Archive for May 11th, 2020

We published a YCISL Toolkit Series for parents who suddenly found themselves needing to become their children’s teacher. There was so much uncertainty about educational continuity as well as finding a schedule that would work. The idea from the YCISL program was to nurture thinking skills rather than expanding content knowledge.

Around the world, most schools reopened in an unfamiliar online mode. Even at Stanford, it took a leap of faith for course instructors to shift to an online mode. Like most, we became highly dependent on Zoom for videoconference communications…and we have experienced Zoom fatigue too. Most educators are searching for educational technologies to step in so that student interest is maintained despite the loss of close contact.

However, in the YCISL worldview, we see this global disruption in education to be an unbelievable opportunity for a quantum upgrade to teaching. Specifically, we should utilize EQ-based methods to elevate class awareness and management skills based on the varied behavioral responses of students and teachers to the virtual classroom. This wiki entry and the following YCISL Teacher Toolkit Series is our attempt at launching this jump into hyperspace.

To prepare the series, we are pondering the following:

• What are the questions that a teacher may be asking themselves?
• Do teaching goals and expected outcomes need to change?
• What are the development opportunities for teachers that would be of benefit now and also in the future when students return to school?

At this time, we are planning on using the same cornerstones of the YCISL Parent (Teacher) Toolkit which includes (1) Asking Questions, (2) Divergent-Convergent Thinking, (3) Filling & Crossing Gaps, (4) Fast Creative Thinking, and (5) Positive Thinking. Our approach will be to show that EQ-based learning can be integrated into each of these skill areas so that teacher-student and student-student interactions have purpose and meaning, and new gold standards are established.

I found the Japan Times article “Coronavirus crisis offers chance to update Japanese schools” written by Louise George Kittaka and published April 20, 2020 to be an interesting push for more educational technology especially in this time of school closures and online remote teaching.

From the article, I understand that there are schools in Japan which still largely utilize paper-based learning and that some view this as a disadvantage especially during this pivot to online. As a person who still prefers to read newspapers in print form, I believe a move to digital learning content is not the only solution as much of the article suggests.

I have made past comments on the issues with integrating educational technology and the lackluster value they present. As with technology in most cases, the quantity may be raised, but the quality is unlikely to improve. This lack of quality upside from edtech results in widespread frustration in chasing technologies, equipping teachers with something that works from end-to-end, and user experience. The use of iPads in US schools is an example of over-promise and under-deliver.

As a proponent of more EQ in teaching, YCISL feels there is instead now a significant opportunity to reflect on changing the educational process, not just its tools. Will we find that students who learned best in classroom settings remain equally achieving in an online setting? We already know that learning performance is dependent on a variety of factors such as learning styles, pace and group settings. It is the detection of these factors and ensuing customized teaching methodology that would offer the greatest benefits. We need to boost the awareness and management skills of teachers and students, and generally broaden the public appreciation for EQ in education.

For all the panic and fear that has spread through reactions to the virus, education has been severely impacted and we need to be caring for its resiliency, recovery and general good health.