Education Canada - January 2021 (Vol. 60 No. 4)

www.edcan.ca

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IN THE COVID-19 ERA

L’ÉQUITÉ EN ÉDUCATION À L’ÈRE DE LA COVID-19

Putting anti-racism front and centre L’école à distance, efficace?

Can online learning work for students with special needs?

Quand l’école contribue à l’isolement de certains Coaching for school leaders

January/janvier 2021 Vol. 60 No. 4 $10/10 $ Publication 40031215 Display until April 15, 2021/Disponible jusqu’au 15 avril 2021

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January/janvier 2021 n Vol. 60 No. 4 n www.edcan.ca

Contents 5 EDITOR’S NOTE

A New Year, a New Vision

6 NETWORK VOICES

EdCan’s New Theory of Change

By Denise Andre Unmasking Hidden Heroes through Creative Writing

By Rachel Holland-McLeod with Suparna Roy

10 WELL AT WORK

Compassionate Systems Leadership

By Pippa Rowcliffe and Joanne Schroeder

PHOTO: ISTOCK

8 PROMISING PRACTICES

12 VIEWPOINT

Class Matters

By Andy Hargreaves

15 Opportunism or Opportunity?

Navigating educational equity in the time of COVID-19

By Vidya Shah 18 Diversity via Distance Lessons

learned from families supporting students with special education needs during remote learning By Jess Whitley, Jeffrey MacCormack, Ian Matheson, Jacqueline Specht, Steve Sider and Kimberly Maich

18

Table des matières 5 LE MOT DE LA RÉDACTION

L’école d’avant

6 VOIX DU RÉSEAU

La nouvelle théorie du changement du Réseau ÉdCan par Denise Andre

22 Professional Well-Being through Coaching Personalized support for school leaders

By Jordan Tinney and Tara O’Brien

29 L’école virtuelle avec ou sans pandémie…

Est-ce la solution de l’avenir ? par Christian Boyer et Steve Bissonnette

41 What Do We Actually Mean by “Inclusion”?

How preservice teachers think about inclusion

By Chris Ostrowdun

32 BIEN DANS MON TRAVAIL

44 VOICE OF EXPERIENCE

Teaching through the Screen

By Stephanie Cortese

46 BOOK REVIEW

The Power of Us, by David Price Reviewed by Stephen Hurley WEB EXCLUSIVES

www.edcan.ca/magazine Sustaining Equitable Leadership in Times of Crisis,

by Pamela Adams et al.

School Shutdowns, by Paul W. Bennett Teacher Expertise Is Key, by Matt Henderson Principals’ Stories of Supporting Students with Special Education Needs, by Jeffrey MacCormack et al.

Centering Equity in an Era of COVID-19,

by Pamela Osmond-Johnson et al.

Opportunity Solving, by Laura Sokal et al.

La santé émotionnelle et relationnelle du personnel scolaire par Jasmin Roy

34 DÉVELOPPEMENT PROFESSIONNEL

Adaptation nécessaire au numérique par Normand Brodeur

36 LA VOIX DE L’EXPÉRIENCE

L’équité à l’ère de la pandémie de COVID-19 par Fadila Boutouchent et Nathalie Fournier

38 PRATIQUE GAGNANTE

Chaque chose en son temps... par Angela AuCoin et Kim Thériault CONTENU EXCLUSIF EN LIGNE

www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine Effort d’équité en temps de pandémie, par Lamine Kamano Pour former de meilleurs apprenants, par Dany Laveault et Gonzague Yerly COVER PHOTO: Adobe Stock

www.edcan.ca/magazine

Le Réseau EdCan Network | January/janvier 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 3

Executive Editor | Rédacteur en chef Max Cooke English Editor | Rédactrice anglophone Holly Bennett Francophone Editor | Rédactrice francophone Gilberte Godin Art Director | Directeur artistique Dave Donald Digital Marketing and Website Coordinator | Coordinateur du marketing numérique Stéphane Lachance Research Manager | Responsable de la recherche André Rebeiz Research Analyst | Analyste en recherche Sarah Ranby Operations Manager | Responsable des opérations Mia San José Advertising Sales | Ventes de publicité Dovetail Communications Inc. (905) 707-3526 or/ou advertise@edcan.ca / publicite@edcan.ca TM

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Publisher | Éditeur Canadian Education Association / Association canadienne d’éducation Chair | Présidente Denise Andre Education Canada Editorial Board / Comité éditorial d’Éducation Canada Marius Bourgeoys, cofondateur d’escouadeÉDU, conférencier, coach et consultant, L’Orignal, ON Dr. Curtis Brown, Superintendent, South Slave Divisional Education Council, Fort Smith, NT Dr. Steve Cardwell, Associate Vice President, Academic, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, BC Dr. Alec Couros, Professor, Information and Communication Technologies; ICT Coordinator, University of Regina, Regina, SK Nathalie Couzon, technopédagogue, Collège Letendre, Laval, QC Grant Frost, President (Halifax County Local), Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union, Halifax, NS Roberto Gauvin, spécialiste de l’éducation et entrepreneur d’école, CyberNB, Lac-Baker, NB François Guité, consultant au ministère de l’Éducation, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (MEESR) du Québec, Québec, QC Dr. Michelle Hogue, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the First Nations Transition Program, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB Stephen Hurley, Education Consultant; Founder of VoicEd Radio, Milton, ON

© 2021 Canadian Education Association/l’Association canadienne d’éducation ISSN 0013-1253 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031215 HST/TVH # R100763416 www.edcan.ca Rooted in the Canadian education experience and perspective, our English and French articles provide voice to teachers, principals, superintendents and researchers – a growing network of experts who examine today’s school and classroom challenges with courage and honesty. Pragmatic, accessible and evidencebased, Education Canada connects policy and research to classroom practice.

Education Canada is published four times yearly by the EdCan Network.

703-60 St. Clair Avenue East Toronto, ON M4T 1N5 Tel: (416) 591-6300; Fax: (416) 591-5345 publications@edcan.ca www.edcan.ca Member of Magazines Canada The EdCan Network no longer sells subscriptions to Education Canada. This publication is available to EdCan Network members only. Libraries, schools and academic institutions can still purchase subscriptions through a subscription agency.

Address all editorial correspondence to: Holly Bennett, Editor Education Canada editor@edcan.ca Tel: (705) 745-1419; Fax: (416) 591-5345 You are free to reproduce, distribute and transmit the articles in this publication, provided you attribute the author(s), Education Canada Vol. 60 (4), 2021, and a link to the EdCan Network (www.edcan.ca). You may not use the articles in this publication for commercial purposes. You may not alter, transform, or build upon the articles in this publication.

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The views expressed or implied in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EdCan Network. Publication of an advertisement in Education Canada does not constitute an endorsement by the EdCan Network of any advertiser’s product or service including professional learning opportunities.

4 EDUCATION CANADA • January/janvier 2021 | Le Réseau EdCan Network

Normand Lessard, directeur général, Centre de services scolaire de la Beauce-Etchemin, Saint Georges, QC Jennifer Lewington, Freelance education journalist, Stratford, ON Corinne Payne, présidente, Fédération des comités de parents du Québec (FCPQ), Québec, QC David Price, Senior Associate, Innovation Unit, Leeds, UK Zoe Branigan Pipe, Teacher, Hamilton, ON Cynthia Richards, President, Canadian Home and School Federation, Chipman, NB Sébastien Stasse, directeur formation et recherche au CADRE21, Longueuil, QC Chris Wejr, Principal, Langley, BC Dr. Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair in the Sociology of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Andrew Woodall, Dean of Students, Concordia University, Montréal, QC Dr. Christine Younghusband, Assistant Professor, University of Northern British Columbia School of Education, Prince George, BC

Ancrés dans l’expérience et la perspective de l’éducation au Canada, nos articles, en anglais et en français, donnent voix aux enseignants, aux directeurs d’écoles, aux administrateurs et aux chercheurs, c’est-à-dire à un réseau croissant d’experts qui se penchent avec courage et honnêteté sur les enjeux actuels de l’école et de la pratique en classe. Pragmatique et accessible, fondé sur des données probantes, le magazine Éducation Canada jette des ponts entre politiques, recherche et pratique.

Le magazine Éducation Canada est publié quatre fois l’an par le Réseau ÉdCan. 60, avenue St. Clair E, bureau 703 Toronto, ON M4T 1N5 Tél. : 416 591-6300; Téléc. : 416 591-5345 Courriel : publications@edcan.ca www.edcan.ca/fr Membre de Magazines Canada Le Réseau ÉdCan ne vend pas d’abonnements au magazine Éducation Canada. Cette publication est réservée aux membres du Réseau ÉdCan. Les bibliothèques, les écoles et les établissements postsecondaires peuvent encore se procurer un abonnement par l’intermédiaire d’une agence d’abonnements.

Envoyez vos lettres et manuscrits à : Gilberte Godin Rédactrice en chef Éducation Canada redaction@edcan.ca Tél. : 416 591-6300 Téléc. : 416 591-5345 Il est permis de reproduire, de distribuer et de transmettre les articles de ce magazine, à condition d’en indiquer l’auteur (ou les auteurs) ainsi que Éducation Canada, Vol. 60 (4), 2021, et d’inclure un lien vers le Réseau ÉdCan (www.edcan.ca/fr). Il est interdit d’utiliser les articles de cet ouvrage à des fins commerciales ou encore d’altérer, de transformer ou d’étoffer les articles de ce magazine.

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Les opinions exprimées de façons implicite et explicite dans ce magazine sont celles des auteurs et ne reflètent pas nécessairement le point de vue du Réseau ÉdCan. La parution d’annonces dans les pages du magazine n’implique aucunement que le Réseau ÉdCan appuie les produits ou services annoncés, y compris les activités de formation professionelle.

Note : Le magazine Éducation Canada adhère à la nouvelle orthographe. Le générique masculin est utilisé sans discrimination et uniquement dans le but d’alléger le texte.

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editor’s note / le mot de la rédaction

BY HOLLY BENNETT

PAR GILBERTE GODIN

A New Year, a New Vision

L’école d’avant

“RING OUT THE OLD, RING IN THE NEW,” goes Tennyson’s poem, “Ring Out Wild Bells.”

Many of us were only too happy to ring out 2020, or maybe give it a firm boot out the door. With COVID-19 vaccines rolling out, we hope for a better year ahead.

But what are we ringing in – the new and better, or the same old? After a year of disruption, the longing to return to the status quo is completely understandable. But if that’s all we do in our schools, it’s an opportunity lost. This year brought us many lessons, including wider awareness of the pervasiveness of systemic racism. We saw both the drawbacks and the potential of online learning, and we also saw how less privileged and higher-needs students suffered disproportionately from the loss of in-person classes. Some students became frustrated and disengaged – but others thrived as they became free to follow their own interests without the social stresses of a classroom. All these experiences and more should lead us to question just what school could and should be as we move beyond the COVID-19 Era. Through fall/winter 2020, and culminating in this magazine, we tracked the learning that was emerging from the struggle to adapt an education system to pandemic conditions and still provide quality, equitable education (read the whole series on our website). One standout for me was Vidya Shah’s article (p. 15) showing how we can (and why we must) work towards greater equity in education during and beyond the pandemic.

It’s important to acknowledge the huge effort and serious stress that educators at every level of the system have shouldered during this crisis. But now we have a chance to look forward, to ring in the new. In our spring issue, EdCan will explore how the UN Sustainable Development Goals can be used to engage students with global and local issues and help them acquire essential competencies. And in June, we invite contributors to share their vision for the (near) future of education. How can we create a schooling experience that truly prepares today’s students to build tomorrow’s world? EC

IL Y A FORT À PARIER qu’en commençant l’année scolaire 20212022, la plupart des membres du personnel scolaire, des élèves et des parents se remémoreront les derniers mois, étranges pour tous, stressants et démotivants, pour d’autres. Certains auront vu le reflet de leur réalité dans notre numéro de septembre sur l’instabilité générale et le stress à l’école. Si la plupart estiment avoir perdu des acquis, pris du retard et raté des occasions, en raison de la pandémie, il est probable que personne ne voudra que l’école revienne exactement comme elle était avant. Pourquoi? C’est simple! L’école d’avant était bien, mais pas parfaite. La santé publique qui a forcé tout le monde à fonctionner différemment nous a, malgré nous, fait voir des améliorations possibles.

Il semble y avoir un consensus général sur l’amélioration que l’école peut réaliser en ce moment : réduire les iniquités entre les élèves. Le Magazine ÉdCan a suivi de près cette prise de conscience globale sur l’équité cet automne en publiant en ligne des articles ponctuels sur l’Équité à l’ère de la COVID-19. Dans ce numéro qui réunit ces articles, on peut lire, notamment dans le texte de Thierry Karsenti (pg. 26) la détresse des familles à faible revenu, dépassées par leur rôle d’accompagnement dans le cadre de l’enseignement à distance. De même, on profitera des descriptions de Boutouchent et Fournier (pg. 36) illustrant chacune le quotidien de leur classe en contexte linguistique minoritaire et décrivant les défis accentués par les consignes sanitaires et par le manque de socialisation naturelle nécessaire à la confiance des locuteurs, petits et grands.

Ce numéro ne s’attarde pas uniquement aux défis. Les auteurs offrent de généreuses pistes d’action qui assureront la transition entre une école qui se réinvente par des approches équitables pour tous et la très excitante série d’articles du mois de mars (en ligne de février à avril) qui fera le pont entre les compétences du XXIe siècle à développer chez tous les élèves et les objectifs de développement durable de l’UNESCO. Des objectifs dont la nature pourrait redonner à chacun ce qu’il juge avoir perdu en ces temps d’instabilité en le marquant d’un espoir profond en un monde meilleur. ÉC

Write to us!

We want to know what you think. Send your comments and article proposals to editor@edcan.ca – or join the conversation by using #EdCan on Twitter and Facebook.

www.edcan.ca/magazine

Bien, mais pas parfaite

Écrivez-nous!

Envoyez vos commentaires et propositions d’articles à redaction@edcan.ca. Joignez-vous à la conversation en utilisant le #EdCan sur Twitter et Facebook.

Le Réseau EdCan Network | January/janvier 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 5

network voices / voix du réseau BY/PAR DENISE ANDRE

EdCan’s New Theory of Change Denise Andre is Executive Director of the Eastern Ontario Staff Development Network and retired Director of Education of the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

Denise Andre, directrice générale, Eastern Ontario Staff Development Network, et directrice de l’éducation (retraitée), Ottawa Catholic School Board

WHEN THE BEGINNING of the pandemic closed schools and left district leaders like me in a constant state of disruption, I joined a small working group of EdCan Network staff and colleagues from our Advisory Council for an important virtual planning process. We engaged in a series of sessions to get to the heart of the impact that our Network can achieve to support K-12 educators across Canada. After many iterations, our creative team wholeheartedly endorsed the following three priorities to respond to the rapidly evolving opportunities and challenges that our education systems are currently facing: 1. Increasing workplace well-being for K-12 staff, to make it a top policy and investment priority via our Well at Work initiative.

2. Engaging and empowering students to lead societal change through meaningful learning and discovering their crucial role in solving local, regional, national, and global problems. Our upcoming awareness campaign on the potential for educating with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will help to kickstart this focus.

3. Equipping K-12 staff by informing them on emerging issues and actionable strategies to support the shift from knowledge to action. This magazine provides relevant and timely ways to support all our stakeholders as we rethink how we can “do education” in a better way for all students.

These priorities were the focus of our virtual December 2020 EdCan Advisory Council Meeting. (The first ever gathering of the CEA was in 1891 in Montreal.)

We will continue to explore how we can align our focus with supporting Ministries of Education, faculty, and school district leaders, principals, teachers, and staff throughout 2021 as we strive to increase the capacity, self-efficacy, and well-being of our 110,000 members, and through them, to heighten every student’s well-being and opportunities for meaningful learning to help them discover their purpose and path in life. EC

For more information about EdCan’s Theory of Change, Intended Impacts and Strategic Priorities, please visit: www.edcan.ca/aboutus For a list of the education and philanthropic leaders who serve on EdCan’s Advisory Council, please visit: www.edcan.ca/council

6 EDUCATION CANADA • January/janvier 2021 | Le Réseau EdCan Network

La nouvelle théorie du changement du Réseau ÉdCan LORSQUE LE DÉBUT de la pandémie a entraîné la fermeture des écoles et perturbé le quotidien des directions de district comme moi, je me suis jointe à un petit groupe de travail composé du personnel du Réseau ÉdCan et de collègues de notre Conseil consultatif pour participer à un important processus virtuel de planification. Nous avons alors entamé une série de réunions ayant pour objet de trouver les moyens que notre Réseau pourrait prendre pour soutenir au mieux les éducateurs* des élèves du primaire et du secondaire au Canada. Après plusieurs itérations, notre équipe de création a approuvé avec enthousiasme les trois priorités suivantes visant à répondre à l’évolution rapide des possibilités et des défis auxquels font face actuellement nos systèmes d’éducation : 1. Accroître le bienêtre au travail du personnel scolaire du primaire et du secondaire et en faire une priorité absolue en matière de politique et d’investissement grâce à notre initiative Bien dans mon travail.

2. Engager et habiliter les élèves a mener le changement sociétal par le biais d’un apprentissage significatif et de l’exploration de leurs rôles respectifs dans la résolution des problèmes locaux, régionaux, nationaux et mondiaux. Notre prochaine campagne de sensibilisation sur les possibilités d’enseignement www.edcan.ca/magazine

dans le cadre des Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU nous aidera à orienter cette initiative.

3. Renforcer les capacités du personnel scolaire du primaire et du secondaire en l’informant des questions émergentes et en lui proposant des stratégies concrètes afin de passer des connaissances à l’action. Cette revue fournit des moyens pertinents et opportuns de soutenir toutes nos parties prenantes alors que nous repensons la façon dont nous pourrions mieux instruire tous les élèves.

C’est sur ces priorités que portait la réunion virtuelle de décembre 2020 du Conseil consultatif du Réseau ÉdCan. (La toute première réunion du Conseil avait eu lieu en 1891, à Montréal.) Nous continuerons d’explorer les manières dont nous pourrons, tout au long de 2021, harmoniser nos priorités avec les ministères de l’Éducation, les corps professoraux, les directions de conseils scolaires, ainsi qu’avec les directions, les enseignants et les autres membres du personnel scolaire qui nous soutiennent, alors que nous nous efforçons d’augmenter la capacité, l’autoefficacité et le bienêtre de nos 110 000 membres, et par leur entremise, de rehausser le bienêtre de chacun des élèves et les possibilités d’apprentissage significatif à leur disposition, pour les aider à découvrir leur buts et leur voie dans la vie. ÉC *D ans ce document, le masculin est employé comme genre neutre.

Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements sur la théorie du changement, les retombées prévues et les priorités stratégiques du Réseau ÉdCan, veuillez consulter le site : www.edcan.ca Pour savoir qui sont les chefs de file en éducation et en philanthropie qui siègent au Conseil consultatif du Réseau ÉdCan, veuillez consulter le site www.edcan.ca/council

www.edcan.ca/magazine

Le Réseau EdCan Network | January/janvier 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 7

promising practices

BY RACHEL HOLLAND-MCLEOD WITH SUPARNA ROY

PHOTO: COURTESY THE AUTHORS

challenges. For example, what if my students considered that writing a 1,000 to 1,500-word short story for JS students was too elementary and superficial? A lack of engagement on their part could result in insensitivities, hurting the JS students who looked up to them.

I thought of the school community.

Would they see this service-learning creative writing project as I did and accept it as an opportunity to go beyond normal coursework and explore notyet-visible possibilities? I worried that the quality of the final pieces would be less than those produced through more traditional approaches. I moved beyond my concerns, however, with the support of Suparna and my administration. I deeply felt that the benefits and value of this project would far outweigh the drawbacks.

Unmasking Hidden Heroes through Creative Writing A tale of a dynamic partnership between Senior and Junior School students Rachel HollandMcLeod is a Senior School Academic English teacher at Albert College. She has taught English, Drama, and Social Sciences to students in her 13-year career.

Rachel is passionate about building a strong community with her local and international students.

Suparna Roy, PhD, is presently Coordinator of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation at Albert College. She has taught IB Physics, General Science, and Mathematics internationally for nine years, and has a passion for inquirybased, service-learning initiatives that explicitly cultivate moral values.

IT WAS SEPTEMBER, the start of a new school year.

Lunchtime was almost over and I remember leaning over the shiny wooden dining hall tables of Ackerman Hall to pitch an idea to my colleague, Suparna. I wanted to provide a creative writing opportunity for my Grades 9 and 10 students to think outside of themselves and build meaningful relationships with those beyond their own Senior School community. As we brainstormed, wisps of ideas coalesced. The service-learning opportunity that emerged was a cross-divisional project where my students would each interview a Junior School (JS) student from Grades 4, 5, or 6 and then craft a story, making the latter the hero of the story. We even leapt ahead and imagined the grand finale: Senior School students reading their masterpieces to the littler ones, with the latter listening with rapt attention and nibbling on chocolate chip cookies.

Teacher trepidations

As an Academic English teacher, I consistently endeavour to stretch my pedagogy to benefit the personal learning journeys of my students. However, the intention to stretch beyond my pedagogical comfort zone brought trepidations. Despite my excitement for facilitating an innovative learning task, I felt nervous about possible

8 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

Unmasking hidden heroes

I pitched the idea to my students, and what a relief it was to see that there was no apathy, only excitement. My students decided to first conduct their own research to find out more about Grades 4, 5, and 6 students. What did they do in their spare time? What kinds of books did they like to read? What words were linguistically “cool” in their world? After a class discussion of their findings, each of my classes appointed subgroups to interview the JS teachers to gain further insight.

What happened next was sweet. Many of my students had already been taught four to five years ago by the teachers they were to interview. Stepping into their classrooms was, to my students, like stepping into their childhood. The teachers marvelled at their poise and maturity. They exchanged shy smiles. The students’ eyes shone with respect while the teachers’ glowed with care and joy. Patiently, the teachers answered their questions.

Next, my students conducted two sets of 30-minute interviews at the Junior School. Many of the Senior-Junior school pairings were done at random, whereas some were more deliberate to respect learner needs. For the first interview, the Junior students were asked to bring in three objects of personal significance from home to conduct a show-and-tell. Thrilled to be the centre of attention, they spoke openly about themselves. My students followed up with a second interview as they began formulating the type of story in which they would cast their young partners as heroes.

Once my students had their plots in order, they asked the Junior students to create three illustrations. My students provided just enough guidance for the drawings, but not enough detail to reveal the plot. It was a visual www.edcan.ca/magazine

arts opportunity. The younger students, tickled pink that their new friends were thinking so deeply about them, zealously drew with an insatiable curiosity about the plot.

The revising and editing process took time. I had 40 students and wanted to provide meaningful feedback. Meanwhile, they continued with other language arts tasks. It was December by the time the Junior students received their personalized gift. My students carefully inserted their young friends’ drawings amongst the printed pages and bound their books neatly with ribbon. This time the Junior students visited the Senior School classroom, which was decorated for the holiday season. Clumps of Senior and Junior students sat all over the classroom, spilling into the hallway… and yes, the younger ones listened with rapt attention while drinking hot chocolate and nibbling on chocolate chip cookies. When the readings were over, the groups just carried on chatting. The sessions ended with hugs and the question, “When will I see you again?”

Building meaningful relationships

From a curricular perspective, my Grades 9 and 10 students developed their creative writing skills. However, what my students gained from this project went far beyond creative writing accomplishments. In particular, they began to learn that meaningful relationships lie at the heart of service, and that such relationships can benefit the school community in unpredictable ways.

The resulting stories were of higher quality than I have ever received. My students were not creating for a mark. They were focused on their new little friends.

It was serendipitous that two students who both loved music and had a penchant for breaking out into dance move sessions were paired together as partners. It was both fascinating and amusing to watch how they collaborated with each other during the interview sessions.

They developed a common understanding of how to work together and an appreciation for their similar interests and qualities.

I watched an artistic Grade 10 student, who initially knew very little about video games, step outside of her comfort zone to learn all that she could about her Grade 6 student’s favourite game. As a result, she was able to celebrate her partner’s interest by writing about a protagonist who overcame the trials of a video game world.

One of my fairly serious students was paired with a couple of Grade 5 students who loved romances. With dreamy countenances and a twinkle in their eyes, they begged their senior partner to write a romance story. Also, the story had to include a pig. Although my student was challenged by the requests, she committed herself to the task because she was invested in bringing the story to life for her young partners.

My students were moved to see the JS students demonstrate an equal investment in the process when asked to provide illustrations for their stories. While distributing the completed illustrations to my students, I heard many of them excitedly cry out, “This is exactly what I had envisioned!”

Suparna and I noted that all of the students involved were able to experience positive emotions, felt fully engaged in the process, and www.edcan.ca/magazine

built relationships that brought meaning into their lives. In the end, together they created a product that made their accomplishments visible. In fact, these experiences represent the five key elements that psychologist Martin Seligman believes promotes psychological wellbeing and happiness.¹ We did not intentionally manufacture a project to “cover” these elements. A post-project reflection session revealed that we did.

The sum is greater than the parts

The positive outcomes of this service-learning project were numerous and reached beyond relationship building.

Our school’s strategic plan includes: • creating more cross-divisional opportunities, as our campus is housed in three separate buildings • fostering our core values, which include compassion, inclusivity, and celebrating individuality • encouraging teachers to share innovative teaching practices.

My students had many opportunities to shift perspectives and see the world through the eyes of a JS student, cultivating a sense of care, empathy, and compassion. I frequently highlighted how chuffed the Junior students were to have new, older Senior friends. Their trust in my students helped the Grade 9s and 10s build confidence in their oral communication skills and experience growth in their interview techniques. All of the students transcended the barriers of traditional classroom walls and experienced an innovative form of meaning making. Cumulatively, all of these aspects increased my students’ investment in their finished products, and the resulting short stories were of higher quality than I have ever received. My students were not creating for a mark. Rather, my students were focused on making visible to their new little friends the heroes that they already were.

The JS teachers were impressed to see the quality of work that their past students were creating and were eager to adjust their current expectations to further nurture the skills they saw developed at the senior level. One JS teacher had her class create lovely thank-you cards. Another teacher planned to have his students dramatically recreate their story using a green screen in the future.

Unmasking future heroes

Unfortunately, the green screen dream did not materialize, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and students were tucked away in isolation.

The pandemic made Suparna and I wonder what such a project would look like if completely carried out online. Interviews and sharing sessions could all happen in virtual breakout rooms that could be monitored by teachers and recorded and submitted by the Senior School students to ensure ethical behaviour. Expectations and ground rules would need to be set in advance. Delicious cookies, I suppose, would also need to be mailed out to students.

No matter what the scenario, oftentimes as teachers, we postpone innovative ideas for more traditional approaches due to lack of time or confounding logistics. However, both Suparna and I feel that if it is at all possible (even on a smaller scale), service-learning initiatives are well worth the effort. The school community benefits, and students realize that perhaps the greatest secret in receiving an education is that they have the power to express that learning in an act of giving. EC NOTE 1 According to Dr. Martin Seligman, the five pillars of well-being are: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. See: Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 9

well at work

BY PIPPA ROWCLIFFE AND JOANNE SCHROEDER

PHOTO: ISTOCK

Pippa Rowcliffe is Executive Director – Monitoring and Strategic Initiatives at the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth of B.C. She has been learning and growing in her knowledge and practice of Compassionate Systems Leadership for the past six years, has worked in B.C. child serving systems for 15 years, and is a certified Compassion Cultivation trainer.

Joanne Schroeder is Director of Strategic Initiatives (Compassionate Systems Leadership) at the Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia. She has worked in the field of early child development for more than 30 years and believes passionately in the importance of an integrated “birth to school leaving” system as a foundational component in promoting the health and well-being of all children and youth.

Compassionate Systems Leadership Leveraging disruption for transformative change WHAT ELSE CAN BE SAID about our experiences since the onset of the pandemic? “Unprecedented, stress producing, disrupting, mind boggling, unimagined.”

All of the descriptors of our current context have been used and overused. Yet somehow the magnitude of it all never seems quite properly conveyed. The pandemic has shone a light, as rarely before, on the possibilities and opportunities for innovation and change in the education system. And we are all engaged in thinking about how we can respond in ways that not only address immediate needs but also capitalize on the opportunity for much larger and Figure 1 more significant innovation.

As children and teachers return to the classroom, we have searched for an accurate description of the impact of the pandemic on the education system and all the people within it. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing stressors and challenges as administrators, educators, and support staff return to school: it has been tough, really tough.

Regular routines have been disrupted; the needs of many

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learners have increased, and those with special needs especially so; the need to be innovative and try new things, though exciting, has also depleted energy; children are experiencing high levels of anxiety and sadness.

Simultaneously though, the disorder presents us with an extraordinary opportunity to consider actions that are capable of transforming the system in ways that we could not have envisaged at the start of 2020. We have a chance now, from this place of disruption, to create a new kind of environment; one that is compassionate and nurturing as an essential foundation for learning; one that focuses on our shared humanity and provides continuous collaboration and learning for both students and educators; one that is grounded in an understanding of the complexity of the education system and acknowledges this in all of the decisions that need to be made.

Compassionate Systems Leadership (CSL) is a framework that can facilitate such a transformation. CSL is an approach to educational leadership that explicitly builds skills and practices in three interconnected domains (see Figure 1) that are required in this new reality: self (building a practice of personal reflection, mindfulness, and compassion), each other (building authentic relationships that can support generative conversations), and the system (developing skills and capabilities to use tools that honour the complexity of the work that needs to be done).

CSL draws on practices that are similar to those that have proven effective in building teacher well-being and supporting the social and emotional capacity of learners. It extends these to include the strengthening of interpersonal relationships, while deepening the understanding of how the system can perpetuate, rather than diminish, stress in the workplace. CSL can shift us out of that continuous cycle of doing what we can to take care of ourselves, while always returning to a structure that does not take care of the health and well-being of the people within it.

Self

The foundation of CSL is a continuous practice of mindfulness and reflection. It draws on the premise that increasing the awareness of ourselves as leaders – our values and beliefs, our passions and our challenges – allows us to become more alert www.edcan.ca/magazine

to how we are “showing up” at work every day and how our behaviour and approach might be impacting those around us. CSL uses simple tools to build this awareness. It encourages a practice of personal mindfulness meditation (the deep skill of pausing, understanding our emotions and thoughts, and responding from a place of clarity), and regular reflective journaling.

Each other

The CSL process also introduces practices that facilitate awareness and deeper, more authentic, and trusting relationships amongst groups of colleagues: these are essential to more courageous systems work. For example, “Check-in” (See Steps in Facilitating a Check-In) is a CSL tool that is simple and powerful. It creates the time and space for each person to share their thoughts and emotions without judgment.

It creates a place where all those involved can bring their whole selves into the work. It asks that we practise the basic skills of intentional speaking and listening that can generate a new and shared personal understanding with our colleagues. The CSL approach also supports a curiosity into the possibility for more transformative conversations that take us beyond our existing ways of thinking and solving problems into a more aspirational approach that can encourage more innovative and creative solutions.

Steps in Facilitating a Check-In n First, open up by asking a group of people to take two to five minutes to individually and quietly reflect on a guiding question. You can also do this as a simple guided meditation. n Next, take time (five minutes) to journal whatever comes to mind. Maintain silence throughout the journaling time. n Place everyone into groups of three to five (either in small circles or in virtual breakouts), and take one to two minutes per person to share personal reflections. Encourage people to share only what they are comfortable with and to listen without judgment or interpretation, only to understand and hold what people have to say.

SYSTEM

The core concepts of systems thinking (Meadows, 2008; Stroh, 2015) that are included in the CSL framework provide a broad set of tools for viewing the challenges and opportunities faced by schools and the system more generally at the moment. CSL incorporates a series of practices and concepts that facilitate perspective taking (from multiple perspectives), deepen knowledge about systemic behaviour, and illuminate the patterns that often lead to us into a continuous cycle of frustration and powerlessness, where we keep on doing the same things and getting the same outcome. One such concept is the Systems Iceberg (see Figure 2). This concept provides a structure to explore and unpack the system challenges that consume too much time and energy, and yield little progress. The iceberg moves us from seeing daily events, to understanding the patterns in these events and then digging deeper to understand the structures, processes, values, www.edcan.ca/magazine

and beliefs that continue to generate non-optimal outcomes and leave us feeling stuck.

Figure 2: The Systems Iceberg

REACT

SYMPTOMS

ANTICIPATE

PATTERNS & TRENDS

DESIGN

STRUCTURES & PROCESS

TRANSFORM

MENTAL MODELS

The CSL framework that we are developing in B.C. is a compilation of the work of many others. It is connected to the work of Peter Senge (2006) and Mette Boell at the Centre for Systems Awareness at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Through the Centre, a global community for systemic change in education is developing. In B.C. we have also integrated an approach to cultivating compassion that was developed at Stanford University and the Cultivating Compassion Institute based in California. And we are grateful to be able to draw on tools and approaches developed by Otto Scharmer (2018) (Theory U), Robert Fritz (1989) (Creative Tension), and others.

We are testing and applying this emerging framework with educators and other child-serving professionals in B.C. The B.C. Ministry of Education recently incorporated a CSL component in its Mental Health in Schools strategy. Through a robust and growing Community of Practice of educators and professionals from a range of sectors, which meets on a regular basis, we are continuously adapting the approach to integrate shared learnings and best fit the systemic context of participants. Our discussions and emergent practice focus on collaborative learning. And we are grounded in the idea that “we are the system,” that what we each do, individually and collectively, is an essential contribution toward meaningful and effective systemic change. We are also connected in a common commitment to approach the work ahead of us with an intention toward kindness and compassion (Jinpa, 2016); cultivating compassion for ourselves and for those we connect with every day is an essential foundation for the transformation that we seek. EC Curious to know more? Check out the website: compassionatesystemsleadership.net REFERENCES Fritz, R. (1989). Path of least resistance: Learning to become the creative force in your own life. The Random House Publishing Group.

Jinpa, T. (2016). A fearless heart: How the courage to be compassionate can transform our lives. Penguin Random House LLC. Meadows, D. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Scharmer, O. (2018). The essential of Theory U: Core principles and applications.

Berret-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Crown Business.

Stroh, D. (2015). Systems thinking for social change: A practical guide to solving complex problems, avoiding unintended consequences and achieving lasting results.

Chelsea Green Publishing.

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 11

viewpoint

BY ANDY HARGREAVES

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Class Matters Socio-economic inequality and education Andy Hargreaves is Director of CHENINE (Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education) at the University of Ottawa, and Research Professor at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. His most recent book, about the struggle for social mobility and equity, is Moving: A memoir of education and social mobility, published by Solution Tree in June 2020.

WHEN MY FAMILY and I emigrated to Canada from England in 1987, we left behind a country with a deep-seated history of social class division and classconsciousness. Britain has long been obsessed with social class. My memoir, Moving (2020) – about growing up and being educated in a working-class community in Northern England – describes how social class differences affected every aspect of my own education.

My own struggles were with upward mobility – how to reconcile the culture of my selective grammar school with that of my working-class community. My two brothers had different struggles. At age 11, a standardized test marked them out for failure. I eventually made it to university on the other side of the country. They ended up in factories at the bottom of the hill. Social class mattered a lot in England then. It still does.

But in 1987, I was leaving all this behind. My Dean envied me. He had just returned from his first visit to Canada, the world’s first constitutionally bilingual, multicultural society. How lucky I was to be going there.

I arrived in a country that didn’t really talk much about social class at all. There were other serious sources of inequality to attend to instead. Race, immigration, language, poverty, and disability were foremost among these. Attention to inequalities in Indigenous and LGBTQ2+ communities would follow later. In our research, Dennis Shirley and I (2018) witnessed how assiduously Ontario educators addressed these issues from 2014– 2018. But Canadians didn’t really seem to be concerned about social class at all. Working class inequality was a silent and invisible feature of the educational and social change agenda.

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The coronavirus pandemic has suddenly brought the health and education of working-class people and their families to the forefront of our attention. They are the most likely to contract COVID-19, to have no one on hand to supervise them when they need to learn at home, and to live in overcrowded and unstable conditions unsuitable for learning or health.

What it means to be working class is a matter of debate, with some commentators defining it in terms of poor income or low level of education, for example.

Traditionally, though, social class is about the kind of work people do and how that structures people’s opportunities and identities. In general, working class people do manual work (either skilled or unskilled), and/or have little control over their work conditions – think call-centre employees, people who have to work on contract in multiple care homes, or employees in the gig economy, for instance.

