I’ve witnessed many programs permanently transition to facilitating education through an online platform ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Educational programs have either completely transitioned to online learning or have exploded with additional online offerings. However, have teacher education programs reformed their curricula to offer teaching strategies and theories related to the increased demand for online learning? In other words, are teachers being taught how to teach online? Perhaps not.
Student engagement within the online learning environment is a huge challenge; teachers struggle with motivating students and improving student engagement. Low levels of student engagement can hinder students’ ability to:
- Cooperate
- Problem-solve
- Think critically
- Pursue knowledge
- Remain motivated (Almulla, 2023)
I believe that the key to increasing and maintaining student engagement is to increase and maintain levels of teacher engagement. Teacher engagement results in a direct impact on students’ academic achievement and influences students’ enjoyment and autonomous motivation (Wang et al., 2022). Teachers can show engagement through establishing social connections with students.
Through personal reflection, teachers can tune into a meaningful conception of teaching by:
- Deepening and critiquing teacher education
- Reclaiming intellectual rigor
- Developing meaningful teaching resources
- Engaging with the culture of teaching and teacher education
- Discovering what it means to teach across diverse educational contexts
- Identify resources that can help strengthen cognition (Impedovo, 2021)
By contrast, a teacher with poor engagement who is lacking personal reflection can struggle to offer engaging, enriching, connecting, and quality education to their students. However, a teacher who engages in personal reflection can enrich their students’ educational experiences through social connections and engagement, even within online learning. Teacher engagement is positively associated with students’ performance in online learning. Teachers can reflect on their teaching and practice as a form of professional development and personal growth to understand their own teaching, engage with diverse educational context, and foster social connections with online students. These strategies will improve teacher engagement, which improves student engagement, and overall promote knowledge acquisition in the online learning environment.
References
Almulla, M. A. (2023). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for students’ critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving to affect academic performance in higher education. Cogent Education, 10(1) https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2172929
Impedovo, M. A. (2021). Identity and teacher professional development: a reflective, collaborative and agentive learning journey. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3- 030-71367-6
Wang, J., Zhang, X., & Zhang, L. J. (2022). Effects of teacher engagement on students’ achievement in an online English as a foreign language classroom: The mediating role of autonomous motivation and positive emotions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.950652
Patricia Patel
Patricia Patel teaches English and ESL to local students and students residing in China. She is a member of TESL Ontario and holds the CTESOL designation. Patricia has a Bachelor of Arts in Equity, Diversity and Human Rights and a Master of Education with a focus on digital technologies. Patricia is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction - Online Teaching and Learning from Liberty University. Patricia is passionate about creating and delivering equitable, inclusive, and accessible education. She hopes to motivate students through cultivating a warm and inclusive class environment. Patricia loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for ESL teaching and learning by writing blogs for TESL Ontario.