The Pandemic of Online Teaching

The purpose of this Action Research Project was to take a look at how my own actions towards students, and their own actions towards myself, compare and contrast between an online environment and a physical classroom environment. With the corona virus pandemic, students were transitioned from going to a classroom physically in person, to working remotely from their own houses online. When beginning this project, I wanted to put a specific focus on how the interactions between students and their educators change from an online environment to a physical classroom environment. Alongside of that, there is also a focus on whether or not student interactions change when interacting within an online environment or an in person environment. Through this analysis of classroom interaction with students in both an online an in-person environment, as well as example lessons and journal reflections, it has become apparent that student academic experiences are vastly different between the two environments. While both can be successful and efficient in what students learn and accomplish in their academics, the personal relations and the connections made between classmates that are made within a physical classroom can be replicated in an online environment. This project looks at the different aspects of differentiating instructional material, the various styles of creating presentations between online and in person learning, and how students interact with one another and with their educator depending on whether their online or in person. These interactions that I encountered and handled throughout my teaching experience in this program shaped how I want to act as an educator for my future students