I observed a one-hour program introduction lesson in an online classroom. The program is a short term language and culture program through TRU. Typically this program is delivered in person at TRU and is one of their largest summer programs. In 2019 the July L&C had 12 full classes of 18-23 students. The class will be using moodle and the Big Blue Button classrooms. This is the first time this program has been run in this online format. The class I will be observing is made up of 23 students, they are mixed ages from 13-18, from multiple countries. Most of the students are located in Delta, BC, and have been in Canada for at least one school term, with the longest stay being 3 years.
During the first class, it was clear that the instructor was experienced in working with students, but was unfamiliar with the new type of classroom. The students had no experience working with this program prior and it was quite the learning curve for them as well. The program coordinator joined the class to offer support to the instructor with the technology. This class was a lot of instruction from the teacher, and little participation from the students. The students weren’t entirely prepared to participate, so it may have been for the best that the class was really informative. It will be interesting to see how the instructor and students explore and work with their new space. One of the challenges I observed was keeping track of students’ engagement. It was difficult for the instructor to assessments “for” learning. “For” learning assessments are similar to formative assessments, they are the assessment that teachers do continue to understand what learning has taken place for the students and what needs to be reapproached.
I really enjoyed watching the start of the program, it gave a clear vision for how I would go about introducing students to a new program. It was eye-opening to see all of the expectations a teacher must share with their students.