My daughter is actually enjoying online learning!
On Wednesday last week, she excitedly greeted me at the door! She was finally caught up in ALL her classes. She had been working hard to catch up, since the pacing started on Edgenuity, and finally, her dashboard said she was on target in all classes! You could see the relief in her eyes, in how tall she stood and in the huge smile on her face!
My son is NOT enjoying remote learning!
His school started on Wednesday last week. He knows most of the kids in his 5th grade class, and has seen his teacher around the school before. On Wednesday, he was ready! At 8 am, he started up his zoom, had all his books beside him, his earphones were on and he was ready to take this year by storm. Thankfully, his school decided to start with three minimum days. The perfect way to start a school year, right?
By Thursday at noon, he was laying on the floor! Literally. He used words I'm sure he learned from me, "I'm brain fried!". Then he went on to explain how it felt like his head was going to explode with all the information coming at him. When I asked if he had homework, he replied in a weary voice, "I don't even know!". Why the difference? Maybe it a girl/boy thing. Maybe it is due to maturity. Maybe it's too much zoom (his school zooms for 4 hours on a minimum day...I'm a little scared what a full day looks like!). Maybe it just takes a little time to get into this new routine? I don't know the answer, for sure. But here is what I notice: 1. My daughter gets regular feedback on how she is doing. Daily! 2. She is allowed to redo and retake assignments and quizzes, and she continues to attempt until she is satisfied with her learning outcomes. This makes her feel successful. 3. Edgenuity has short learning videos, followed by questions, to ensure student understanding, and focuses only on the essentials. 4. Several of Addy's teachers are working hard to get their students to interact with one another, during zooms and on virtual platforms (google slides and threaded discussions) These observations remind me of the data we collected at the end of last year from our students. We asked them what types of assignments they enjoyed most during distance learning and what they found difficult. Check out the responses:
Notice that the majority of students like to know how they are doing (instant feedback: from google forms, kahoot, quizizz, etc.) and want some choice in the way they show their learning.
Students were honest. They struggle to stay organized. They miss interacting with other. They want to be focused...but there are so many other things they'd rather be doing!
We also asked students if they had tips for teachers. Here are their thoughts:
1. Communicate the plan for the week during the weekend. They mentioned they would like communication to come in the same way, at the same time from teachers to help them stay organized. Some suggested it come on the weekend so they can plan for the week.
2. Students requested teachers use the same type of online platform. Last year, we used a variety of formats to teach students. They found that confusing and difficult to navigate. Having consistency with a platform helps students. This year, they request Zoom links be put into the same place in a google classroom...preferably at the top of the Classwork section (with non-used links deleted!).
3. Help with organization. This year, we have provided a planner via google slides. Keep in mind, providing a planner does not mean students will use it well. Consider taking some time this week to find out if your students are using a planner of some type and how that is working out for them. Give them some tips to stay organized and invite students who are having issues with organization to attend office hours so you can help.
I know that you have students in your classes like my daughter...and ones like my son! Thank you for finding out the needs of each of your students, caring enough to ask about their joys and their frustrations so far this year, and for changing what you do so that all students benefit! And finally, remember the rules for the year:
Keep doing what is BEST for kids. If you feel rushed and stressed, they do too! We don't do our best or learn best when we feel this way. Slow down. Focus on only essentials. Listen to students. Listen to peers. Listen to yourself. Try just one new thing this week. Last week, several of you used your zoom time to ask students some questions about life, or play games with students and encourage relationships! I heard the joy in your voices as you talked about this! I hope all of you find joy that like this week! Give yourself and your students lots of grace! It's so easy to make mistakes when everything is so new. Our teacher "spidey-senses" don't work as well in zoom, our expectations for how long assignments will take students is totally off, and typical teacher tasks are so difficult to attend to when you've already been sitting at a screen for 4 hours! Give grace to yourself. Give grace to your students. And know that we are all making mistakes in this setting. ALL! You're not the only one! We all need a little grace! (Laughter doesn't hurt either!) Have a joy-filled week! Kim
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