CIR Project: The Complete Guide

Problem/Issue Summary

The issue at hand entails the new learning program brought about by the global pandemic that has seen many activities quarantined. Virtual learning being the order of the day in terms of education has brought about new considerations that have resulted in a lack of motivation, lack of work ethic, and disruptive behavior among students. Classroom activities and assignments are done with little to no effort. This lack of work ethic is a factor of laziness that ultimately has a toll on students' future in the quest for success both in education and in their personal lives.

Summary of Key Observations/Evidence and Explanations

The presence of students in virtual learning is not fully evident. Students' online participation in classwork and group discussion has been heavily affected, with a few students not turning on their cameras and assisting their colleagues in the learning process. The students claim to find it more challenging to stay motivated with class tasks. They are easily distracted by other online activities and the lack of supervision similar to actual classroom learning. Furthermore, students miss out on social interactions with their peers, which makes learning cumbersome. Tentatively, these students fail to complete their assigned work on time and have a hard time focusing and concentrating on learning on a screen, thereby missing out on concepts they are meant to learn. Students are also engaging in disruptive behavior by acting out due to the draining aspect of online learning, leading to private conversations in class chat, sharing unnecessary content, disrupting presentations and meetings, and delegating group work to only one student being interactive learning.

Summary of Primary Learning

Primary virtual learning entails interactive and participatory activities used by teachers to ensure every student remains focused and concentrated. Several breaks are also recommended to avoid draining students who are on a screen the entire time. Group work activities also allow for more accessible learning while maintaining social interactions between the students who have to work together to complete assignments. Regular assignments and homework allow teachers to gauge and check the progress of their students. However, students find it challenging to complete assignments due to a lack of motivation, work ethic, and social interaction. Some teachers incorporate the use of break-out rooms to discuss why classwork is not being completed by specific students who have a difficult time with virtual learning. Most of these students are distracted by video games and social media, thereby leading to disruptive behavior. Most teachers use a feedback mechanism that facilitates the resubmission of critiques and improvements for further corrections.

Collaborative Inquiry 

Initial Hypothesis

The initial hypothesis is based on the consequential effect of students' virtual learning during this global pandemic in understanding concepts, doing their assignments, and passing their examination for personal and educational success. The hypothesis highlights how classroom learning differs from online learning that relies on Microsoft teams with group chats and presentations with minimal supervision that creates new challenges for educators.

Initial Interventions

Interventions proposed to ensure the success of virtual learning entail making online sessions interactive and engaging. Students to be indulged and involved more in-class activities and group work to avoid boredom and draining students. Social interactions are also encouraged as a break where students can interact among themselves. The challenge is keeping up each student individually based on their performance without affecting the overall progress of the class. Learning programs should be created to ensure no student is left behind using break-out rooms that allow educators to focus on students who require more attention. At the same time, the rest engage in group activities. Feedback mechanisms also allow educators and the administration to get communication from students and their parents on what needs to be improved and what is being done correctly. Using online platforms for learning poses threats for disruptive behavior by some students who have difficulty concentrating. Therefore, online curricula should always keep students busy and give them adequate free time for playing and social interaction to limit disruptive behavior. Lack of work ethic and motivation is addressed using regular and engaging tests and assignments that encourage learning and friendly competition.

Research Plan

The research plan entailed first understanding how conventional classroom learning worked and its effectiveness in providing students' continuous learning and social maturity. Educators and the administration of educational institutions should consequently understand and train themselves. They require staff on virtual learning and online platforms to convert the classroom into a virtual learning space that offers the same curriculum, content, and interactions to students learning from home. The students should also be provided with an orientation on how virtual learning works in a collaboration between teachers and parents that will create a conducive learning environment and experience from home with minimal supervision and maximum interaction. The required infrastructure is also a significant consideration where students and educators need to be provisioned with the required technology for remote learning that is seamless and affordable. The curriculum is revised to offer more indulging and interactive sessions to the students who have to learn and work in groups for continuous concentration and assessment.

