Elementary teachers oppose live videoconferencing
Privacy, equity at issue as province touts online lessons during shutdown
The union representing Ontario’s elementary teachers says it has concerns about live videoconferencing and that members should not be forced to use it during the COVID-19 school shutdown.
In a statement, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario said its members “are doing exceptionally well in adapting their teaching methodologies to address student needs during a global pandemic. It is discouraging that Minister of Education Stephen Lecce has diminished the efforts of those who are not livestreaming their instruction.”
The union has told the Ministry of Education and school boards — most of which are also encouraging the use of realtime lessons — that “it is fundamentally opposed to it being mandated as a learning tool during this pandemic.”
Last Friday, Lecce told boards he expects “educators would embrace the use of synchronous (real-time) learning during the school closure period. There has been an inconsistent uptake of this mode of learning.”
On Wednesday, in a statement to the Star, he said the government “has heard from countless parents across the province that many students were lacking in face-to-face interactions with their classmates and educators … We have heard from many parents concerned that their child was not receiving sufficient instruction which lacked the use of technology to aid in learning and to foster community.”
He said the ministry wants to “work with all partners to provide what is in the best interests of student learning, which includes a more standardized implementation of virtual learning. We firmly believe students deserve to be together virtually in a synchronous classroom led by their teacher.”
Teacher unions, however, generally frown upon the use of live online lessons, citing security, privacy and equity concerns.
The elementary teachers’ union says “this tool is not equitably available or accessible to all students. Children without access to tools to make livestream learning work are disproportionately from racialized, impoverished, single family or new Canadian homes. Not all students can be online at the same time nor do they all have access to the internet or a device.”
Other teacher unions have expressed similar concerns about hacking and inappropriate student behaviour online and the possibility of teachers’ facing discipline should that happen.
Some educators, however, do use real-time conferencing to check in with students or deliver lessons.
If the teacher or education worker “does not feel they can currently deliver education to their students” via live videoconferencing, then they should receive training, Lecce has said.
Lecce said Wednesday he is waiting for “updated modelling from the chief medical officer of health and the (COVID-19) command table” before announcing if schools will reopen before the end of June.