Team Member: Dr. Colina Poullard
In this issue, we would like to recognize Dr. Colina Poullard, the Curriculum Director for Digital Education and Innovation within HCDE’s Teaching and Learning Center. With over 20 years of combined Education and Media experience, Dr. Poullard brings a unique perspective on the impact on COVID-19 and planning for what’s ahead in the digital realm. We caught up with Dr. Poullard to get her insights.
Regarding digital learning, how has teacher self-efficacy increased since the beginning of COVID-19?
Teacher self-efficacy has increased significantly since the beginning of Covid. Early on, I was spending a lot of my training time bridging the gap between face-to-face learning and virtual learning. There were some “rockstar” face-to-face teachers who struggled when it came to virtual learning. So, one way that we, in TLC, supported teachers who faced those challenges was to create weekly digital learning days where I was able to support technology and instructional needs.
What about student self-efficacy?
Student self-efficacy was another tough one during Covid. What I noticed was that educators expected students to translate what they knew about their phones and social media into a learning platform and there was a huge learning curve. Students could easily create videos and upload, but they couldn’t create a PowerPoint. However, because children are so resilient, we saw some significant gains once new digital relationships were formed between the teachers and students and the groundwork was laid for instruction to happen.
Moving forward with digital instruction, what support systems are still needed in the 2021-2022 school year for teachers and students?
I think moving forward a mind shift towards education and digital instruction must happen. I’m noticing that educators and students are using the term “back to normal” when referencing how we “do” school. I think that the 2020-2021 school year ushered in the “new normal.” I believe that school districts that aren’t 1:1 now, need to get there and fast. I think we need to start thinking about how to build real digital learning into our literacy and numeracy early education classes to make what we’ve all just been though a smaller hurdle for next time we face drastic changes.