Indigenous learners face more challenges with virtual learning, report says

For a subsection, “Indigenous Youth Experiences with Online Learning,” the authors interviewed Jenn O’Driscoll, Acting Assistant Principal at Nbisiing High School in the Nipissing First Nation, who explained how students had responded to online learning.

“As much as we’re online everyday and we see each other’s faces and we try to have these conversations and build these relationships, it’s not the same as when we’re in person,” she said. declared.

The information in the report comes from interviews with experts and a survey of 1,063 students and parents.

Online learning more difficult for First Nations

The report indicates that only 17 percent of households on reserve in Ontario have access to high-speed Internet. Attendance rates have long been a challenge in First Nations schools, and O’Driscoll said truancy rates increased during the first visit to school online.

Another problem is that some parts of the program, such as sharing traditional knowledge of elders, cannot take place online, either because of technological barriers or because of the belief that sacred knowledge should not be shared. only orally.

The simple high-speed internet access required for online learning is a challenge in many communities. O’Driscoll said Nipissing First Nation near North Bay is an outlier because most households have sufficient internet access.

However, when some students visited families in remote communities, sometimes there was not even a cell signal available to access the Internet.

“When we talk about distance learning, Nipissing is not the norm,” she said.

Reaching students can be difficult

The report states that students who have traditionally been successful in school have not faced as many challenges with distance learning. However, those who had struggled before tended to fare even worse.

O’Driscoll said this was in part because these students tend to be less likely to seek help. In an online environment, the likelihood of them asking for help has decreased further.

“You’re just trained to know who needs help and who doesn’t. And you really can’t figure it out online if students aren’t actively asking for it,” she said.

The challenges that Indigenous students face with online learning reflect larger systemic barriers, O’Driscoll said, including the assumption that every student has adequate access to the internet, technology, and a space for learning. suitable work at home.

Indspire, a national charity that advocates for Indigenous education, posted a report online in May 2021, showing that Indigenous post-secondary learners also face many barriers in distance education.

Consider more perspectives

O’Driscoll said it was positive the report looked specifically at Indigenous learners. There are also subsections that focus on black children and students with disabilities.

Virtual learning cannot replace the conventional classroom, especially within the Nipissing First Nation, O’Driscoll said. Her community relies heavily on people-to-people connections and a connection to the land, which cannot be easily translated online.

“Technology is going to be part of Indigenous education and kids have to learn to navigate technology and use technology, but I would say strictly virtual learning is not ideal for Indigenous education,” she declared.

A key message from the report was that e-learning likely has a role to play in the future of education, but that it will only be effective if it can reach all students equally.

Students at Nibiising High School will return to virtual classrooms for at least two weeks after the holidays, due to the growing number of COVID-19 infections in Ontario. O’Driscoll said it would be difficult for the students, but it’s the right course of action right now.