REMOTE LEARNING
MISCONCEPTIONS AND FACTS BY JULIE MILLAN AND LEAH KEARNEY
I
n March 2021, at the very height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ford gov- ernment shared a plan with ETFO and other affiliates to make the choice of full-time virtual synchronous learning
(live teaching) a permanent option for all el- ementary and secondary students, including after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The plan is not being suggested as an alternative programming option but, instead, as a perma- nent change to the delivery of publicly-funded education for all students across Ontario. The plan proposes legislative amendments to both the Education Act and the Ontario College of Teachers Act and includes expanding the au- thority of agencies such as TVO/TFO to deliv- er and coordinate virtual learning. And, even though all school boards would be required to offer virtual learning for anyone who chooses it, no additional funding would be provided by the Ministry. It is clear this plan is an ex- periment in virtual learning and one that will continue to deepen the digital and academic divide exacerbated by the COVID-19 pan- demic. During this stressful time of misinfor- mation, mixed messaging and alternative facts what follows are 10 misconceptions about the Ministry’s Expanding Student Access to On- line and Remote Learning plan contrasted with the realities.
Misconception: Synchronous virtual learning in elementary schools is only intended to be used on snow days or in an emergency.
Fact: The government is proposing a full-time virtual learning option for all days within the instructional year for families who so choose.
28 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2021
Ultimately, parents and guardians will decide if they would like to enrol their child in vir- tual learning. No consultation process with educators appears to be involved in the deci- sion about whether students will attend in- person or virtual learning. Remote learning might also become an option for parents who choose to withdraw their students for long- term vacations or absences. In addition, in the Ministry’s plan, the
number of live-teaching (synchronous learn- ing) minutes for elementary students were only listed as “significant.” Currently, Policy Program Memorandum 164 – Requirements for Remote Learning outlines the required minutes for synchronous learning by grade. It is not expected that the Ministry will reduce the number of required live-teaching min- utes, despite knowing that excessive screen time is unhealthy for students, especially our youngest learners. Furthermore, some districts are currently
using a hybrid learning model of instruction to provide a virtual learning option during the pandemic. Hybrid learning means that one educator is responsible for simultane- ously teaching students who are learning at school and those who are learning from home. Under this model, teachers provide two completely different types of instruc- tion – face-to-face learning to students in classrooms and online learning to students at home – at the same time and without the resources to do so effectively. This model has detrimental impacts and is not in the best in- terest of students. The Ministry’s plan does not rule out a hybrid learning model as a method of virtual instruction post pandemic.
Misconception: Virtual learning is useful for students who prefer not to access a physical school environment.
Fact: Educators have done an outstanding job teaching remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic; they have had significant success- es under incredibly challenging circumstanc- es. However, we need to be cautious that we do not see individual anecdotal experiences as evidence that virtual learning will work for any student who chooses it. This is the plan the Ministry is proposing. We need to con- sider the long-term impacts on the mental health and wellness of students and educa- tors, the short-term and long-term funding implications and how this will impact all stu- dents across Ontario. The Ministry has provided no academic
research or analysis to support its underly- ing claim of the benefits of full-time syn- chronous virtual learning in the elemen-
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