Duryee
Reflective Practice: Considering the Differences in Teacher Immediacy when a K-12 Teacher Transitions to Online Higher Education
Lisa A. Duryee, Grand Canyon University
Abstract
Reflective practice allows for the exploration of ideas to gain new insight about something unexpected or unknown. As a former K-12 classroom teacher, I had the opportunity to transition to higher learning in an online platform, teaching adult learners. What was unexpected about this transition were the differences I noticed in immediacy between the two platforms and the types of student. Face-to-face interactions make for easy-to-build relationships, yet I did not anticipate the difficulty in achieving this type of connection in the online classroom. Using John Dewey’s educational insight as a reflective lens, I identified the following three potential reasons that could have contributed to the differences I encountered: the teacher, the learner, and the learning environment. An introspective look at each led to a conceptual exploration and a telling of my story to reflect on my experiences and how they shaped not only the problem posed, but also the ultimate outcome and discoveries along the way.
Keywords: John Dewey, k-12 education, classroom teacher, faculty, online education, teacher, learner, learning environment, online learning environment, k-12 classroom, teaching strategies, online higher education, classroom management, asynchronous learning, feedback, instructor feedback, online instructor