Social-class inequality is closely tied to student achievement and well-being, but compared to other causes of educational inequality, like race or poverty, it has received little attention. There are four explanations for this neglect and for why coronavirus is changing all that.

Don’t mention the white working class

Why has Canada’s commitment to diversity not included social class? One reason is that acknowledging the struggles of the working class might be equated with acknowledging the white working class. That would risk associating whiteness with disadvantage instead of with its historic racial privilege.

The coronavirus crisis, though, has made clear that the working class is actually very diverse. Vulnerable, essential front-line workers include migrant farm labourers, immigrant care home workers, hospital cleaners, Uber drivers, and virtual shoppers. Whatever their race or ethnicity, they are all working class.

They have the low pay, contractual insecurities, and vulnerability to COVID-19 to prove it.

In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality. Her study of battered women’s shelters (1991) showed that the experience of an abused white middle-class woman was different from that of a lowincome immigrant woman speaking English as her second language. So, we had to examine the intersectionalities of oppressed women’s multiple identities. Working-class identity intersects with many other aspects of diversity.

Social class needs to come back into our reckoning about inequality – and the coronavirus crisis is doing that with a bang.

We’re all middle class now

Joan Williams (2017), author of White Working Class, says that the U.S. has become “clueless” about social class. Canada has its own (working class) cluelessness, expressed in the widespread belief that the vast majority of Canadians are middle class. www.edcan.ca/magazine

“Most Canadians think of themselves as middle class,” says Julie Cazzin in Maclean’s magazine (2017). Around 70 percent of Canadians self-identify as middle class, according to a poll conducted by the magazine. In another Maclean’s article, Shannon Proudfoot (2019) reflects on her own working-class background. She warns that “the way we elide, erase and ignore socio-economic class in Canada” makes it “like an invisible fact that shapes everything, but is acknowledged nowhere.”

Wolfgang Lehmann, Professor of sociology at Western University, has studied social class and education in Canada. The son of German immigrants, Lehmann grew up in a working-class family and, like me, still struggles with his identity as a middle-class academic. Lehmann’s research (2014) with 70 university students from working-class backgrounds shows how their experiences of educational success are corroded by “conflicting relationships with parents and former friends.” The upwardly mobile students’ new knowledge, experiences, and relationships set them apart from family members and friends in their former communities. They are also more likely to disengage or drop out from their studies. They feel caught between two cultures, belonging to neither one nor the other.

“Conflating class in Canada” and “making everybody middle class who isn’t rich” is “maybe dangerous,” says Lehmann. My own

Our schools must accord as much dignity to the labour and values of working-class life as they do to other aspects of identity. biography and 50 years of research support Lehmann’s findings that the particular culture of academic success is constantly tugging students away from their class identity. There has been a positive movement for schools to enable young people to retain pride in their race or gender identities, for example, as they strive to succeed. But working-class identity seems to be something that upwardly mobile students feel pressured to leave behind.

Coronavirus has witnessed displays of appreciation for front-line workers (many of whom are working class) on signs by the roadside and in pots being clattered on balconies. But we must do more. The hard work, labour, dedication, and sacrifice of these workers have kept the rest of us alive. Post-pandemic, we must no longer condemn workers in the gig economy to job insecurity and working multiple, contract-based jobs just to get by. Our schools must also accord as much dignity to the labour and values of working-class life as they do to other aspects of identity in a diverse and inclusive society.

Working class does not equal poor

Poverty continues to have massive consequences for student achievement and well-being. Several of the Ontario school districts that Dennis Shirley and I have studied instituted a wide array of antipoverty strategies. But it is impossible to turn poverty on its head and celebrate it in the way we do with Black power, gay pride, and other kinds of diversity. And being working class is more than having a certain income level.

Until the 1970s, skilled manual labour had dignity and worth.

Working-class labour and working-class communities were a source of collective pride. In Canada’s Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, www.edcan.ca/magazine

for example, alongside the harrowing depictions of genocide and the inspiring tributes to champions of human rights, is a compelling display on labour rights that includes the women and men who founded the Polish Solidarity Movement in the 1980s.

What should our schools be teaching about working-class identity?

Where in our curriculum is the history of labour, labour rights, and trade unions, alongside business entrepreneurship and financial literacy? We should teach the concept of class through literature, history, and interdisciplinary projects, as robustly as we do race, gender, and gender identity. How can and should our schools engage with the class culture of our students, as well as other aspects of their culture? If equity is now about inclusion, it should be about social class inclusion and addressing socio-economic privilege too.

One consequence of the pandemic will be that some manufacturing will come back home from overseas. The availability of essential goods can no longer depend on vulnerable global supply chains. These new, working-class manufacturing jobs will be highly technical and involve sophisticated training.

In Germany, vocational education for skilled trades has very high status. In North America, though, it has become a secondclass alternative for those who have failed to get into university.

Commitment to vocational education, traditionally a politically conservative priority, must now become a priority of all Canadians.

The labour, culture, skills, and pride of the working class and its educational preparation must be acknowledged, not ignored.

It’s time to talk about wealth as well as poverty

If we say we’re all middle class, this doesn’t just mean we ignore the working class. We ignore extreme wealth, too. We’re all becoming familiar with how the richest 1 percent of the world’s population owns more than half of the world’s wealth. The revenue of any of the Big 5 tech companies is greater than the GDP of many European nations.

During the pandemic, the profits of the Big 5 have increased by about one-third. Meanwhile, for 40 years, the bottom half of society has barely advanced in real income terms at all – despite working longer hours and taking on more debt to make ends meet.

In Plutocrats: The rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else (2012), Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, claims that more and more of the world is now a plutocracy of rule by the wealthy. Although many modern plutocrats worked their own way up from modest beginnings, they now protect these gains for themselves, their class, and their families. The meritocrats have turned into aristocrats, she says.

Along with a growing number of influential economists – most of them women – Freeland lists how the super-elite protect their wealth.

They do this by tax avoidance, by lobbying parliament, by establishing not-for-profit foundations where they can shelter their wealth and champion their own causes, and by buying their children places in top global universities with sizeable “legacy” donations.

Plutocrats also hijack the global discourse of improvement and change by defining what is transformational and what is not. In Winners Take All: The elite charade of changing the world (2019), Anand Giridharadas interviews one of the key organizers for the vastly popular TED Talks. This organizer describes how TED Talks might address questions of how to reduce poverty. But one thing it absolutely won’t touch is economic inequality. Poverty and diversity get airtime.

Wealth and inequality do not.

It’s time for this to change. Emboldened by the pandemic crisis, Freeland and other economists, like Joe Biden’s Economic Advisor, Heather Boushey (2019), propose a series of measures to combat the effect of extreme economic inequality on society. “Now is not the EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 13

time for austerity,” said the Throne Speech on September 22. Instead there must be investment to support the vulnerable, restart public education, and create jobs that in turn will stimulate the consumer demand that will regenerate the economy. The new normal should be about prosperity, not austerity. The Latin origin prosperus means, simply, “doing well.” Prosperity is about reducing inequality and improving well-being and quality of life. In education, well-being should not be an afterthought or an add-on. It is integral to creating a prosperous society.

FOR TOO LONG, social class has been the masked face of inequity, disadvantage, and marginalization. We must no longer pretend we are all middle class. This ignores the privilege of extreme wealth and the profound struggles of the millions of front-line workers on whom all our lives depend. It also runs the risk of equating working-class identity with poverty and turning it into the only identity that has to be left behind in the struggle to improve. The role of front-line workers during the pandemic has taught us that working-class identity is part of diversity, not an exception to it.

To be fully equitable and inclusive, our schools must re-engage with working-class identity. They must teach working-class identity as a history and culture of pride involving the dignity of labour, solidarity with one’s fellows, the value of hard work, and the importance of selfimprovement. They must resurrect and reinvent vocational education as a high-quality commitment. They must address socio-economic diversity as a fundamental aspect of inclusion, and must approach class inequality as something that entails the privileges of the extremely wealthy and not just the privations of the poor. They must teach students about wealth tax and tax avoidance as well as financial

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literacy and income tax management. They must, in other words, rethink everything they do on social class lines, as much as they have in relation to all other aspects of diversity. EC REFERENCES Boushey, H. (2019). Unbound: How inequality constricts our economy and what we can do about it. Harvard University Press.

Cazzin, J. (2017, June 16). What’s middle class? It’s as much to do with values as with income. Maclean’s. www.macleans.ca/economy/why-everyone-feels-like-theyre-in-the-middle-class Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), Article 8. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8 Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. doi:10.2307/1229039 Freeland, C. (2012). Plutocrats: The rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else. Doubleday Canada.

Giridharadas, A. (2019). Winners take all: The elite charade of changing the world.

Knopf.

Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2018). Well-being and success: Opposites that need to attract. Education Canada, 58(4), 40–43. www.edcan.ca/articles/well-being-and-success Hargreaves, A. (2020). Moving: A memoir of social mobility. Solution Tree.

Lehmann, W. (2014). Habitus transformation and hidden injuries: Successful working-class university students. Sociology of Education, 87(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040713498777 Proudfoot, S. (2019, July 16). What does it mean to be working class in Canada?

Maclean’s. www.macleans.ca/society/what-does-it-mean-to-be-working-class-in-canada Williams, J. D. (2017). White working class: Overcoming class cluelessness in America. Harvard Business Review Press.

www.edcan.ca/magazine

PHOTOS: COURTESY VIDYA SHAH

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IN THE COVID-19 ERA

Opportunism or Opportunity?

Navigating educational equity in the time of COVID-19 Vidya Shah is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, York University. Her work focuses on antiracist approaches to leadership, district reform, and schooling.

www.edcan.ca/magazine

BY VIDYA SHAH SOCIETAL INEQUITIES are replicated in schooling along the lines of Indigeneity and race, gender, gender identity and sexuality, class, disability, citizenship, place of birth, faith, and more, and become more layered and complex when we consider intersecting identities. We see these long-standing inequities play out in practices such as academic streaming; disproportionate levels of punishment, suspension and expulsions for Black students; curricular violence that exists in the erasure of the histories, realities, and resistance of Indigenous, Black and racialized people in Canada; disproportionately higher proportions of White, middle-class students in gifted classes, French

Immersion programs, specialty arts programs, and other “programs of choice”; limited accountability measures to address often persistent and traumatic experiences of discrimination and harassment for students, families, and staff that are racialized and marginalized; and more.

In times of greater crisis and strain on systems and structures, long-standing inequities are simply exacerbated. In this time of a global pandemic, we see growing gaps between the ability of private and public schools to support the safety and well-being of children, we see massive inequities with regards to student access to technology and Wi-Fi, and we see the disproportionate EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 15

PHOTOS: COURTESY VIDYA SHAH

Anti-Racist Education in Action: Honouring children’s identity “When we leverage texts, we open up mirrors that reflect the lived experiences of children and windows that enter the lives of others, while sliding doors allow us to interact within the worlds of one another.”

– Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990 Kenisha Bynoe and Gail Bedeau are both Early Reading Coaches with the Toronto District School Board. They have collaborated with educators and invited them to situate who they are based on the intersections of their social identities and that of their learners. By using texts to reflect and honour the lived experiences of learners and themselves, educators came to realize that who we are influences how and what we teach.

The Kindergarten-level activity described below is one example of how we can support the development of belonging, contributing, and well-being, as learners come to new understandings about themselves, others, and the world in which they live in.

Book: I Like Myself (also in French), by Karen Beaumont This book is about a little girl who loves everything about herself, from her ears to her toes. It does not matter what others think or say because she has a strong sense of self and embraces all that she is, inside and out.

Question: How do you see yourself?

Materials: Skin-tone paint, paint brushes, mirrors, vials with chickpeas, cinnamon, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and Rice Krispies, Sharpie markers

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impact of COVID-19 on racialized families and communities and families marginalized by poverty.

Many families and communities on these lands have been living through another pandemic that we have yet to name as a society.

White supremacy and settler colonialism have existed in this place that some refer to as Canada, long before March 2020. The question is: Why haven’t we seen these oppressive structures as a global crisis?

It makes me question which lives are deemed worthy and which lives are deemed disposable. Whose pain and suffering is avidly attended to, and whose pain and suffering is erased? In this current moment, we are seeing an upsurge in awareness of how Whiteness and White supremacy have and continue to construct anti-Blackness and perpetuate anti-Black racism politically, economically, socially, mentally, emotionally, and academically.

How might this time of global upheaval, massive uncertainty, and racial reckoning influence who we choose to be and how we choose to live? How will it influence the how and why of schooling in ways that will both challenge and perpetuate historical barriers to educational access and opportunity?

Perhaps a better question is: Who will view this time as an opportunity for collective transformation and freedom, and who will view it as opportunity for self-interest and self-protection?

We have seen many examples of “opportunism” in the last few months. For example, the rise of pandemic pods, in which small groups of children from different families learn together outside of traditional school settings, similar to homeschooling or private schooling, demonstrate increases in privatization in education, which provide “choice” for more privileged families and result in disproportionately negative impacts for historically marginalized populations (Winton, 2020). We were already seeing calls for greater moves to e-learning prior to the pandemic, and the redirection of large amounts of public education dollars to private technology companies. As we move into an era of unprecedented online learning, we have to be vigilant about efforts to normalize a form of schooling that was developed in response to a pandemic. While educators are doing their best to recreate community and rich learning experiences online, mass efforts to increase online learning in a post-pandemic era will increase inequities in access and de-emphasize the importance of relationships, creativity, co-constructing knowledges, and developing critical consciousness that are such crucial aspects to the learning experience. This is all against the backdrop of an analysis by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, indicating that Canada’s top billionaires “added $37B to their fortunes since the pandemic started, during six of the most economically catastrophic months in the country’s history” (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2020).

Crisis has the potential to breed opportunism, which has historical roots in colonialism, White supremacy, and capitalism, as well as contemporary manifestations in the form of grave injustices. But crisis also has the potential to return us to more just, humane, and compassionate approaches to schooling and society. We might seize this opportunity to resist traditional educational discourses, legitimize marginalized knowledges, and imagine future possibilities.

Resisting traditional schooling discourses

Resisting traditional educational discourses requires an active acknowledgement of the ways in which schooling has historically stratified students according to perceived abilities, social class, race, and gender and continues to underserve historically marginalized populations of students. Possibilities emerge when we make the distinction between education and schooling, with the former having www.edcan.ca/magazine

transformative and liberatory possibilities, and the latter being a site of social reproduction and socialization (Patel, 2016). We might resist: • Low expectations and false, deficit narratives of Black, Indigenous, racialized, and marginalized students, families, and communities • The idea that the sole purpose of schooling is to prepare students for the workforce, resulting in curriculum that is disconnected, ahistorical, and decontextualized • The belief that schooling must be a highly individualistic and competitive system, creating winners and losers, those who can approximate wellness, and those whose safety is compromised • The notion that “to be thoroughly educated means to be educated away from your own life stories, educated away from your own voice, educated into inadequacy... ” (Akomolafe, 2019).

Legitimizing marginalized knowledges

Legitimizing marginalized knowledges requires an acknowledgement of the knowledge systems that are on the periphery of traditional schooling discourses. Their erasure constitutes a form of curricular violence for particular populations of students whose identities, histories, and worldviews are not represented in classrooms, creating a social, emotional, and mental disconnect. It’s a continuous reminder for particular students and educators that these spaces are not for them, that they do not belong here, and that they must conform to particular logics to be granted access, opportunity, and safety. We might legitimize: • Pedagogical approaches that foster critical self-reflection, relationality, wellness, humanity, and embodied ways of knowing • Curriculum that centres multiple histories, identities, lived experiences, and perspectives, especially those of Indigenous, Black, and racialized peoples • Fostering critical consciousness that disrupts the status quo by preparing students to be thoughtful, aware, and active citizens • Pedagogies that encourage curiosity, creativity, sustained analysis, and wonder.

Imagining future possibilities

Imagining future possibilities involves a critical eye to what needs repair, healing, truth, and justice in our current realities. It simultaneously requires a hopeful heart as we imagine the worlds we may create together. Oftentimes, the act of imagination can be a painful process when we consider current realities, but it is that place of critical hope that keeps us working toward new possibilities, different realities, and heightened levels of consciousness. We might imagine: • Schools being sites of collective and communal care in which every student, parent/guardian, and educator is honoured and valued, and feels a deep sense of belonging • Schools that honour histories of Indigenous, Black, and racialized resistance toward collective freedom and liberation by engaging in acts of solidarity and love • Schools that are deeply connected to the communities in which they are located, that are animated and guided by strong and meaningful relationships between the home, school, and community • Schools that believe all students can learn and all students deserve to learn.

In the midst of these two global pandemics, one new and one centuries old, may we find the individual and collective courage to centre relationality, community, and collective care above our individual fears, insecurities, and self-interest. Students depend on it, our schools depend on it, and our futures depend on it. EC www.edcan.ca/magazine

Anti-Racist Education in Action: Taking action against injustice The pandemic has further brought to light the inequities and injustices faced by marginalized groups.

For Black and other racialized students in a North Toronto middle school, face-to face-class discussions on matters of anti-Black racism were replaced with virtual community circles. The highly publicized murder of George Floyd and subsequent outcries for justice for Black lives presented educators with an opportunity to critically unpack and explore these lived experiences. Above all, it was critical for all educators to listen to students and encourage social action in their local communities.

Creating a socially distanced Public Service Announcement (www.youtube.com/watch?v= JOW5z3JmaFQ) was an opportunity for students to express, through poetry and spoken word, their deeprooted trauma, hurt, anger, and resolve as they reflect on their very beings, representations of “Blackness,” and all this encompasses in society.

REFERENCES Akomolafe, B. (2019, Oct. 22). KWIC 30th Anniversary Keynote: Adebayo Akomolafe [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7pauBaL_UE&t=6s The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. (2020, Sept. 16). Canada’s top billionaires are $37 billion richer since start of the pandemic, CCPA report finds [Press release]. www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/news-releases/billionaires-wealth-pandemic Patel, L. (2016). Pedagogies of resistance and survivance: Learning as marronage.

Equity & Excellence in Education, 49(4), 397–401.

Winton, S. (2020). Pandemic pods may undermine the promises of public education.

