A question I often ask students in my work is: “What homework should you be working on today?” And normally students open up their planners or notebooks and hunt around for their notes on page numbers and due dates.
But this year when I ask that question I must wade through a confusing avalanche of information and instructions. A student recently explained this to me:
“First I log in to Canvas and click on each of my classes. I can’t use the calendar or agenda view because not all of the teachers put the assignments there. For math, I have to go to a google doc to find the list of my assignments. When I finish the work, I have to take a photo of it and email it to myself so that I can upload it into canvas using the link that is only open on Fridays. If I miss the deadline, I have to email the teacher. For biology, I have to click on the link for Nearpod in each module, but sometimes the links don’t work. I also have to log in to Smart Music for my orchestra class, which doesn’t work with Safari, as well as record a video of myself playing. I missed an assignment in English because I forgot to change the name of the file to include my name. Not all of the teachers update gradebooks on Canvas, so I also have to log into PowerSchool to find out my grades and missing assignments.”
That is just one afternoon’s adventure with homework. And don’t forget that most textbooks are digital, and students spend hours on zoom.
When this school year started with distance learning, I was quite hopeful that my students would log in to a streamlined learning environment where everything they need can be found in one location.
Goodness gracious, was I wrong. I discovered very quickly that one of the greatest challenges of online learning is not the actual learning: it’s the tsunami of logins, links, apps, platforms, and programs that a student is expected to access and the mind boggling irregularity of how teachers communicate course information and structure their online classrooms. Any single assignment, taken on its own, appears fairly straightforward with a few clicks on a few websites. But taken together, a student’s digital workload is incredibly confusing and overwhelming.
I am extraordinarily grateful for and impressed by the efforts of teachers to create learning experiences in these unprecedented times. What would we do to teach children without all of these fantastic digital resources? But even the most persistent and organized student can stumble with such chaos, and those that struggle with executive function, motivation, or learning will quickly feel defeated even when they put forth their best effort.
I recommend to parents that they deliberately expand their tolerance for disorganization and missed details, or at the very least do not condemn your child as lazy or negligent. Have students keep a list of assignments or a planner that includes how or where the work is submitted in addition to the due date. I recommend to teachers that they also soften their policies on missing work. We must all acknowledge that the current task of turning in work has little to do with the student’s ability to learn the material, and if they don’t turn it in properly, it is merely a sign that they need help. Period.
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