Educating during COVID-19, Dean of The School of Education Discusses Future of Pedagogy

David Bell Headshot
February 9, 2021

The spread of COVID-19 poses formidable challenges to students and educators at every level of education. However, with every crisis comes an opportunity to transform. 

As the world adjusts to remote and hybrid learning formats, The School of Education (SOE) uses the experience as a valuable learning tool not only for its faculty, but for its students, who will one day lead classrooms of their own. St. John’s discusses this unprecedented scenario with David L. Bell, Ed.D., Dean, The School of Education. 

What was The School of Education’s biggest challenge in moving to a hybrid format during the pandemic?  

Many of our courses were hybrid to begin with, so it was an easy transition for us. However, there were some undergraduate programs that had never been online. The experience allows our faculty to begin to think about modeling a best practice. If we can do that, then our students will be able to replicate it in the future when they lead classrooms themselves. It really is a learning opportunity for us. 

Is SOE creating any courses that focus on online teaching strategies?

We have several courses on educational technology that have already been integrated into the curriculum. These courses may be altered a bit to help our students understand what effective pedagogy is in an online environment. 

Prior to the pandemic, we were in the process of developing The Center for Educational Technology Innovation. Its purpose is to engage our teacher candidates on how to create their own digital content and how SOE can leverage technology to serve communities that are difficult to get to within New York City. We are exploring different ways for our students to use technology such as live streaming, so they can immerse themselves in a classroom without physically having to travel. We are also looking at tutoring services that incorporate artificial intelligence. 

Is there a trend in education toward a particular online platform? 

In the K–12 world, Google has been a staple for some time. In higher education, most universities have Google, Webex, and Microsoft Teams. The platform is not really what matters, it is using the pedagogy of teaching regardless of platform. How do you embed teaching principles so the students can be engaged? How can you use breakout rooms effectively? How can you successfully engage in discussions online? 

Students tend to be more passive online, so you have to force yourself as an instructor to ensure that everyone provides some feedback. We are focused on the elements that are transferable from the classroom to a remote setting, regardless of the platform. 

Which level within K–12 is having the most difficulty in terms of remote learning? 

There are really two answers to that question. History shows us that marginalized communities often do not have access to the bandwidth necessary for remote learning. It makes the disparities more evident. From that perspective, poor and rural communities are having difficulty, regardless of the grade level. 

The most challenging age group for online learning is actually the preschool population since online instruction does not always align with traditional childhood development theories. Younger children are not as independent as older ones, and they do not have the attention span necessary to be online for long periods of time. 

Why is it so difficult to connect with younger students in a remote setting? 

Engaging them remotely requires an entirely different mindset, and it takes time. Consider a show like Sesame Street. Most people do not realize the volume of research that goes into creating programming that captivates young children. Sesame Street has the luxury of being able to test drive different content before it airs. 

During COVID, teachers did not have that luxury—they were thrown into it. Is it ideal? No. Is it possible? Yes. However, it requires a significant amount of work from experts to try to build some type of online experience for that population—and for all students.  

Experiential learning is a key component of the SOE. How has it been affected by the pandemic?  

Field experience has certainly been impacted. Students cannot physically go into a classroom to observe because of various social distancing protocols. Even before the pandemic, we were piloting other ways to get quality observations by using technology. We are always seeking partnerships with schools that are willing to allow our students to stream into classrooms so they can still get the depth of experience. 

Each state has its own requirements regarding in-classroom experience. New York has relaxed some of its terms, so that if you have 10 remote hours of classroom observation, it will count the same as in-person hours. 

As a result of the pandemic, are there any careers within education that will be in higher demand?

There will be a need for more structural designers. We are developing a new master’s program that focuses on digital learning and design. The program focuses on teaching students about how to help faculty in K–12, or in higher education, take existing content and mold it to fit the pedagogy of teaching online. We have a new generation of students who seek innovation. They look for effective use of technology. That is the future of teaching. 

If there is a silver lining for education as a result of the pandemic, what is it? 

You do not have to wait for the pandemic to end to see where the future of education is headed. K–12 schools should be re-creating their infrastructures and thinking about how to better engage students. It is about putting students first. We need to use this situation to make sure that we do everything we can to get students the skills they need to be successful.