Draft:What is Education? Essay Outline

The purpose of the outline: The purpose of writing this essay proposal is to ensure that you have a clear starting point for your work on your final assignment. This will require: • A clear context for your essay: try to be specific, as this makes it easier for you to apply theories/ideas from the module. This could be ‘primary schools in China’ or ‘high school science curriculum in the UK’, for example. • A clear understanding of the essential module reading you will discuss: it needs to be clear how these topics link together and also your summary of the reading should indicate that you have a thorough understanding of this piece of work. • Evidence of some prior reading of scholarship in the area: you should be able to tell us what some previous researchers and scholars have written about the topic and the kinds of issues or questions they identified. • A clear focus for your essay: usually stated in the title and introduction, this may take the form of a position statement, aim or a guiding question. This focus should clearly incorporate/bring together the context and the essential reading you have selected.

You should demonstrate these requirements by completing the 6 sections below: Title, Context, Summary of the WIE Essential reading you have selected, Notes on other reading your will use to support your discussion, How the context and module reading fit together, and a sample of your writing. You can write directly into the boxes, and they will grow as needed. One you have tried to formulate each of these areas of your study, you will get feedback from your tutor and refine your ideas so you have a clear focus for your essay that meets the requirements of the assignment. Please email this directly to your tutor.   WIE Essay Outline Provisional title*: Practice and Challenges of Remote Teaching in Chinese Secondary Schools During the Pandemic: An Analysis Based on Learning-Oriented Theory in Classroom Learning

Context: (approx. 400 words) Due to COVID-19 outbreak, Chinese secondary schools had resorted to emergency remote teaching to ensure continuity of education. Schools across the country whipped it into shape, under the Ministry of Education’s “Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning” policy, and quickly shifted to online teaching. DingTalk and Tencent Classroom became the major platforms for live lessons and assignment transfer. Regarding online education/research, the Ministry of Education encouraged ongoing advancement of infrastructure to enable continuous education and access by all studentsEvenנם in October 2023, the Ministry of Education is working closely with the National Cyber Security Bureau and the Ministry of Health to prevent our cyber-spaces in the world of higher education from investigating issues of pedagogical and technological proactivity. At the same time, problems like lack of student engagement, lack of interactivity and overemphasis on results remained entrenched. The “Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning” policy put too much emphasis on the continued process of teaching, but too little on the quality of learning. The differences here were did not lead to the proactivity, collaboration, and student-centeredness touted students-focused classrooms. These issues are further exemplified in my own personal experience. My secondary school responded to the pandemic by adopting the so-called “Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning” policy and going for live online teaching. But I had realized that teachers appearing on the screen were unable to capture each student’s reactions, and struggled with pacing the teaching, if students needed more time. It was during a physics class, with the teacher explaining elaborate performances of circuit diagrams, that I lagged behind in getting a hang of the proceedings. I usually heard no prompt response despite having posted questions in the chat box and was left confused after every lesson. Also, teachers ignored a lot of what went on during class. Other than roll calls for attendance, teachers and students hardly communicated with one another. I needed interactivity and personalized guidance, so slowly I came to lose interest in learning (an ironic loss) and concluded that online instruction kept tracks of educational continuity, but it was short from achieving the goals of ideal learning.

In summary, while remote teaching measures in Chinese secondary schools during the pandemic were a necessary crisis response, their actual implementation failed to meet the basic requirements of effective learning. The policy's emphasis on teaching continuity often came at the expense of interactivity and deep learning experiences. This context forms the basis for critically analyzing the disconnection between these practices and the theory of learning-oriented education.

Summary of the WIE essential reading you have chosen to use: (approx. 400 words) The critical analysis in this essay is based on Chris Watkins' theory of learning-oriented classrooms as presented in Developing Learning-Centred Classrooms and Schools. This theory challenges traditional teacher-centered teaching methods and advocates placing students at the core of the educational experience. Watkins identifies three key elements of learning-oriented classrooms: proactive learning, collaborative learning, and student autonomy. Watkins argues firstly that the basis of learning orientated classrooms is in students participating in information and not receptive scholars. Proactive learning–students contextualising knowledge through active engagement with content, experiential and critical thinking and reflective learning. Students are expected to dive into problems, formulate hypotheses, and connect them to prior knowledge. Working in a remote teaching environment, this principle enables you to create tasks that promote problem-solving and inspire critical thinking. On the contrary, remote teaching practices in Chinese secondary schools have paid more attention to accomplishing teaching content, but overlooked of students' proactivity in learning.

Second, collaborative learning is a vital aspect of Watkins' theory. Constructing knowledge together can lead to profound learnings as well as creation of interpersonal communication, he suggests. When students interact with one another, this helps the process, especially for both students and they will be able to explain their concepts and some complex process that is going on. But remote teaching in Chinese secondary schools during the pandemic offered no interaction between teachers and students and no interaction among students. Teaching activities consisted largely of one-way information delivery, with little collaborative student task completion. This goes against the very essence of collaborative learning.

