Pedagogy and Privacy in the Classroom
Hello Everyone!
This week we discussed the theme of changing pedagogies in education from an industrial age, content driven system, to an information age and competency-based approach. In the Most Likely to Succeed Film, we saw that students at High Tech High were at the centre of their own learning. They hosted Socratic seminars, crafted their own scripts, and focused on a gear-making project that was grounded in Science, Technology, Society, and Environment (STSE) education practices. Students were more in control of their own learning, and I found it to be an inspiring film. It is clear that when students are given the opportunity to explore content in a way that is motivating and relevant to them, information-age skills more naturally develop, compared to a content based approach. In modern education, I agree that it’s vital to teach our kids critical thinking, leadership, and technology skills that will more aptly prepare them for the constantly-changing world. I feel that a content-based approach, as seen in the film and in the context of BC education, is no longer of value. In class we talked about how content-based learning will always be out of date by the time new material gets the chance to be phased in, and a much better approach involves teaching kids how to learn, while also giving them real-life practical skills. Another key takeaway is that content is often forgotten. Rich stated in class that an experiment was conducted to examine the retention of content, where students took their final exams just a few months after their term ended. As expected, their average went from a B+ to an F. If students aren’t retaining the content, what is the point of that being the focus?
One aspect of the film that stood out to me was when the incoming grade 9 students who were new to High Tech High entered the classroom not knowing what to expect. They were not able to articulate their opinions about their past school experiences, perhaps due to nervousness or uncertainty. They were also acting unsure when given basic instructions to reorganize the tables, seemingly out of confusion because that had not happened much in their previous schooling. Although their end of year showcase was an incredible exhibition of their work, it felt important to understand that it takes a long time for students to buy into this way of learning. Students become so used to content-driven education, that curiosity and bravery in the classroom can feel foreign and uncomfortable. Connecting the film to the education landscape here in BC, I see that we are in a transition phase. We have a competency-based curriculum, and some teachers are embracing it. However, I see that a lot of teachers are also intimidated or hesitant to focus on competency-based learning, and so are the students. In working with local students, I see a lot of fixation on grades, and less curiosity about the learning process as a result of content-driven education. It is almost like we are at an in-between state, where we have the desire to change, but sometimes lack the tools or motivation to do it.
We also discussed BC student privacy laws in relation to using technology where information is stored in the cloud as outlined by The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). We learned that public bodies (like schools) are not permitted to use tools that store personal data outside of Canada, unless people consent to their data being stored outside the country. When we discussed this in class, I immediately thought about the widespread use of Google Classroom in schools, and I became curious about how FIPPA protects student privacy while using this platform.
As I suspected, Google Classroom stores their data outside of Canada, and schools must act in accordance with FIPPA’s guidelines. In School District 61, from K-8, students and parents must provide their consent for teachers to store their data on it. However, from grade 9 onwards, only students provide their consent: https://www.sd61.bc.ca/parent-student-resources/student-accounts/student-gafe-account/privacy-and-personal-information/. It is interesting to me that only students provide their consent from grade 9 onwards, because I imagine that personal information from parents might be occasionally stored on there, or perhaps on another platform in the Google Suite. During our class, we discussed that there are often EdTech assistants for most school districts who can help navigate these challenges. It’s always good to hear that teachers are not alone!
I’m interested to know if anyone has talked with a teacher about how Google Classroom works in accordance with privacy laws, as it’s used by most schools in the district. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
-Rylie