By now we’re all online, and whether we like it or not, it’s our only option for continuing to teach our students. In the spirit of support for best practices, 2e News has sought out perspectives and tips for teachers, students, administrators, and parents about learning in the virtual space. Below is some collective wisdom culled from several teachers across the country. Please contact us below with your experiences and advice.
1. This is hard. It’s not just that students are home. We are all experiencing a real-time historical event that has already profoundly changed the entire world. There has never been anything in human history as impactful to as many people as this has been. Mathematical formulas, scientific theories, and outlining essays may not be the biggest priority for students right now. But education has the power to distract some students from their anxieties, which helps them persevere over the long term.
2. Patience is a virtue and you do have the time. Students are dealing with a lot of emotions related to the weirdness of not going to school and being home with their families constantly. It will take time to find the right rhythm between schoolwork and this new life. Have your expectations meet reality. Less pressure, more nurturing.
3. Experimentation is opportunity. Teachers are like jazz musicians. They take a familiar melody (content) and make it their own (pedagogy). There are no mistakes, only new opportunities for improving (improvising) and learning. This is the time to go off book. And speaking of books, YouTube and websites are fine, but students might need a break from the virtual world and a return to that old technology of the written word. Consider books.
4. Students are willing co-conspirators. Include them. Bring them in on it. Give them choices, make suggestions, guide them. In the forced democracy of the Zoom meeting, all squares are equal. We can no longer be the sage on the stage if we want to be seen on the screen. Help students plan and carry out discussions or presentations to the rest of the class. Give them a sense of ownership by enlisting their participation.
5. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Keep it bouncing. Twenty-minute sessions might be a better fit. Make lectures into conversations. Make assignments into one- or two-line prompts. This gives students more time and space for higher-order thinking on their own. Asking is better than answering. Attention spans have never been shorter. Use some of the time for chatting, check-ins, small talk, and jokes. Side note: Since we have the opportunity, schedule classes for late morning, early afternoon. Studies show that is the optimum time for cognitive receptivity.
6. Differentiate for all. For all intents and purposes, every student is now on an individualized education program. The conforming powers of a school or peer pressure have been downgraded. Students are on their own. Create opportunities that play to their strengths and natural interests. Some may not be comfortable on a screen and want to participate voice only or not at all — their engagement will be based on how compelling the session is to them. You won’t be able to patrol them off smart phones or other distractions. Distractions are what’s saving them right now. Go with it.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Students are dealing with a lot of emotions related to the weirdness of not going to school and being home with their families constantly. It will take time to find the right rhythm between schoolwork and this new life.[/perfectpullquote]
7. Know each other. Communicate with students individually to understand who they are and what they need. The more you host one-on-one interactions, the more effective and productive the group meetings will be. Let them know who you are, too. It’s OK to be unsure. They probably need the social-emotional support of a friend as much as the educational support of a teacher.
8. Forget grades. Forget tests. All work is homework now. Education happens through personal discovery and constructive sharing through conversation, writing, art, videos, slide shows, whatever. Evaluations can be narrative and based on students’ personal growth.
9. Summarization. Have students make video summaries of what they’ve learned either directly or via an interview with a teacher or fellow student. This video record can be used as a study guide and an evaluation tool and a means of communicating and helping other students.
10. Communication extrapolation. Reach out to other classes from other schools. The idea of a “class” in a “school” is radically changing. Arrange for shared lessons with other classes and video “pen pals” so students can support one anoter no matter where they are. Create virtual conferences with students from other locations around the country — and around the world. If a disease can be globalized, so can education.
So, keep it up, keep experimenting, and keep letting us know what’s working so that all of us can share. The more we cooperate, the less isolated we really are.
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