In addition, Watkins claims that students need more of a say in their learning. Students will have to take more responsibility for what their learning goal is, how they choose the path that gets them to the goals you set, and how they reflect on how well they have done, which increases intrinsic motivation and creates skills for lifelong learning! However, remote teaching practices in China were normally teacher-centered, and the learning path for students was firmly limited to a standardized teaching arrangement. Such an absence of autonomy also hindered students' exploratory potential, contrary to the idea of student-centeredness in learning-oriented classrooms.

Overall, teaching was continuous in Chinese secondary schools thanks to remote teaching over the pandemic, yet this model could not realize essential features of a learning-oriented classroom, already reported previously by Hattie (2008) in his pioneering study: proactive learning, collaborative learning, and autonomy of individual students. These practices emphasized on training students to deliver content and finish results instead of inducing them to participate spontaneously, collaboratively and autonomously in learning processes. This aspect of how remote teaching was conducted during this period appears to be contrary to what could be classified as Watkins conception of remote teaching which would need to take a student-centered educational philosophy approach in order to improve the quality of learning outcomes.

Notes on some other initial reading on your topic: (approx. 200 words) Watkins, C. (2017). Developing learning-centred classrooms and schools. Life in schools and classrooms: Past, present and future, 407-419. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_25 This framework emphasizes the importance of proactive, collaborative, and learner-led processes, providing a critical perspective for assessing remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. It contrasts traditional teacher-centered models with learner-centered ideologies. Czerniewicz, L., Agherdien, N., Badenhorst, J., Belluigi, D., Chambers, T., Chili, M., ... & Wissing, G. (2020). A wake-up call: Equity, inequality and Covid-19 emergency remote teaching and learning. Postdigital science and education, 2(3), 946-967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00187-4 This paper reveals how remote teaching exacerbated systemic inequities, relevant for discussing the digital divide and its impact on educational equity in China's pandemic response. Gunawardena, C. N., & McIsaac, M. S. (2013). Distance education. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 361-401). Routledge. This analysis offers a historical and theoretical perspective on remote education, critiquing its potential to reinforce hierarchical teaching trends. It aligns with Watkins' criticism of teacher-centered practices and provides insights into integrating technology effectively. Yuebo, L., Halili, S. H., & Razak, R. A. (2022). Online teaching in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Eval & Res Educ ISSN, 2252(8822), 1465. This study evaluates structural and pedagogical challenges faced by China's education system during the pandemic, offering data and case studies crucial for analyzing the practical limitations of remote teaching

How does the theory/topic/essential reading apply to your chosen context: (approx. 500 words) The essay will primarily draw on the work of Chris Watkins regarding theories of the learning-centered classroom, emphasizing student autonomy and choice, collaboration, and self-directed learning. This chosen theoretical influence has been used to explore the issues associated with the practice of remote teaching in Chinese secondary schools during the pandemic and its consequences for the learners. In China, at the very outset of the pandemic, this rapidly moved to become a teacher-centered remote teaching practice, focusing on content transmission and standardized assessment. This method of teaching fully meets Watkins' criticism of traditional models of education and considerably fails to meet his ideals on how a learner-led education with collaborative learning should be. Contrarily, principles like a learning-centered approach, especially active participation of students and development of their critical thinking, could not be extended properly in the remote teaching practice of China. Literature has identified one critical issue: inefficient interaction in virtual classrooms. Indeed, as indicated by Watkins (2017), an interactive approach in learning is at the heart of developing deep understanding and critical thinking. On the other hand, Yuebo et al. (2022) observe that during the pandemic, remote teaching in China mainly used live-streamed lessons whereby teachers provided knowledge to transmit one way, and students became mere listeners. Approach that denied students any chance to discuss with teachers and peers, explore assumptions, and think reflectively-things which give rise to deep learning and knowledge construction. The one-way flow of information in the remote classrooms denied students an opportunity to actually participate in knowledge exploration and construction hence excluding the collaborative and active learning as posited by Watkins. The overemphasis on performance metrics rather than the process of learning, in particular, further exacerbated this teacher-centered model. According to Gunawardena and McIsaac, there is too much criticism regarding how technology in distance education allows for a hierarchy of teaching, not an increase in interaction and collaboration. For example, in the case of remote teaching in China, although multiple digital tools were widely used, all those tools tended to serve for traditional content delivery and information dissemination without unleashing the potential to promote collaborative and student-centered learning. Some technologies could be designed for interactive teaching activities or group collaboration projects. This lack of such designs has made technology a mere facilitator of replicating traditional models and no more in enhancing the effectiveness of teaching. It has also lagged behind on minor technical problems, including faulty internet access connections and a shortage of devices, which exacerbated inequalities among students, especially economic disparities.

Sample writing: (approx. 500 words) Introduction

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, traditional classroom teaching was disturbed and schools adopted emergency remote teaching measures. Under the "Suspending Classes Without Stopping Learning" policy, secondary schools in China swiftly moved to target online teaching to maintain education flow in the face of the pandemic. Teachers presented lessons on platforms such as DingTalk and Tencent Classroom, and students completed assignments and took assessments on these same platforms.