The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/pandemic-pods-may-undermine-promises-of-publiceducation-145237 EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 17

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IN THE COVID-19 ERA

Jess Whitley is Associate Professor of Inclusive Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. Her research and teaching at the BEd and graduate levels focuses on inclusive education, mental health and the intersection of the two.

Jeffrey MacCormack is Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology and Inclusion at the Faculty of Education, University of Lethbridge, and a former teacher with ten years of K–12 teaching experience.

Ian Matheson is Assistant Professor of Education at Queen’s University, with a focus on supporting exceptional learners.

Jacqueline Specht is a Professor and Director of the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education in the Faculty of Education, Western University.

Steve Sider is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, where his research focus is on school leadership and inclusive education.

Kimberly Maich is a Professor at Memorial University, focusing on autism spectrum disorders in inclusive classroom settings.

Diversity via Distance Lessons learned from families supporting students with special education needs during remote learning

BY JESS WHITLEY, JEFFREY MACCORMACK, IAN MATHESON, JACQUELINE SPECHT, STEVE SIDER, AND KIMBERLY MAICH IN THE SPRING OF 2020, schools were closed to limit

the spread and impact of COVID-19 across Canada and beyond. As a result, students were suddenly at home with family, where most stayed for many months. Depending on the province and even school board in question, a range of distance and online options for academic learning were offered and/or required.

Those learning at home included about one million students, from Kindergarten through Grade 12, requiring special education services. These students included those who are gifted as well as those with disabilities, including learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and mental illness. A range of programs, supports, and placements are typically offered in schools across Canada to meet the needs of these students. These include accommodations and universally designed teaching approaches provided in general education classes, as well as specialist supports and therapeutic services provided within general and specialized classes and schools (Hutchinson & Specht, 2020). So, what became of these approaches and supports when the learning context shifted from school to home, and what implications did this have for students and families?

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In spite of the tremendous efforts of superintendents, principals, and educators to facilitate what would be known as “emergency” distance learning, we weren’t ready as a school system or as a society. We hadn’t planned for this pandemic and we were at various stages of readiness with respect to infrastructure and professional skill sets. What we learned during those months, however, has important implications for our planning going forward – for all students, but in particular for those with special education needs (SEN). Many students with SEN often require human supports at school to navigate daily life, flourish socially and emotionally, and progress in their academic development. It has been a challenge for systems to provide differentiated and appropriate athome learning opportunities.

In the spring of 2020, we launched a study exploring the experience of families supporting students with special education needs at home during school closures.

We surveyed more than 265 parents from across Canada about the learning and social-emotional supports they received, their self-efficacy in supporting their child’s learning, and their own stress levels. We also conducted in-depth interviews with 25 parents and we continue to www.edcan.ca/magazine

PHOTO: ISTOCK

collect stories about the ways in which families and schools have worked together to meet the needs of students, whether virtually or in face-to-face settings.

Our research over the past several months has documented stories of families supporting students with SEN in myriad ways. Two interconnected learnings arose from our study: at-home learning magnified what already existed, and relationships are key. We offer these learnings to guide our future efforts to create the most accessible learning opportunities possible, whether virtual or in bricks and mortar settings.

At-home learning magnified what already existed: the strengths and the cracks

It will not be a surprise to anyone familiar with the complex institution of public education in Canada that there are areas to celebrate and areas for improvement. At-home learning shed a bright light on the strengths, cracks, and tensions that already existed within the education system. These were evident in areas such as instructional www.edcan.ca/magazine

and pedagogical approaches, inclusive school communities, and the roles and resources of families.

Parents of students with SEN described this magnification of strengths and cracks through their stories of at-home learning in the spring. If inclusive approaches and differentiated instruction were evident in the classroom and school prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents saw evidence of these in the at-home learning efforts. If those approaches were not previously in place, they were even less apparent during at-home learning. Some parents we spoke to described the ways that their child’s educators continued to support them when schools closed, based on their deep understanding of the needs of the individual child. For example, one teacher videotaped herself going through the typical morning routine and shared it daily in order to provide consistency and familiarity for students. Another teacher provided options for assignments so students would all have work available at their level of readiness. Multiple parents described regular, personalized video interactions with their child’s teacher or education assistant as the most valuable offering, allowing for social, EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 19

emotional, and academic support. Other parents said they disengaged from the at-home learning options because they felt that the offerings were poorly suited for their child, resulting in a sense of exclusion from the learning community.

The magnification effect also applied to the skills, resources, and relationships of families supporting students with SEN. Many parents – typically mothers – who were skilled advocates with experience in navigating the school system, were able to seek out and organize school-based resources to support their child during school closures.

Those who had financial, work, or health challenges, or who had fewer resources to draw upon, described an abrupt end to services, which increased stress for the family and the child.

For some families, therapeutic services such as applied behaviour analysis, occupational therapy, or speech/language therapies are typically provided through or by schools. When schools closed, therapies stopped. In some communities, creative solutions were found to continue offering coaching for parents to be able to provide some services, and a few examples of direct service via video were noted.

Many parents described the weight and stress of having to provide learning and therapeutic supports for their child(ren), often while facing financial pressures or while working at home.

And yet, while many children and families struggled, others flourished. Many families told us about the positives during school closures. Some parents learned an incredible amount about their child – their academic needs and the ways they learn best. Gains were seen by some parents in their child’s social and academic skills, largely because of the efforts made by the parents themselves. Others watched their child grow calmer, happier, and more rested away from the stresses of school schedules and social anxieties. A small number of families we spoke to were prompted by their child’s positive experience to consider leaving the public-school system altogether, either to home-school or to explore private schooling options. This response was more typical among well-resourced parents of young children.

Equity issues such as these are well known within education research and policy, but bubbled to the surface in more obvious ways during school closures and at-home learning.

Relationships are key, no matter the modality

Relationships – with school staff, with community-based service providers, and for students in particular, with peers – mattered in so many ways for families. Positive, productive, and personal connections served as the crux of successful at-home learning experiences.

Many parents pointed to the regular, personalized check-ins, by email, phone, or video chat, that were offered by their child’s education assistant and/or teacher as the most beneficial support they received from schools. Other parents felt the absence of this connection with their child’s teaching team.

Parents who had struggled to build or maintain strong, collaborative relationships with school staff prior to school closures described frustration and helplessness as these deteriorated even further. Conversely, examples of effective at-home learning experiences always included descriptions of the working alliance that existed between parents and school staff.

Peer relationships were also raised as important by parents. For many students with SEN, particularly those with more significant disabilities, connections with peers exist only at school. During school closures, many families in our study worried about the social and emotional well-being of their child – even more than they worried about them falling behind academically. We heard from families that very little attention was being paid to connecting peers with each other during at-home learning.

20 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

Moving from learning to doing

So what next? What are we learning about the roles that schools play in the lives of students with special education needs and their families? About the inequities within our systems that privilege some of these families over others? About the ways in which inclusion is experienced by children in school and in virtual settings? And about the relationships that serve as the foundation for the work we do in building communities of learners, educators, and families?

Within and after the pandemic, planning with difference as the driver, and collaboration the vehicle, is one path to greater equity and inclusion.

What does this look like? Imagine that we are Grade 5 teachers, planning our virtual class of 30 students. We know that there are a few students reading below grade level, others who need support to

Relationships mattered in so many ways for families.

Positive, productive, and personal connections served as the crux of successful at-home learning experiences. sustain attention, and some who are struggling with feelings of worry or diagnoses of anxiety. We could prepare our activities and lessons for the day, and then consider what we could do differently to accommodate these students. Or we could think about what is required for these students to be successful and for them to be able to participate fully in the lesson. Do they need frequent movement opportunities?

A visual schedule that maps out the online time? Options for working without video? Small group meeting rooms to share ideas and solve problems with less public risk? A range of options to show their work? And with our universal design for learning hat on, we know that these approaches are necessary for some students, but helpful for all students.

We use the term “collaboration” in schools often. The value of collaborative pedagogy is embedded in our policy documents, in our mission statements, and in our specific guidance regarding special education services. And it’s one of the toughest things to accomplish in any kind of authentic sense. We are inspired by the stories we were told of families, school staff, and community partners working together, with the voice of the student at the core. We need more of these, and we need to learn from them to tease apart elements we can replicate across the country.

The term “working alliance” has typically been used to describe clients and therapists working together in counselling settings. It has been used recently in education to capture not only the emotional aspect of relationships but also the cognitive aspect of the goals and tasks mutually agreed upon by students and teachers, and by teachers and parents (Knowles et al., 2019; Toste et al., 2015).

Building a working alliance and the key relationships that allow for this collaboration is complex and challenging. We often have the assumption that relationships just happen – as if they are outside of our control and we are at their mercy. Students requiring special education services don’t have the luxury of happenstance when it www.edcan.ca/magazine

comes to relationships and collaboration – these need to be in place for them to thrive or even survive.

Focusing on the skills required in collaborating and building working alliances is one step. This skill-building can be done in BEd and continuing teacher education programs – particularly, but not exclusively, those focusing on inclusive classrooms. This idea is not new – collaboration has been listed as key to special education service delivery for decades. But given our findings, renewed attention is warranted.

This collaborative skill-building can best take place within systems that support and foster a focus on partnerships. Are there processes in place that prioritize authentic participation of students, families, and school staff in decision-making? Are there individuals in schools who have specific training in mediation and collaborative problem solving? Are these kinds of interventions considered to support students, families, and school staff in working together? How can some of the virtual approaches we’ve learned about be leveraged to increase participation? Collaboration is emotional work. Do school staff feel that they have the organizational resources they need? What about the emotional well-being of school staff? Is this being attended to and seen as a priority? Are there approaches in place to make sure that staff have the capacity and supports to engage in difficult conversations?

WE WERE CAUGHT off guard by the switch to emergency schooling in

the spring of 2020. Such an abrupt change of modality was unexpected and system-wide. But in what ways are we better prepared going forward? We are told that waves of viral pandemics may be the norm. We have also learned that virtual options are a great fit for some students, and we should consider opportunities for developing online learning

www.edcan.ca/magazine

offerings that are truly accessible for all students, including those with SEN. Considering the multiplying effect that emergency schooling had on the strengths, cracks, and tensions of the system, we need to use this time to identify and address the inequities that have been present in the system for decades. Effective, ethical emergency schooling requires a foundation of effective, ethical (non-emergency) schooling.

The pandemic has shifted our reality and much of what we’re experiencing, from wearing masks in classrooms to connecting by way of pool noodles in physical education classes, is new, different, and in many cases, uncomfortable. But what the pandemic has brought to light is what already existed when it comes to the education of students with special education needs. We have seen creative, inclusive efforts by many educators that we can learn from in continuing to build practices that support the participation of as many students as possible – particularly by planning with difference in mind. We also need to attend to skills and structures to ensure that students, families, and school staff are well-supported and resourced as they engage in the challenging work of building effective collaborative relationships. EC REFERENCES Hutchinson, N. L., & Specht, J. A. (2020). Inclusion of learners with exceptionalities in Canadian schools: A practical handbook for teachers (6th ed.). Pearson Canada Inc. Knowles, C., Murray, C., Gau, J., & Toste, J. R. (2019). Teacher–student working alliance among students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(6), 753–761.

Toste, J. R., Heath, N. L., McDonald Connor, C., & Peng, P. (2015).

Reconceptualizing teacher-student relationships: Applicability of the working alliance within classroom contexts. The Elementary School Journal, 116(1), 30–48.

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 21

EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IN THE COVID-19 ERA

Professional Well-Being through Coaching Personalized support for school leaders Jordan Tinney, PhD, leads one of Canada’s largest school districts as Superintendent/ CEO of Surrey Schools.

With a master’s in Educational Administration, a PhD in Curriculum, and certification as an executive coach, Jordan believes in supporting and nurturing the people that deliver and lead services and programs in service of learning for all children.

Tara O’Brien is a certified teacher, a principal, and an innovation enthusiast who can usually be found saying, “Let’s try it.” As one of the founding partners for BTS Spark North America, she’s on a mission to make mindset coaching accessible to all educators so they keep their “spark.”

BY JORDAN TINNEY AND TARA O’BRIEN HOW CAN WE SUPPORT our school leaders to do their

best work?

In a pandemic year, many of our traditional structures for professional development are changing radically.

People aren’t permitted to gather in person, to share and to collaborate as we normally do. In this context, how do we maintain that personal connection to each other? How do we collaborate on the complex work that leaders do?

And how can we support the growth and development of our principals, vice-principals, and other leaders when our traditional structures are disrupted?

In response to these questions, in the spring of 2020, Surrey Schools in B.C. began implementing an online one-to-one virtual coaching model to support the growth and development of principals and vice-principals. Mirroring hybrid models in our schools, this model focuses on leadership in times of complexity. Each participant received dedicated one-to-one support from a trained and experienced coach, who served as a confidante and learning partner to support their unique and individual learning needs. The model and the support it provides have been extremely well received, and we now have extended this work and coaching from the summer into the fall, with more than 90 district principals, principals, and vice-principals participating. This article explains

22 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

the rationale for our model, how it works in practice, the feedback we have received, and our hopes for the future.

Coaching offers personalized support

While we were designing new learning experiences for our students, we also began to consider how to best design hybrid models of professional development for our school leaders. We had an opportunity to engage in an online coaching program tailored specifically to address the pressures of leadership during a pandemic. This was a unique opportunity at a unique time.

Years ago, I (Jordan) changed my own professional development strategy to include personal coaching.

Rather than travelling to conferences, watching presentations or speakers, I found someone to coach me, to hold my feet to the fire about my own strategic plans, initiatives, and goals. To me, the change was transformational. It wasn’t transformational because I learned new things; it was transformational because I had someone at my side, a confidante, to hold me personally accountable for the work I committed to do.

Coaching is a strategic partnership. Everyone should have a safe space in which to discuss any aspect of their work. The ability to have someone external to your organization who can reflect, clarify, and challenge your beliefs www.edcan.ca/magazine

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

and work can be enormously rewarding. In a COVID world, leaders are under intense pressure. We need to find ways to support our leaders, and this opportunity to provide safe, external, and confidential coaching was timely.

Strategies for personal resilience

We decided to partner with BTS Spark, a non-profit education group that matches school leaders with professional leadership coaches. In our collaboration together, it became clear that our first priority was to offer a summer program for school leaders focusing on personal resilience and well-being. We knew leaders were experiencing higher levels of stress in facing not only the challenges caused by the disruption of the pandemic to the previous school year, but also the uncertainty

of what the upcoming school year might look like. We co-created a program to meet those needs, as well as our timescale and budget.

The Surviving to Thriving program was offered as an optional program to principals, vice-principals, and district principals. As a completely voluntary offering during the summer vacation, we were unsure how many school leaders would be interested in the opportunity. We hoped that 10–12 people might sign up. We were pleasantly surprised and delighted that 85 school leaders signed up to take part in the summer program.

The virtual program was designed to combine one-to-one coaching sessions (providing personalized support to match each individual’s needs and context) with group coaching sessions (offering muchneeded connection between school leaders during a time of stress

FIGURE 1: Surviving to Thriving Coaching Journey

www.edcan.ca/magazine

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 23

Figure 2: What Impact Did This Coaching Have?

Principals / VPs participating were asked to self-rate...

Before

After

I have strategies to stay resilient and effective in stressful situations...

64%

100%

I am able to create a balance in my life...

44%

I have a clear vision for the new school year...

43%

I feel that I have the tools to manage energy-sapping relationships...

30%

I feel confident having difficult conversations...

39%

and isolation). (See Figure 1). Over a period of a month, small groups of six people met weekly via Zoom for 90 minutes with a professional leadership coach. The goal was to hone and develop their skills to build personal resilience and resourcefulness. The work included reflecting on their well-being and balance, learning how to manage their state of mind, understanding what motivates them, exploring how to bring their “spark” into their work, and learning practical tools to help them deal with difficult interpersonal interactions, whether with parents, colleagues, or students. In between group sessions, participants could access one-to-one coaching sessions to process individually with their coach how to recover from the challenges of the spring and prepare themselves for the unknowns of the fall.

Feedback from the program – both formal evaluation and anecdotal feedback – was extremely strong. Participants were surveyed

both before and after the program, and their responses consistently showed positive experiences. As a result of the program, our principals reported being more able 90% to manage their state, stay resilient, achieve a work-life 100% balance, deal with energy-sapping relationships, tackle difficult conversations, and go into the new school year 100% with a clear vision (see Figure 2). All those surveyed said that they would recommend coaching to colleagues.

As one participant commented, “I appreciated the 90% opportunity to connect with my colleagues and to sort through the areas of my personal and professional life that are diminishing my spark. I feel I have tools to go forward this year with more positivity and resilience.” Another principal added, “I am looking forward to putting the strategies in place when I get back to work. I know that certain issues that I had at the end of the last school year are now put in a better perspective for me.

If I didn’t have this program, I believe I would have opened this new school year with these issues holding me back.”

Personal coaching through the fall

I know we were not alone in facing the dilemma of how to provide support to our school leaders through a school year full of unknowns.

What we did know was that the school year was likely to be a challenging one, that leaders would need to find new ways of leading in uncertainty, and that the usual face-to-face professional development and conferences were not on the horizon. We felt that leaders would

Figure 3:

24 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

www.edcan.ca/magazine

Our school leaders can build their capacity by tackling the very real challenges they are facing in their schools, all with professional guidance and support. want to draw on support that was responsive to what they were facing in their own context.

On the strength and feedback of the summer coaching program, we invited coaches to support our principals, vice-principals, and district principals through the fall. Participants were offered six hours of one-to-one time with a professional leadership coach, connecting virtually via Zoom at times to suit them. The coaching is responsive, focusing on their most pressing priorities and the challenges they are facing in their schools.

Again, this coaching was an optional offer and we saw relatively strong take-up, with 40 percent of all school-based administrators selecting to access the support. At the start of their coaching program, principals were guided through a self-reflection on their leadership capabilities, to identify both their natural strengths and the areas they wanted to develop in their current school context.

As you can imagine, there was no shortage of needs identified!

It was interesting to see where principals wanted to focus.

Our principals’ coaching objectives were analyzed and mapped to their curriculum of 33 leadership mindsets (see Figure 3). This revealed that our principals asked for help with: • Engaging others, honing their listening skills to support others, e.g. “I’m aiming to become an active listener, to understand and engage those around me.”

• Skills and confidence to hold difficult conversations where needed and to stretch others, e.g. “I would like to be more courageous in giving feedback and having challenging conversations.”

