Book
Humanizing distance learning : centering equity and humanity in times of crisis / Paul Emerich France.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781071839058
- Physical Description: ix, 172 pages ; 26 cm
- Publisher: Thousand Oaks, California : Corwin, [2021]
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Distance education > Aims and objectives. Telecommunication in education. Educational equalization. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Decoda Literacy Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decoda Literacy Library | 371.35 F73 2021 (Text) | 35410000064519 | General Collection | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"Since the advent of the COVID pandemic, unpredictability and uncertainty have been normalized in an unprecedented manner. However, in the midst of the chaos, some indisputable truths have emerged: (1) The structural inequities that have plagued our educational system (and society at large) for generations have been illuminated with hard-edged clarity. "Learning loss" is but the tip of the iceberg. In schools, the call to supplant Bloom with Maslow underscores basic, human needs such as access to decent nutrition, health care, housing, safety, and emotional well-being. There is no doubt that children in low income households (the majority of our public school system), Black and brown children, English learners, and children with disabilities have been disproportionally harmed by the pandemic. (2) As a nation, we were ill-equipped to pivot to distance learning. The realities of the digital divide (another structural inequity that has been present for more than two decades), and our educators' limited capacity to plan and deliver instruction from a distance created tremendous barriers to access. Once again, our most marginalized students and families have been harmed the most. (3) The psychosocial needs of students which, throughout the NLBC era had been virtually ignored, surfaced with a new-found urgency. The pressures of job insecurity, unemployment, sick and dying household members, and domestic violence have given way to unprecedented levels of childhood trauma. (4) We learned that distance learning is not a viable substitute for face-to-face, especially for those children with the greatest levels of need. Teachers continue to rely on worksheets and/or other compliance tools, equating learning with work completion. Many also have over-relied on apps, including web-based, adaptive tools that program students with academic content , rather than taking a humanized approach to help them connect meaningfully with academic content"-- - Sage Publications
âIn some ways, shouldn't we always be teaching from a distance?â
Paul France asks this not as pitch for distance learning. But because part of the reason distance learning has been so challenging, Paul asserts, is that weâre replicating long-standing practices that promote dependent learning in our students. Why not use this unique moment of time to reconnect with the true purpose of teaching: to help our students become liberated learners and free thinkers?
The next logical step in teachersâ months-long distance learning âjourney,â Humanizing Distance Learning describes how to center humanity and equity in our process of reimagining learning. Even while teaching and learning miles apart through screens, youâll discover how to
- Build independence within your students so theyâre better equipped to tackle challenges with persistence and learn how to learn
- Make collaboration and human connection essential components of your pedagogy, offering students the chance to socialize and learn from one another
- Center and unpack stuÂdentsâ identities, helping them develop a conscious knowledge of themselves, all the while using their self-identified strengths to overcome any obstacles
- Plan, prepare, and implement humanized instruction while teaching for student liberationâboth digitally and in person.
- Investigate technolÂogy integration, including the Digital Divide, as well as ways to minimize EdTech integration so that our collective sense of humanity can continue to be front and center
âThe future,â Paul writes, âmay be unclear, the road may be rocky, and the story may continue to be long and winding as we push forward through this global crisis. But the answer will always be simple: We must teach and learn in pursuit of a deeper sense of collective humanityâand for no other reason.â
âThis book is equal parts visionary and practical, courageous and invitational. It addresses foundational needs and wrenching challenges teachers faced during the recent time when U.S. teachers abruptly found themselves teaching remotely. . . . It is a deeply humanizing book.â
~Carol Ann Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish, Jr.
Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia
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"Humanizing Distance Learning is a book for our times not only because it addresses how to build a culture of thinking and teach for understanding at a distance, but also because it challenges the status quo of education by offering a more liberated and humane vision.â
~Ron Ritchhart, Senior Research Associate,
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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âPaul France has produced a timely and necessary book that will help educators humanize distance learning. Recognizing incredible dimensions of complexity, this book will surely help educators traverse times of uncertainty in distance learning.â
~H. Richard Milner IV, Cornelius Vanderbilt
Chair of Education, Vanderbilt University
