Open Educational Resources can address concerns of the teacher strike

Teacher are rising up across the country to demand better funding and resources for their classrooms. What started in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma has spread further west to include Colorado and Arizona, showing the need across the country for a comprehensive re-envisioning of what a classroom should look like in order to prepare students for the 21st century world.

One of the most common symbols of the lack of resources within education spaces has been the textbooks— ones that belonged to 41-year-old country singers when they were in school, ones with spines that crumble so easily they fall apart when opened, and ones that still cite Bill Clinton as president. The struggle to stay relevant in the classroom is exacerbated by the lack of appropriate materials, and that’s what makes this more than a moment— it’s a movement.

And while the movement’s requests for more funding are certainly justified, we need to be strategic about how we invest if that increase should arise. Here’s where OER— materials that are free to download, modify, and use— should be a central pillar of the current requests in education. It has the ability to be readily adaptable to fit students’ needs, is a cheaper option than traditional textbooks, and encourages districts to try new methods of teaching and learning.

But best of all, just like these strikes, it can be led by teachers. Just further west of where strikes are happening in Arizona, teachers in San Diego are leading the way to bring OER into their school districts. Says Dr. Ben Churchill, superintendent of Carlsbad Unified School District, “the process is driven by collaboration, and our teachers are feeling more empowered than ever to make critical decisions about what to teach, and how to teach it.”

While we empower teachers through the strike, it’s equally important that we remember to empower them after— once they’ve returned to the classroom. And OER is one incredible way to do that.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology started a national movement that supported educators as they transitioned from traditional textbooks to OER. This movement provided a catalyst for school districts to not only think about how instructional materials were being used in classrooms, but also how classrooms could be re-conceptualized as a whole.

Traditional textbooks are written by publishing companies that develop content based on what students should know in each grade level and subject. The publishing companies often determine the key areas of learning within a grade level or subject, and though they may take input from educators, real teachers in the classroom are not the driving force. Once a textbook is published, it is copyrighted and prevents any significant changes to the content, until a new edition is run.

Today’s classrooms are filled with students from all backgrounds, with varying needs, but the copyright affixed to traditional textbooks prevents any type of modification to the content to meet those varied needs. The license affixed to open educational resources, by contrast, allows teachers to revise and remix the content to meet the needs of students. This can range from using a local example to be more relevant for students, or even translating the content into multiple languages to support students working on their English language acquisition.  

"[OER] ensures that our students continue to get vibrant and relevant resources and offers teachers a flexible set of curriculum resources." 

Recently, Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego County created a strategic development and implementation plan for their transition to OER based on student needs and teacher expertise. Director of instructional technology, Dan McDowell, said “[OER] ensures that our students continue to get vibrant and relevant resources and offers teachers a flexible set of curriculum resources. Multiple versions can be created to personalize the student experience and to provide personalized resources most appropriate for the student.”

In addition to flexibility, school districts making the choice to use OER also consider cost. Because the materials are free and openly licensed, there are fewer up-front costs associated with adopting the curriculum as a whole. It is important to note that implementing these resources does not mean that the budget line item is simply deleted— but rather, funding is reinvested in the school district through professional learning for teachers, as well as infrastructure and devices to support digital learning environments. In Grossmont, the district reinvested all cost-savings back into the district as a whole, and most importantly, in its teachers leading this work.

Finally, OER allows us to re-conceptualize what happens in the classrooms to prepare students for a globalized society with jobs that don’t yet exist. The instructional materials that are used for teaching and learning are important elements in this process, as well as the professionals charged with leading this work in the classrooms. OER creates greater flexibility where new instructional strategies can be attempted, iterated, and honed to best meet the needs of students.

 "OER is not ‘throwing away the textbook;’ rather, it is giving teachers a voice in the curriculum development process, and driving them to new ways of thinking about how they teach.”

Superintendent Churchill notes that in Carlsbad, “OER has brought teachers together to collaborate and create. They are focused on learner outcomes, and are spending much less time talking about texts and material— and much more time talking about what they want their students to know and be able to do. OER is not ‘throwing away the textbook’ and letting teachers untether from the district curriculum; rather, it is giving teachers a voice in the curriculum development process, and driving them to new ways of thinking about how they teach.”

OER serves as a viable option for instructional materials that are flexible enough to meet student needs and allows districts to reimagine teaching and learning. Implementing OER empowers teachers to be an integral part of the curriculum process, while showcasing their expertise as educators. Whether it’s outside the classroom on the picket line, or inside the classroom with curriculum development, one thing is abundantly clear: teachers are ready to lead. OER is one way to empower them on their path.