The Commonwealth Times; Sept. 30, 2020

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COMMONWEALTHTIMES.ORG @theCT

THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY 2019 Newspaper Pacemaker Winner

VOL. 62, NO. 7 SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Teaching the future Education field grapples with training, engaging in virtual classrooms

Illustration by Andy Caress

KATHARINE DEROSA Staff Writer

education requirements into face-to-face Zoom training is available to students, learning on Sept. 29. The school division faculty and staff on VCU’s website, and hopes to have all students participate in Wachter said educators were provided with EACHERS AND YOUNGER STUDENTS face-to-face learning during the 2020-21 a FAQ page and a Zoom blog for further are learning to manage their time, school year, according to its website. assistance. engage via video chat and foster Mason said he would be eager to transiWith flu season approaching and unconnections without physical contact, and tion to in-person student teaching, but he certainty regarding a return to face-to-face future teachers studying at VCU are follow- would need to take additional precautions. learning, Wachter said he’s worried about ing suit in their field work. As a commuter student living with elderly teacher candidates who must complete Senior music education major Noah parents, Mason is concerned he could acci- their practicums and internships in neighMason would usually spend most of the fall dentally bring home COVID-19. boring districts. semester and nearly all of the spring semes“I do have concerns if we have school ter shadowing teachers. Mason said that closures,” Wachter said in an email. hasn’t happened yet due to Chesterfield Jon Becker, associate professor in the County Public Schools’ safety precautions department of educational leaderfor distributing online class information. ship at the School of EducaInstead, he helps school music instruction, said faculty decided I feel like you can’t tors repair instruments, organize music liover the summer that really go into it thinking braries and distribute materials to students all of the department’s at Meadowbrook High School in Chesclasses would be that you’re going to terfield, Virginia. He said this counts as offered online. have a plan. You have his field experience, but he’s disappointed Becker was the to be willing to adapt.” he can’t interact with students online director of innoor in person. vation and online Liz Pearson, first grade teacher “We reached the conclusion academic prothat no amount of undergrams for VCU graduate experience “That’s been an anxious thought from 2013-17, so he re a l l y p re p a re s of mine for some time now,” was familiar with online you for the real Mason said. teaching before it became deal,” Mason said. Owen Wachter, creative a popular medium last semes“None of it is reallead and web manager for ter. Becker said COVID-19, on ly like being in the VCU’s School of Edu- the other hand, taught him the imclassroom and doing cation, said a major- portance of synchronous learning, or the whole thing.” ity of shadowing instruction that requires students and teachStudents in the City assignments in ers to meet at a designated time. of Richmond are online Richmond-area “In a time where we don’t have opfor the entirety of the first seschool districts are tak- portunities to be together physically, it’s mester, but surrounding public ing place online. important to come together at the same school systems differed in semester Wachter said that 99% of time,” Becker said. plans. Henrico County Public Schools undergraduate classes and 91.9% of Online education can be just as fruitful are online for the first nine weeks of the graduate classes in the school are online, as in-person education, Becker said, but school year, and Hanover County gave stu- hybrid or blended. creating quality online courses requires dents the option to attend class in person. “A very small number of students are more work than usual. Chesterfield County Public Schools in face-to-face settings,” Wachter said “I will say that they are qualitativewill begin phasing students with special in an email. ly different experiences, but it’s very

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possible to teach a high-quality online course,” Becker said. FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK Liz Pearson, first grade teacher at Richmond Public Schools, has become familiar with new teaching styles, virtual classrooms and alternative learning experiences from her desk at home. Pearson said online teaching has gone better than expected for her class — her students understood how and why to mute their microphones within the first few days of classes. “As of right now, it’s been pretty positive and we haven’t really had to face a lot of obstacles,” Pearson said. “I mean, they’re just doing great.” Pearson said that while her students are doing well, she finds it difficult to teach certain parts of the class, such as holding a pencil, without the constant guidance of face-to-face learning. “I might not be able to give as good feedback right now, but I think that we'll learn how to do that better as we get into the year,” Pearson said. Pearson said she tried to engage in all of the virtual training offered by RPS this summer but has to remind herself to stay flexible. “I feel like you can’t really go into it thinking that you’re going to have a plan,” Pearson said. “You have to be willing to adapt.”


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