Black Bears and Virtual Learning Environments
Keywords:
Virtual Learning Environments; Currere; Teacher as Researcher; NarrativesAbstract
In considering the future and sustainability of Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) for young learners, I spend time in deep contemplation and introspection, in moments of joy, frustration, anger, sadness, and excitement. Drawing upon my VLE curricular experiences, taking up Pinar's (1975) method of currere, and flowing through and among four moments: the regressive, progressive, synthetical, and analytical, I critically examine the interconnectedness of my past educational experiences; contemplate(d) an imagined future composed of my past experiences and future desires grounded in the “historical, social, cultural, and political contexts through which they emerge; and synthesized my thinking across these moments” (Baszile, 2017, p. vi). The interconnectedness of each moment shape(d)s my internal teacher dialogue, a dialogue that drastically changed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I invite the reader, through my currerian experience(s), to ponder teachers' narratives, how they bump up against socio-political narratives, and the tensions embedded within the VLE.
References
Adams, S. R., & Buffington-Adams, J. (2020). On/beyond currere. The Currere Exchange Journal, 4(2), 63-70.
Apple, M. W. (2018). The struggle for democracy in education. In The Struggle for Democracy in Education (pp. 1-19). Routledge.
Barbour, M., Archambault, L., & DiPietro, M. (2013). K–12 online distance education: Issues and frameworks. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(1), 1-3.
Baszile, D. T. (2017). On the virtues of currere. Currere Exchange Journal, 1(1).
Canadian Paediatric Society, Digital Health Task Force, Ottawa, Ontario. (2019). Digital media: Promoting healthy screen use in school-aged children and adolescents. Paediatrics & Child Health, 24(6), 402-408.
Caprara, L., & Caprara, C. (2022). Effects of virtual learning environments: A scoping review of literature. Education and information technologies, 1-40.
Lyle, E., & Caissie, C. (2021). Rehumanizing Education: Teaching and Learning as Co-Constructed Reflexive Praxis. LEARNing Landscapes, 14(1), 219-230.
McKay, M., & Redford, K. (2021). Reflective Inquiry on Early Years Pedagogy: Distance Learning and Teaching in the Post-COVID-19 Era. Teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era: World Education Dilemmas, Teaching Innovations and Solutions in the Age of Crisis, 465-474.
Noddings, N. (2015). The challenge to care in schools, 2nd Editon. Teachers College Press.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2020). Policy/Program Memorandum 164: Requirements for remote learning. https://www.ontario.ca/document/education-ontario-policy-and-program-direction/policyprogram-memorandum-16
Ontario Parks. (2023). How to be a bear wise visitor. https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/black-bear-safety/
Pinar, W. F. (1994). The method of" Currere"(1975). Counterpoints, 2, 19-27.
Pinar, W. F., Reynolds, W. M., Slattery, P., & Taubman, P. M. (1995). Chapter 10: Understanding curriculum as autobiographical/biographical text. Counterpoints, 17, 515-566.
Ramu, M. M., Shaik, N., Arulprakash, P., Jha, S. K., & Nagesh, M. P. (2022). Study on potential AI applications in childhood education. International Journal of Early Childhood, 14(03), 2022.
Tremblay, M. S., Carson, V., Chaput, J. P., Connor Gorber, S., Dinh, T., Duggan, M., Faulkner, G., Gray, R., Janson, K., Janssen, I., Katzmarzyk, P., Kho, M., Latimer-Cheung, A., Leblanc, C., Okely, A., Olds, T., Pate, R., Phillips, A., Poitras, V., Rodenburg, P., Sampson, M., Saunders, T., Stone, J., Stratton, G., Weiss, S., & Zehr, L. (2016). Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for children and youth: an integration of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(6), S311-S327.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Currere Exchange is an Open Access publication, meaning the content is free for all to access and download. Authors select a Creative Commons license to attach to their copyrightable work. Readers should identify the license attached to each work in order to determine its reuse rights.
Authors can find a copy of our publication agreement here. Authors will complete a publication agreement form as part of the submission process.
CEJ Publication Agreement: https://goo.gl/forms/k85Fq8icW78CKBO62
