Toko Oshio

Toko Oshio is a developmentalist who provides a unique take on the concept of an educational technologist. Specifically, Toko describes herself as a developmental psychologist who studies the social-emotional development of young children and youth. Through her work working with children and underserved populations, she tackles issues of equity and can speak to the research behind some of the technology trends with young children.

Toko Oshio is a developmentalist who provides a unique take on the concept of an educational technologist. Specifically, Toko describes herself as a developmental psychologist who studies the social-emotional development of young children and youth. Toko’s practice involves working with children and understanding every aspect of how they think, learn and interact. Much of her most recent research revolves around struggles of undocumented immigrant youth in school systems and that of social-emotional development.

Educational Technology and Underserved Populations

When most people think of an educational technologist, one of the first items that come to mind is the integration of technology into curriculum; however, at a more basic level, educational technologists need to understand issues of equity with regards to access to technology, accessibility, and culture.

An underrepresented population that Toko works with are students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Toko provides the following definitions for undocumented immigrants and DACA:

Undocumented immigrants are individuals who are not U.S. citizens, do not hold current permanent resident visas, and have not been granted admission under rules for longer-term residence or work permits (Passel & Cohn, 2014).

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) refers to President Obama’s executive action announcements in 2012 and 2014. It grants some undocumented immigrants a reprieve from deportation, the ability to receive a Social Security number, the capability to work, and lawful presence.

Toko describes that 725,000 individuals have received DACA status to date, and nearly 2 million will be eligible in the future. The students will protect their status and not disclose it to anyone in hopes of protecting their parents, who could face deportation.

In a recent interview, Toko discussed a particular scenario that can often be difficult for DACA students:

Due to their status, they are also not eligible for government programs such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As most schools have college prep programs, which includes submitting the FAFSA, DACA students have the potential to be put into situations where a teacher could ask, “Why are you not filling out the FAFSA? You want to go to college don’t you?” or could state something along the lines of, “The FAFSA isn’t applicable to you, so you should do such and such.” In both cases, the statements call out the student in potentially detrimental ways.

In the case of DACA students, Toko says that the best thing that can be done to help these students is just to be mindful. Students protect their undocumented status for a variety of reasons, and they do so out of fear. Students should not be put in a place where they actively have to disclose their status.

Educational Technology and Children

Toko’s passion is working with children, specifically toddlers and infants. Educational technologists are often described as attempting to find ways to integrate technology into the classroom. Toko flips this framework by observing how children interact with technology, naturally, and how this technology influences their development. Such research could improve future teaching methods. Another concern with technology and children is the use and amount of technology that they are exposed to. Toko explains that this is a much-debated topic in research communities. From Toko’s own experience, she says that the most important aspect to consider with technology and children is not whether you should use it or not, it is more so, how do you use technology in a smart and effective manner. Technology should not be used as a baby sitter, but rather it should inspire curiosity and natural learning.

Research & Instruction

Research is another strong passion of Toko. Toko has an extensive list of published work, presentations, and grant proposals. The research varies in topics from second language acquisition in young children, effects of parent interactions on children, to high school students’ accuracy of estimations of the cost of college. Her passion poses a great benefit to her students which she mentors as shown in a UM-Flint news article. Jessica-Maris Wallag reflected on Toko’s mentorship: “I really enjoy working with Dr. Oshio because she is a very passionate and hardworking researcher. She has already taught me important skills that I can use in my own research for my master’s thesis. She is very helpful and thorough. I never feel lost or overwhelmed in this project because she is always there to support me.” At UM-Flint, Toko teaches a variety of classes in Early Childhood Education including Child Development & Learning, Working with Families, Children and Community, and Working with Infants and Toddlers. Toko is very passionate about her research, the children she works with and the students that she is teaching.

Written by: Thomas Stockwell August, 2017