• Bringing their core values to life in their work and creating a sense of shared purpose with their teams, e.g. “My current challenge is establishing purpose and creating a common goal as a staff.”

• Building personal resilience and gaining confidence, e.g. “I would like to have more self-assurance to bounce back from setbacks and find my power when I get nervous.”

With this model, principals in the most remote schools in our country can still access top-quality leadership coaching, and they are also able to access French coaches.

While virtual coaching has provided support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when face-to-face professional development is not a viable option, we feel that we may have tapped a valuable new method of personalized support. Coaching is offering our school leaders something new and vital. They have a thought partner, a critical friend outside our school district, and a leadership expert with access to a wide-ranging curriculum of practical strategies to enhance their leadership. This professional development is differentiated and is not a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership development. Our school leaders can build their capability by tackling the very real challenges they are facing in their schools, all with professional guidance and support. The potential to extend this offer to teacher leaders is enticing, and we are considering next steps.

We continue to look at how coaching can be one powerful mechanism to help support the development of leaders at all levels. We are also asking what it looks like to be more coach-like across the organization. We are excited to offer professional coaching to leaders in our education system, and I look forward to seeing the difference this will make as we move through this unsettled year and beyond. EC

As Superintendent, seeing the selected areas of focus gave me a window into the uppermost needs of our principals as they headed into the new school year.

An equitable and differentiated approach

We talk a lot about equity of access for students, but less about equity of access for our school leaders to quality professional development. This coaching model is delivered virtually, via Zoom, and is thus accessible to all schools at times that suit them. www.edcan.ca/magazine

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 25

PHOTO : ISTOCK

L’ÉQUITÉ EN ÉDUCATION À L’ÈRE DE LA COVID-19

Christan Boyer est consultant en pédagogie et chercheur indépendant (Éditions de l’Apprentissage, SESSIONS) à Montréal, Qué.

Steve Bissonnette, Ph. D. est professeur titulaire au Département Éducation de l’Université TELUQ. Il s’intéresse aux travaux portant sur l’efficacité de l’enseignement et des écoles, à la gestion efficace des comportements ainsi qu’aux approches pédagogiques favorisant la réussite des élèves en difficulté. Monsieur Bissonnette est le premier chercheur canadien dont les travaux portent spécifiquement sur l’implantation du système le Soutien au Comportement Positif (SCP) ou Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) dans les écoles francophones canadiennes.

www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

L’école virtuelle avec ou sans pandémie…

Est-ce la solution de l’avenir ?

PAR CHRISTIAN BOYER ET STEVE BISSONNETTE LA PANDÉMIE DE COVID-19 a été un coup de tonnerre

dans le ciel bleu du monde scolaire. Du jour au lendemain, au Québec et dans le monde entier, de nombreuses écoles ont dû fermer leurs portes, imposant l’enseignement à distance comme la seule avenue possible pour que les enfants puissent poursuivre leur cheminement scolaire.

L’école virtuelle possède plusieurs caractéristiques qui peuvent être perçues, par certains acteurs du monde scolaire, comme étant des avantages qui rendent efficace ce type d’école. Dans les premiers mois de l’année 2020, les parents des enfants fréquentant l’enseignement en ligne ont sans doute constaté que leur enfant se retrouvait dans un contexte rappelant globalement l’enseignement individualisé ou personnalisé, dans la mesure où leur enfant devait faire seul ou avec le soutien paren-

tal les activités d’apprentissage à l’écran et sur papier.

Certains acteurs du monde scolaire peuvent percevoir cette individualisation reposant sur le dynamisme des enfants comme un élément potentiellement positif de l’école virtuelle, argument de vente d’ailleurs invoqué pour encourager les inscriptions dans ce type d’écoles (Barbour, 2019). Nous verrons que l’enseignement individualisé n’est pas un gage de succès.

L’école virtuelle implique l’emploi massif des technologies. Encore une fois, certains acteurs du monde scolaire peuvent considérer qu’un plus grand recours aux technologies est un élément favorable à l’apprentissage des élèves. Nous verrons que les données actuelles en la matière nous invitent à réfréner grandement notre enthousiasme.

La classe inversée présente avec l’école virtuelle une Le Réseau Édcan | janvier 2021 • ÉDUCATION CANADA 29

parenté certaine. La classe inversée consiste à diminuer l’enseignement en présentiel à l’école pour le remplacer par des clips vidéo, des exercices, des textes explicatifs accessibles sur Internet que les élèves consultent d’eux-mêmes à leur convenance. Les périodes de temps en présentiel à l’école sont alors consacrées aux questions des élèves, à la rétroaction et à l’approfondissement de certains contenus. En ce domaine, comme nous le verrons, les recherches sont rarissimes.

La classe inversée est une version partielle de l’école virtuelle puisque cette dernière pourrait se définir succinctement par un enseignement et un apprentissage intégral en ligne. L’école virtuelle s’est imposée au monde entier en avril 2020. Cependant, l’idée de l’école virtuelle commence à la fin du xxe siècle et des expérimentations, des recherches ainsi que des rapports en ont mesuré les effets. Malheureusement, nous verrons que les résultats ne sont pas invitants.

Donc, l’école virtuelle, est-ce la solution de l’avenir, avec ou sans pandémie ?

Le quotidien d’un élève à l’école

Le quotidien scolaire d’un élève inscrit à une école virtuelle se résume à être en interactions principalement avec un écran. En effet, ces interactions consistent à regarder des vidéos d’explications préenregistrés, à utiliser des applications informatiques présentant un contenu et des exercices précis, à faire des recherches et des consultations de sites internet, à lire des documents divers affichés à l’écran ou sur papier. L’ensemble de ces activités d’apprentissage peuvent se retrouver sur une feuille de route pédagogique, dont le contenu varie en fonction du degré scolaire et du rendement de l’élève. À cela s’ajoutent des évaluations formatives permettant de situer le cheminement de l’élève, tout en orientant la planification de la suite des activités d’apprentissage. Les rencontres synchrones à l’écran (en direct) avec le titulaire de l’élève ou un enseignant constituent un faible pourcentage du total des activités d’apprentissage. Des appels téléphoniques sont généralement prévus avec l’élève et ses parents. Ce portrait correspond assez bien à un enseignement individualisé comprenant un fort support technologique. L’école virtuelle est d’ailleurs souvent « vendue » aux parents et au monde scolaire comme étant une école offrant un enseignement individualisé et personnalisé (Barbour, 2019).

Les effets de l’enseignement individualisé en présentiel

En 2019, l’organisme australien Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) a produit une recension de recherches, principalement composée de méta-analyses, sur les effets de l’enseignement individualisé du préscolaire au postsecondaire. L’enseignement individualisé y est défini comme un système d’enseignement où les élèves/étudiants travaillent à leur propre rythme sur des activités personnalisées guidées pendant qu’ils sont à l’école. Divers modèles d’enseignement individualisé ont été testés au fil des ans, en particulier dans des matières comme les mathématiques, où les élèves/étudiants accomplissent d’eux-mêmes et à leur propre rythme les activités d’apprentissage.

(Pour une meilleure compréhension des résultats qui suivent, veuillez-vous référer aux deux tableaux suivants.)

Méta-analyse Une méta-analyse est une recension des recherches scientifiques sur un sujet en particulier, par exemple l’enseignement individualisé, afin d’en soupeser l’effet sur le rendement (ou d’autres variables : reprise d’année, estime de soi, etc.). Pour chaque recherche retenue, une grandeur d’effet est calculée et la moyenne de ces grandeurs d’effets est réalisée. La méta-analyse permet d’avoir alors une idée du poids sur le rendement (ou autres variables) du sujet

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analysé. Quoique la méta-analyse n’est pas exempte de failles possibles, elle demeure un moyen important d’éclairer les débats en pédagogie.

Grandeur d’effet La grandeur d’effet ou la taille d’effet d’une méta-analyse correspond à un effet moyen calculé à partir des grandeurs d’effets de chacune des recherches retenues. Le terme écart-type peut parfois être une équivalence de la grandeur d’effet. Une grandeur d’effet qui peut être positive ou négative s’exprime par un nombre décimal. Il faut savoir que généralement une grandeur d’effet est jugée petite si elle est supérieure à 0,20 et inférieure 0,49, qu’elle est moyenne si elle est supérieure à 0,50 et inférieure à 0,79 et qu’elle est forte si elle est supérieure à 0,80. On peut aussi considérer, à titre analogique, qu’un effet positif de 1,0 serait un gain d’un an d’apprentissage de plus qu’une autre approche pédagogique, qu’un effet de 0,50 serait l’équivalent d’une demi-année d’apprentissage scolaire de plus et qu’en corolaire, un effet de – 0,50 (donc négatif) serait égal à une régression d’une demi-année d’apprentissage, par rapport à une autre approche.

Les résultats des méta-analyses compilées par EEF varient de 0,07 à 0,41 écart-type avec un résultat médian de 0,19, ce qui est faible, même selon les normes retenues par EEF. Nous attirons votre attention sur le fait que ces résultats sont majoritairement obtenus en présentiel. De plus, d’autres chercheurs (Bangert et al., 1983) indiquent que l’enseignement individualisé peut être encore moins efficace au primaire et au début du secondaire. Est-ce que l’enseignement individualisé deviendrait plus efficace en ligne qu’il ne l’est en présentiel ? À moins d’adopter une perspective foncièrement jovialiste, il faut répondre que cela est peu probable.

Les effets des technologies en présentiel

Un développement plus exhaustif de ce qui suit se retrouve dans deux autres articles (Boyer et Bissonnette, soumis pour publication).

Au cours des quinze dernières années, Robert Slavin et ses collaborateurs de l’université John Hopkins se sont intéressés aux effets de la technologie en présentiel sur le rendement des élèves en mathématiques et en lecture. Slavin et ses collègues rédigent des méta-analyses du type de la « meilleure preuve » (Best Evidence). Les recherches retenues dans ces méta-analyses doivent répondre à des critères très rigoureux.

Slavin et son groupe de recherche (2009) observent, à partir des résultats provenant de 346 recherches présentées dans cinq méta-analyses publiées antérieurement, une taille d’effet très faible de 0,11 en ce qui a trait à l’enseignement assisté ou réalisé par ordinateur, pour l’apprentissage des mathématiques et de la lecture auprès des élèves du primaire et du secondaire. En 2019, dix ans plus tard, Slavin publie de nouveaux résultats avec des recherches plus récentes et obtient un effet de 0,05 pour le recours aux technologies sur le rendement des élèves en mathématiques et en lecture au niveau élémentaire et secondaire. Cette diminution importante de l’effet des technologies en dix ans est peut-être due à la perte de l’effet de nouveauté maintenant que ces technologies sont grandement accessibles. Une méta-analyse encore plus récente (Pellegrini et al., 2020) sur l’usage du numérique en mathématique, du préscolaire au secondaire, présente une grandeur d’effet moyenne près de zéro (0,02 et 0,03), ce qui tend à confirmer les résultats de Slavin sur le sujet au cours des dernières années.

Ces résultats montrent que le recours aux technologies en présentiel en salle de classe a un effet oscillant entre faible et négligeable sur le rendement des élèves. Comme Ravitch (2001) l’a déjà mentionné, www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

les révolutions technologiques des xixe et xxe siècles en classe (la radio, le cinéma, la télévision, l’audiovisuel, etc.) n’ont pas eu les effets escomptés sur l’apprentissage des élèves. Est-ce que l’effet des technologies du xxie siècle pourrait être plus élevé lorsque le titulaire est absent et que l’élève est en ligne ? Peu probable, mais allons voir.

Les effets de la classe inversée en mi-présentiel

La classe inversée est un courant qui privilégie un usage important des technologies et des activités en ligne, comme l’école virtuelle. Tricot (2017) mentionne qu’il n’existe aucune étude contrôlée et rigoureuse ayant montré les effets positifs de la classe inversée. Toutefois, Setren et al. (2019) réalisent une recherche avec une répartition aléatoire d’étudiants universitaires pour l’enseignement des mathématiques et de l’économie. Paradoxalement, même s’ils observent des effets positifs à court terme pour la classe inversée en mathématique seulement, ils ne recommandent pas franchement la classe inversée, car « … malgré les effets à court terme en mathématiques, nous ne constatons pas de gains à plus long terme dans l’apprentissage et la classe inversée exacerbe l’écart de performance [entre les étudiants] au lieu de le réduire ». L’augmentation des écarts de rendement s’explique probablement par le fait que la classe inversée nécessite une motivation et une autonomie élevées des étudiants. Si le rendement d’étudiants universitaires parmi les plus faibles et sans doute les moins autonomes est négativement influencé par la classe inversée, peut-on légitimement s’attendre à de meilleurs résultats avec des élèves du primaire et du secondaire ? Encore une fois, les chances sont minces, mais allons voir.

En ce qui a trait à l’approche même de l’école virtuelle, les résultats sont fortement négatifs.

Les effets de l’école virtuelle

En 2019, Molnar et ses collaborateurs (2019) présentent une analyse exhaustive des données provenant des écoles virtuelles sur le territoire étatsunien. Dans ce méga rapport (Miron et al., 2019), l’efficacité des écoles étatsuniennes offrant un enseignement virtuel à partir des résultats scolaires des élèves provenant de 21 États est décrite. Ces chercheurs concluent que 51,5 % des écoles virtuelles primaires et secondaires obtiennent des résultats scolaires médiocres. Ces auteurs recommandent même que des sanctions soient appliquées aux trop nombreuses écoles virtuelles qui sous-performent. Dans ce même rapport, Barbour (2019) recense, pour sa part, 35 rapports scientifiques, couvrant 14 États américains, rédigés entre 2006 et 2019 et portant sur les effets des écoles virtuelles du primaire et du secondaire. Tous les rapports colligés constatent la faiblesse importante des élèves fréquentant les écoles virtuelles comparativement aux écoles régulières en présentiel, pour tous les élèves, incluant les plus faibles. Sans surprise, plusieurs de ces rapports demandent à l’État l’ayant commandité de freiner la croissance des écoles virtuelles tant que ce modèle pédagogique sera aussi néfaste pour les élèves qui y participent. Barbour (2019) conclut : « Pour l’instant, il y a des problèmes sérieux concernant l’efficacité de plusieurs modèles d’écoles www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

virtuelles. Jusqu’à ce que ces problèmes soient adéquatement résolus, les politiciens devraient limiter ou considérer un moratoire sur la création de ce type d’écoles. ».

Conclusion

L’enseignement individualisé, généralement en présentiel, a un effet globalement faible et des données semblent indiquer que l’effet pourrait être moindre au primaire et au début du secondaire. L’usage des technologies, en présentiel, a un effet marginal sur les apprentissages.

L’état famélique de la recherche concernant la classe inversée, en présentiel partiel, ne permet pas d’avoir une vue claire sur la question, et les auteurs d’une recherche expérimentale récente n’en recommandent pas l’usage parce que cette approche amplifie les écarts de rendement. En ce qui a trait à l’approche même de l’école virtuelle, les résultats sont fortement négatifs.

Nous voulions voir et nous avons vu. L’école virtuelle, est-ce la solution de l’avenir, avec ou sans pandémie ? Dans l’état actuel de la recherche scientifique, la réponse est vigoureusement non. En conséquence, il est impératif que les gouvernements fassent tout ce qui est en leur pouvoir pour ne pas être obligés de fermer les écoles, et cela, afin de favoriser la réussite, tant au niveau des apprentissages scolaires que du socioaffectif (DELVE Initiative, 2020) des enfants.

L’école virtuelle et l’enseignement à distance ne doivent s’imposer que si la Santé publique ne voit pas d’autres solutions que de fermer les écoles. Cela devrait être un choix de dernier recours. ÉC RÉFÉRENCES Barbour, M. K. (2019). What virtual and blended education research reveals. Section II. Dans A. Molnar, G. Miron, N. Elgeberi, M.K. Barbour, L. Huerta, S.R. Shafer, J.K. Rice (2019). Virtual schools in the U.S. (p.41–83. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Boyer, C. et Bissonnette, S. [soumis pour publication]. Enseigner à distance, non par choix, mais par obligation. Formation et profession.

Bissonnette, S. et Boyer, C. [soumis pour publication]. Le mirage de l’enseignement à distance. Revue Apprendre et enseigner aujourd’hui.

DELVE Initiative (2020). Balancing the risks of pupils returning to schools. DELVE No. 4. Publié le 24 juillet 2020. Repéré au http://rs-delve.github.io/reports/2020/07/24/balancing-therisk-of-pupils-returningto-schools.html.

Education Endowment Foundation. (2019). Evidence for learning teaching & learning toolkit: Education Endowment Foundation. Individualized instruction. Repéré à https://evidenceforlearning.org.au/the-toolkits/the-teaching-and-learning-toolkit/ all-approaches/individualised-instruction/ Miron, G. et Elgeberi, N. (2019). Full-time virtual and blended schools: Enrollment, student characteristics, and performance. Section I. Dans A.Molnar, G.Miron, N. Elgeberi, M.K. Barbour, L.Huerta, S.R. Shafer, et J.K.Rice (2019). Virtual schools in the U.S. (p. 7–40). Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Molnar, A., Miron, G., Elgeberi, N., Barbour, M. K., Huerta, L., Shafer, S. R., et Rice, J. K. (2019). Virtual schools in the U.S. Boulder, CO: National Education Policy Center.

Pellegrini, M., Lake, C., Neitzel, A., et Slavin, R. E. (2020). Effective programs in elementary mathematics: a meta-Analysis. http://www.bestevidence.org/word/elem_math_May_26_2020_full.pdf Ravitch, D. (2001). Left back: A century of battles over school reform. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Slavin, R. (2019). A powerful hunger for evidence-proven technology. Billet de blogue, 14 novembre. Repéré à https://robertslavinsblog.wordpress.com/2019/11/14/a-powerful-hunger-for-evidenceproven-technology/ Slavin, R., Lake, C. et Davis, S. (2009). Meta-findings from the Best Evidence Encyclopedia. Baltimore, MD, Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education, Johns Hopkins University. Repéré à http://www.bestevidence.org/resources/resources.htm Setren, E., Greenberg, K., Moore, O. et Yankovich. M. (2019). Effects of the flipped classroom: Evidence from a randomized trial. (EdWorkingPaper: 19–113). Repéré à Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/zypw-dq26 Tricot, A. (2017). L’innovation pédagogique. Paris : Retz, collection Mythes et réalités.

