The E in E-Learning is for Emotion by McKenya Dilworth

The E in E-Learning is for Emotion by McKenya Dilworth

The E in E-Learning has a great deal to do with emotions, emotional intelligence that is because when you are tasked with the responsibility of holding the interest of adolescents for 90 minutes in a virtual classroom, emotional intelligence is definitely something you need a high quotient of...indeed. Honestly, I had not factored that into my tedious lesson planning. But, neither had school leadership and in all fairness, no one could have anticipated this particular predicament. (This is what I keep reminding myself to assuage the increasing anxiety I feel before delivering a virtual lesson each day.)

So, in an effort to understand this new reality we all find ourselves in as a community, I have to approach it as if I were presenting a meticulous lesson plan for my eager (and sometimes not so eager) 7th grade scholars. I teach (or facilitate learning) in the subjects of English, Social Studies and German at a middle school here in Gary. And while I am usually described as perhaps having too much energy, no one can use that description now because with just two weeks of virtual teaching of roughly 50 scholars each day under my belt, I am exhausted. It’s been four weeks and there are five yet to go...

In short, I am already emotionally tapped out. Drained. Ready for a career change, well, that last part was just my propensity for dramatic effect (no truth to it). But, there is nothing “make believe” or untruthful about being tired and it is because e-learning is more work. You have to work harder to ensure that learning is occurring. We strive for that tangible evidence of “aha” moments when our students finally make connections and reach learning goals.

While no one seemingly anticipated a global pandemic to descend on our region, e-learning as a viable teaching methodology has been around for at least 2 decades. Where am I going with this? Since the teaching method has been around so long, why were primary and secondary educators caught like deers in the proverbial headlights of change?

It certainly is not because classrooms in northwest Indiana do not have technology. If you were to visit a physical classroom in the region you would see some form of technology integration there. There would be a white board, computers locked up and maybe even some ipads around for small group interventions. So, let’s connect the dots. We have been integrating technology into teaching and learning but still were taken by surprise when we had to deliver instruction virtually. Why? The answer lies with intention, intentional integration of technology in learning and instruction.

The pre-COVID approach to technology in schools was more of a means to check off the list of classroom deliverables. There was no intention of changing the entire way we deliver learning as a public school system.

When COVID interrupted last school year, we reacted and of course the logical answer was virtual learning. Since then, we have had an entire summer to gather data on attendance, student engagement and find new ways to prepare lessons that hold the attention of students. But, no one really factored in that most schools in the region or specifically in Gary would opt to e-teach. With so many schools all using the same internet, had anyone thought about expanding the city’s bandwidth and broadband access?

All of what I have listed are more observations than critiques, or maybe observational critiques. But, however you process what I was trying to communicate, I know that e-learning is emotionally draining, most teachers want to be with their students (just safely) and that we are doing our very best to stay connected (no pun intended…) Insert emotional emoji here.