Today's professional experience class was delivered by Glynis Jones. We spent time talking about various equity issues in education. Not only were there issues within one classroom, but between classrooms, between schools and between different countries. There are a multitude of issues that include, the digital divide, socio-economic status, skill set of teachers, access to government funding, generations X, Y, Z, attitude towards technology, international divide and gender equity.
Glynis shared with us, stories of her experience in other countries. An interesting experience was that some classrooms, be it in a primary, secondary or tertiary setting, may have access to new technology such as laptops, lighting, smart boards and overheads, but the infrastructure does not support the functioning of these equipment. That is, these places may have the resources but lack the connection such as a constant and stable supply of electricity or internet connectivity.
The digital divide is an issue that affects primary classrooms today. I have realised that the teacher must plan for students that do not have access to the internet or the computer at home. Even children who have both of these resources at home may not be given permission or priority when accessing the computer. Thus, teachers should provide students with sufficient time to complete assignments, allow them to use a variety of resources such as books, magazines and newspapers or provide students with alternative times to access the school computers such as during lunch or library time.
Our class discussed the gap in equity between classes and we all have had experiences of these. I remember in year 12, I was very fortunate to have amazing teachers that were supportive, hard working and provided constant feedback to improve our work towards the HSC. However, I knew this wasn't the case for every student, some of my year group felt they were missing out or were disadvantaged by the way their class or teacher functioned. Students can feel disadvantaged when there wasn't equity between classes. It is also important to consider the workload of the teacher, whether he or she has time to give feedback. This is where email policies apply and teacher should aim to collaborate or agree on certain methods of ensuring classrooms are as fair as possible without hindering the personal decisions and teaching styles of individuals.
Glynis shared with us, stories of her experience in other countries. An interesting experience was that some classrooms, be it in a primary, secondary or tertiary setting, may have access to new technology such as laptops, lighting, smart boards and overheads, but the infrastructure does not support the functioning of these equipment. That is, these places may have the resources but lack the connection such as a constant and stable supply of electricity or internet connectivity.
The digital divide is an issue that affects primary classrooms today. I have realised that the teacher must plan for students that do not have access to the internet or the computer at home. Even children who have both of these resources at home may not be given permission or priority when accessing the computer. Thus, teachers should provide students with sufficient time to complete assignments, allow them to use a variety of resources such as books, magazines and newspapers or provide students with alternative times to access the school computers such as during lunch or library time.
Our class discussed the gap in equity between classes and we all have had experiences of these. I remember in year 12, I was very fortunate to have amazing teachers that were supportive, hard working and provided constant feedback to improve our work towards the HSC. However, I knew this wasn't the case for every student, some of my year group felt they were missing out or were disadvantaged by the way their class or teacher functioned. Students can feel disadvantaged when there wasn't equity between classes. It is also important to consider the workload of the teacher, whether he or she has time to give feedback. This is where email policies apply and teacher should aim to collaborate or agree on certain methods of ensuring classrooms are as fair as possible without hindering the personal decisions and teaching styles of individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment