COVID-19 took children away from the normal buzz and bustle of the classroom and placed them in unexpected and extended solitude at home. This has thrown their lives into disarray and tested their sense of self.
Their identity—who they imagine themselves to be—is what they use to shape their beliefs of self-worth, and it ultimately influences their actions and behaviours. These choices have an impact on them both socially and intellectually. School was a continual source of messaging, both good and bad, that had flowed into their sense of self. Suddenly, that source has been reduced to two-dimensional, time-limited phone and internet conversations.
We've looked at what occurs when pupils feel "secure" in their classrooms. An identity-safe classroom (both online and off) is one in which teachers work to ensure that a student's sense of self is an advantage rather than a hindrance to academic performance. The Stanford Integrated Schools Project was an 84-classroom research that lasted a year. Observers recorded the connections, questions posed to students, and usage of various materials and activities in those classrooms, which we utilised to identify which techniques and resources were most conducive to learning. The study found that in identity-safe classrooms, children felt more at home, enjoyed hard work, and performed better in class and on standardised assessments.
So, in an era of school closures and remote learning, what does an identity-safe classroom look like?
Both in-person and online, the following concepts apply: Rather than using a colorblind approach and ignoring individual variations in language, ethnicity, gender identity, and personal experience, diversity is fostered as a learning resource. Students get welcomed and supported as valuable members of the learning community as a result of a rigorous curriculum. Supporting children in exploring, finding, and defining their identities, disputing negative stereotypes, and giving them a voice in the classroom creates social and emotional safety. This is difficult enough to accomplish with children directly in front of us, but the guiding principles of identity safety may still help educators assist students from diverse backgrounds, even if it isn't always apparent how to do so.
Here are some proposals to help us meet the criteria of identity safety during COVID-19.
Creating a supportive online classroom:
Teachers cannot wait outside the entrance and greet their pupils with high fives, reply quickly to a student who is unsure about a learning topic, or measure group knowledge with a visual sweep across the room at this moment.
However, the encouragement of trustworthy connections, inclusive interactions, and a sense of belonging continue to be three crucial pillars for building a caring atmosphere, whether online or offline. Students can build confidence and grow emotionally and academically by engaging in trustworthy and supportive interactions. Distance learning is more difficult and needs more work at first, but the degree of safety may still be obtained by direct contact with individual students and by establishing friendly and loving group relationships.
To keep a pulse on each student, instructors can call or video conference with them on a frequent basis to ask about their moods and lifestyles, as well as provide comments on homework. They can arrange a plan for contacting each kid in self-contained classrooms. Teachers in middle and high schools can collaborate with colleagues to split pupils into manageable groups for check-ins.
Every student deserves equal respect and treatment, but owing to disparities in access to technology, many students are dropping out of online programmes or failing to complete assignments. While many schools work hard to supply laptops and hotspots, it is insufficient. One district addressed this issue by establishing a mechanism to assist every kid, even if it required making home visits, sending care gifts and paper packets while adopting social distance, and developing a database to log contacts. We hope that other school districts will follow suit.
Educators can design protocols for organised cooperative activities for group sessions. Community agreements establish the ground rules for respectful online conversation. We can teach social and emotional learning (SEL) abilities by asking the following questions: What exactly does empathy mean to you? How do you want to feel in an online community? Students can strengthen their reflective listening skills by paraphrasing and clarifying questions. Teachers might give responsibilities to students to encourage collaboration (e.g., facilitator, note-taker, timer). These tactics help children feel heard and involved while also establishing a strong foundation of trust.
"Breakout rooms" are a Zoom feature that may be utilised for structured cooperative activities. Small groups can debate concerns or research projects, work on jigsaw puzzles, and explore distinct facets of bigger topics before reporting back to the larger group. Teachers can "drop in" on specific classrooms to help with learning and to guarantee courteous interactions and complete participation. Before presenting their thoughts with the broader group, the instructor might ask each breakout group to reflect on how effectively they worked together. The class as a whole might then debate how to enhance their collaboration.
Academic sessions at all school levels may promote inclusion and belonging. One second-grade teacher requested each kid to look around the house for geometric shapes to share at their class meeting. When the instructor "turns on" the function, a kindergarten teacher uses the Seesaw Class app to engage her kids in video journaling in which they can "see" each other's work.
Diversification fosters student identity:
Diversity among students is respected in identity-safe classrooms, and differences are recognised rather than dismissed.
The distinctions that make up pupils' social identities are many and ever-changing. They include aspects of their home and school social groupings, as well as ethnicity, race, talents, culture, gender, and other qualities. Educators may help kids analyse and develop many parts of their social identities, as well as uncover their distinctive voices, both in the real world and online, which is an important component of identity safety. They will gain confidence and a voice by believing that who they are and what they believe and say matters. Using variety as a resource helps kids build pride in their heritage while embracing and loving themselves and others.
In the midst of the pandemic's uncertainty, kids require encouragement and assistance in building, redefining, and asserting their unique social identities. Teens, in particular, may be concerned about falling behind or losing contact with friends, and they may grow concerned about their future. Educators may demonstrate trust in their resilience and ability to meet high standards with encouragement and constructive comments, resulting to an improved vitality in their identity.
Journaling is a great technique for children to keep track of their emotions and gain confidence in their expressions. The Linking Network, located in the United Kingdom, provides activities to assist elementary-level pupils examine their own identities; Facing History and Ourselves provides activities suited to teenagers. Students may also discuss different literature, read tales about acceptance, and uncover counter-narratives that empower and offer agency to underrepresented people. Projects that celebrate variety and promote a feeling of pride include conducting interviews with family members, developing family history posters, writing personal narratives to accompany images in family albums, and creating movies that showcase important family artefacts.
Because it is a flexible technique rather than a programme with a set of procedures, identity-safe teaching may be integrated into the present world of online learning. Relationships and connection are prioritised over all other identity-safety elements. Recognizing each child's individual qualities, skills, and problems is an important part of fostering a feeling of identity safety. We promote identity safety via our screens by appreciating the strength of variety and encouraging kids to adjust to these new conditions and overcome the challenges they face. We believe that this experience will strengthen students as we move forward and return to in-person education. The confidence, resilience, and optimism fostered by identity-safe activities during this epidemic will substantially ease the transition into the uncertain years ahead.
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