics including academic honesty, sex education, personal and cultural identity, responsible engagement with social media, cultural competency, and emotional and social intelligence skills. The decision to allocate the teaching of these complex, critical skills to homeroom teachers highlights the need for frequent and consistent faculty development through training and mentoring. (see UWCT. org Wellbeing)
The intention of this educational approach is to nurture more self and socially aware citizens who have a well-developed sense of selfefficacy and are able to more often choose to align their actions with a conscious and compassionate intention for the greater good. Cultivating intrinsic motivation, empathy and a sense of interconnection and interdependence with others and the natural world, supports the educational goals of UWC Thailand and moves us closer to realizing the harvest of the UWC Mission. Joalis Maria Polanco Pena, G11 NC student from the Dominican Republic asks “ How can we create peace in the world without first learning to create peace within our own hearts, minds and communities?” Sowing these seeds and bringing in the harvest is a collective responsibility.
UWC Thailand is located in Phuket Thailand. A pre-K through grade 12 school, the school is comprised of 370 students and 60 staff members and represents 59 different nationalities. Each year group includes a cohort of Grade 11 National Committee students selected by UWC National Committees in over 150 countries.