While this marked a big step in making sure education was not completely disrupted, it also highlighted serious problems about teaching and learning. In summary, this article suggests that the remote teaching being deployed in the Chinese secondary school did not follow or adapt the core tenets within Chris Watkins’ theory of learning-centered classrooms. These practices served to perpetuate and entrench the traditional voice-of-God/teacher-centered model rather than fostering active, collaborative, and student-led education. Three major elements are being critically examined in this essay which come in return of all above stated principles; (i) lack of interaction, (ii) performance-driven practices and, (iii) superficial integration of technology.

Body: Lack of Interaction

In Chinese high schools remote teaching often involved little interaction between teacher and student and/or within student groups. Most online classrooms consisted of teacher lectures, students listening passively with little room for questions or discussions. Now, Watkins suggests that interaction is the major mechanism by which knowledge is constructed and understanding is deepened: it allows students to appreciate different perspectives, challenge assumptions and co-construct our understanding. But of course remote teaching didn’t follow this principle. The students said they often felt isolated and disengaged from content learning due to the lack of meaningful interaction. And this not only skewed the quality of learning but also went against Watkins’ theory on the importance of proactive, collaborative learning.

Performance-Driven Practices

Another problem was the overemphasis on performance measures, complete assignments and get a high score. Burdened by pressure, teachers focused on getting through content and constant testing to prove measurable returns. This kind of classroom experience made students see education as completing a list of tasks instead of a process of articulation and exploration. Watkins cautions that focusing obsessively on results stifles students’ appetite for learning out of joy, not just utility. In addition, when applied to China's remote teaching, this emphasis on results only distances learners from substantive learning, further squeezing the potential for critical examination and raw growth of thinkers.

Superficial Use of Technology

Over the remote teaching period, the extensive use of digital platforms brought to light a third pressing challenge: the lack of depth in the use of technology. Instead of enabling collaboration or proactive learning, the sole purposes of platforms like DingTalk was to recreate what already existed in a physical classroom (i.e. one-way lectures and distribution of assignments). Watkins maintains that technology should be a tool to stimulate engagement and interaction or to be used in a student-led process. However, China’s model of remote teaching relied more on technology as a replacement to traditional teaching rather than as a way of enhancing the effects of teaching. Fragile internet connections and lack of devices pushed the economy disadvantaged students away from school, increasing learning disparities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, remote teaching during the pandemic managed to retain education to some extent, but the actual application of remote teaching in Chinese secondary schools lacked the elements of learning-centered classroom. This teacher-centered practice led to rote learning, use of technology for the sake of it, and absence of interaction and performance-based practices. This important review shows what educators and policy-makers need to painfully look at, in terms of theory and practice being at very clichéd ends of the spectrum, and it should be required reading for all those in power who can help architects of teaching practice across phases and sectors of education re-think their approaches.

References:

Anderson, T., & Rivera Vargas, P. (2020). A critical look at educational technology from a distance education perspective. Digital Education Review, 2020, num. 37, p. 208-229. https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2020.37.208-229 Cheng, X. (2020). Challenges of'school’s out, but class’s on'to school education: Practical exploration of Chinese schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sci Insigt Edu Front, 5(2), 501-516. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3565605 Czerniewicz, L., Agherdien, N., Badenhorst, J., Belluigi, D., Chambers, T., Chili, M., ... & Wissing, G. (2020). A wake-up call: Equity, inequality and Covid-19 emergency remote teaching and learning. Postdigital science and education, 2(3), 946-967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00187-4 Dietrich, N., Kentheswaran, K., Ahmadi, A., Teychené, J., Bessière, Y., Alfenore, S., ... & Hébrard, G. (2020). Attempts, successes, and failures of distance learning in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2448-2457. Fang, X., & Ng, D. T. K. (2024). Educational inequity in prolonged online learning among young learners: A two-year longitudinal study of Chinese cross-border education. Education and Information Technologies, 29(10), 11955-11977. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12331-1 Gunawardena, C. N., & McIsaac, M. S. (2013). Distance education. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 361-401). Routledge. Watkins, C. (2017). Developing learning-centred classrooms and schools. Life in schools and classrooms: Past, present and future, 407-419. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3654-5_25 Xue, E., Li, J., Li, T., & Shang, W. (2021). China’s education response to COVID-19: A perspective of policy analysis. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 53(9), 881-893. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1793653 Yuebo, L., Halili, S. H., & Razak, R. A. (2022). Online teaching in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Eval & Res Educ ISSN, 2252(8822), 1465. Zhou, L., Wu, S., Zhou, M., & Li, F. (2020). 'School’s out, but class’ on', the largest online education in the world today: Taking China’s practical exploration during The COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control as an example. Best evid chin edu, 4(2), 501-519.

PLEASE NOTE: Your tutor will give you feedback and suggestions about how to develop your ideas, not an indicative grade.