I’ve been reading a plethora of articles and participating in just as many, if not more webinars/live streams from a variety of educational leaders. I typically find these resources on my social media feeds. In fact, I created a “best of” list in my last post and highly recommend that you check it out and follow these educators as they are truly inspirational instructional leaders.
I have found that taking notes about what resonates with me for each event on a single Google doc has helped me to synthesize what is emerging as common themes about remote learning and here they are:
1. Grace
This message is loud and clear throughout all media. I have heard classroom teachers, site administrators, and educational organizations reinforce that grace be extended to students, teachers, parents, and everyone in between.
One of the biggest questions about remote learning has to do with expectations. I have seen the expression “grace before grades” from a number of people across the country. I have seen the message repeated among many stakeholders about extending grace to teachers as they navigate this instantaneous shift in the delivery of instruction.
My take-away: Exercise positive presupposition which means that EVERYONE is doing the best that they can. There will be hits and misses and the more we work to provide remote learning experiences, the better we will be able to make them more effective.
2. Student Context
Remote learning could easily lend itself to overlooking the context by which individual students are accessing information when it actually calls for educators to BEGIN with student context in mind prior to planning instruction. If you want powerful examples of this, check out Personal & Authentic by Thomas C. Murray. There so many resources on his website from blog posts, to podcasts, to webinars to choose from that you will want to set aside enough time to really explore.
Districts are working hard to ensure that remote learning does not further widen the equity gap. It has caused us to focus more precisely on the ability of individual students to access the content. I have seen great leadership among Chief Technology Officers and Directors who are working above and beyond to provide students with the connected devices to participate in remote learning. Shout out to Jason Buchanan at Apple Valley Unified School District for being one of these leaders.
Since it is not possible for all students at this time to participate virtually, print materials still must be provided. A participant in a recent webinar I attended told the story of her principal taking large volumes of printed instructional materials to students, many who are living close to the US-Mexico border to be certain that ALL students are getting what they need.
3. Flexibility
Remote learning can take on a wide variety of representations. Teachers who were adept at having a virtual presence with Google classroom, websites, flipped classroom videos, and the like have had an easier transition to our current situation. Teachers who have not used these tools as a regular part of their instruction may be struggling and will need support to see what is possible. A best practice for school administrators is meeting (virtually, of course) teachers where they are and helping them to stretch beyond posting assignments and collecting student work to providing direct instruction that includes modeling and guided practice as the subject matter dictates.
For many districts, the first phase of remote learning has been marked by refraining from rigid expectations about the parameters, including frequency of contact, length of contact, number of students in attendance. This has helped to make this a gentler transition for teachers, students, and parents. Everyone is beginning to understand that remote instruction is VERY different than classroom instruction. The feedback has been that there is too much work being expected from students (and by extension, parents) and adjustments are being made.
4. Opportunites
I have seen so many powerful resources being shared that involve student choice. This is a technique that was also effective in a classroom instructional environment, but not always easy to provide.
In a recent live stream, Colby Sharp and his wife, Alaina put it best…What if students were working on the one thing that they can be nerdy about for the rest of their lives? This statement really captures the power of this moment in education…encouraging students to find their passion. Many of them already have one or more interests that make their hearts sing. Allowing them to incorporate their passion into an artifact of their learning is a win-win. Not every subject lends itself to this practice, however many of them do. Remember Howard Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences? Here is an article from Edutopia about his research and the practices that support it.
5. Encouragement
Sharing the good news, focusing on students, teachers, and all support staff for their victories in overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles has been breathtaking. Amazing things are taking place at this time that no one would have thought possible in February. A few school districts local to me have done an outstanding job of consistently posting how the schools are finding innovative ways to stay connected to students.
My favorite posts are the 10-second video messages from classroom teachers, principals, counselors, and coaches to their students. What I love about these messages to students at all grade levels is the reminder that we will get through this together. As a high school student, it would have meant the world to me to see and hear my teachers tell me this. I’m sure that it would also mean the WORLD to so many students right now.
A very special thanks to the following educators who CONTINUE to provide outstanding examples of each of these themes:
@colbysharp @thomascmurray @E_Sheninger @gcouros @jodylo @DrKedziora @ArcadiaUnified @duarteusd @JasonK12CTO
- Part Four of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: Evaluating Progress - September 20, 2022
- Part Three of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: One Classroom at a Time - September 30, 2020
- Part Two of Building a Learning-Focused Culture in Four Parts: Taking Stock - September 14, 2020
