Remote Learning Update
We’re nearly a month into our remote learning. It seems like two days and two years ago at the same time. I’ve come a long way in what I now think I know and understand about this work. But, there are still so many things to understand and make sense of. I am so grateful for the communities (both those at my school site and my virtual ones) who continue to push my thinking and make a better experience for our students.
So…this week I was honored to lead a webinar on how I’m navigating this new normal. I lead with this thought.
I wanted to be open and honest that I don’t, and I hope no one does, presume to have this figured out. I’ve tried some things with my team, and some of them are working and my hope is that we’ll all share what we’re learning with each other.
So here we go.
There are three guiding principles that I think we should keep in mind as we learn to do this work.
1) There is no one “right” way to do this.
We ALL have specific circumstances, barriers, and structures that are unique to our students and families. There is no one way that works for all. We are all doing the best that we can.
2) Connection is fundamental to engagement.
We must remember that if students don’t feel connected to something (you, their classmates, the content, etc…), they are going to struggle to engage in the work. So, if we do nothing else during this time, let’s make sure our kiddos feel connected.
3) Use a minimum amount of technology to accomplish your goals.
Start with what you want to accomplish. Then decide what is the minimum amount of tech that can support this work. This will help keep things more equitable. It won’t solve the whole issue. But, it can help.
With these principles in mind, these guiding questions are ones that I believe are critical to explore as you build your plan moving forward.
Do you have flexibility in how you structure this work?
How can you keep the tech simple?
Will this be synchronous or asynchronous? Or a combination?
What about parents? How can you engage them? How can you make this easier for them?
What barriers are in place to keep this from happening? How can you work around them?
Are you introducing new content?
How and what do you want to assess?
And finally, here are some suggestions you might want to consider. I don’t pretend this list is exhaustive. I offer them here as things that seem to be working for me.
Assign “must do” and “can-do” problems.
Suggest headphones for students (when available).
Don’t let technology be a barrier to connecting with your students (use phone, email, text to let them know you are thinking of them and you are there if they need you)
Leverage existing routines (number of the day, calendar, solve and share, etc.)
Include ”real world” math (How Many, WODB, Math Photo Challenge, Notice/Wonder, etc.)
That’s enough for now. There’s much more detail in the webinar. So, if you are interested, you can download my slide deck here.
There are so many of us doing this work right now, and I want to learn together. So, I hope that we can continue to share what’s working and what’s not. We all get better when we’re in this together. Much love everyone. We’ve got this!