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bien dans mon travail PAR JASMIN ROY

PHOTO : ISTOCK

La santé émotionnelle et relationnelle du personnel scolaire Son incidence sur les élèves Jasmin Roy est le président de la Fondation Jasmin Roy Sophie Desmarais

LE PRINCIPE D’EMPREINTE ÉCOLOGIQUE qui permet de mesurer la pression que l’être humain exerce sur la nature nous est tous familier. Puisque nous comprenons désormais que les émotions sont contagieuses et, parmi elles, le stress, nous devons apprendre à mesurer et à régir notre empreinte émotionnelle dans nos milieux de vie, bien avant de demander aux autres de mieux gérer leurs humeurs. Cette notion fait ici référence à la portée et à l’influence des émotions sur notre environnement.

Le stress est contagieux. Sans le savoir, nous pouvons contaminer nos proches et eux, réciproquement, peuvent nous transmettre inconsciemment leurs tensions. Il s’agit de la résonnance du stress. Celle-ci fait partie des découvertes récentes en neuroscience qui ont prouvé qu’il existe bel et bien des relations humaines toxiques et que nous pouvons influencer ces échanges nuisibles en favorisant le bienêtre et la régulation émotionnelle dans nos divers milieux de vie. Plus le lien est signifiant entre les personnes, plus celles-ci sont vulnérables devant le transfert du stress. Ainsi, plus le personnel enseignant passe du temps avec les jeunes dans un espace éducatif, plus il peut les exposer à leur stress et vice-versa. C’est pourquoi les spécialistes en neuroscience nous invitent à apprendre à gérer notre stress et nos émotions avant même d’essayer de neutraliser ceux de nos proches.

D’ailleurs, il a été démontré que lorsque les parents ou

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les enseignants autorégulent leur anxiété, le stress des enfants chute de moitié. Le bienêtre des adultes a un effet direct sur celui des jeunes et il favorise l’apprentissage.

Les liaisons émotionnelles et relationnelles qui unissent une personne à son entourage sont assujetties à ses propres états d’âme. Voilà l’importance de mettre en place des approches et des stratégies qui favoriseront de saines habitudes de vie émotionnelles et relationnelles pour TOUS dans les écoles.

L’adoption d’un mode de vie actif et d’une alimentation saine est un facteur déterminant pour être en bonne santé. Pas étonnant que, depuis notre plus tendre enfance on nous martèle, à grands coups de slogans, qu’il faut manger cinq fruits et légumes par jour et faire trente minutes d’activité physique quotidiennement !

Mais depuis quelques années, des chercheurs abordent de plus en plus cette notion de saines habitudes de vie émotionnelles et relationnelles, concept émergent qui doit désormais être intégré au spectre des saines habitudes de vie telles qu’on les connaît déjà. Ces habitudes saines prennent toute leur importance en situation de crise. Elles auraient également une incidence positive sur la santé globale et la longévité. Selon Robert Waldinger, psychiatre de l’université Harvard et 4e directeur d’étude longitudinale sur la santé et le bonheur chez l’être humain, qui a duré 75 ans, c’est la qualité des relations sociales qui nous rendrait heureux et pourrait même contribuer à nous garder en bonne santé. Être proche de sa famille, de ses amis et de sa communauté serait bon pour nous ; ces connexions sociales contribuent à une vie plus longue et saine. Mais pour favoriser des relations de qualité, nous devons apprendre à mieux gérer nos émotions. Voilà pourquoi nous devons intégrer les saines habitudes de vie émotionnelles et relationnelles dans le spectre des saines habitudes de vie en plus de l’activité physique et de la saine alimentation.

On pourrait même se risquer à dire qu’elles sont plus www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

importantes, puisqu’elles motiveront et guideront nos choix à travers l’ensemble des habitudes de vie et nous permettront d’optimiser notre bonheur et de bonifier notre espérance de vie. Alors, pourquoi ne pas faire la promotion des habitudes de vie émotionnelles et relationnelles durant cette pandémie? Pourquoi tant de campagnes gouvernementales sur des programmes de conditionnement physique et une alimentation saine, mais rien sur ces habitudes-là ? Est-ce une phobie collective qui nous empêche de voir notre monde émotionnel et relationnel, si capital à l’équilibre mental ?

De plus, les habitudes émotionnelles et relationnelles saines ont une influence sur l’ambiance au travail, sur la réussite éducative, sur l’engagement en faveur de la culture, de la communauté et, plus largement, de la société. Elles font la promotion de la diversité inclusive entre les personnes, élément essentiel en ce XXIe siècle qui évolue dans un esprit de mondialisation. Elles favorisent une plus grande harmonie familiale, une meilleure communication intergénérationnelle et permettent la mise en place d’approches collaboratives. Bref, elles ne peuvent qu’être positives.

En contexte de pandémie, au-delà des mesures de santé publique, les autorités doivent mettre en place des stratégies collaboratives pour favoriser la bienveillance au travail, car le bienêtre des enfants à l’école passe par celui du personnel scolaire (Goyette, 2019 ; Oberle et Schonert-Reichl, 2016). Les approches collaboratives, intégrées au curriculum de l’école, doivent prioriser le développement des compétences émotionnelles et relationnelles telles qu’une bonne conscience de soi, une bonne gestion des émotions et une valorisation du sentiment d’efficacité personnelle et collective.

Il est plus que temps de renverser la vapeur et de prendre soin de nous en adoptant de saines habitudes de vie émotionnelles et

www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

relationnelles. Voici quelques bienfaits : • moins d’émotions mystérieuses et meilleure gestion de ces émotions au quotidien ; • une meilleure confiance en nous ; • une meilleure conscience de l’importance de prendre soin de nous pour mieux prendre soin des autres ; • des choix plus judicieux qui ont une influence positive sur notre vie ; • un incitatif à nous comporter de manière éthique et responsable, mais aussi à développer des relations saines, positives et bienveillantes avec notre entourage.

En offrant des ressources d’aide psychosociale et émotionnelle aux enseignants, nous construisons des milieux bienveillants, positifs et sécurisants pour les élèves. Nous maintenons ainsi un climat sain qui favorise l’apprentissage. La santé mentale des intervenants scolaires doit devenir la priorité des autorités, car quand on prend soin des adultes on soutient les enfants qui leur sont confiés dans leur développement optimal. ÉC

https://fondationjasminroy.com/coffre-a-outils/ https://fondationjasminroy.com RÉFÉRENCES Goyette, Nancy (2019). Le bien-être et la passion en enseignement : un défi incontournable et réalisable pour les enseignants du secondaire, Conférence présentée à la Commission de l’enseignement secondaire du Conseil supérieur de l’éducation, 15 mars 2019.

Oberle, Eva et Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl (2016). « Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students », Social Science & Medecine, 159, juin, p. 30-37.

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développement professionnel PAR NORMAND BRODEUR

PHOTO : ADOBE STOCK

Adaptation nécessaire au numérique Une perspective québécoise Après avoir œuvré pendant 37 ans en éducation au Québec à titre d’enseignant au niveau secondaire et collégial, de directeur des services pédagogiques dans un collège privé de la Rive-Nord de Montréal et finalement de directeur à l’innovation et au développement pédagogique pour la Fédération des établissements d’enseignement privés (FEEP), Normand Brodeur partage son expertise avec ses partenaires en éducation. Ses sujets de prédilection sont le développement professionnel, les élèves à besoins particuliers, la douance ainsi que la pédagogie numérique et la lutte aux fausses informations.

C’EST BIEN CONNU, les écoles n’ont pas toutes les mêmes moyens d’offrir un environnement d’apprentissage stimulant à leurs élèves. Cette situation a d’ailleurs été dénoncée dans un rapport du Conseil supérieur de l’Éducation au Québec (CSE) en 2016. « La concurrence en éducation est indissociable de la perception que toutes les écoles ne sont pas équivalentes : elle alimente donc la crise de confiance qui fragilise le système public. Cette crise de confiance accentue la tendance à regrouper les élèves selon leur profil scolaire et socioéconomique. » Au-delà de cette critique qui mérite certes des nuances, il n’en demeure pas moins que l’épidémie de la COVID-19 a imposé un même défi à toutes les écoles, favorisées ou défavorisées : soit celui du déploiement du numérique en soutien à l’accompagnement et à l’apprentissage à distance. La COVID-19 a provoqué un moment unique et généralisé de développement professionnel.

La difficile implantation du numérique à l’école

Si l’école a son propre rythme de croissance, il est quand même surprenant de constater le faible niveau de maîtrise et d’utilisation du numérique à l’école, comme le révèle l’étude de Villeneuve et al., présentée en 2018. Force est de constater qu’à ce jour, les initiatives des dernières décennies n’ont pas fourni tous les résultats escomptés.

Au Québec, il suffit de penser à la création du RÉCIT (réseau axé sur le développement des compétences des élèves par l’intégration des technologies) ou encore au Plan d’action numérique (PAN) dont s’est doté le ministère de l’Éducation du Québec.

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Au tournant du millénaire, des commissions scolaires (CS) et des écoles privées ont commencé à lui emboîter le pas. La CS Eastern Township, dirigée à l’époque par Ron Canuel, a décidé de porter un grand coup en 2003 et de fournir un ordinateur à tous ses élèves pour provoquer le changement. « Depuis 1997, le gouvernement a dépensé plus de 300 millions et le taux d’utilisation des ordinateurs dans nos écoles est demeuré assez bas parce que les enseignants n’ont pas eu le temps de se familiariser avec les logiciels », affirmait-il dans Le Devoir.

Près de vingt ans plus tard, le point de bascule n’est toujours pas atteint et il aura fallu attendre cette crise sanitaire pour délier les bourses et les esprits afin de déployer le numérique à l’école et encore là, à géométrie variable.

Jusqu’où faut-il aplanir les craintes ?

Plusieurs raisons peuvent être invoquées pour expliquer la lente intégration du numérique dans certaines écoles au Québec. Cela va des choix budgétaires au manque de formation du personnel, en passant par le manque de soutien informatique ou encore la crainte d’être dépassé, voire ridiculisé par ses élèves : les natifs du numérique.

Qui sont-ils ces jeunes qui n’ont pas connu le monde sans Internet ? D’habiles joueurs en ligne, des experts en clavardage, des pros de TikTok ? Cela n’en fait pas des experts en apprentissage pour autant.

Ainsi, la fermeture des écoles et les demandes d’accompagnement à distance des élèves ont encouragé les enseignant(e)s à surmonter leurs craintes et à expérimenter les possibilités du numérique pour garder un lien d’apprentissage. Si le défi en a emballé certains, d’autres ont vécu une courbe d’apprentissage phénoménale pour réussir à maîtriser les Google Classroom, Teams ou Zoom de ce monde.

Le pouvoir de la collectivité

Ce virage rapide n’aurait pu se réaliser sans le soutien des conseillers pédagogiques, des formations en ligne et de l’essentiel soutien des collègues. Combien d’enseignants www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

ont pu compter sur l’appui indéfectible d’une consœur ou d’un confrère pour effectuer les premiers pas, les premières captations vidéo, les premières animations en ligne ? On aura rarement vu une telle entraide.

la gestion du temps. Pour ce faire, les directions d’établissement ont aussi dû faire preuve d’imagination afin de libérer les enseignant(e)s pour les amener à développer leurs compétences numériques.

Il reste encore des résistances dans le milieu, mais les enseignants sont de plus en plus nombreux à ne plus vouloir retourner à l’école « comme avant » après le printemps numérique qu’ils ont vécu.

La situation est encore loin d’être parfaite dans les écoles du Québec et le ministère de l’Éducation continue son investissement dans le matériel et la formation du personnel enseignant en prévision d’un éventuel autre confinement. Toutefois, nous ne pouvons ignorer les pas de géant que les enseignants ont réalisés quant à leur expertise en accompagnement des élèves à distance et à l’intégration judicieuse du numérique. Il reste encore des résistances dans le milieu, mais les enseignants sont de plus en plus nombreux à ne plus vouloir retourner à l’école « comme avant » après le printemps numérique qu’ils ont vécu. En fin de compte, la pandémie aura-t-elle malgré elle contribué à propulser vers l’avant une masse critique d’enseignants soucieux de faire mieux ce qu’ils font bien ? ÉC

Rapidement, les directions d’école ont demandé de fournir des plans de leçon hebdomadaires pour les élèves. Ces plans devaient principalement cerner les savoirs essentiels et consolider les apprentissages ; ce qui est une tâche relativement simple pour un enseignant expérimenté. Le défi se situait au-delà des notions à transmettre. Il fallait revoir sa pédagogie et ses stratégies autant d’enseignement que d’évaluation, car ce qui se faisait bien en classe ne se transmettait pas tel quel à l’écran.

Ainsi, les enseignant(e)s ont dû apprendre à gérer un groupe à distance notamment en instaurant des routines quant au comportement à l’écran, à la réalisation des activités proposées et à

RÉFÉRENCES Conseil supérieur de l’Éducation. (2016, septembre). « Rapport sur l’état et les besoins de l’éducation 2014-2016 : Remettre le cap sur l’équité » (sommaire). http://www1.cse.gouv.qc.ca/fichiers/documents/publications/CEBE/500494Sommaire.pdf Villeneuve, S., Stockless, A., Beaupré, J., et Bisaillon, J. (2018, octobre). Évolution de la compétence numérique d’enseignants : recul, statu quo ou progression ? 4e colloque du CIRTA, Présent et futur de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage numérique, Québec (Québec), Canada. https://cirta2018.teluq.ca/teluqDownload.php?file=2019/03/31_Villeneuve_Stephane_ Alain_Stockless_Julie_Beaupre_Jeremie_Bisaillon.pdf (2003, 24 janvier). « Un écolier, un portable ». Le Devoir. https://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/18974/un-ecolier-un-portable

www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

Tout reste à faire ? Non !

Le Réseau Édcan | janvier 2021 • ÉDUCATION CANADA 35

voix de l’expérience

PAR FADILA BOUTOUCHENT ET NATHALIE FOURNIER

PHOTO : ADOBE STOCK

L’équité à l’ère de COVID-19

Fadila Boutouchent est professeure agrégée au programme du Baccalauréat en éducation française de la Faculté d’éducation de l’Université de Regina. Elle y enseigne des cours de fondements,de méthodologie et des cours liés à la situation linguistique minoritaire.

Nathalie Fournier est enseignante en immersion française auprès de la division scolaire Prairie South. Elle prépare présentement un diplôme post-gradué dans le programme de Maîtrise en éducation française, Faculté d’éducation de l’Université de Regina, Saskatchewan.

Comment la pandémie touche-t-elle les apprenants en français dans les prairies saskatchewannaises ?

CE TEXTE ILLUSTRE par de multiples exemples en quoi la situation pandémique touche l’enseignement et l’apprentissage du français en contexte minoritaire. Mme Boutouchent y aborde une pratique qui a redonné la voix à des étudiants intimidés par la distance. Mme Fournier parle des changements apportés à ses pratiques auprès de ses jeunes élèves.

S’il y a un point important que l’on répète sans cesse tout au long de la formation initiale du personnel enseignant, c’est bien celui relatif à l’importance de la relation interpersonnelle. Une relation virtuelle, à distance, en synchrone ou en différé, avec ou sans artifices de réalité augmentée est certainement différente, surtout pour ceux et celles qui commencent leur première année à l’université en français langue seconde en milieu majoritairement anglophone. En ce temps de pandémie, la distanciation physique est un geste d’amour et d’attention envers soi et les autres, mais lorsqu’elle s’ajoute à l’isolement linguistique, elle augmente le stress ressenti. C’est du moins ce que mes apprenants m’ont

36 ÉDUCATION CANADA • janvier 2021 | Le Réseau Édcan

dit dès le premier jour de la rentrée. Bien qu’ils soient tous habitués aux technologies, ils espéraient vivre leur première expérience universitaire sur le campus, se faire des amis francophones de tous les horizons et planifier passer leur deuxième année à l’Université Laval à Québec l’année prochaine. J’aime leur répéter que ce rêve n’est que remis à plus tard mais je sais qu’ils le vivent différemment.

Comment amener ces nouveaux futurs enseignants à exercer leur français ?

Je suis professeure au programme du baccalauréat en éducation française de l’Université de Regina (Saskatchewan), où la langue est fortement minoritaire.

Non seulement la province se caractérise par ses vastes prairies, mais en plus, la communauté fransaskoise y est dispersée, si bien que les évènements francophones rassembleurs n’étaient déjà pas très nombreux avant la pandémie. Notre programme est unique à bien des égards. Non seulement il est le seul programme de formation des maîtres en français de la province, mais il réunit particulièrement les francophones et les francophiles d’ici et d’ailleurs qui se destinent à l’enseignement dans nos écoles fransaskoises et d’immersion française et y apprennent dès lors à collaborer (Boutouchent, 2016).

Quatre semaines après le début des cours, j’ai sollicité la rétroaction et les impressions de mes étudiants quant au déroulement du cours à distance. Après plusieurs minutes d’attente, j’ai fini par leur demander de se renommer en s’attribuant le nombre 1, et au lieu d’intervenir oralement, d’exprimer leurs idées par messagerie (clavardage). Devenus ainsi quasi anonymes, www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

ils n’ont pas hésité à offrir leurs commentaires et leurs suggestions.

Sur vingt-neuf participants, j’ai compté pas moins de dix-sept commentaires liés au stress linguistique. Plusieurs affirmaient qu’il leur était difficile de s’exprimer en français, y compris avec leurs collègues qu’ils rencontrent pourtant dans plusieurs autres classes. Plus de la moitié ont dit ne pas avoir utilisé leurs compétences langagières depuis le début de cette pandémie. La question suivante s’est alors imposée.

Comment la pandémie touche-t-elle les apprenants en situation linguistique minoritaire ?

L’an dernier, nous avons tous été surpris par cette pandémie.

Les écoles ont dû finir l’année scolaire à la hâte et à distance comme partout ailleurs. Dans une province où le français se parle surtout entre les murs de l’école et des classes, il va sans dire que les moments et les espaces privilégiés pour les interactions interpersonnelles, spontanées ou non, les échanges et les pratiques langagières ainsi que l’apprentissage du français langue seconde, ont cédé le pas à l’importance de finir l’enseignement des contenus disciplinaires. Les interactions virtuelles sont difficiles, surtout avec les jeunes qui vivent dans un environnement familial majoritairement anglophone. Plusieurs d’entre eux se sentent fortement isolés chez eux, parce qu’ils passent leurs journées à étudier en français sans pour autant pouvoir l’exercer ou l’utiliser, ni même se faire aider dans leurs apprentissages.

