Page 43 - DistanceLearning

we deployed a survey to our students to learn what was working other. Setting up virtual meetings
for them in this new environment and focus on the opportunities,
with their voice, to engage our learners. Here are our top five take-
aways for focusing on succinct learning practices and promoting
collaboration and connection with students:
Identify a point person on a team to communicate with students
who need extra support so that communication is streamlined. We
realized that without the in-person prompting and conversation,
many of our students needed one teacher or staff member with
whom they had a connection to guide them in managing assign-
ments or staying on-task. Our I&RS Team provided the conduit
for making that connection, and we identified key members and
assigned them to students that needed support.
Keep written instructions to a minimum. A few key sentences or
using a video to explain and model what students need to do can
do the trick. Monitoring the plethora of notifications on Google
Classroom can be daunting, but by simplifying instructions it was
easier for our students to understand the objective or requirement
of the task.
Providing models and checklists help students self-monitor work.
We all benefit from having a checklist or To-Do List so providing
our students with similar checklists was beneficial in helping to
self-start or complete assignments and tasks.
Think of assignments that get students away from the screen. The
shift to remote learning has shed light on the increased amount of
screentime for both students and adults. Encourage students to
create and move when they can. Our Physical Education teachers
posted videos of DIY obstacle courses and challenges by our staff
on Twitter, and our Social Studies teachers posted scavenger hunts
to obtain items around the house and share the work afterward.
Focus on our why. Planning for remote learning had us reflect
deeply on the question of why do students need to know this? It
helped us to narrow the purpose of the task and engage students
in meaningful learning. Communicating the why, what, and how to
students for assignments added depth and purpose.
Collaboration with our colleagues was essential throughout this
journey and we learned that constant communication was key to
continuing to promote a positive school culture and support each
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with a twist to maintain a high level Virtual Lunch Hours,
of support and camaraderie helped Spirit Days, and Yoga
us to develop stronger support sys- Sessions with our
tems. Virtual Coffee Hours with our Students helped us to
Counselors, Virtual Mindfulness and maintain a positive
Yoga Sessions with Staff helped us school culture and
to connect with each other outside check-in with our
of planning lessons and conferences students.
and support our well-being.
Virtual Lunch Hours, Spirit Days, and Yoga Sessions with our Stu-
dents helped us to maintain a positive school culture and check-in
with our students. Holding online challenges, and posting them to
Twitter and Instagram, like TikTok dances by the Principal, creating
family messages of positivity, “The Masked Teacher” Twitter Link
and sending daily positive messages both in print and via video
(Weekly Broadcast May 3rd Weekly Broadcast April 20th Message
to Our Families) supported our commitment to strong communica-
tion between home and school.
Still faced with the uncertainty of how schools will reopen in the
coming months, remote learning has opened a door of opportunity
for us. Our second take-away is that we must re-imagine our prac-
tices. In the words of Margaret Wheatley, “As we work together to
restore hope for the future, we need to include a new and strange
ally — our willingness to be disturbed.”
Our previous practices and ways of operating have been disturbed
in the past three months. Our thinking has been disrupted and
caused us to create new paths to learning through blended and
flipped models of instruction that have now become standard,
meaningful, and specific feedback to support our learners, revised
curricula, and virtual professional development to support our
teachers and staff. We have found new ways of making meaning
for our students and new ways to support our students. We have
found opportunities to laugh and be vulnerable in these new ways
of working. Our typical instructional and operational practices have
been re-defined for us, it is now our opportunity to re-imagine
learning for our students.