Collaborative Inquiry Process/Experience

The process of CIR was detailed and specific, with inputs from different professionals and stakeholders in the education sector. The conversion of classroom learning to virtual learning requires working together and aligning different individuals and students to forge a well-oiled and efficient learning system that mimics conventional curricula with similar projected effectiveness and success rates. This experience needed educators to be trained and equipped with the necessary expertise and infrastructure to offer knowledge virtually to students under minimal supervision. The collaboration between education institutions, tech companies, students, and parents created an online curriculum and platform to offer motivated, ethical, cultured, and impactful learning. The transition between teachers of different subjects and disciplines was effected using collaborated schedules that engaged students and improved their intellectual and social abilities. A learning culture that motivated students to develop a sense of desire and work ethic was at the core of every learning institution's agenda. That provided students with a safe, less draining, and skillful learning program that facilitated learning new skills, self-improvement, and openness to new challenges with increased work productivity and output.

Reflections on the Issue

Key professionals in the education sector, especially learning institutions, described the strengths and weaknesses presented by virtual learning and compared them to their professional expertise and personal traits. By doing this, insight was provided on how well educators and the administration would offer online learning and whether students would continue learning and improving in a digital platform. Furthermore, there was the aspect of the opportunities and threats virtual learning posed on learning by either improving the classroom environment or furthering disruptive behavior. Therefore, reflection was viewed from the ability of educators to offer the same curriculum and content virtually to students effectively and the aspect of students being motivated and ethical enough to learn remotely under minimal supervision to attain similar success rates as traditional classroom learning.

Reflections on the Collaborative Process (Research & Dialogue)

The CIR process was essential and beneficial in providing the data necessary for developing a curriculum virtual learners would use. The development of online programs required collaborative dialogue between varied professionals in the education sector who have to develop aligned and effective schedules that capture students' attention remotely, offering knowledge and technical skills without draining students. CIR focused on training and infrastructure of educators and educational institutions as well as the infrastructure of students at home, which creates a seamless digital network supervised by technical staff. Taking the case of a small group, a grade 6 class in a specific junior high school use CIR to develop a schedule that engages and effectively provides knowledge to these young minds. Using regular group assignments and presentations that challenges every student to work together, virtually improving their skills, work ethic, learning culture and participation.

Conclusion 

Inquiry Study Results

The conclusive results from the inquiry study showcase that virtual learning could be as effective as classroom learning or even more if done correctly. Every aspect of learning has its challenges and opportunities; the inquiry study shows the possible risks and repercussions of online learning with mitigating strategies that will absolve the arising issues of online distractions, the draining nature of learning, and lack of motivation and work ethic. With time, educators will be able to navigate the dynamics of virtual learning and the digital space. The focal issue highlighted is the lack of work ethic both in classwork and given assignments, limiting the learning capacity of students who delve into the work of laziness. Moreover, students are not motivated enough to attend online learning being in quarantine as a result of years of classroom conditioning which forces educators and the administration to develop an online curriculum mimicking conventional classroom and grasps the attention of the students by engaging them in-class activities but not in a draining way. Finally, the digital space provides room for disruptive behavior by students who might indulge in video games and social chats during learning sessions.

Classroom Management Learning

Classroom management entails understanding all the issues arising from virtual learning and addressing them accordingly to provide students who are learning remotely with the best education that can be offered at this time of a global pandemic. The identified issues are lack of motivation, work ethic, and disruptive behavior. Classroom management learning alleviates these issues using action plans that engage the students intellectually and socially to provide quality education instead of students being at home idle. Unmotivated students who lack work ethic are handle by teachers using break-out rooms that focuses on these students individually as the rest continue to engage in group learning on virtual platforms. A feedback mechanism is a classroom management tactic that allows students and their parents to communicate with teachers and the administration on their issues and how they can be addressed. Disruptive behavior is addressed using creative lesson plans that are interactive and dynamic to students who have no distractions, such as Nearpod presentations that use learning and games within an online session. Conclusively, this will develop a learning culture with work ethic, the motivation that embraces a shared mindset of growth, improvement, and openness to new challenges.

Possible Future Action Plans

The coronavirus global pandemic is an eye-opener to the unpredictable nature of global activities. Therefore, a preparedness strategy for every sector of the economy, including education, remote working, and learning, should be devised and developed to go hand in hand with physical working and learning. This will ensure minimal disruptions in case a global event occurs. Digital learning is a resourceful platform for students who have unlimited information in the palm of their hands. Classroom learning and virtual learning should be part of the education curriculum from now on. This will allow for continued improvement, strategizing, and addressing all threats and weaknesses in the forging of a powerful learning program available to all, those who can be available in institutions and those who are remote.