Ils se sentent, comme certains l’ont souligné, doublement isolés en comptant l’isolement dû à la pandémie. Ils se sentent isolés au sein du foyer mais aussi de leurs amis et de leur environnement scolaire ou universitaire, qui demeurait jusqu’ici l’espace unique de socialisation et d’interaction interpersonnelle en français langue minoritaire. D’autres qui ont des frères et des sœurs scolarisés en immersion française limitent leurs interactions à aider les plus jeunes à effectuer leurs travaux scolaires. Ils s’inquiètent aussi pour eux car à leurs dires, suivre les cours en ligne ne favorise pas l’interaction en soi. « Si les écoles ferment, les élèves en immersion qui ne parlent pas français à la maison risquent de perdre leurs acquis par manque de pratique. Il est plus difficile de poser des questions quand on a moins d’occasions de parler le français », expliquent-ils. Les communications interpersonnelles, par le biais de différents moyens technologiques avec les amis et la parenté, se déroulent souvent en anglais, soit pour exprimer rapidement ce que l’on a à dire ou bien parce que la communication implique des membres de la famille qui ne s’expriment pas en français. De par leur propre expérience, ma classe observe que « c’est déjà difficile d’apprendre la langue française à l’école, mais c’est encore plus difficile de l’apprendre en ligne. Dans les classes en présentiel, nous sommes entourés par les personnes qui parlent le français; à la maison, la plupart d’entre nous sommes les seuls qui le parlent ». Plus récemment, notre classe a discuté du contexte sociolinguistique des langues officielles dans lequel nous vivons et les enjeux liés au français minoritaire. Ces futurs enseignants pensent que la situation présente amplifie certains défis.

Comment la pandémie influence-t-elle les enjeux de la situation minoritaire du français ?

Une des premières observations soulevées est qu’« il y a encore moins de rencontres sociales, alors la communauté francophone en souffre un petit peu ». Celle-ci étant dispersée dans toute la province, il était déjà difficile de profiter des évènements socioculturels que les communautés fransaskoises du nord et du sud ont pris l’habitude de célébrer. Avec cette pandémie, la plupart des célébrations culturelles ont été annulées, y compris les évènements socioculturels www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

occasionnels comme la Semaine de films francophones offerte par la bibliothèque municipale, ou bien ceux des organisations communautaires fransaskoises telles que la Société historique, l’Association Jeunesse Fransaskoise (AJF) et bien d’autres encore auxquelles les écoles participent de mieux en mieux. Les évènements virtuellement offerts par certaines institutions francophones demeurent peu attrayants. « C’est encore regarder le français et non pas vivre en français » témoigne un des apprenants. Un autre défi soulevé par ce groupe de futurs enseignants est celui relatif à la difficulté d’enseigner. « La situation de la COVID-19 n’aide pas les élèves qui ne sont plus capables de s’entretenir entre eux en français à cause des masques mais aussi parce qu’il n’y a plus l’obligation de parler en français ». Non seulement l’apprentissage du français langue seconde n’est plus une priorité, mais le défi que les tout-petits vivent est réel. Le vécu d’une classe de prématernelle est bien révélateur.

Quelles sont les conséquences sur l’enseignement de la langue seconde à l’élémentaire ?

Jusqu’au 12 mars 2020, mes petits en prématernelle partageaient leurs idées et apprenaient de nouveaux mots en français en faisant du « buddy-reading » avec leurs partenaires de lecture de première année. Quatre jours plus tard, tout a basculé. L’apprentissage via la plateforme Zoom n’a pas été facile. L’enseignement que je faisais presque exclusivement en français en salle de classe est très vite devenu bilingue puis presque entièrement en anglais. J’ai dû soutenir mes élèves et leurs parents dans la langue de Shakespeare.

La pandémie a complètement changé ma façon d’enseigner mes classes de prématernelle et de maternelle. J’ai modifié mes stratégies d’enseignement et le matériel pédagogique pour remplacer les objets que les élèves manipulent habituellement, et j’ai changé l’organisation physique de ma classe. Le changement le plus déplorable se situe au niveau de la performance des élèves. Ceux de la prématernelle de l’an dernier qui sont en maternelle maintenant ont dû reprendre leur apprentissage du français comme si cela était la toute première fois. Tout le travail que nous avions accompli et le vocabulaire que nous avions acquis avant la pandémie avaient été oubliés en quelques mois. Notre vie de classe n’est plus la même et la relation bâtie avec mes élèves est différente. À cause des précautions et des mesures de sécurité en place, les jeunes élèves ont moins de plaisir à apprendre.

Non seulement les interactions entre eux ont beaucoup diminué mais en plus, ils ne peuvent plus partager leurs jeux, s’asseoir en cercle sur le tapis pour discuter de sujets divers, ni clairement entendre ma voix et ma prononciation des mots en français. À cause du masque, ma communication non verbale ne peut plus soutenir la compréhension et l’apprentissage de nouveaux mots. Mes petits éprouvent plus de difficultés à lire les émotions étant donné qu’ils ne voient que les yeux et non le reste des visages. Notre relation et interaction avec nos partenaires communautaires de Gravelbourg a aussi changé.

Désormais, nous ne pouvons pas nous rendre au bureau de poste où l’on pourrait utiliser notre français pour envoyer notre lettre au Père Noël. La situation actuelle prive mes élèves qui apprennent le français en milieu minoritaire de bien plus que de jouer avec leurs amis. Il nous faut espérer que cette situation ne dure pas pour que nos élèves ne perdent pas leurs acquis et ne se découragent pas du fait que leur apprentissage soit ainsi ralenti. ÉC RÉFÉRENCE Boutouchent, F. (2016). Le passage du milieu francophone minoritaire au milieu francophone majoritaire : Étude de l’expérience des enseignants en formation pour comprendre l’influence du milieu sur le développement professionnel. Revue Canadienne de linguistique appliquée (RCLA/ CJAL), 19(1), 84-108.

Le Réseau Édcan | janvier 2021 • ÉDUCATION CANADA 37

pratique gagnante

PAR ANGELA AUCOIN ET KIM THÉRIAULT

Un brin d’histoire

PHOTO: ISTOCK

Revenons à la fin des années soixante. Le climat social qui règne à cette époque est à l’origine d’actions collectives et d’engagements politiques qui procurent une lueur d’espoir à ceux et celles qui se trouvent marginalisés par leurs différences. À l’école, les changements sont significatifs. Le mouvement américain des droits civiques devient un fondement important pour l’émancipation des personnes ayant un handicap intellectuel et, par ricochet, pour l’inclusion scolaire. Au fil des ans, on met en œuvre des politiques scolaires qui permettent aux élèves ayant un handicap ou étant en difficulté d’apprentissage ou d’adaptation de fréquenter la salle de classe pour y recevoir une éducation jugée juste et égale à celles des élèves que l’on perçoit comme faisant partie de la norme.

Plus de cinquante ans plus tard, nous nous retrouvons dans un contexte semblable à celui des années soixante. Le mouvement américain Black Lives Matter et les rassemblements contre la discrimination systémique faite envers les peuples autochtones du Canada nous obligent à franchir une étape de plus vers l’égalité et la démocratisation du peuple nord-américain. Encore une fois, notre vision de la société est appelée à changer et l’école n’y fait pas exception. Mais cette fois-ci, le mécontentement politique et social se déroule au beau milieu d’une pandémie mondiale.

En mars 2020, l’éclosion de la COVID-19 ébranle le monde entier. Au sein des écoles, c’est la consternation.

Au mois de septembre, pour respecter les mesures de distanciation physique et le fait que certains élèves travaillent à domicile, le personnel enseignant doit rapidement repenser sa préparation et la livraison des cours. Les questions sont multiples, certaines au sujet de la vulnérabilité des élèves reliée à la COVID-19 méritent une réflexion approfondie. Par exemple : • Quels est le danger que les gains réalisés en inclusion scolaire depuis les cinquante dernières années soient perdus?

• Sommes-nous à risque de perdre le nouvel élan d’énergie qui semble insuffler un brin d’espoir pour les communautés noires et autochtones?

• Est-ce que cette période d’instabilité évoquera une source d’inspiration nécessaire pour nous permettre de respecter, voire de renforcer notre engagement envers l’élève qui, par sa différence, est encore trop souvent considéré comme étant hors-norme?

Chaque chose en son temps...

La COVID-19 exige le changement Angela AuCoin, professeure agrégée, Département d’enseignement primaire et de psychopédagogie, Université de Moncton Kim Thériault, étudiante au programme de doctorat en éducation, Université de Moncton

DEPUIS PLUSIEURS ANNÉES, les écoles canadiennes se sont dotées de politiques inclusives pour accueillir la diversité de leurs élèves; elles guident le personnel enseignant vers des pratiques respectueuses de l’Autre ou de l’élève qui diffère de la norme. En principe, l’école est passé d’une culture d’intégration scolaire où l’élève marginalisé est soumis aux mêmes normes que les autres à une culture inclusive dont les pratiques sont respectueuses de l’Autre.

Malgré de nouvelles politiques inclusives, les recherches démontrent que pour plusieurs, l’inclusion scolaire demeure un processus difficile à mettre en pratique. Trop d’élèves se trouvent encore exclus ou marginalisés en raison de leurs différences, entre autres, les élèves ayant une déficience intellectuelle ou une incapacité physique, les nouveaux arrivants qui ne parlent pas la langue d’accueil ainsi que les élèves issus de familles dysfonctionnelles. Si ces iniquités existaient avant la Covid-19, la pandémie risque non seulement de renforcer ces inégalités, mais aussi d’en créer de nouvelles. Pour faire de cette période d’instabilité une occasion de passer des principes inclusifs aux pratiques inclusives, nous proposons dans cet article que le changement doit commencer par notre regard sur la diversité qui est appelé à changer pour devenir plus « dénormalisant », c’est-à-dire, moins fondé sur la norme.

38 ÉDUCATION CANADA • janvier 2021 | Le Réseau Édcan

En espérant contribuer quelques éléments de réponses à ces questions, nous entamons notre réflexion avec ces paroles du Président John F. Kennedy, prononcées en 1957 : « Dans la langue chinoise, le mot www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

“crise” est composé de deux caractères – le premier représente danger, le second, occasion ». Dans cet esprit, en raison de la pandémie, est-il logique de dire qu’il existe un « danger » pour l’inclusion scolaire et que ce danger offrirait des occasions de grandir ?

Les risques de perdre les acquis dans le domaine

Inspirées du mouvement des droits civiques aux États-Unis et des critiques grandissantes au sujet des écoles spécialisées (Ramel et Vienneau, 2016), les règles établies dans les années soixante visent l’intégration des élèves ayant une déficience intellectuelle légère en classe avec les autres et reflètent les valeurs et les principes de la normalisation. L’intention était d’offrir aux élèves ayant une incapacité mentale ou physique considérés comme éducables les mêmes conditions scolaires qu’aux autres élèves. Ces décisions politiques mirent fin à une certaine forme de ségrégation telle qu’on la connaissait à cette époque et, dans plusieurs écoles canadiennes, il fut compris que dorénavant, l’élève « exceptionnel » aurait le droit d’être intégré au sein de la classe ordinaire à moins qu’il soit démontré qu’il serait préférable de faire autrement.

Le mouvement de l’intégration scolaire s’appuie d’ailleurs sur deux croyances : le placement des élèves à besoins particuliers dans la classe ordinaire contribue à l’épanouissement et au succès de tous les élèves et l’idée que les enfants en situation de handicap sont davantage semblables aux autres enfants qu’ils en sont différents (Lipsky et Gartner, 1989). Mais, on ne peut le nier, en raison de son handicap et par définition, l’élève « exceptionnel » est différent.

Au sein de sa nouvelle classe, il est appelé à entrer dans un moule prédéfini par la normativité sociale. Malgré les dispositifs de soutien qui sont mis en place, cet élève risque constamment d’être exclu pédagogiquement et socialement de son groupe-classe. En 1981, Pekarsky nous a fait prendre conscience que le coût que doit payer l’élève vivant en situation de handicap lorsqu’on lui demande constamment de se conformer aux normes de la salle de classe est trop élevé et que cette pratique ne peut plus être tolérée. En d’autres mots, si la normalisation a permis au mouvement d’intégration de prendre son envol, elle cause problème lorsqu’on désire réellement « inclure » parmi les autres élèves celui ou celle qui se trouve en situation de vulnérabilité.

Il y aurait sans doute lieu d’affirmer que l’inclusion scolaire était déjà à risque avant la venue de la pandémie.

richesse, c’est un état de fait : elle est là sous toute ses formes. C’est la construction sociale négative des caractéristiques, préférences, expériences ou besoins qui en font des problèmes dans un contexte donné. […] En d’autres mots, le problème n’est pas la diversité humaine, mais ce qu’on en fait dans la société et dans le milieu scolaire (p. 10).

Cela étant dit, nous croyons que la normalisation est à l’intégration scolaire ce que la dénormalisation est appelée à devenir pour l’inclusion (AuCoin et Vienneau, 2015). La dénormalisation est non seulement une façon de faire, mais également un état d’être. Cet état nous permet de voir le monde comme un tout et de réaliser que chaque individu y contribue à sa manière en toute dignité. La dénormalisation signifie l’acceptation, la compassion, l’empathie, la tolérance, l’entraide et le respect de l’Autre. Pour faire le lien avec la salle de classe, la dénormalisation nous invite à penser autrement la composition de son groupe-classe. Au lieu de chercher les défis et les incapacités de chacun des élèves, commençons au contraire par trouver ce que l’élève peut accomplir. Sans cela, le concept d’inclusion scolaire, soit celui de permettre à tous les élèves de participer activement et de contribuer au groupe-classe, est en risque de se fragiliser ou, pire, de ne jamais être développé à son potentiel.

Saisir l’occasion en temps de pandémie

Si chaque élément négatif contient aussi du positif, la pandémie pourrait-elle nous offrir l’occasion de franchir une étape de plus vers l’équité et de faire de la dénormalisation une nouvelle norme au sein du système scolaire? Dans cette évolution, voici deux considérations importantes pour nous assurer de ne pas perdre les gains réalisés depuis les cinquante dernières années en matière d’inclusion.

L’heure du changement a sonné

Depuis les années 1980, le regard que l’on porte sur les différences a évolué et, par conséquent, les nouvelles politiques en matière d’inclusion le reflètent. Si le mouvement de l’intégration était centré sur les incapacités de l’élève, l’inclusion soutient que « les difficultés scolaires d’un élève sont perçues comme une conséquence de ses interactions avec son environnement et non comme une conséquence de ses incapacités » (Beauregard et Trépanier, 2010). L’école inclusive vise à répondre aux besoins de chaque élève et fait valoir que chaque enfant compte. En plus des élèves ayant une incapacité, on tente également d’inclure les élèves à risque d’être marginalisés et exclus en raison de leur différence, soit, par exemple, ceux et celles jugés différents en raison de leur orientation sexuelle, de leur origine ethnique, de leur sexe, de leur religion ou de leur situation économique. Cette liste est longue. D’après nous, la seule chose qui soit normale, c’est que nous sommes toutes et tous différents. Larochelle-Audet et al.

(2018), abondent dans le même sens lorsqu’elles disent que : […] la diversité humaine n’est pas un problème, ni même une www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

Le Réseau Édcan | janvier 2021 • ÉDUCATION CANADA 39

1. Si l’intégration ne conduit pas à l’inclusion, que faire? Étant donné que les fondements associés au mouvement de l’intégration scolaire proviennent surtout du monde médical et, de ce fait, se concentrent davantage sur les déficits à combler, pour que l’inclusion soit réussie voici ce que nous devons faire : • Éviter de comparer les élèves à une norme préétablie ; • Penser à la contribution future de chaque élève à la classe et à la société ; • Voir chaque élève et son potentiel comme uniques ; • Voir la composition de la salle de classe avec un regard dénormalisant.

2. Comment faire pour dénormaliser?

Malgré les gains importants qui ont été réalisés dans le domaine de l’inclusion scolaire au cours des dernières décennies, les défis demeurent encore nombreux (UNESCO, 2020). D’après nous, c’est en adoptant un regard plus dénormalisant que nous allons relever ces défis. Voici quelques pistes à suivre : • Accepter toutes les différences des élèves comme faisant partie de la norme ; • Prendre conscience de notre attitude à l’égard de la diversité ; • Se questionner continuellement sur les pratiques pédagogiques qui favorisent la pleine participation de tous les élèves aux mêmes projets éducatifs et communautaires.

Pour conclure, la COVID-19 nous a démontré que personne n’est à l’abri de la vulnérabilité et que nous devons pouvoir compter les uns sur les autres pour survivre. Au lieu de voir les différences comme des obstacles, ne serions-nous pas gagnants de les accueillir ?

40 ÉDUCATION CANADA • janvier 2021 | Le Réseau Édcan

Comme Albert Jacquard (1978), nous sommes d’accord pour dire que « notre richesse collective est faite de notre diversité. L’« Autre », individu ou société, nous est précieux dans la mesure où il nous est dissemblable ». Comment tirer avantage de cette situation précaire pour repenser notre regard sur la diversité? Si on se fie au proverbe « chaque chose en son temps » … en matière d’inclusion scolaire, la COVID-19 nous laisse entrevoir que ce temps est arrivé! ÉC RÉFÉRENCES AuCoin, A. et Vienneau, R. (2015). L’inclusion scolaire et la dénormalisation : proposition d’un nouveau paradigme. Dans N. Rousseau (dir.), La pédagogie de l’inclusion scolaire (3e éd., p. 65-87). Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Beauregard, F. et Trépanier, N. S. (2010). Le concept d’intégration scolaire… mais où donc se situe l’inclusion ? Dans N. S. Trépanier et M. Paré (dir.), Des modèles de service pour favoriser l’intégration scolaire (p. 31‑56). Presses de l’Université du Québec.

Danforth, S. (dir.). (2017). Becoming a great inclusive educator (2e éd.). Peter Lang.

Larochelle-Audet, J., Magnan, M.-O., Potvin, M. et Doré, E. (2018). Les compétences des directions en matière d’équité et de diversité : pistes pour les cadres de référence et la formation. Rapport de recherche : Observatoire sur la formation à la diversité et l’équité. Université du Québec à Montréal.

