The compassion demonstrated by your sixth-grade teacher is wonderful. I am sure that
experience has helped you build the tools to become who you are today! a COVID-19
caused a lot of chaos around the world but, like you, I would have expected the professor to
respecting the current learning requirements and apply appropriate accommodations which
would have allowed the student and your group to continue meeting the previously stated
high expectation.Your question regarding the effectiveness of modular learning in our high-
tech world seems to have a lot of attention right now. Because of the pandemic many
medical courses, which were previously 100% in person, figured out a way to move
forward with virtual learning platforms. While there are a number of articles available from
these experiences around the globe, I personally enjoyed an article focusing on the
continued importance of displaying positive emotion during video lectures in order to
promote better learning outcomes (Horovitz & Mayer, 2021).Regarding the effectiveness of
modular learning when compared to in person learning, I really think that depends on the
topic, student, and the overall course expectation. For instance, I would not want a doctor
working on me that has never stepped inside a class or practiced on a cadaver. Additionally,
if the medical students do not meet their classmates in person they are missing out on
critical socialization and networking opportunities within their field of practice. However,
the preparatory lectures and virtual learning labs really can be completed anywhere and if
that learning environment works well for the individual then I think it should be available
as an option. I enjoyed reading about your positive experiences with teachers. I agree that
teachers play an essential role in serving as a mentor, which can be similar to a parental
role. I think about my children, who spend more waking hours with their teacher during the
school year than my husband and me, as we only get a few short hours in the evening. I
was saddened to hear of the unfortunate negative experience with a group assignment and
share some frustrations with group assignments as we had a lot in my graduate program.
However, an article published by the American Society for Cell and Biology cites how roup
work is one of the most widely used and deeply researched teaching approaches in the
college classroom (Wilson et al., 2018). Furthermore, the article talks about group work
promoting students’ collaboration to achieve shared learning goals and has been shown to
increase student achievement, persistence, and attitudes toward learning (Wilson et al.,
2018). However, although this article speaks of the importance of group work, like in your
situation, it can be a negative experience rather than a positive attitude towards the learning
experience when it is taken to the extreme. In your case, it appears the instructor failed to
recognize the limitations of completing the group assignment in the event one student has
an emergency. I agree that teachers can be parents as well as just your teacher, they spend a
lot of times with students, and I think it is hard for them to sometimes separate. a A good
teacher will provide support and build rapport with their students (Bernstein et al., 2020)
sometimes going above and beyond what is expected of a teacher, many in turn do have
high expectations for their students as well. a It sounds like your 6th grade teacher helped
you through a very difficult time in your life and a made a positive impact that you still
remember. a In you later education we can look at some information from our lecture and
book in that when we look at graduate education you are more of a mentor/role model and
perhaps that is what your professor was going for, but they may not have done a good job
of relaying that. a That professor must not have done a good job of communicating their
high expectations regardless of illness or emergency and that is something they could
potentially work on in the future. a I am sorry to hear that you were penalized for something
that was very much out of your control. I can absolutely relate to your personal story about
your parents getting a divorce and the emotional toll it must have taken on you. I was in the
4th grade when mine divorced and it affected my grades tremendously to the point where I
would try to just leave class. Your story about your classmate getting c19 and getting a zero
on their group project blows my mind. Did your professor suggest that the group members
should have given the ill group member a different job within the group? Was the professor
upset that the group did not have an alternative plan for the ill group member? Just trying to
figure out what the professor's rationale was for giving a zero and not understanding a
situation that was out of the control of the ill group member. a To answer your question
about online learning yes, I believe online learning can be an effective form of learning. It
really depends on the person though and if they are able to learn in that fashion. Not all
can!. The manner that you described your positive and negative experiences related to how
the different instructors reflected effective teaching principles of the “good” teacher
(Bernstein, Franz, & Chew, 2020) from the Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC) who 1.
developed a rapport 2. provided accessibility 3. encouraged you with kindness 4. remained
available 4. observed, listened 5. facilitated learning options 6. helped you meet the
expectations for promotion. I am sorry to hear of your loss. Even divorce of parents is a
grieving process. I believe similar to myself, you began to develop resilience as a child
from that loss. I feel the seed planted by the “good instructor” at that early age was similar
to having a substitute parent. That helped form and develop your strength to stand against
the mental attacks in elementary school as well as graduate school (MEV, Eph. 6: 13) for
accomplishing the mission you envisioned. I also experienced loss at a young age (5 years).
My dad was killed but I also had a couple of “good” teachers during elementary school and
a grandmother that grounded me with love and the scripture. Regarding the “bad” instructor
which had no inclination to seek 1. realistic grading expectations 2. sensitivity or
understanding related to the particular circumstance for you and the others of your group, I
salute your strength (Bernstein et al., 2020). Once again, you and the members of your
group endured and fainted not in graduate school in spite of the instructor not desiring to
encourage student-faculty contact nor cooperation (Bernstein et al., 2020). I grasped
scripture as I also encountered a negative experience in more recent educational pursuits
related to memory and physical attacks (MEV, Gal. 6: 9).
a a a a a a a a a a To answer your question related to modular learning, I believe that modular
learning compared to traditional learning can be effective for individuals particular to the
specific needs. The student may prefer this mode because of the different learning
environment. The options including traditional learning are advantageous only if it fits
related to factors such as: age, learning ability, socioeconomic status and at this time
pandemic considerations. Individuals no longer fit neatly into cohort or classroom pace due
to conflicts regarding time management, the pandemic and obligations such as work and
family (Dargo & Dimas, 2021).
References
Bernstein, D. A., Franz, S. & Chew, S. (2020). Teaching Psychology, 3(20). ISBN – 13
978-0-367-14394-7 (digital).
Dargo, J. M. & Dimas, M. (2021). Modular distance learning: Its effect in the academic
performance of learners in the new normal.
Journal of education teaching and learning, 6(2). 204. doi: 10.2673/jetl.v6i2.2672
Modern Evangelist Version (2014). Breakthrough Jubilee Bible. Military Bible.
