What is Videoconferencing Platform

Twenty-one grades 6-12 students were interviewed to learn about their experiences participating in a fully synchronous virtual learning environment at a public charter school in California, USA. Students take seven 50-minute classes four days a week and seven 30-minute classes the fifth weekday using the Zoom platform and Google Classroom. One-third of participants were students with disabilities, one-third English language learners, and one-third possessed neither designation. This study identifies several themes regarding the benefits and drawbacks of an entirely synchronous learning experience for secondary students. The participants make recommendations for their general education, special education, and English language development teachers, including strategies to engage secondary students more effectively, assessment suggestions, curriculum design ideas, advice about organizing Google Classrooms in ways that are supportive of student needs, and exhortations about what teachers should not do when planning and implementing synchronous online learning.