Lipsky, D. K. et Gartner, A. (1989). Beyond separate education: Quality education for all. Paul Brooks Publishing.

Pekarsky, D. (1981). Normalcy, exceptionalty and mainstreaming. Journal of Education. 163,4, 320-334.

Ramel, S. et Vienneau, R. (2016). Des fondements sociologiques de l’inclusion scolaire aux injonctions internationales. Dans L. Prud’homme, H. Duschesne, P. Bonvin et R. Vienneau (dir.), L’inclusion scolaire : ses fondements, ses acteurs et ses pratiques (ch. 1, pp. 25-38). DeBoeck.

UNESCO. (2020). Inclusion and education: ALL means ALL. Global Education Monitoring Report. https://bit.ly/3hVFGga

www.edcan.ca/fr/magazine

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THE PAT CLIFFORD AWARD 2020 WINNER

What Do We Actually Mean by “Inclusion”?

How preservice teachers think about inclusion

Chris Ostrowdun is a PhD Candidate in Learning Sciences at the Werklund School of Education of the University of Calgary. He is interested in studying ways to support educators and students to foster and thrive in inclusive learning environments.

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BY CHRIS OSTROWDUN INCLUSION, specifically in terms of disabilities, affects

all teachers, students, and classrooms. Within Canada, roughly 13 percent of K-12 students are considered disabled, a number that climbs to 25 percent when taking into account students requiring significant learning supports (Alberta Teachers’ Association, 2018). Commonly, preservice teachers receive training on policies, procedures, and strategies for inclusion as part of their teacher

education. Armed with this training, teachers (novice and experienced alike) are expected to “do” inclusion and support a gamut of diverse student needs. Teaching practices are shaped by this training combined with teachers’ own beliefs, values, and experiences, yet there is less clarity in academic literature on how teachers integrate their perspectives and training in coming to understand inclusion. This crossroads was the focus of my research as EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 41

both a contribution to scholarship and to support preservice teachers themselves in developing an understanding of inclusion.

As an instructor of a Bachelor of Education course on inclusion and having worked with students with disabilities over the years, I wondered how preservice teachers grappled with and made sense of their training and what they thought inclusion meant from their own perspectives. Having seen first-hand how a teacher’s understanding of inclusion can impact students’ experiences and learning, I knew this was an area that warranted further investigation. Much of the literature I reviewed considered teachers’ overall beliefs, sentiments, and attitudes toward inclusion and disabilities. However, I was struck by the limited attention paid to the finer-grain aspects of preservice teachers’ perspectives and how they came to develop their understanding.

Although I have not defined either disability or inclusion, these terms have likely evoked from readers (such as yourself) a swirl of meanings and assumptions. In the same way, without explanation, my mention of a typical K-12 Canadian classroom likely prompts a common set of assumptions about what a classroom is, what happens there, and who is there. Chances are most people would imagine a classroom having a teacher, students, desks, and chairs. In such a classroom, students likely take part in learning activities and assessments, and are expected to follow established behavioural norms.

While the details of these characteristics will differ from person to person, the commonalities make up what Dorothy Holland (1998) and colleagues called a “figured world.” This concept encapsulates the socially negotiated and recognized, taken-for-granted assumptions about an environment, its participants and activities, and what outcomes are valued over others within a context. Figured worlds vary in scope and type, such as a figured world of schooling, parenting, corporate accounting, or Alcoholics Anonymous. Importantly, figured worlds shape how people engage with daily life and are useful for understanding how people assume orientations to participate in a given context. They are how a person can know what to expect and do within a classroom versus, say, a zoo. (Of course, classrooms and zoos can sometimes feel like they have a lot in common!)

Figured worlds are durable but not static. They are in a continuous process of being refigured and renegotiated by their participants, thus making it a useful framing given that neither inclusion nor teaching and learning occur in a vacuum or strictly follow a script. As well, a person’s experiences and participation in one world influence how that person comes to understand and participate in another. This space, where preservice teachers negotiate previous understandings of inclusion and/or develop new ones, was the focus of my research.

I wanted to pull back the curtain on what preservice teachers understood inclusion to be and how they formed that understanding. In addition, I wanted preservice teachers themselves to reflect on their perspectives and discuss them with peers, learn from each other, and couch their perspectives among their peers.

To help make this process visible, at least partially, my colleagues and I tasked the 350+ preservice teachers enrolled in a Bachelor of Education course with creating drawings of inclusion. Intentionally, the task was open-ended. Students were supplied paper and markers and had approximately 30 minutes to create their drawings. Why drawings? The goal was to encourage preservice teachers to go beyond repeating inclusive buzzwords. Moreover, drawings offered a tangible way to externalize students’ thinking and acted as a tool to think

42 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

with when discussing their ideas with peers. In addition, drawings are unique in showing multiple ideas and concepts in relation to each other simultaneously on a page, compared to a written form where ideas are presented more linearly. For instance, a drawing can more easily show how different groups of students and resources might be positioned in a classroom in relation to each other and the teacher.

Given the range of drawing skill sets among the preservice teachers, they were also asked include a written description to explain ideas or concepts they were attempting to convey through the drawing.

In small groups, the preservice teachers shared and discussed their drawings. All drawings were scanned and uploaded to an online gallery accessible to everyone enrolled in the course. The instructors and I reviewed the drawings to get a glimpse into students’ thinking and we referred back to them during in-class discussions.

Findings

The drawings were delightful, ranging from depictions of classrooms to abstract shapes and metaphors. They were diverse but also shared common themes.

Accommodations and resources were common among drawings of classroom environments. These included supports such as wheelchairs, access to print and audio versions of books, visual magnification devices, various types of seating, and options to use visual or tactile learning materials. These depictions took a predominantly tool-driven approach to inclusion by offering students resources. Perhaps unsurprisingly, such approaches echo traditional perspectives toward disabilities that continue to underpin systemic structures and practices within education today – specifically, the medical model of disability that relies on matching diagnoses to supports and developing individualized education plans to document and track students’ progress. Critically, such diagnoses are often necessary to prove eligibility for resources and access to government funding.

Also common to the drawings were students depicted as holding hands or collaborating on learning activities. This framing of inclusion tended to emphasize togetherness and a sense of belonging among diverse people. Collaboration was also conveyed in two ways: as students helping one another and as a way to strengthen learning and benefit everyone by combining people with different attributes and experiences. These ideas seem to align with contemporary theories of education such as social constructivism and generally fostering interactions among people as part of learning.

In contrast to these, several drawings took a more holistic perspective by describing inclusion as a system. For instance, drawings of a forest as a metaphor for how each student represented various elements of a forest (e.g. rocks, stumps, trees, shrubs, soil) and each element was interconnected and collectively made up an ecosystem of inclusion.

In terms of what inspired their drawings, in interviews after the course, the participants often referenced their own experiences of schooling. Some spoke of challenges they noticed or experienced as students themselves and used the drawings to contrast or improve upon them. Others spoke from the perspective of being parents and noticing their own children’s experiences and how their children’s classrooms looked and what resources were available to support student needs. Still others admitted limited experience or knowledge of supporting disabilities and inclusion.

Between the course and the interviews, preservice teachers www.edcan.ca/magazine

completed a four-week practicum placement at a school where they planned and taught a portion of lessons. During the interviews, I asked the participants about their experiences around implementing inclusive practices during practicum. One hurdle they repeatedly described was taking into account social dynamics when trying inclusive practices. For instance, one participant described an activity where students had to collaborate to solve math problems. The preservice teacher did not realize one student often had negative interactions with peers, making collaboration difficult. In another case, a participant designed a lesson where students worked in groups and did class presentations, but two students had selective mutism and struggled to participate in the activity given its interactive nature.

Some participants also encountered school cultures and norms that resisted certain inclusive practices. In a school that prioritized traditional direct instruction and individual seat work, when a partici-

Having seen first-hand how a teacher’s understanding of inclusion can impact students’ experiences and learning, I knew this was an area that warranted further investigation. pant offered students multiple options to show their learning – such as thorough multimedia or forms other than written text – all students elected to use a written format because it was the normative practice of that learning environment. In another case, a participant explained how in upper grades, there was often a strong focus on preparing students for diploma exams and other teachers in the school questioned learning activities that strayed from the formats used in exams.

Not all participants encountered challenges in their practicum, though. Several described classes where students had agency to use resources as desired to support their needs. The teacher had established norms and inclusive practices that aligned with the preservice teachers’ perspectives toward inclusion. Similarly, one participant noted how their placement classroom had norms around students supporting each other, reducing the onus on the teacher to foster inclusive practices.

Lessons learned

At a base level, all the participants conveyed a positive sentiment towards inclusion. All acknowledged diversity among students and their needs, and communicated ways to support those needs. Reflecting on the findings, some key takeaways emerged.

First, traditional, medically-oriented approaches to disability continue to be top of mind for many preservice teachers entering the profession. Given that the medical model underpins much of the systemic processes and supports, teachers must learn to navigate and www.edcan.ca/magazine

leverage these systems so students can access funding and resources. At the same time, students are more than a diagnostic label and inclusion should approach students as holistic beings with an array of attributes, strengths, and needs. Contemporary models such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) aim for such a holistic approach, and many teacher education programs (including the one in this study) and ministries of education promote their use. Acknowledging that current funding models and systemic structures can impose pragmatic challenges, training teachers on models such as UDL is key in encouraging teachers to move beyond mere accommodations and take comprehensive approaches to supporting students’ needs.

Second, the participants’ common portrayals of students collaborating or interacting as part of an inclusive environment aligns with contemporary theories of learning as a social process. The participants were less clear on how collaborative approaches worked together with accommodation strategies, suggesting a need for more explicit training and/or scaffolds as part of teacher education and professional development to help teachers integrate individualized supports within social models of learning.

Third, as some participants experienced in their practicums, there can also be tensions between inclusive practices and school cultures and priorities. Pressures such as diploma exams can constrain the types of teaching practices and learning activities that are offered to students. Importantly, inclusion and diversified practices that better support a range of student needs are a benefit and not a compromise or detriment. Approaches such as UDL can enhance and enrich learning for all students while enabling a greater range of students to learn and participate in education. While it may be challenging at times, new and seasoned teachers alike should remain vigilant and reflective about their practices and resist following traditional ways of teaching for the sake of status quo, instead focusing on pedagogies that are inclusive and enriching to all students. Similarly, teacher educators can integrate opportunities for preservice teachers to critically reflect on their perspectives as part of their training.

This study has shown a wonderful breadth in how preservice teachers are thinking about inclusion. While the implementation details were still emergent for some participants, their ideals hold promise. The study also points to opportunities to scaffold ways for teachers to make linkages across different aspects of inclusion (e.g. individualized versus class-wide supports) during their training and when they take on classrooms of their own. As well, given the array of ways preservice teachers think about inclusion, incorporating opportunities to explicitly discuss those perspectives in their teacher education can support them in developing durable understandings of inclusion.

Inclusion is a broad and complex topic with many interconnected elements, much like the drawings involving forest metaphors, so it is heartening to see the next generation of teachers actively considering its many facets in an effort to foster an accessible, robust, and resilient education system for all students. EC REFERENCES Alberta Teachers’ Association (2018). The state of inclusion in Alberta schools. www.deslibris.ca/ID/247446; Statistics Canada (2018). Canadian survey on disability: A demographic, employment and income profile of Canadians with disabilities aged 15 years and over, 2017. www.statcan.gc.ca Holland, D., Lachicotte Jr., W., Skinner, D. & Cain, D. (1998). Identity and agency in cultural worlds. Harvard University Press.

EdCan Network | January 2021 • EDUCATION CANADA 43

voice of experience

BY STEPHANIE CORTESE

PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Teaching through the Screen Making a remote connection with students Stephanie Cortese has been a teacher for the last decade, completing her Masters of Education degree with focus on Adult Learning and Leadership; she continues to be a creative and restless learner, both in and out of the classroom. The proud mother of Nathan and Madelyn, she is kept afloat through the combination of the Food Network, Cabernet Sauvignon, and naive optimism.

THE SPRING OF 2020 will be described as “unthinkable” in our future textbooks. Grocery shelves were emptied, parks banned, classrooms closed, and businesses boarded. The world as we understood it was paused. But through the challenges, perspectives started to change and priorities shifted. Despite the fact that we were physically separated from one another, we came to a common understanding: that the “busy” of our lives was a glorification of exhaustion, discontent, and fear.

Teachers, with no classrooms to teach in, found themselves having to transition into digital educational spaces. My position was a little different. I was an online educator long before the days of COVID-19. However, the forced isolation led me to re-evaluate my own professional practice, in order to answer the many questions that were coming forward at that point. I was forced to reflect. In doing so, I realized that I needed to translate digital learning into an authentic and valuable experience for my students, and I needed to shift my own mindset about online practices, opportunities, and capabilities. We needed to come together, not just for academic success, but for our well-being as a group.

I thought I knew all there was to know about online teaching. It was my specialty, after all. However, despite my familiarity with the platform, I never fully understood or appreciated its potential benefits. Initially, its service for me was as a connector for learning and one-to-one

44 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

Q and A. Honesty is key here, and as an online teacher, I will frankly admit that prior to the pandemic, I was quite resistant to online interaction. I believed the benefits of face-to-face connection could not be replicated through a screen, nor were they reliable enough in that context for professional practice. When it was necessary, I used it sparingly and in short intervals, as we were instructed to do by our administration. It felt forced and cold.

However, circumstances of these past months allowed for time to understand the potential and value of online learning. It was my bridge to students who, otherwise, would not be able to continue their studies. My mindset shifted. Mediums such as Google Meets and Zoom helped to alleviate the feelings of isolation. I scheduled meetings multiple times each week, with no filters, and no staging of my table or background. I let the clutter of home and the sound of my toddlers’ Netflix cartoons be part of my presence. In order for this to feel authentic and genuine, I had to first be an example of that for my students. Slowly, as both my students and I became comfortable with the process, I was able to answer their academic questions, but also ask about the pictures on their wall or the scenery at their cottages, and have them giggle with me at the many cups of pretend coffee my daughter would pour me while interrupting my lesson: “Mommy needs more coffee?!”

In the absence of physical contact, technology allowed me to build relationships – and those relationships extended beyond our scheduled times. Students informed me that there were others in the class who were struggling with the course because of issues like Internet connection, transportation, and accessibility. I made the taboo move of passing along my personal number (GASP – I know, but I did it!) to have those students reach out to me. I would make the arrangements necessary to ensure they had support in completing their tasks, and/or resources beyond their academics, if needed. I arranged phone conferences, created live docs through shared Google drives to provide immediate feedback, and when necessary, reached out to my administration to send paper copies of the material through the post for the students in more remote areas. I sent text reminders when I could to those who needed the extra push.

I found that trust could be established through the monitors, not in spite of them. I began to approach this platform with a newfound appreciation for its ability to cradle interconnection and create a new dimension of teacher/student relationships.

I know each teacher’s practice and experience will be different, whether online or in the classroom. However, I have come to three key factors that were instrumental in making the online experience successful and fun!

• The first is consistency. Set times for meetings and support, and be there! Even if you do not see or talk to anyone that day, show up. Make it known and clear that you will be there.

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book review

BY STEPHEN HURLEY

THE POWER OF US How we connect, act, and innovate together

By David Price Thread, 2020 ISBN: 9781800191181

A retired Ontario educator, Stephen Hurley is the founder and chief catalyst at voicEd Radio (Canada).

For conversations with David Price and other education thinkers visit voicEd.ca

THE POWER OF US enters the pandemic publishing parade with a compelling message that is both challenging and hopeful. Change consultant and author David Price makes a strong case for unseating traditional hierarchical ways of organizing our businesses, schools, and community organizations. That’s the challenge. But the hope lies in Price’s illustrative efforts to show us where in the world it is already happening.

The result of nearly three years of deep inquiry, The Power of Us draws us into a story of mass ingenuity, or what he refers to as people-powered innovation.

Much more than just the sharing of ideas or organizing ourselves into cooperative clusters, it is the innovation that happens when groundswells of public activity,

including inspiring examples of youth activism, meet up with organizations that understand and acknowledge that the traditional divisions between producer and consumer, artist and audience are quickly melting away. It’s what happens when companies start to see their users as co-creators, when the health-care sector starts to value highly invested patients as highly invested innovators, when schools begin to see their educators, parents, and students as co-learners, imbued with a sense of agency to make a difference outside the walls of the schoolhouse.

Price examines many of the familiar themes of change literature – ethos, structure, mindset, and leadership – through the lens of people power, supported by some very robust and compelling case studies written from the author’s own commitment (pre-pandemic) to travelling the world to find the organizations, companies, and schools that were actually showing up to their work differently. The generous summary of key points and takeaways at the end of each section invites the reader to look at their own practice and their own organizations through the lens of people powered innovation.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced David Price into rewrite mode, not because he was wrong, but because his ideas were so very right. COVID-19 is cast here, not as part of the scenery but as a main character, allowing The Power of Us to make a strong contribution to our rethinking of how we want to be in a post-pandemic world. EC

Continued from page 44 • The second factor is to be real, be authentic – no filters. Get comfortable in your discomfort and allow that to come through.

The honesty in clutter, piled dishes, and disarray creates the best small talk.

• The last factor that I believe is a key to success within an online classroom is to set boundaries and abide by them. Despite the fact that you want to be accessible and available for your students as much as possible, it does not mean that you should be available 24/7. When you turn off your devices, keep them off.

Respect your own downtime. Taking care of others is sequential to taking care of yourself.

Let’s also admit that despite its benefits, online teaching is hard! As e-learning teachers, we must combat the inconsistencies of attendance and daily logins, missed assignments, and students’ overall struggle with time management and motivation to engage with a screen for their academic benefit rather than social pleasures. We have worked very hard to do this, and continue to do so, to help our students find success within themselves, regardless of the unexpected circumstances they may find themselves in.

Our learning does not end when we become teachers. As we transfer our binders and printed lessons onto digital platforms, and blend our classrooms into interactive and accessible hubs, we need to embrace a new vision of what an educator can be. It is not the end of the role, but rather a transformation of it, which we get to be part of. Change is inevitable and remains one of the only constants – but our growth is an optional component. EC 46 EDUCATION CANADA • January 2021 | EdCan Network

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