Abstract
The purpose of this empirical book chapter is to better understand the influence of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on literacy instruction. This nationwide case study, conducted in summer and fall 2020, utilized individual video interviews to gather perspectives from 18 elementary parents and 25 elementary-aged children from 14 different states in the United States. Results describe the following themes in detail: (1) changes in the home, (2) changes in literacy instruction, (3) children missed social interactions, and (4) suggestions to improve online learning. The field of education can benefit from vivid accounts of these experiences to improve future literacy instruction, especially when using digital technologies and tools.
Handbook of Research on Establishing Digital Competencies in the Pursuit of Online Learning
TopParent And Child Perspectives Of Literacy Instruction During Emergency Remote Learning
During the spring of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, teachers and school leaders around the world had the daunting task of finding creative ways to engage in teaching and learning using digital technology instead of the traditional in-person learning format. With classrooms physically closed, school officials implemented emergency remote learning (Hodges et al., 2020) through online interfaces in order to ensure the continuity of education for students. This resulted in a significant shift in responsibility from teachers to parents, and for many, the bulk of the responsibility fell directly upon the students. What appeared to be a temporary and emergency shift lingered for years. Education is forever changed, especially with regard to how teachers need to be prepared to meet the technological and pedagogical demands of today’s classrooms.
This study gathered elementary parents and their children’s perceptions of remote learning, with an emphasis on instructional experiences in literacy. Examining the experiences of both parents and their children can inform teacher preparation programs, school leaders, and teachers with more effective ways to help students learn synchronously and asynchronously in online learning environments. Early findings report the unpreparedness of teachers in the areas of digital competencies, specifically an unfamiliarity with digital tools and programs to deliver remote instruction (Trust & Whalen, 2020). Some school districts developed remote learning plans to support digital and distance learning. However, little research has investigated the perceptions of parents and their children during remote learning, an inquiry that could identify key strategies for designing remote and online learning experiences. This study is important to the field of educational research because more attention needs to be allocated to develop teachers’ digital competencies to better prepare them for learning with digital technologies (Howard et al., 2021; Starkey, 2020).
Key Terms in this Chapter
??Asynchronous Online Learning: Online learning which takes place at the pace of the student, working at their own pace.
App/Application: A software that can be used on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet.
Synchronous Online Learning: Online learning which takes place together with the teacher, typically utilizing a live video context.
Emergency Remote Learning: Learning behind a computer screen in response to an emergency, which could be asynchronous or synchronous.
Elementary Grades: Students in grades kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth-grades.
Literacy Instruction: A teacher’s curricular planning in reading and writing.
COVID-19 Pandemic: Worldwide health emergency that began in 2019 and led to a lockdown that shut down schools.